Chapter 39Staten Kirkland
Chapter 39
Reconciliation
Staten Kirkland
S taten sat on the porch of the big house, rocking back and forth in the ornately carved rocking chair mom number three had bought for a Country Living photo shoot years ago. He couldn’t remember Granny and Gramps ever using the patio furniture, and now he understood why. Like everything else in his father’s life, it was all for show. But he stayed in his seat, letting the wood poke at his skin. He hadn’t been comfortable for a while anyway.
He watched the lightning dance through the clouds. The oncoming storm’s performance wasn’t enough to distract him from the thoughts swirling in his mind, but it lit up the countryside like a giant firefly playing in twilight.
The conversation he’d had with Quinn had been floating around in his mind for the past two nights, quieting only to let Staten relive his last talk with Amalah. He felt haunted by the ghost of what might have been, what should have been, and he couldn’t get rid of the gnawing ache in his chest. Quinn said Amalah wasn’t letting go, but he was afraid to think about what that might mean.
He stared out as the rain rolled in, pattering on the awning over the porch like an old country tune. He closed his eyes, remembering Quinn’s sad song. He hoped she was okay. They’d been friends for years, but she never came to him for her problems. As far as he knew, she never went to anyone.
Most times, he couldn’t even tell when something was wrong. But this time she’d seemed really shaken up. He just hoped Quinn wasn’t alone. That Amalah was there for her like Quinn was always there for Staten and Amalah.
The crunch of tires moving over the graveled drive sounded, breaking through his thoughts. Staten stood, walked to the edge of the porch and peered through the curtain of water falling harder every second. He saw nothing but two small headlights getting closer.
They seemed to belong to a vehicle low to the ground, but he couldn’t think of who would risk a drive to the ranch in the middle of a storm like this. The car stopped and then the door slammed as someone got out.
It was Amalah.
Staten stood frozen as she ran toward him and launched herself into his arms. A second later, he melted, running his hands over the body he knew so well. He molded her to him, wrapping his arms around her. He tucked his face into her hair, inhaling the familiar scent of her. The feel of her soft, warm body pressed against his chilled, hard chest was like the dream he’d had since he got back to Crossroads.
“Ama,” he whispered, trailing kisses along her neck. He pulled back and caught her beautiful smile. “What are you doing here?”
She nuzzled his chest, settling her head under his chin. “I came home to you.”
His heart seemed to pause for a second and then beat wildly. He hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head. “I missed you so much. I’m so glad you didn’t listen to me. I didn’t really want a break . . . I just—”
Amalah stepped out of his embrace but clung to his hand. “Actually, I did listen to you, Staten. I listened for probably the first time since you came back to the ranch.” Tears filled her eyes and she blinked to hold them back. “You were right. About everything. We both changed. I was so busy and stressed out that I became someone I didn’t even know.”
The tears came thick, mixing with the drops sliding down her cheeks from her wet hair. “I haven’t been there for any of the people I care about. I let my best friend down. I left you here to deal with so much all on your own. I’ve been so selfish, trying to live the exciting university life that I thought I wanted. Letting school overwhelm me. And the sorority take all my time.”
She cupped his face with her hands. “I’m so sorry I haven’t been here when you needed me.”
He reached up to take her hands in his. “I haven’t really been there for you either. I’m . . .”
“Shhh. It’s okay. The truth is, we both still have a lot of learning and growing and changing to do. But, from now on, I want to do it here. At home. With you.”
“What do you mean?” Staten felt hope ballooning in his chest.
“I dropped out of Tech. I’m coming home to stay.”
Staten opened his mouth, but he wasn’t even sure of what he wanted to say. Joy seemed to be lumping in his throat and he couldn’t speak. But he was also terrified about what this might mean for Amalah.
“I’ve thought a lot about this since we last spoke,” Amalah continued. “Everything I thought I wanted”—she shook her head—“I don’t anymore. The fancy university. The bigger, busier city. The popular sorority group. All of it means nothing without you. And I realized that it wasn’t even Texas Tech that I really wanted. All I’ve ever wanted was to just take the next step with you.”
“But you’re giving up on your dreams. I can’t expect you to do that for me.”
“My real dream was you, Staten. I love you, Staten Kirkland. None of that other stuff was going to mean anything to me without you by my side. My dream was to build a life with you.”
He pulled her to his chest. He’d never felt so desperate to kiss her, and he let all of his passion out. She met him there, running her hands through his hair, down his back, over his face, showing him with every touch how much she loved him.
Staten had missed her so much, he felt like a starving man being fed for the first time. He was ravenous for her touch, her kiss. His girl was home, and he was never letting her go again.
Suddenly, the steady pounding of hooves beat in his ears, interrupting his perfect moment. He broke the kiss, trying to listen for the sound over their ragged breathing. Who would be out here riding in all this rain?
“Staten, what . . .” Amalah began.
He let go of her and stepped off the porch, looking for the rider in the heavy rainfall.
A moment later, Jake Longbow came into view, his eyes intense as he held tight to the reins of his paint. “Boss! We got a problem.”
In all of the years his foreman had ridden for the Double K, Staten had never once seen the old cowboy lose his cool. He never got mad. Never worried. And definitely never panicked.
Adrenaline spiked through Staten’s body. “What is it? What’s wrong? Is someone hurt?”
“It’s Miss Charlotte and that strange fellow she’s been coming with. They rode out this afternoon before the storm hit. They went searching way out for that cave J.R. told us about.” Jake swallowed hard. “The mares I let them ride, Lady and Blue, just made it back to the stables, but they had no riders.”
Staten reacted immediately. The Double K horses never left their riders. They were trained to stay ground tied. The teachers were still out there somewhere. Were they hurt? Lost? Trapped?
It was too dangerous to attempt a search party in this storm. It was dark, and they wouldn’t be able to see anyway. The rain was driving so hard, Dr. Lane and Mr. Parsons could scream at the top of their lungs and no one would hear them.
The Double K was huge. Even in perfect conditions, it would take hours to search just a few pastures, let alone the whole ranch.
He hoped the teachers were capable enough to find shelter from this storm somewhere safe until they could be found.
Even without the storm, the land was a wild and unforgiving place.