“No problem,” he said easily. “I’m really glad that Echo likes to ride—and grateful that her grandparents are around to encourage her. The only reason I try to keep her to a schedule is so we can get home in time to have dinner with my dad.”
“Your dad lives with you?”
“Not in the same house.” He adjusted the brim of his cowboy hat to deflect the late afternoon sunrays. “He has a singlewide parked on the property”—he chuckled—“because he likes his privacy and his pipe. But we try to keep regular mealtimes with him when we can because he has diabetes.”
“Oh…”
“And he doesn’t always think about his health.” Cody smiled. “He’s kind of an old-school cowboy…you know, the tough Marlborough man who wants to die in the saddle.”
“So does he still ride?”
“Just his John Deere.”
“He sounds like a character.”
“Oh yeah, he is.”
“Hey, I wonder if he’d know anything about my relatives.” “Would you like to talk to him?”
“Sure—if you think he wouldn’t mind.” She smiled sheepishly. “By the way, you were right. I struck out on gathering information on the reservation today. It was mostly useless.”
“Well, maybe you should talk to my dad.”
Echo came out of the house now. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Do you think your dad would really be willing to talk to me?” Sunny said to Cody. “Would you ask him?”
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
Sunny wasn’t sure if that was a challenge or an invitation and so she just waited.
“You’re going to talk to my grandpa?” Echo asked.
“Maybe,” Sunny said with uncertainty.
“Hey, why don’t you come over for dinner tonight?” Echo said eagerly.
“Oh, no, I didn’t mean—”
“Come on, Sunny,” Echo urged. “It’s okay, isn’t it, Dad?”
“Sure, if Sunny wants to come.” He grinned. “That is, if she likes elk stew.”
“Elk stew?” Sunny wasn’t sure if he was teasing or not.
“Yeah,” Echo said, “it’s really good.”
“Elk stew.” She studied them both and decided, whether this was a dare or a joke, she was going to take them up on it. “Okay then, fine. I’ve never tasted elk anything before. If you really have elk stew, I’m game.”
He laughed. “Was that a pun?”
She smiled. “Maybe so.”
“Give us about thirty minutes to get our act together,” Cody told her as he pulled out a business card and wrote on the back. “Here are the directions. It’s pretty simple.”
“Cool!” Echo looked pleased. “I’ll use the good dishes.”
As they got into Cody’s pickup and drove away, Sunny stood there wondering what she was getting herself into. She went to the bunkhouse to see if Aubrey was around, but not finding her, decided to check in the house. Plus, she needed to let Cindy know that she wouldn’t be here for dinner.
“Hey, there,” Cindy called out as Sunny came into the kitchen. “Did you have a good ride with Echo?”
“I did.” Sunny nodded. “And I’m falling in love with Brownie Anne.”
Cindy smiled. “Brownie Anne’s a sweetheart. She used to be my horse.”
“Used to be?”
“I hurt my back when the kids were teenagers. I haven’t ridden in years.”
“Oh.”
“Aubrey just called. She’s meeting some of her friends at the Rainbow for drinks. She said for you to call her if you want to meet up with them. Otherwise you’re welcome to join Doug and me.”
“Actually, Echo and Cody invited me for elk stew tonight.” Sunny’s mouth twisted to one side. “I, uh, I’ve never had elk before.”
“Oh, it’s really good when it’s cooked right. And Cody makes a mean pot of elk stew.”
“Cody thought I could talk to his father—to see if he knows or remembers anyone or anything about my family. Maybe point me in a direction for talking to some others.”
Cindy nodded. “That’s a good idea. Take it from me: Hank Barrett can talk the hind leg off of a mule. I’m sure he has lots of interesting stories to share.”
Sunny looked down at her dusty jeans. “I suppose I should go clean up then.”
“Have a nice evening,” Cindy called.
“Thanks. You too.”
