Page 21 of Rough Stock
The frown on the older woman’s face only lasted for a few seconds before it dissolved and she said with a roll of her eyes, “Oh, what the heck? You two are grownups. It’s none of my business, I suppose.”
“Thanks. Where’s Pop?”
“He went out to check on the cattle. Leo’s out there too,” she said, and Shyanna wondered who that was.
“I’ll catch up with them in a bit. Can we bring our things in?” he asked.
“Yes. Oh, my! You’re still on the porch! Come in, come in! Goodness, where did y’all come from?” Mrs.Strader asked as she led the way into the house, and Jensen’s voice droned behind her as he told her about their travels. It gave Shyanna time to look around.
Average. That was the first word that came to her mind. The furniture was nice, but it wasn’t new, and it was a neutral shade of brown. Everything matched in its brownness, and there were contrasting throw pillows on the furniture and a big, fluffy throw on one end of the three-cushion sofa. The most colorful thing in the room was the area rug, and even it was kind of nondescript, a checkerboard of brown, black, mossy green, dark robin’s egg blue, and tan. Not one thing in the room screamed,Hey! Look at me!It was just… average.
With Mrs.Strader still in the lead, they ascended the narrow staircase and turned on the landing, then turned again before coming out at the top. “I guess you two can have this room down here,” she said as she threw open a door.
In contrast with the plainness of the rest of the house, the pale yellow walls made the room look sunny and inviting, andthe sheer ivory drapes helped it along. On the full-size bed was a chenille bedspread, the kind that Shyanna hadn’t seen since she was a child, and on it were tiny pink rosebuds here and there. Every piece of furniture in the room was Early American and maple, and it reminded Shyanna of her AuntJessi’s house where she’d visited when she was very small. She was shocked out of her thoughts when Mrs.Strader asked, “Will this do?”
“It’s great, Mama. I mean, come on?we’ve been sleeping in horse trailers!” Jensen said, laughing, and Shyanna turned to smile at Mrs.Strader.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you so much.” And she meant it too. Except for the occasional hotel room when she could afford it, it had been years since Shyanna had slept anywhere that nice.
The smile Mrs.Strader gave her in return seemed genuine. “You’re so welcome, dear.” A noise sounded from down the stairs and the woman said, “Oh, Leo and your dad are back! They’re gonna be so surprised!” With that, she ran out of the room and Shyanna could hear her feet pounding down the stairs.
“I think she likes you,” Jensen said with a grin.
“She doesn’t know me well enough to like or dislike me yet,” Shyanna reminded him.
“For my mama to not like you, you have to give her a reason. Don’t give her one and she’ll love you in a couple of days.”
Shyanna sighed. “Okay then. I’ll take your word for it.” But deep down, she knew better.
As soon as he’d reached for her hand and caught it, Jensen pulled her along with him and sat down on the edge of the bed. “You okay?” he asked, his other hand sweeping a strand of hair from her face.
She sat down beside him and shrugged. “I guess.” When his brow dropped, she added, “I’m just not used to family stuff, that’s all.”
“It’ll be okay. You’ll get used to it. Maybe eventually you’ll grow to like it,” he told her with a gentle smile. “Guess I’d better get downstairs. By now she’s told them we’re here and they’ll be looking for me.”
“Can I stay up here for a little while?” Shyanna asked. There was something about a happy family laughing and hugging and slapping each other on the backs that she didn’t think she could face at that moment.
He gave her a knowing nod. “Sure. Take all the time you want. I’ll be downstairs and if things get too rowdy, I’ll get our stuff from the truck and bring it upstairs. Sound okay?” Shyanna nodded, so Jensen stood. “Come down when you want.”
She knew her smile was weak, but she just wasn’t feeling it all. “Thanks.”
Leaning down, he dropped a soft, feather-light kiss on her forehead. “You’re welcome. Lie down if you like and I’ll wake you for dinner.” She watched as he strode out of the room, listened to his boots on the stairs, and heard the loud chorus of voices when he landed downstairs.
Those voices, the joy in them and the warmth she could feel coming up those stairs as they rose, was the last straw. Shyanna lay down on the bed, rolled with her back to the door, and let a tear roll from her eye onto the pillow. She’d never had that?any of it. No one had ever been glad to see her show up, and no one had ever noticed when she left. The idea that those people would ever accept her was just wishful thinking. They were a family. They were kind, nice, well-educated people who had a place in the world and knew where it was. They knew where they belonged. Who was she to think they’d ever want her around?
The next thing she knew, a presence was bending over her. “Shy? Honey? Wake up. Mama’s got dinner ready and Pop and Leo want to meet you. You awake?”
Shyanna rubbed her eyes. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m awake. How long have I been asleep?”
“About two hours! I think you were just worn out. Ready?” he asked and took her hand, then stood beside the bed.
Shyanna let him help her up to sitting and threw her legs over the side of the bed. “Yeah. I’m ready.” She had no idea what she was ready for, but whatever it was, she might as well face it.
The driveback to the university farm after dinner didn’t seem quite as far from the house. “I think everybody really liked you,” Jensen said as he drove.
Shyanna just sat leaning up against the door. “They just don’t know me well enough. They’ll decide they don’t like me before long.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Jensen couldn’t understand why she talked about herself that way. There was nothing wrong with the woman, and yet she was sure everyone hated her. That made no sense. “You’re a good person, Shy. Why are you so sure everybody will hate you?”
