Sunny merely nodded, trying to take this in.
“But Cody was about twelve when he became friends with Larry Strong Horse.”
“Was Larry an…an Indian?” She winced slightly to hear herself say the I word, but out of respect for Hank, and wanting to fit in, she was trying to work it into her vocabulary.
“Yep. And he and Cody really clicked. Both of them were big into horses and rodeo, and both of ‘em as smart as whips. Real good boys.”
“And you and your wife were okay with Cody being friends with a full-blooded Indian?”
“To be honest, Helen wasn’t too sure at first. But I encouraged her to give it a chance. The more we got to know Larry, the more we knew he was a really good kid. And by then, times were changing. A lot of the Indians, including the Strong Horse family, were starting to take pride in their heritage. One day I was in town getting some feed and picking up Cody from school when I saw something that changed me. Changed me for good.”
“What happened?”
“I had just pulled up at the junior high, ‘round the back side, and noticed a small crowd of boys. I could tell they were up to no good. So I quietly walked up from behind and heard some of the boys calling Larry names—you know, the dirty Injun garbage…and worse. I was ready to step in and then I saw Cody standing by Larry—sticking up for his friend. Let me tell you, I couldn’t have been prouder of my boy. Then the other kids started calling Cody an Injun lover and going after him. I could tell it was about to break into a fight, so I made my presence known and the kids scattered like scared rabbits. But right then and there, I knew it was time for me to speak out. So it was that night that I dug out my mother’s old photo album and told Cody the truth.”
“How did he take it?”
“At first he was pretty surprised. I was worried he was mad at us for keeping it from him because he went to bed without even talking much. But I think he needed to let it sink in. A few days later he was happy as a clam, and he and Larry were best friends again.”
“Did it change things for him? With his friends or at school? Was he treated differently?”
“Not that I ever heard about. But I suppose you’d have to ask him.”
“And what became of Larry? Are they still friends?”
“Larry enlisted in the army right out of high school, went through the whole ROTC program in college. and made it as an officer. Can’t remember what his rank was, but it was impressive.”
“Was?”
“He was one of the first casualties in Afghanistan. Left behind a widow and son.”
“Oh.” Sunny shook her head. “Sad.”
“Yeah. It was hard on everyone.”
“Do his widow and son live on the reservation?”
“Yeah. They’d been on an army base but moved back here after Larry’s death. Trina works at Tamástslikt and Jackson is a year older than Echo. Cody made a promise to Larry the first time he went into active duty: that he’d help out if anything happened.” Hank leaned forward and said softly, “Larry’s mom and siblings are what you might describe as dysfunctional. Anyway, we consider Trina and Jackson as family.”
“I’m sure they must appreciate it.”
“You’ll probably meet them if you stick around long enough. In fact, I know they’ll be over here next week. We always have a little shindig the evening of opening day of Round-Up. That’s next Wednesday. Would you like to come?”
“I wasn’t sure if I’d stay for the rodeo.”
“I thought you said you didn’t have a job to go back to.”
Sunny smiled. “Well, that’s true.”
“So why not stick around until Wednesday? For that matter, you should stay and enjoy the whole week of Round-Up. There’s nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world. And remember what Aunt Lulu said about learning about your own people?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “Okay, you talked me into it, Hank. I’ll stick around for rodeo.” She remembered the time now. “And if you’ll excuse me, I was hoping to go ride with your granddaughter again.”
“I know Echo would appreciate the company.”
“Do you mind if I ask why she rides over there instead of over here?”
“After Lenora passed, Echo’s grandma, Cindy, well, she got in a real bad place. So depressed she was hardly even getting out of bed. Echo seemed to be the only one to pull her out of that slump. It just made sense to let her spend more time there. Plus Lowenstein’s got that great arena over there, and the school bus drops Echo right at their ranch, which is a shorter ride than out here. And Cody doesn’t mind going over to pick her up at five. It’s a good situation for everyone…for right now anyway.”
“I know Cindy appreciates having Echo around.”