As Sunny walked back to the bunkhouse, she suspected that Cindy was relieved not to have company for dinner tonight. So maybe this was a good plan all the way around. Still, she felt nervous as she cleaned up. Social interaction and small talk had never been her strengths. Oh, she had gotten by in the academic world by talking about her studies and subjects of interest to her. But it was always a challenge to engage in a purely social way. She knew this had to do with her upbringing. Grandmother had never engaged socially with anyone. Even though she went to church, taking Sunny along with her, her friendships there were all rather superficial. For the most part, at least as far as Sunny knew, her grandmother had been a hermit. And Sunny was a fair ways down that same road, following in her footsteps.
Sunny decided to wear one of the shirts she’d purchased at Hamley & Co. today. It was a vintage-style shirt, red cotton with ornate black stitching, and the salesgirl had gone on and on about how great it had looked on her. It was a lot flashier than the kind of clothes Sunny was accustomed to, and she hoped the shirt’s flamboyance might rub off on her social skills tonight. Also, it looked great with her Old Gringo boots and buckskin jacket. For whatever reason, she wanted to make a favorable impression on Cody’s father.
Before she left, she decided to take her box of memorabilia with her, slipping it into her oversized purse and zipping it closed. Not that she planned to mention any connection to Jackson Sundown. But perhaps she might show Cody’s father the few bits and pieces she had that were related to her grandmother’s family. Just in case. Sunny went over the directions Cody had penned on the back of his card. They did seem straightforward, but as she got into the car, Sunny wished her cell phone wasn’t dead. And, not for the first time today, Sunny felt slightly hopeless, like she was on a fool’s errand. But this time, she decided to ask for help. So sitting there in her car with the sky starting to glow red with the sunset, Sunny bowed her head to pray.
“Dear God, please help me. If I’m supposed to find my family connections, help me to do so. And if I’m not, help me to be satisfied with how things are. Amen.”
Then, feeling as if a bit of her burden had been lifted, Sunny drove east toward the reservation, admiring the pink rays of light on the golden wheat fields, contrasting against the dark blue sky in the distance. This really was amazing country—big, open, vast. A girl could get lost out here.
Fortunately, and thanks to Cody’s clear directions, she didn’t get lost. And the drive took less than ten minutes. She had barely pulled into the driveway when Echo and a black and white dog came bounding out toward her car.
“You made it,” Echo said as Sunny got out of the car.
“Yes.” Sunny waited as the dog circled around her. “And who is this?”
“This is Lady. Sit.” Echo pointed her finger down and the dog obeyed, sitting with tail wagging.
“Lady”—Sunny reached down to pet the dog’s head—“what a good girl you are.”
“Grandpa put on a tie,” Echo told her as they walked toward a ranch house.
“Oh?”
“Yeah. He only puts on ties for weddings or funerals, so you should feel special.”
Sunny laughed.
“Just don’t say anything about it.”
“No, of course not.”
“Welcome,” Cody said as they came into the house. He wore a black-and-white checkered apron and a big grin. “Although it looks like the welcoming committee already met you.”
“And your directions were perfect,” she told him.
Now a white-haired man stepped forward. He was a few inch
es shorter than Cody and, indeed, was wearing a white western shirt, leather string tie, and silver bolo. “Sunny Westcott, I’d like to introduce you to my father, Hank Barrett.”
The old man’s brown eyes lit up as he took her hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Westcott.”
“Please, call me Sunny,” she said as they shook.
“And you call me Hank.”
“It’s a deal.”
“Now you two make yourselves comfortable in here while Echo and I put dinner on the table.”
“You don’t need any help?” Sunny offered.
“Nope. My assistant and I have everything under control.”
“May I take your coat?” Hank offered.
“Yes.” Sunny carefully removed the fringed jacket.
“This is a beauty,” he said as he hung it in a coat closet by the front door. “It looks like it’s been around for a while too.”
“It has,” she said. “It belonged to my grandmother, and I think it may have originated around here.”
“I’m sure that’s likely. My guess is, it was a man’s coat originally.” “Really?”
He waved to the sofa for her to sit down. “Probably made by an Indian woman…for a man she regarded highly.”
