She had barely transferred the skillet of crispy potatoes into a bowl, when someone stomped onto the porch. A moment later the bunkhouse door flew open, slamming into the wall with such force that the spice rack above the stove reverberated, raining spice tins down around Rachel's head and onto the stovetop.
"Dang it Cody! Can't you ever enter the bunkhouse without making a lot of noise or causing things to fall off the walls!" Rachel shouted irritably, plucking an open tin of cinnamon out of the rest of the pancake batter.
"No Rachel, I can't! Why don't you go ahead and tell me what else I do wrong, so's I can add it to the list that the boys and Teaspoon made! Wait, why don't I do it for you? I talk too much, eat too much, and sleep too much! I'm noisy, obnoxious, deceitful and lazy! Does that cover everything or did I leave something out!" Cody told her bitterly.
Rachel turned away from the stove to stare at him in stunned surprise! She had never heard such an embittered tone in Cody's voice before, nor had she seen such pain in the depths of his beautiful blue eyes. It was true that there were things Cody did that were often exasperating to her and the other members of their express family, but there were also a lot of endearing qualities in Cody that made them love him too. She knew though that some of Cody's unredeemable character traits were used as the base of considerable jokes among the other riders. It was obvious to her that one of the boys had carried his joke a little too far and really hurt Cody's feelings.
"No, Cody. I don't think you quite covered everything." Rachel told him.
"Great. Why don't I just get a pencil and some paper so you can write them down." Cody said, turning to face the wall so Rachel wouldn't see the tears that had filled his eyes. He hated it when he allowed the other riders' teasing to get to him. Usually he was much better at defending himself against their jibes, often sending his tormentor a scathing retort in return. There were times though, like today that he wondered if they really liked him at all or kept him around just so they could make fun of him.
It took him a moment to realize that Rachel was no longer standing by the stove, but beside him. Hastily, he blinked away the tears in his eyes, hoping that she wouldn't ask him to turn around.
"I think that there's quite a few things that you left on that list of yours. If you will turn around so I can see your face, I'll tell you what you forgot to add." She said quietly.
Cody reluctantly turned around, making no attempts to wipe the tears that had fallen away from his face. Rachel's eyes softened as she took in his watery eyes and tear-streaked face.
"I don't know what happened outside just now Cody, but I can honestly tell you that the boys and Teaspoon would never willingly do anything to hurt you. Mind you, I'm not saying that you shouldn't be hurt. I'm not saying that at all. I just think that their teasing would hurt you. You should know from experience, that often things are said without thought to how someone might take what you said. We're all guilty of doing that. I know I have, how about you?"
"You're right, Rachel. But-" Cody said defensively.
"Let me finish, Cody. While some of the things that you mentioned are true, they aren't the only things that make up the William F. Cody that I know. The Cody I know is kind, loving, sensitive, funny, smart, loyal, adventurous, and courageous. He's quick to come to the aid of someone in trouble, can always be counted on to defend the people he love. He's got the greatest personality of us all and knows how to make a person smile even if they'd rather be crying. He's someone who is very special just the way he is and I am honored to call him friend and blessed to have him as a member of my family."
A new wave of tears had filled Cody's eyes as Rachel spoke, falling unhindered onto his cheeks. Cody reached out and drew Rachel into a hug. They stayed that way for a few moments, before Rachel drew away and they both wiped tears away from their faces.
"Thanks, Rachel." Cody told her.
"You're welcome Cody. Now, I'd better get the rest of our breakfast done or nobody is going to eat." Rachel said, going back to the stove. "Despite what the other boys might think, I can get downright nasty if I haven't eaten!"
Cody's laugh echoed through the bunkhouse and Rachel joined in. They were still laughing about what Rachel had said, when Teaspoon and the others arrived at the bunkhouse a couple of minutes later.
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