Dorothy Garlock - [Tucker Family] by Keep a Little Secret

with Hale’s assessment.
    “And this little fella down here is old Salt’s constant companion,” he explained, nodding to the little black dog who, upon
     being mentioned, inched back behind Hale’s leg until he was nearly out of sight, giving a low growl for good measure. “He
     goes by—”
    “Let me guess,” Charlotte offered. “His name is Pepper.”
    Hale laughed heartily. “I suppose it were to be expected, weren’t it!”
    Charlotte bent down, straightening her skirt on the dusty ground, and carefully reached out her hand to Pepper. Skittish,
     the little dog leaped back, offering a hint of his teeth to go with his earlier warning. Patiently, Charlotte waited. Slowly,
     Pepper’s fear and trepidation began to wane as his curiosity grew. His tiny black nose twitching this way and that, he eventually
     made his way to Charlotte’s hand, allowing her to pet his small body and lifting his head as if in triumph.
    “Looks like you’re the sort who gets along well with dogs,” Hale remarked.
    “I had a special one when I was younger.”
    “Can’t say that you’ve lost your touch, then.”
    “I suppose it’s not something that ever really goes away.” Charlotte smiled.
    “I reckon not.”
    Now that Pepper was getting special attention, Salt became jealous and decided that he wasn’t about to lose out, even to a
     friend. He jumped away from Hale and pushed his canine companion completely out of the way, before finally sitting down in
     front of Charlotte, waiting for the surely inevitable petting that was to come.
    After a few moments of showering the two gluttons with affection, scratches and petting, Hale finally asked, “So what are
     you doin’ out so early?”
    Charlotte smiled playfully. “Hannah offered to have her brother take us both into town this morning. She thought I might benefit
     from being shown around a little before I was expected to start teaching.”
    “Ha… Hannah… asked you… to go?” he stammered.
    Rising to her feet, Charlotte fixed Hale with a curious look. He stared at her for only a moment before turning away, color
     rising in his cheeks and his foot kicking nervously at the dirt.
    “You’re sweet on Hannah, aren’t you?” she ventured.
    “No… no… I—I don’t know what you’re talkin’ ’bout,” he answered.
    “Tell me the truth, Hale,” Charlotte insisted.
    The man’s mouth opened wide, as if he wanted to argue the point a bit further, but when his eyes met hers, it wasclear that he could see the uselessness of lying. “I reckon that fact’s ’bout as easy to see as that sun in the sky, ain’t
     it?” he asked rhetorically. “It ain’t too easy to bear knowin’ that everyone on the ranch figured it out but her.”
    “I’m sure she knows.” Charlotte smiled, despite her desire not to.
    “Awww, now that’s just great to know,” Hale despaired, throwing his hat into the dust with a thud.
    “But that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t think you’re… nice,” Charlotte offered as a salve to his wounded pride. “For all you
     know, she might have the same feelings for you.”
    “Then why hasn’t she said somethin’?”
    “Maybe it’s because she’s waiting for you to tell her exactly where you stand,” Charlotte explained. “I’m sure it doesn’t
     help that every time you are in the same room as her, you can’t seem to say anything without mumbling like you’ve got your
     mouth full of mush.”
    “It’s not that bad,” Hale said defensively.
    “I’d only just met you, but as soon as Hannah came through the door, I could hardly recognize you,” Charlotte argued. “If
     I could notice it, then there is no doubting that she did.”
    “I just get so darn flummoxed!”
    “Women want a man who’s confident, someone who’s not afraid to let them know how he feels.”
    “But I don’t know how to do that!”
    “You need to learn, then.”
    Hale’s eyes suddenly lit up; it looked as if a light switch had been thrown.