Chapter 30Staten Kirkland
Chapter 30
An Unexpected Gift
Staten Kirkland
S taten stepped into the huge room with forty guests in front of him and twenty cowboys behind him. Laughter mixed with the sound of a harmonica playing in the background as he moved through the crowd, thanking everyone for coming. He glanced around at all the familiar faces with a smile. He was surprised so many people had come out to celebrate his birthday. Amalah might not be here, but maybe it would be a good night after all.
The side of his face ached and he did his best to ignore it. But when the fourth guest asked after the bandage on his ear, Staten called for the attention of the room, thinking he might as well get his tale over with once and for all.
After a few moments of silence, he straightened the best he could and announced, “Well, hello, everyone. Glad you’re all here.” He raised his glass to the crowd. “A few of you may have noticed the bandage on my head, but rest assured, I’m fine. It’s barely more than a scratch. I guess some of you have seen those big pots at the end of the HQ porch. One of my men and I plowed into them when we decided to roll down the stairs.”
Light laughter moved through the guests.
Staten continued. “Today is my birthday. I’m twenty, a man now. I admit when I’m wrong and own my mistakes. And I’ll probably make plenty more during this life. The truth is I wasn’t paying much attention and caused the tumble. Sorry, Duke.”
Duke patted his shoulder. “No worries, Boss.”
He shook the cowboy’s hand. “Now go mingle and have some fun.”
The lanky ranch hand offered a rare smile. “Yes, sir.”
Staten watched as he moved through the crowd as if looking for someone.
Another hand grasped Staten’s shoulder. “That was quite a speech, young man.”
He turned to find a group of old ranchers huddled around him. Surprisingly, they all kidded him about falling and then told their own stories. Rodeo mistakes. Car wrecks they lived through. Drunken falls. Fights they didn’t remember. A few of the guys even showed their scars.
Staten suddenly felt like he was part of an elite group, and he was proud to belong among these tough cowboys.
As the last of the guests arrived, Granny and her helpers moved every chair in the big house to the huge tables set throughout the dining room and the small sitting area. When the folks sat down, they were almost touching shoulders, but no one complained.
Their conversations were loud and the laughter never stopped as everyone finished their dinner. Cheers sounded as slices of Granny’s apple pie were passed around.
Staten was surprised to see Dr. Lane at one end of a table talking to the mayor and his wife. Mr. Parsons seemed to fit into the crowd too. The table kept erupting into laughter when he spoke.
There were a dozen or more old ranchers who’d dealt with major wounds but rarely had time to talk about them. But tonight they sat together and the scars came out like all were lifetime friends.
Several of the ranch hands took the time to mingle with the townsfolk tonight. Staten noticed Duke saying hello to Peggy Warner.
When Duke Evans first came to work for the Double K, for months Staten thought he was mute. When he finally asked a question, Staten was so surprised he couldn’t immediately answer the cowhand. Now, it was great to see him socializing and having a good time.
Staten smiled as he watched his granny talking with a group of women she’d called her dear friends for years. He couldn’t remember all their names tonight, but every one of the ladies had hugged him and wished him a happy birthday.
Looking around the crowded room, Staten knew he was home. Even without Amalah, this was where he was supposed to be. Crossroads, the Double K Ranch, Ransom Canyon. This place would always be his home.
About the time the tables were shoved to the corners and the food, except desserts, was moved to the long counters, the huge front door slowly opened, just enough to let a tall, thin girl with a long blond braid slip in.
Staten seemed to be the only one who noticed Quinn as she entered. He met her near the hall with a big smile. “Glad you could make it!”
“Of course I came. I’m not due in New York for another week, and I couldn’t miss your birthday,” she said. “Looking like a great party, but you look like you’ve been beat up.” She lifted her fingers to his cheek. “What happened?”
He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Me and Duke wrestled one of Granny’s pots and lost.” He laughed. “I’m fine, promise.”
She smiled. “If you say so.” She pulled a thin package from her oversized sweater and put it on a side table. “I won’t stay long. I just wanted to give you a birthday gift. You can open it later!”
Staten pulled her in for a quick hug. “Thanks, Quinn. You didn’t need to do that, but I appreciate it.”
When she pulled away, her cheeks had turned pink. “Amalah called me to tell you she is not going to be able to make it home this weekend at all after that car accident. She had a whole plan to get the old gang together to surprise you and take you out tomorrow. Saturday night dancing and drinking down by the river where no one who isn’t invited can find it. But we can still do it without her.” Quinn chuckled.
Staten shook his head. “You can call that off. I wasn’t into those things when I was a kid and I’m still not. That was always the kind of thing that Amalah enjoyed, not me. But tell me: Is she hurt? She said she was okay, but I can’t tell if she’s making light about this.”
“She’s okay, Staten. She’s just shaken up.”
Staten looked at the crowd. This was wild enough for him. He hadn’t hung out with that gang from high school since he graduated. He felt he had nothing in common with most of his old buddies, and his close friends who did go to college were still away at school.
Quinn touched his ear covered by a bandage, then another on his forehead. “You’re bleeding a little. Are you sure you’re okay?”
He shrugged, knowing he’d have to tell her the whole story this time. “It’s nothing. One of my men and me tumbled down the steps today. It’s turned into a good story. When we got back to the house, we’d been patched up and drank too much whiskey. So, we came in and told our folks. Everyone started talking about when they almost died. No kids around, so the stories got kind of colorful. Then, Granny served wine. No one got drunk but they did seem to get rowdy.”
