Chapter 25Staten Kirkland
Chapter 25
A Land Man
Staten Kirkland
S taten pulled through the gate of the Double K as a dark sedan with tinted windows raced out. He watched the car, hoping to catch a glimpse of the driver, but he didn’t see anything useful. It was probably another reporter wanting an update on Senator Samuel Kirkland’s father.
He was still trying to push aside his irritation as he was walking into the little cottage. The wall phone rang, and he picked it up, raising it halfway to his ear when Granny rushed out of the bedroom.
“Staten!”
Panic stabbed at him.
“Hold for a moment, please,” he said into the receiver and then dropped the phone.
“What’s wrong? Is Gramps okay?” Staten didn’t breathe. Everything was forgotten. Passing Dr. Lane’s test. Trying to go to college. Running the ranch.
She took a deep breath, raising her hand as if to calm him. “Yes, dear. But I need help with that stubborn old man. He’s been moving around all afternoon, trying to break out of this house. I can’t get him to sit down for a minute. And when he told me that you were later than usual, he tried to get Jake to saddle his horse so he could ride out looking for you. Because he can’t work, he’s taken over the worrying for the whole ranch.”
Staten relaxed, and then swallowed a chuckle as his gramps shuffled into the center of the living room. “Evening, J.R.,” Staten said. “I see you’re getting around. Maybe it’s about time you did some work around here.” Without giving Granny a chance to say anything, he moved past her to shake the old cowboy’s hand. “I was hoping you could help out on the cattle count tomorrow. Some of the men can’t seem to get more than ten.”
J.R. frowned, thought a minute, and said, “I guess I could. I’ve always been good at counting. It’s not hard but I did notice you boys were off by one last time. I’ll find my jeans. Sounds like you need me.”
“We’ll always need you, J.R.”
Staten turned into Granny’s hard stare. She started to say it was too early to have Gramps step out of the house, but Staten disagreed. J.R. had enough of being locked in. He was slower and thinner, but J.R. was a recovering man and he was ready to work.
Granny would probably hide his work clothes by the morning, but Staten knew his gramps would be outside tomorrow if he had to go in his pajamas. J.R. didn’t have to stay out long, and he’d have plenty of help getting to the gates, but nothing could stop him once he decided he was going.
Disapproval flowed off Granny. “No more than an hour,” she said. “And, Staten, you stay there with him and have him locked in. I don’t want a cow walking over him.”
Gramps walked over to his wife of forty-seven years and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Don’t worry so much, Tabby. I’ve wrestled plenty of cows in my day.”
“I’ll take good care of him, Granny.” He turned to his grandpa. “I’ll have Jake drive the side-by-side over to pick you up at nine tomorrow, Boss. We’re three men short this week. Haven’t got back from Christmas. We could use some help.”
J.R. grinned. “It’s about time I get back to the land. I may not be able to handle everything but I’d like to see my grandson come in before dark now and then. If I don’t do something, he’ll be eating his supper and his breakfast about the same time.”
Granny squeezed her husband’s hand. “Promise me, no more than one hour, James. This first day I’ll be nervous as all get-out unless you promise you’ll come back in an hour.”
J.R. laughed. “I’ll just be counting. I’ll be sitting on the fence. I was born and raised on this ranch. I can handle it just fine.”
Staten was about to turn back to the kitchen when he remembered the mystery driver. “By the way, Gramps. Who was that in the sedan that pulled out of here a few minutes ago? Another reporter?”
His grandpa’s smile fell flat. “No, a salesman. Claimed he was looking to buy up land in this area and wanted to check out the west pasture. I told him we hadn’t sold in over a hundred years, and we weren’t about to start today.”
“That’s odd.”
“Not really, son.” J.R. shuffled to his wife, placing a hand on her shoulder. “People come here at least twice a year trying to buy some of our land. But Kirklands don’t sell. It’s something I could never get your father to understand.”
Granny huffed loudly. “All right, now. You’ve been running around long enough, James. You’re meant to be resting.”
As she walked him back to his chair in the bedroom, Staten remembered the phone.
“Sorry for the wait. Kirkland, here.” There was silence, and Staten guessed whoever called had hung up by now.
He waited a beat, but just as he was about to hang up, he heard a very proper voice on the other line. “Staten, I wanted to tell you as soon as I could. You passed with a B,” Dr. Lane said. “Great job.”
He couldn’t believe it. Maybe he wasn’t so dumb after all. Maybe he did have a chance of getting his degree. “Thank you. Wow.”
“I told you that you’d do fine. Hopefully now you will stop worrying so much. Save that for when you’re my age.”
“Thanks, ma’am, for all your help and not making it easy on me.”
“I didn’t, Staten. You earned this.” She laughed. “I’d like to always make it hard on you because I have a feeling one day everyone in this state will be calling you Mr. Kirkland. You’re going to be something great.”
Staten was on cloud nine. He couldn’t stop smiling. “I’ll be happy if I can just learn a little more. Easy or not, I’m going to get that degree.”
He hung up the phone feeling lighter than he had in weeks. Things were looking up. Soon he’d be back in college, taking online classes. J.R. was doing better every day. And Amalah would be home for spring break.
Slowly things were drifting back to normal. But one thing had changed for good. Staten was falling in love with the land, and as much as he loved Amalah, he no longer thought he could ever leave it.