The mood in the room was tense, and Max and Tim ceased speaking upon her arrival. Neither was sitting at the table but instead standing next to the counter. Bacon sizzled in a pan, and the smell of it along with eggs and toast filled her nose, making her realize how hungry she was. She hadn’t eaten since the previous morning. Max looked somber when he regarded her. “Come have some breakfast, Charlotte,” he said, his voice stern.
She walked to the table gingerly and sat down. Max fixed her a plate of food in silence, then set it in front of her. Charlotte whispered her thanks and took a bite of the scrambled eggs.
Tim appeared subdued and had a guilty expression on his face. “Feeling all right, Miss Rose?” he asked.
“Much better this morning. Thanks, Tim.” She bit into a piece of bacon.
“How are your feet?” Max asked.
“Not bad. I can walk without pain if I don’t step too hard.”
Max nodded once to indicate that the news was to his liking.
Tim cleared his throat. “I’ll be going to the shop now.” His shoulders slumped as he walked to the door. He retrieved his Stetson from the hat rack and looked back at Max, who was observing his exit with a frown. “I’m sorry, Max, for not telling you sooner. I wanted to be the one to solve my own problems.”
Max was sharp in his response. “Your problems are my problems. I’m very disappointed you think otherwise. We’ll discuss it more later.”
Tim nodded sadly. He walked out and closed the door. Max remained in the same place for a moment staring at the door before he sat at the table with a mug of freshly brewed coffee.
Max’s ill temper made Charlotte nervous. “I gather he told you about the scholarship situation?” She bit into her toast, not tasting a thing.
“Yes, and I’m not pleased with him, or with you, young lady, for knowing about it and not telling me. I don’t appreciate secrets being kept from me, especially when they involve the safety of people I care about. Tim seems to think Simon might’ve had something to do with whatever happened to you last night, which is why he chose to tell me now. Is that the case?”
Charlotte kept her eyes on her plate. “I’m afraid so, and I’m afraid you’ll be even more displeased with me upon learning what happened. I’m worried about telling you, Max.”
Max took a drink of his coffee. She felt his stern gaze on her face. “Sounds as though you should be worried, Charlotte, but you’d better come clean. I expect to hear the entire truth, and I’m warning you, it would be unwise to do otherwise.”
She nodded, then ate another piece of bacon slowly, gathering up her courage while she chewed. Finally she swallowed and explained what brought her to his doorstep.
*
Charlotte sat at her desk in the schoolhouse late on Friday afternoon, her carpetbag of belongings beside her. She racked her brain to come up with a solution to what had just happened. She’d miscounted, and the rent had been due to the landlady that day, three days before her second paycheck was due to arrive. Since she’d given all of her first paycheck to Max, she couldn’t pay it. No amount of bargaining or explaining would move the woman to wait for the money. The landlady informed her that she had a waiting list of people who wanted to rent a room in her establishment, and she’d only selected the schoolmarm as a boarder under the assumption that someone with her education would be responsible.
A tear slid down Charlotte’s face as she remembered the rebuke and the slam of the door behind her as she was evicted. She’d looked back once to find Simon Evans peering at her through his window on the second floor, a smirk on his face, which he couldn’t remove in time for her not to see. She wondered how soon the news would travel around town, eventually reaching Max’s ears. She felt a knot in her stomach at the thought. It would be better if he heard it from her. She knew this, but she didn’t know if she could bring herself to tell him right away.
She buried her head in her arms on the desk until a noise at the door startled her out of her sad thoughts. She lifted her head and took in a sharp breath when Simon Evans strode through. He headed straight for her. She immediately felt like she was in danger, and she searched her mind for a reason to steady her beating heart and settle her panic. It was broad daylight in the middle of town. Surely the man wouldn’t risk being caught in the act of harming her.
“I thought I’d find you here,” he said.
She stood. “Hello, Mr. Evans. I noticed that you witnessed my eviction from the boardinghouse.”
He stopped in front of her desk and ran his long, bony fingers along the smooth wood. Laughing, he said, “Yes, I couldn’t help but notice. I imagine many people did. Have you told your beau yet?”
She hesitated, then lied. “Yes, he is meeting me here. In fact he should be here any minute.”
“That’s interesting,” he responded cheerfully. “I just saw him and he mentioned he was headed to the jailhouse to deliver some shackles to the marshal.”
“Well, yes,” she stammered. “He’s coming here after that, of course.”
Simon laughed again. “Of course. Well, my dear. I only stopped by to give you some information that might be helpful. There’s a room for rent just outside of town. The fee is lower, if that’s what your problem is.”