Chapter 37
She Got the Best of Me - Luke Combs
Wyatt
B y the time I got back to my farm, it was dark. I pulled the truck up to the house and put it into park.
My head sagged. I could’ve fallen asleep right there behind the wheel. Somehow, I mustered the energy to drag myself out of the truck and up to the house, my fingers searching for the keyhole in the dark.
The inside of the house greeted me with an even deeper darkness, without the moon’s soft glow. As I flipped the light switch on the wall, the quietness of the space struck me, but it was warm and clean thanks to Kinsley.
A lump formed in my throat as I tossed the keys onto the small table by the front door and trudged up the stairs to my room. Collapsing onto the bed, I smelled the lingering scent of sweet apple on the pillow beside me. Pulling it close, I inhaled deeply.
How could she have gone behind my back like that? I’d thought we were past these games, past the point where she felt the need to fix me. Her betrayal stung, reopening wounds I’d thought were healing.
How did we move on from this? Were we doomed to just repeat this same fight over and over again? I didn’t know how much more I could take. I couldn’t be with her when she constantly undermined me. But I also couldn’t be without her.
When sunlight flooded my room the next morning, I groaned, reaching out for Kinsley, only to find her side of the bed empty. The events of the previous day came rushing back, deepening my groan of frustration.
Sitting up, I ran my hands through my hair. Birds were chirping outside like it was any old day and I hadn’t just blown up my life again.
I checked my phone. There was only one message from Finn.
Forgive me yet?
No.
Alright. I’ll check back tomorrow.
Fucking Finn.
Heading downstairs, I found the kitchen bare. We hadn’t known when we would be back, so we’d cleared out anything that would spoil. I considered skipping breakfast, but I was hungry and I wouldn’t get much done on an empty stomach, so I grabbed my keys and headed for my truck.
I drove for about ten minutes before I realised I wasn’t heading towards town or a restaurant of any kind. My stomach complained, and I turned my truck down the next mile road.
The Harper farm loomed in the distance. I inspected their pasture as I approached. It was overgrazed, early in the season too. I shook my head. It was going to be a tough year for them.
Pulling up to the house, I saw Grace on the front porch, cleaning saddles.
“Back so soon?” she greeted in surprise.
“What can I say? I’m already missing the home cooking,” I joked.
“What, your rodeo queen can’t cook?”
I flinched at that.
Grace turned red, looked down at the saddle, and scrubbed. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” she mumbled.
“It might be a little true,” I admitted with a laugh.
She smiled at me. “So, what’s really going on?”
“We had a fight.” I shrugged, trying to downplay what had driven me here. “Kind of a regular occurrence.”
Grace’s next words caught me off guard. “We never fought when we were together.”
“No, we didn’t,” I agreed, a bit taken aback by the direction of our conversation.
“I didn’t challenge you the way she does.”
Her choice of words made me pause. “What do you mean?”
She stopped her work on the saddle, choosing her next words carefully. “I loved you, but I think if we had stayed together, stayed here, we would’ve been just … stuck. You know? Going our separate ways was hard, but I was so happy that you left. You got away from here, got away from your dad. You needed to do that. Kinsley might be a little pushy, but I think you need that too. I think she’s good for you.” She resumed her polishing. “And that’s an opinion you did not ask for.”
Her honesty took me by surprise. “Sometimes, I feel like I’m still stuck. Like the hole I’m in is too deep, and I can’t climb my way out.”
“Let someone lower a rope,” she suggested.
After I let Alice feed me until I was ready to burst, I asked to borrow a horse to go for a ride. I did my best thinking on the back of a horse, and as much as I didn’t want to admit it, Grace’s words had struck a chord.
“Do you want company?” Grace watched me saddle up.
“Maybe next time. I want to clear my head a bit.”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Don’t go out too far,” Mr. Harper said, coming into the barn. “There are some dark clouds rolling in. Might be a decent storm.”
“I didn’t think they were calling for any weather.”
“Yeah, it came up a bit unexpectedly, but God knows we need the rain.”
“I noticed your pastures were looking a little sparse.”
“It’s been a few dry years, and we don’t have enough grazing land.”
My stomach was suddenly heavy and not because of the meal I had devoured. “I’ll be back in about an hour.” I led the big bay horse down the aisle.
“Have fun,” Mr. Harper said.
Grace waved from inside one stall.
Once outside, I mounted up and urged the horse forward into a brisk walk. The air hung heavy and thick with humidity as I guided the horse through the back field behind the barn. The sky above was a canvas of shifting greys and ominous clouds. The air crackled with energy, and the distant rumble of thunder echoed in the distance.
As we moved, my horse’s hooves stirred up the earth, releasing the fragrance of sun-baked soil mixed with the green undertones of nearby pastures.
Grace’s words circled my mind.
‘ I think she’s good for you .’
How was that possible when we fought so much? We’d broken up how many times now? Obviously, we didn’t work as a couple.
That thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.
If I was being honest, I don’t think I could ever walk away from Kinsley. I’d tried, and it never took. Even now, I’d been gone a day, and I missed her so much that my chest ached.
But even when she was here, when I’d brought her home to my farm, it didn’t feel right. Her being here made me feel like I was dragging her into my past, and I didn’t like it. She didn’t belong here, and I was starting to think I didn’t either.
Thunder rumbled overhead. I had been out there for at least an hour or more, and the wind had picked up, my horse’s mane getting blown and tangled. I turned him and headed back in the direction I’d come.
More thunder crackled. The storm was coming in a lot faster than I’d thought.