“You probably already heard that Cindy and Doug are grooming Echo to be a Round-Up princess someday.” His dark eyes twinkled. “As good as that little girl is on a horse, and as pretty as she is, well, it’s not outside the realm of possibility either. It’s one of the reasons I’m trying to watch out for my health these days. I want to be around to see our little girl wearing that crown.”
Sunny had to bite her tongue. She didn’t want to give Echo’s secret away. And she suspected that if and when the time came, both Hank and Cody would be understanding and supportive of Echo’s opinions. Or perhaps Echo might even change her mind by then. Whatever the case, it wasn’t Sunny’s place to intervene.
“Well…” Sunny stood. “I really should head on over there if I want to get in some riding time with her.” Then she thanked him for the lemonade and left. As she drove back toward the Lowenstein ranch, she tried to make sense of her day. The truth was, she did feel overwhelmed. And even though she’d managed to learn a few things about her family, she was just as lost—maybe even more so—than ever.
Chapter Sixteen
Sunny was surprised to find both the corral and arena empty when she got there. And yet it was only 3:30. She walked over to the horse barn and glanced in to see what looked like a pair of boots sticking out from the shadows. Waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dim light, Sunny realized that the boots belonged to Echo. The girl was sitting on a bench with her head leaned back and her eyes closed.
“Are you okay?” Sunny asked quietly.
Echo jerked to attention, sitting up straight. “Sure.”
“Oh.” Sunny sat down on the bench next to her. “Not riding today?”
Echo shrugged.
“Is something wrong?”
“It’s no big deal.”
“Okay.” Sunny suspected by Echo’s creased brow that it was a bigger deal than she was showing. “I’ve had a weird day today myself.”
“What happened?”
So Sunny told her about meeting Aunt Lulu and then finding her great-grandmother’s grave. “But the weird thing is, I feel more lost and confused now than I did before I started looking. It’s like I know I have these roots, this heritage, but I can’t access them, and I don’t know much of anything for sure. Like it’s gone and buried and maybe I just need to let it go.” She sighed. “Yet it makes me feel more cut off and, in a way, more lonely than ever.”
“I know how you feel.”
Sunny glanced over at Echo, noticing how sad the girl’s eyes looked. “You feel lonely too?”
Echo nodded sadly.
Sunny reached over and placed her hand on Echo’s shoulder. “Maybe you and I need each other. You sure you don’t want to go riding?”
Echo brightened. “Yeah, let’s saddle ‘em up and go.”
So they saddled up the horses and soon were riding along the fence line. Sunny was surprised at how much happier she felt—and free— like a load had been lifted from her. When they reached the creek, pausing to let the horses drink, Sunny smiled at Echo. “I can’t believe how much I love to ride. I’m a different person when I’m on the back of a horse. My worries and troubles just disappear.” She shook her head. “I can’t even imagine how much I’ll miss this when I go back home.”
<
br /> “Can you get a horse there?”
Sunny laughed to imagine a horse in her tiny backyard. “No, I don’t think so.”
Echo broke off a piece of dried grass and stuck it in her mouth. “You know why I’m feeling so bad?”
Sunny shook her head. “No, why?”
“Because my best friend kind of dumped me this week.”
Sunny made a sad face. “Why?”
“I don’t even know why. Kendra and I have been best friends since second grade. But now she’s hanging with Hadley Epperson, who is totally boy crazy and dresses like she’s in high school. Kendra won’t even talk to me anymore. Like she’s so much better than me now. I just don’t get it.”
“That’s got to be hard.”
Echo nodded with moist-looking eyes.
“Something like that happened to me in junior high too. It hurt a lot. I’m sorry.”
“And Kendra and I had signed up to be in the Dress-Up Parade together. Now she says she doesn’t even want to do it. She says it’s lame.”
“What’s Dress-Up Parade?”