He pretended to shudder. “I’ve seen more old scars than I ever want to see again. One old rancher had two scars on his butt.” Staten grinned. “Trust me, no one needs to see those.”
Quinn laughed. “I can’t say I’m sorry to have missed that.”
“You missed a lot. All through dinner folks talked about the dumbest things they’d ever done.”
As the conversation had gone on, the stories had gotten more outrageous. Staten guessed that a few of the guys were just trying to one-up someone else.
Before he finished confessing his tale to Quinn, Peggy walked over and offered them a glass of wine. “Happy birthday, Staten.” She grinned at Quinn. “How are you doing? How are things at that fancy school up in New York?”
Quinn smiled, but Staten could tell that it was forced. Her eyes looked haunted and her shoulders hunched over like she wanted to hug herself. “I’m fine,” she said.
Staten felt the urge to protect her. He hoped things hadn’t gotten worse with that teacher at her music school.
Before he could distract Peggy, Duke Evans came up and stole her attention.
“Hey, Duke. How are you feeling?” Staten asked as he sipped his wine.
The cowboy’s attention was clearly on Peggy. “I’m good, Boss. I just want to ask this lady to dance.”
Staten and Quinn shared a look. Her smile seemed to say she liked the idea of Peggy and Duke together, but he nevertheless leaned near the youngest Warner and whispered, “You want to dance with him?” She was about seven years older than Staten, but Peggy’s parents and his grandfolks were close friends.
Without looking at Staten, Peggy took Duke’s hand. “I’d love to dance.”
Peggy and Duke walked to the center of the room and waited for the band to strike up the next song. Staten watched as the unlikely pair moved closer, staring at each other as if there was no one else in the world. They smiled at each other, laughing over their whispered conversation. He’d never seen either of them look so happy.
He bumped Quinn’s shoulder with his and then winced. “I think something might be going on with those two.”
Quinn chuckled as Granny stopped in front of Staten and poked him in the side. “Not a word, Staten. This may be your party but Peggy is Duke’s girl. Let them have their moment.”
“What? No one told me. How was I supposed to know?”
“You don’t need to know everything, dear.”
“Great, I grow up and now Granny’s telling me to start unlearning things.” He leaned toward Quinn. “Will you dance with me? I’m beat-up, half drunk, and the dumbest man in the room, but my feet still work.”
She made a funny face. “All right. I’ll dance with you for your birthday, but only if you turn your head away. Your breath is pure alcohol!”
As they joined the others on the dance floor, Staten saw Quinn nudge Duke closer toward Peggy. The lanky cowhand didn’t hesitate a moment as he pulled Peggy into his arms.
Staten made an effort to at least act sober, keeping his mouth closed and dancing as best he could without stepping on Quinn’s feet. His first day as a man wasn’t going too great. His head was starting to pound to the beat of the music. Every one of his muscles hurt, but he kept dancing.
Maybe it would have been better to wait until he was twenty-one to drink so much, but it was too late now.
He danced with Quinn several times. She was tall and thin and easy to move with. Not at all the same as dancing with Amalah, but still fun.
During the last song he remembered something else about Quinn that was different. Quinn was always honest. Amalah didn’t lie but she was much more dramatic, whether things were good or bad. He loved how she could make anything more exciting. Quinn was great. But Amalah would have made his birthday a night to remember.
He wished she were here.
As the night wound down, he walked Quinn to her car. “Thanks for coming.” The cold wind and hurting from dancing sobered him. “You made this birthday bearable.”
She smiled in her quiet way. “I’ll always be here if you need me.”
He held Quinn’s hands, turning serious. “You know, I feel the same. I’ll come up to New York if that teacher gives you any more trouble. Just call and I’ll be out on the next plane.”
“Thank you, Staten. I don’t have him this new semester, so I hope that’s all in the past now.” She smiled. “I’ll miss you and Amalah until June.”
“Me too.” He stepped back from the car thinking he’d miss Amalah as always, but this time Staten knew he’d miss Quinn too. A real friend was a rare person.
When he went back inside, he caught sight of a thin box on the side table. Quinn’s gift! He’d almost forgotten.
He picked up the package and shook it, trying to guess what it was.
He ripped the paper off like a child at Christmas. Opening the thin, rectangular box, he smiled. Inside was a bolo engraved with the Double K brand. Staten ran his fingers over the engraving and felt grooves etched into the back. He flipped it over and saw the word B OSS . He couldn’t remember the last time he’d received such a thoughtful present.
Staten moved to the little mirror hanging on the wall opposite the doorway and put his new gift on. He loved it. He’d keep it forever. It was from Quinn, and that made it special. And someday he’d live up to the image Quinn had of him.
An hour later, most of the cowboys were in a group laughing. A few danced without a partner as the older folks slipped into their coats.
He realized Granny had been right about the party. He was a man now and he needed to get the town supporting him and the ranch. These people would help him grow and he’d always help them when trouble came. His gramps was right; this place was in his blood.
Staten glanced around the room. Tonight he’d learned all the guests’ names. He knew his men, and with one hard tumble he’d made a solid friend.
Peggy’s parents were talking to Granny as they’d settled into the kitchen. Then Staten realized Peggy had vanished. She was always so silent, people wouldn’t even notice she’d left.
Staten would bet a hundred dollars he knew where she was. And with who.
Peggy and Duke were together, and not one person would miss them. From the way they’d been smiling at each other on the dance floor earlier, he knew they were exactly where they wanted to be.