5. Cash
CHAPTER 5
Cash
ROPE AND RIDE
There are hundreds of them.
Some are compiled into little green booklets from the pharmacy. Others are stacked together, bound with rubber bands. Still, others are loose, tossed into the safety-deposit box, seemingly without order.
The one thing that unites all the pictures: they’re of Garrett, Aubrey, or Mollie, or some combination of the three.
Who goes through the trouble of actually developing physical photographs anymore? And why lock them away in a bank when they’re clearly meant to be enjoyed?
Frowning, I spread them out across my desk in the ranch’s office. Garrett converted an old pole barn into a workspace not long after my brothers and I arrived on Lucky Ranch. On hot days, like today, you can still smell the fresh, clean scent of hay, the scent baked into the walls over countless decades.
My desk is tidy, empty, save for a laptop and a small stack of paperbacks. Nonfiction mostly—biographies, histories—with the odd thriller or Stephen King thrown in there. I’m technically off two days a week, but I always come into the office anyway. Usually, I’m busy, but when I’m not, I never want to be without reading material at hand .
Today, though, my books are shoved to the side to make room for Garrett’s pictures. Surveying them, my chest tightens. There was nothing else in the box. Just stacks and stacks of four-by-six photographs.
The fact that Garrett, a wildly wealthy man, considered these some of his most prized possessions has me feeling short of breath.
He was a damn good human being.
A flawed one too. I know he regretted letting Aubrey and Mollie go. But far as I know, he never chased after them like he should’ve.
The regret is killing you , I told him once. Go get them.
But the next morning, he’d still tacked up his horse, Maria, clearly intent on staying in Hartsville. I think so much time had passed that he didn’t want to disrupt the new lives Aubrey and Mollie had built in Dallas.
I think, more than anything, he was scared. And stubborn. And he used the excuse of running the ranch to avoid confronting his feelings. His failings, too.
Pot, meet kettle .
I glance at the empty desk across from mine. Garrett’s. Wyatt and Sawyer cleaned it out a couple of weeks after he passed, even though I said I would do it. I think they knew going through his things would likely destroy me.
Kind of like looking through these photos must’ve destroyed Garrett. He clearly loved his ex-wife and daughter, but they never visited, and he never visited them. As far as I know, anyway. Is that why he put the photos in the lockbox? So he wouldn’t have to face his regret?
I pick up a sun-bleached photo of Mollie. She was really fucking cute as a kid. Blonde pigtails. Big smile that showed off the two front teeth she was missing.
There are countless photos of her on horseback. More’n a little shocking to see City Girl cheesing it on top of a gorgeous, spotted Appaloosa. But she looks at ease in the saddle. Happy, even.
Wonder if she misses it. The horses, the sunshine. The wide-open spaces of life in Hill Country.
I shove that thought aside in an attempt to ease the ache in my chest.
Garrett also looks happy in these photos. Really happy. I wouldn’t say he was unhappy during the time I knew him, but he definitely wasn’t lit up the way he is in these pictures.
Families are complicated. I know that better than anyone. But the idea that Garrett died without ever making things right with the people he clearly loved more than anything is downright tragic.
I should’ve pushed him more. Tried harder to get him to Dallas—or at the very least, get him on the phone more often. But he got set in his ways and ended up using his money in a failed attempt to buy his daughter’s affection.
Now he’s gone.
What if I die before I have a chance to make my dreams come true? What if I’m not able to save Rivers Ranch?
What if I never have a family of my own?
No-strings sex suits me just fine for now. I wanna get laid, I got calls to make.
Sometimes, though, I wish I had someone who slept in my bed for more than a night. I wish I had a person— the person—to talk to and take care of. Someone who’d take care of me too. Life is heavy. It’d be nice not to have to face it alone for once.
Not like it matters. I’m too damn busy taking care of everyone else to even think of adding a girlfriend to the mix.
Maybe that’s why Garrett stayed single after his divorce. Still, I wonder why the hell he left these pictures to me and not to Mollie or Aubrey. What is he trying to tell me? Is he trying to teach me some kind of lesson? Show me a way to avoid making the same mistakes he did? Or was this some sort of clerical error, a typo in the will that was never fixed?
Looking out the window over my desk, I blink the blurriness from my eyes. Do I share these with Mollie? Send them to her, maybe?