So Echo explained that tomorrow was the kick-off parade for Round-Up and that everyone dressed up however they liked and rode horses. Anyone could be in it. “It’s really fun. I’ve done it every year since I can remember. I used to do it with my mom. When I was too little to ride a horse by myself, I rode with her. And then, after she got sick, I always rode with Kendra. Sometimes we were Indians. Last year we were rodeo clowns. We were going to be old-time cowgirls this year. I’ve got my outfit all ready and everything.”
“That does sound like fun. Can’t you do it anyway?”
“By myself?” Echo frowned.
“Maybe your dad could ride with you?”
“He’s helping to do a float with some guys from the diversion program from Yellow Hawk.”
“Oh. I’d offer to go with you, but I’m not really that good on a horse.”
“You’re better than Kendra.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. She hardly ever rides anymore.”
“But I don’t have an outfit.”
“You could wear your fringed jacket. That’s old.”
Sunny nodded. “I guess so.”
“And I’ll bet Grandma could help find some things. She’s got all kinds of cool cowgirl stuff.”
Part of Sunny felt like she was thirteen years old and she definitely wanted to participate in this parade. But another part of her felt like she was as old as her grandmother and she couldn’t possibly be in a parade.
“Will you ride with me, Sunny?” Echo’s eyes were hopeful. “What if the horse acts up or tries to run away or something?” Echo giggled. “Brownie Anne? Trust me, if there was ever a bombproof parade horse, it would be Brownie Anne.”
“But you’d help me if I had a problem?”
“Of course. But you won’t.”
Sunny nodded. “You’re right. I won’t.”
“So you’ll do it?”
Sunny laughed. “Yes. I will.”
Echo hugged her. “It’ll be so cool. Let’s go tell Grandma and see what she’s got for you to dress up in.” And just like that, they were back on their horses and galloping toward the horse barn. Once again, Sunny felt like she was thirteen years old. And it felt good!
“I can’t tell you how glad I am that you’re riding in the parade with Echo,” Cindy quietly told Sunny. Echo had gone to look through her grandpa’s things for the perfect old-fashioned cowboy hat and belt, while Cindy helped Sunny with an old split skirt that was a bit too large around the waist.
“I think it’ll be fun,” Sunny said as Cindy pinned the waistband. “She was so brokenhearted that I got worried, thinking I’d have to ride with her, and goodness knows I haven’t been on a horse in ages.” Cindy chuckled. “I’m not so sure Echo would want to be seen in the parade with her old grandma by her side anyway. I wanted to strangle that smart-aleck little Kendra. When I think of all that we’ve done for her and, at the last minute, she pulls a stunt like this.”
“I found some great stuff,” Echo announced as she came in with an armload of things. Soon Sunny was standing in front of the mirror in the sewing room, dressed in what actually looked like a somewhat traditional old cowgirl’s outfit. An oversized felt hat and a large red silk bandana completed the picture.
“Now I’ll just take this skirt in and you’ll be all set,” Cindy told Sunny.
“Can I spend the night here?” Echo asked her grandma. “So I can help Grandpa load up the horses in the morning?”
“It’s fine with me as long as your dad doesn’t mind.”
“Can I sleep in the bunkhouse with Aubrey and Sunny?” Echo asked hopefully.
“I don’t see why not,” Cindy told her as Sunny handed her back the skirt. “Unless Aubrey or Sunny have objections.”
“I think that sounds like a great idea,” Sunny told Echo. “It’ll be like a slumber party.”
Echo’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, we can watch movies and have popcorn.”
“Sounds fun.”
“Now I think I’m jealous,” Cindy told them.
“Why don’t you join us?” Sunny suggested as she zipped her jeans.
“I would except that Doug and I have a dinner to go to tonight.” “Hello up there?” called a male voice.
“That’s Dad.” Echo was already out the door. “I’ll go see if it’s okay to spend the night. But I’ll have to go home to get my stuff for the parade first.”
Cindy’s sewing machine was already whirring. “I really do appreciate you spending time with Echo, Sunny. I think this is just the ticket to help her forget about that silly Kendra.”
“I remember…it wasn’t easy being thirteen.”
