Fetching Charlotte Rose by Amelia Smarts

right. We need to tell the marshal. If Simon comes for you, Max or the marshal will protect you.”
    “I can protect myself,” he said sullenly.
    Charlotte removed her hand, sorry she had offended the boy.
    Max said, “We’re all going to protect each other.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I have an important question for you, Tim. And I want you to think about it and not answer right away. All right?”
    That got Tim’s attention. His eyes snapped back to Max’s face. “Sure.”
    “Would you be interested in going to college on that scholarship, if there was a way to get Simon out of the picture?”
    Tim looked surprised. “I don’t know. I just assumed you wouldn’t want me to go, so I haven’t really thought on it.”
    “That’s not the case, Tim. I want whatever you want. That scholarship is kind of a big deal. It might be foolish to pass it up. Am I right, Charlie?”
    She nodded. “Colleges don’t give out scholarships to people unless they have real talent, Tim.”
    Max added, “You could always come back and work with me after college if you really wanted to. It wouldn’t be goodbye either way.”
    Tim scratched his head. “I dunno. I guess I need to think about it more before giving you an answer.”
    Max nodded once. “Good lad. In the meantime, let’s go have a chat with the marshal.”
     
    * * *
     
    Marshal Davis listened with a neutral expression and without interrupting while Tim described the planned theft. The marshal sat behind his wooden desk, and the three of them sat across from him. When Tim finished speaking, the marshal leaned forward, rested his elbows on the desk, and folded his hands in front of him.
    “I’ll tell you what I can and can’t do,” he said, focusing his attention on Tim. “I’m sorry to say I can’t arrest him, since we don’t have evidence. What I can do is send an official telegram as well as a more detailed letter of explanation to the college to let them know of your knowledge of the planned theft.”
    “That’s a good idea,” Max said. “Surely a college wouldn’t give the man money after hearing about his character from a lawman. That should just about solve the problem when it comes to misuse of funds, don’t you think?”
    “Just about. If Tim wants to go to college, I’ll suggest they transfer the funds to you, Max.” The marshal leaned back in his chair and scowled. “I’m more concerned about the threats of violence Simon has made. I plan to speak with him about that and use some threats of my own.”
    Charlotte spoke for the first time since saying hello when she entered the jailhouse. “Marshal, I suspect he tried to harm me already.”
    The marshal’s expression was not as neutral as she related what happened at the schoolhouse after being evicted. His scowl became more pronounced the longer she spoke. Max’s jaw clenched as he listened to the story being told for the third time.
    “That’s more than a little disturbing,” the marshal said. “Where do you plan to stay now, Miss Rose? You can’t stay at the schoolhouse.”
    “She’ll stay with me,” Max asserted with finality.
    Charlotte looked over at him. “That wouldn’t be proper, Max. What would people think, me staying at your place without us being married?”
    Max waved his hand in her direction dismissively. “I’ll marry you then, Charlie.”
    Charlotte scowled. “Maxwell Harrison,” she said, rising to her feet. “That was the worst marriage proposal in the history of proposals.”
    Max got a sheepish look on his face. The marshal laughed and continued laughing for some time. “I’m sorry,” he said, still laughing.
    “Why’s that so funny, marshal?” Charlotte asked, staring at him.
    The marshal eventually sobered enough to speak. “Ah, well. Let’s just say my wife might disagree about that being the worst proposal, Miss Rose. She didn’t exactly get the bent-knee proposal she might have wanted. My knee was bent all right, but she was