Rustled by Natasha Stories

threw a motherly smile in Russ’s
direction. I tucked that bit of information away for later examination and
attacked my flapjacks as if I had been starving for weeks.
    After
breakfast, Russ went off on another of his mysterious errands, leaving me in
Janet’s care. Once again she waved off my offer of help. This time, though, I
was determined to do something to earn my keep or understand the reasons why
not.
    “Janet, where
is the owner? Does he know I’m here, and is he okay with it?”
    She glanced up
at me with a question in her eyes, but quickly lowered them. “Oh, he’s around.
Yes, he knows you’re here, and I’m certain he’s okay with it.”
    “I wish you’d
let me do something to help. I’d like to make myself useful, since I’m an
uninvited guest.”
    “Oh, I
wouldn’t say that. Please don’t worry about it.” She wouldn’t say what, that I
was an uninvited guest? How could I be anything but? Unless I was a captive,
instead of a guest. I put that thought out of my mind. Russ was still an enigma
to me, but I had no choice but to trust him now, perhaps with my life. I didn’t
think he would ever turn me over to the RALDS, even if they came here looking
for me. But, the questions were piling up, with no answers and no one willing
to be questioned. If I didn’t start understanding something soon, I’d explode.
I tried another one.
    “Are these his
wife’s clothes I’m wearing? Is that why you looked surprised this morning?”
    “Did I look
surprised? Maybe it’s because I didn’t know you were so pretty, as bedraggled
as you were last night.”
    “Oh. Thank
you. But you didn’t say…”
    “Yes, those
are her clothes.”
    “Oh, no, I was
afraid of that. Will Russ be in trouble for letting me borrow them?” I wasn’t
about to confess that we had also borrowed her bed.
    “No, he won’t
be in trouble. Don’t worry.” This was the most puzzling of all. Unless. Was
Russ the son of the rancher? That would explain his cavalier attitude about
wandering the house and giving me his…mother’s?…room. That couldn’t be right,
could it?
    Janet had
finished cleaning up from breakfast and sat down to have a cup of tea, offering
me one as well. I had enjoyed the cup from last night, so I accepted
gratefully.
    “Are you sure
you wouldn’t rather have coffee?”
    “No, thank
you. I haven’t had coffee in years, but I remember I didn’t really like it.” I
spoke absently, not realizing how odd that sentence was. The Church didn’t hold
with ‘stimulating’ beverages, so the only hot beverage we ever had was hot
chocolate. But not much of that, since the sweetness was considered indulgent.
When my eyes met Janet’s, she was examining me with a look of fascinated
horror.
    “What?”
    “You really
grew up in that place? Bethel City?”
    “Since I was not
quite seventeen, yes. Janet, what do you know about Bethel City?”
    “I know that’s
the headquarters for those demon spawn.” Her voice was almost a snarl by the
end of her sentence, and it was my turn for shock.
    “Okay,” I said,
wondering what might have happened between Janet and the RALDS to explain her
vehemence and evident hate.
    “You’re a
sister wife, aren’t you?” she asked cautiously.
    “Um, no. It’s
a long story, and I’d rather not go into it again, if you don’t mind, Janet.
I’m sorry.”
    Instantly
contrite, she put her hand on mine. “No, I’m sorry. You don’t have nothin’ to
apologize for. It’s none of my business and I shouldn’t have asked.” I didn’t
want her to feel bad about it, so I gave her a smile of forgiveness, but was relieved
that she didn’t press me, anyway.
    “Janet, I’m
not used to sitting around with nothing to do. What should I be doing?”
    She looked
thoughtful for a moment, and then brightened. “Do you like to read? Or watch
movies?”
    “I like to
read, yes. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a movie.”
    “Of course it
has,” she said hurriedly. “Why