As Sunny sat down on the leather sofa, she wondered: Was it possible that her grandmother had made that jacket for a man? But, if so, who would that man have been? Certainly not the first husband— the one she had loathed. And why would Grandmother resort to old Native ways for her second husband, when she had so stringently buried all ties to her people? No, the most sensible answer was that it had belonged to, perhaps even been made by, her great-grandmother, Polly Wikiapi.
Hank sat in a chair adjacent to her, folding his hands in his lap and gazing intently at her. “Do you mind if I say that you are a beautiful woman, Sunny Westcott?”
Her cheeks grew warm. “No, of course not. Thank you.”
He smiled. “Thank you.”
She scanned the room. With its rustic furnishings and western décor, it reminded her of Aubrey’s parents’ home—only it had a cozier, more natural feeling. And, of course, it was smaller. “This is a nice room,” she said, for lack of anything else to say.
“This is the house Cody grew up in,” Hank told her. “Oh, it looked a lot different back then. Cody’s mom liked colonial style furniture and lots of frills. I sort of let the place go after she died. Never did feel comfortable in here after she was gone. But Lenora and her mom redid everything when she and Cody got married. That’s when I moved out to my little trailer.” He chuckled. “My bachelor pad.”
“Where you smoke your pipe?” she ventured.
His dark eyes twinkled with mischief. “So he told you about all my vices then?”
She smiled back. “No. Just the pipe. Do you have a lot of other ones?”
He cupped his hand by his mouth. “Just sneaking sweets sometimes,” he whispered. “But don’t you tell.”
She shook her finger, but her smile remained. Really, he was quite the charmer.
“Cody tells me you want to find out about your family.”
“If it’s possible.”
He frowned. “Don’t recall anyone in these parts named Westcott.”
“Oh, that was my grandfather’s name. He wasn’t from here.” She reached for her purse now, removing the tin, as well as her great-grandmother’s photo and the birth announcement. “My grandmother was born here.” She handed both pieces to him. “Her mother is the one in the photo. Her name was Polly Wikiapi. I think she was around eighteen when it was taken.”
He let out a low whistle. “Your grandmother’s a beautiful woman too.”
“No, that’s my great-grandmother.”
He flipped over the photograph, squinting to read the writing. “Polly Wikiapi, Pendleton Round-Up, 1911.” He smiled and turned the photo back over. “That was quite a year for Round-Up history. Not that I was around way back then, but we’ve all heard the stories.”
She nodded.
“I’ll bet your great-grandmother, pretty Polly Wikiapi, had some good tales to tell. Chances are, she even met Jackson Sundown that year.”
Sunny pressed her lips together and waited.
Hank was still studying the photo. “Yep. Chances are, a woman this pretty would’ve caught his eye for sure.” Now he picked up the birth announcement, pausing to read it, then looking up at Sunny with a curious expression before moving his gaze back to the photo of Polly. “Your great-grandmother had a baby about nine months after this photo was taken, but there’s no naming of a father in this newspaper clipping. Do you know the name of your great-grandfather?”
Sunny felt a rush of anxiety then. Why had she shown him these things? Why hadn’t she known it would be like a runaway train? “Well, no,” she said quickly, “I don’t know the name of my great-grandfather. Truth is, my great-grandmother wasn’t married when she had her baby. And my grandmother had a rather difficult life… thanks to a number of things.”
His eyes softened with compassion. “This isn’t a new story, Sunny. Unfortunately, it happens a lot amongst our people.”
She forced a smile as she reached for the pieces. “I’m sure it’s next to impossible to find out who my great-grandfather is,” she said quietly. “But perhaps I can find out if there are other relatives. People by the name Wikiapi.”
“I’m guessing Wikiapi was your great-grandmother’s first name, Sunny.”
“Oh. It’s not a family name?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I’ve never heard it.”
“So it might not be that easy to trace my roots here after—”
“Dinner is served,” Echo announced.
