A Vexing Woman (Cowboys in Charge) by Amelia Smarts

Author:Amelia Smarts [Smarts, Amelia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-03-21T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Charlotte’s classes began. The children sat on sturdy new benches and wrote on desks without splinters. Max was able to finish all the work before school started. He even surprised Charlotte by building a brand new desk for her using rich mahogany wood. She entered the schoolhouse an hour before the children showed up on the first day. Her eyes immediately fell on the beautiful desk in the front. She ran to it and opened the top drawer, which contained a pink rose and a note.

Good luck on your first day, Miss Rose. I wanted you to have a little something extra. Love, Max

The gesture was practical and sweet, just like Max, and it brought a huge smile to her face that lasted the entire day, which was a difficult one. She learned that most of the children were a couple of years behind in their education and required more attention than she’d thought they would. Still, she enjoyed the work more and more as the days passed, and she adored the children, most of whom were eager to please and studious in their homework.

After a couple of weeks of teaching, she received her first paycheck, which gave her a sense of pride and accomplishment. Sitting at her desk in her room at the boardinghouse, she struggled to write out a spending plan for the next two weeks. Teaching came naturally to Charlotte, but budgeting did not. She chewed her pencil and wrote down each expense she could think of. Her rent at the boardinghouse cost the most, but she would receive another check before the rent was due and so could use her first check to buy food and other necessities. She also had a little money in savings to fall back on.

It was during this budgeting session that she heard a knock at her door. Upon opening it, she found a lad holding a telegram. “From Dallas, miss,” the boy said.

Charlotte thanked him and returned to her desk to read it. Her heart sank and her breathing became labored upon reading its contents. It was a message from the superintendent.

Miss Charlotte Rose <stop> No funding available for school furniture <stop> Please make do <stop> Thanks for your dedication <stop> Superintendent Ed Haskins <stop>

Charlotte stared at the note for some time, overcome with multiple feelings—anger at the superintendent for denying such a basic need, anger at herself for assuming the need would be met, followed by guilt and embarrassment over asking Max to perform such a large task without verifying the funding to back it up.

She felt terribly foolish. How could she have been so naïve? She imagined the conversation she might have with Max, telling him she’d been wrong about the money. She groaned. She loathed the thought of telling him. Charlotte paced the room, furious at herself and furious at Max too. He would be understanding. He would tell her not to worry about it. But it would be another foolish mistake he’d have against her. Damn him.

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