“You run along,” Cindy said. “I’ll have this skirt fixed up in no time.”
Sunny thanked her, but before she could leave, Cindy let out a hoot of laughter.
“What is it?” Sunny asked.
“Oh, I just got to thinking that here I am helping Jackson Sundown’s great-granddaughter to dress up like an old-fashioned cowgirl. Isn’t that something! I only wish you’d let me tell my friends about it.”
“Oh.” Sunny wished there was an easy answer. “Well, I’m trying to search out my roots, but it’s tricky. And the more I discover in regard to my great-grandmother, the more sure I am that I’ll never really figure out whether there’s any truth to the Jackson Sundown connection.”
“I don’t see why you’re so worried about it, Sunny. Sometimes you simply have to go with something…have fun and enjoy the possibilities.”
“Maybe so,” Sunny murmured. But even as she said this, she knew she was only trying to be polite. Echo and Cody were both still in the living room when Sunny came down.
“Echo tells me you’re going to ride in the parade with her tomorrow.” Cody looked curiously at Sunny.
“She talked me into it,” Sunny admitted. “I sure hope I don’t mess it up. I’m not that experienced on a horse.”
“All you do is stop and go,” Echo pointed out. “And Brownie Anne will probably follow Sylvester’s lead anyway. Besides that, I’ll ask Grandma to make sure we’re not placed around anything too noisy during the parade.”
“Bill Stafford called me up about buying some hay this afternoon,” Cody told Sunny.
“Bill Stafford?” Sunny tried to remember why that sounded familiar.
“He’s your cousin,” Cody reminded her. “Well, second or third cousin anyway. His mom is your grandmother’s cousin.”
“Right.” Sunny nodded. “Lulu mentioned the Staffords.”
“So I told Bill about you, and he invited you to stop by their house this evening. They’re having a little barbecue, and he said you’d be welcome to come.”
“Oh, but we’re having a slumber party.” Sunny glanced at Echo. “Right?”
“Bill invited us to come too,” Cody told her. “But I can tell him you have other plans.”
“Oh, let’s go to the b
arbecue,” Echo said suddenly. “Misty will be there, and it’ll be fun. We can still have the slumber party later.” She looked at her dad. “If that’s okay with you.”
“It’s fine with me. How about you, Sunny?”
She smiled. “Fine with me.”
“Okay, then we better get going,” Cody said to Echo. “I told Bill we’d bring a side dish, and we still need to swing by the store.”
“Can I bring something?” Sunny asked.
“Sure, if you want. Even chips or soda would be fine.”
She nodded. “Great. I’ll pick something up on my way over.” “Starts at six thirty.” He gave her some quick directions, which were simple since the Staffords lived only two farms west of the Barretts, then headed for the door with Echo on his heels.
“And I can ride back here with Sunny afterwards, okay?” Echo asked. “Sounds like a plan.”
Sunny felt a rush of anticipation as she headed back to the bunkhouse to clean up. She was going to meet a real live relative tonight. Okay, a second or third cousin perhaps, but it was someone who shared the same ancestry as she. That in itself was exciting. She took a quick shower, put on her jeans and one of the new shirts she’d purchased at Hamley’s a few days ago, and left Aubrey a note. With time to spare, she headed into town to find a grocery store, where she bought a carton of potato salad, a couple bags of chips, a six-pack of root beer, and a bouquet of fresh flowers.
Then, feeling nervous and happy, she drove out to the reservation again and, following Cody’s directions, turned into a driveway that already had several cars parked in it. Sunny had braced herself for the possibility that this house might be one of the derelict ones with broken windows and junk in the yard, but to her relief it looked nice and neat. The split level house was somewhat plain and the landscaping minimal, but as she got out of the car, she could hear laughter and music and voices, as well as the ring of what she suspected might be a horseshoe game.
Gathering up her food and flowers, she walked around to the backside of the house to see about twenty people already milling about. And, sure enough, there was a horseshoe game going on.
Love Finds You in Pendleton, Oregon Page 14