“We’ll talk more later.” Hank pulled himself stiffly to his feet, offering his hand to Sunny.
“Thank you.”
“Right this way,” Echo said in a formal tone. But then she led them past what looked like a dining room and on through the kitchen and finally out a door and onto a deck where a table and chairs were set up with a tablecloth, flowers, votive candles, and pretty dishes.
“Wow, this is beautiful,” Sunny said.
“It was Echo’s idea,” Cody said. “We might want our coats, although I’ve got the firepot going to take the chill off.”
“It’s lovely,” Sunny told Echo.
“Thanks.” Echo smiled happily.
Once they were seated, Cody bowed his head and asked a blessing. The sincerity in his tone made Sunny think this was more than just a habit, more than just a show. Right then something in Sunny’s heart clicked—almost like she could hear the sound, like a key turning in a lock. Click. And yet, as quickly as it happened, she dismissed it. Pure emotion, she told herself. Who wouldn’t be touched by such a homey, sweet setting? It was like a scene from an old-fashioned movie.
“Don’t be fooled by this elegant table,” Cody said as he ladled out stew. “I think it was Echo’s way of making up for our humble fare.” He handed Sunny a bowl.
“And don’t be fooled by Dad’s humble speech,” Echo said. “Everyone knows he makes the best elk stew on the reservation.”
“His mama taught him well,” Hank added as Cody handed him a bowl.
“And how do you have time to work and cook?” Sunny asked as Echo handed her a basket of what looked like freshly baked corn muffins.
“Oh, the stew’s easy. I throw it all in the slow cooker in the morning and come home and it’s done.”
Hank chuckled. “He makes it sound easy, but I’ve attempted it a time or two and can assure you it’s not that easy. Although I’m pretty sure his mama taught him a few tricks that she never told me.”
Sunny waited until everyone was served, and only when Echo picked up her spoon did Sunny follow. It wasn’t only good manners that made her wait, but apprehension as well. She had never eaten wild game of any kind. Cautiously, she dipped her spoon and saw that it contained a small piece of potato and meat. Bracing herself, she tasted it and was stunned at how good i
t was. “This is delicious,” she told Cody.
“You look shocked.”
She smiled. “I am a little surprised.”
He just laughed. And then they all loosened up and Echo told them about a school play that she wanted to try out for and Hank started telling a story about when Cody was in junior high and got talked into being in a play. “I think it was Lenora who got you to agree, wasn’t it?”
“Oh, Dad,” Cody said, “you’re not telling that old story, are you?”
Hank chuckled. “Poor Cody, he’d just gone through a growth spurt. I think he was about fourteen at the time and nearly six feet tall. It was a Shakespeare play, as I recall, and on opening night, Cody was doing something backstage when he tripped. The next thing we knew the whole castle scene fell down with a boom, and poor ol’ Cody was sprawled across the top of it. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.”
“Except that my acting career was ruined.” Cody winked at Echo. “Hopefully you’ll redeem your old man if you decide to take up the theater.”
Sunny felt a strange sense of belonging as she sat at the table with these three generations of people, almost as if she’d known them for years. Like they were old friends, or even family. The food, the crackling fire pit, the crisp night air, the candles, the laughter—all was delightful…and something she would store inside of her for a long time to come.
Chapter Twelve
Sunny begged to help clean up, but Cody and Echo wouldn’t have it.
“You go talk to Grandpa,” Echo insisted.
“That’s right,” Cody said. “This is supposed to be a research night for you.”
“And, if you’re not afraid to accompany me to my bachelor pad, I have some things I’d like to show you,” Hank told her.
She exchanged a quick glance with Cody, but his nod assured her that this was perfectly acceptable. “I’m not afraid,” she told Hank. “Lead the way.”
Soon they were comfortably seated on his navy blue velvet couch. And while his living room may not have been as fashionable as the other house, it was equally comfortable. Hank opened the trunk that served as a coffee table and pulled out what looked to be a very old photo album.
Love Finds You in Pendleton, Oregon Page 10