She’s gotta regret not trying harder with her dad. What the fuck is wrong with her, not visiting even once? The man clearly adored her, but she couldn’t be bothered to come see him. She sure enjoyed the fruits of his labor, though. I saw the checks he sent to the University of Texas. Heard him negotiating with real estate agents to buy her the condo she wanted in a ritzy part of Dallas.
Red-hot anger sweeps through me. I’d be thrilled just to see my parents again. But nothing, not even the most extravagant gifts, was ever good enough for Mollie.
I startle at the knock on the door. Quickly wiping my eyes, I gather the photos and carefully place them back in the worn leather bag I used to carry them home from the bank. I have no idea why Garrett gave me these pictures or what he wanted me to do with them. All I know is they were important to him, so they’re important to me.
It’s my job to keep them safe until I figure out what the fuck this all means—him promising me the ranch, but giving me pictures of people I don’t know instead.
Clearing my throat, I glance over my shoulder. “Come in.”
Goody slips through the door. She glances around the office, her eyes flickering for a beat. She’s taking his passing hard too. Goody and Garrett were close, having worked together for decades. She was his legal counsel on all Lucky Ranch Enterprises, Incorporated’s deals, and now she’s a rich woman because of it.
“These were in the safety-deposit box.” Digging into the bag, I pull out a picture of Garrett and Aubrey line-dancing and hold it up. “Not what I was expecting, but?— ”
“Garrett was a complicated man, I know.” Goody closes the door behind her. “You all right?”
I nod, swallowing. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be just fine.”
“How like you to say that.” She offers me a soft smile. “Why don’t I believe you?”
Ninety-nine percent of the time, I love living in a small town. But right now, I fucking hate how well we all know each other. No getting anything past anyone in these parts. Why can’t I brood in peace like a normal person?
“What can I help you with?” I manage.
“I have some news.”
My stomach dips. I place the photo in the bag and zip it up. “Good or bad?”
“Depends.”
I can’t read her expression. Her eyes have this funny, knowing gleam in them.
Turning, I lean the backs of my legs against my desk and cross my arms. “Let’s get it over with, then.”
“Mollie’s coming to the ranch.”
You can hear a pin drop in the silence that fills the room.
I run a hand over my face. “To stay?”
Goody takes a sharp, short breath through her nose. “I asked her that when she called this morning, but she just said she wanted to ‘get a lay of the land.’ I don’t know for sure if that means she’s staying, but considering what’s at stake…yes, I’m guessing she’ll be at the ranch for a while.”
I grit my teeth, biting down so hard my back molars light up with a flash of pain. “What the hell are we gonna do with her?”
“I reckon we’ll figure it out. She owns the place, so…”
My heart flutters in my chest like a trapped bird. “What if she doesn’t end up staying the whole year? Who gets the trust then?”
“Garrett did not leave it to you, if that’s what you’re asking. ”
“That’s not my question.”
Goody searches my face for a beat. “He has a plan for the money. We’ll cross that bridge if we get there.”
“ When. When we get there. City Girl ain’t gonna last a day. The will said she had to actively manage the ranch, right?”
“Cash.” Goody’s tone is laced with warning. “I don’t need to tell you to play nice, right?”
“I don’t play. And I’m not nice.”
That soft smile of hers is back. “Horseshit.”
Can’t help it. I laugh, the heaviness in my chest lifting for half a heartbeat. Maybe that’s why I blurt, “Why do you think Garrett told me I’d get the ranch if he never intended for me to have it?”
Goody thinks on this for a minute. “I’m not sure, Cash. Who knows what he intended? It’s entirely possible he did want the ranch to go to you, but he didn’t think he’d die before he amended his will.”
“Maybe.” But I don’t buy it. There’s a tickle in the back of my brain—a feeling that I’m missing a piece of whatever puzzle Garrett put together.
“Whatever the case, it will all work out.” Goody claps me on the shoulder. “Mollie arrives tomorrow, mid-afternoon. I’m going to get the New House ready.”
The New House is what we call the six-thousand-square-foot mansion Garrett and Aubrey built right before they divorced. Aubrey apparently hated living in the circa-1920 farmhouse Garrett brought her home to when they married, so after they struck black gold, they built Aubrey’s dream house.
That still wasn’t enough to keep her around. No one lives there now, but Patsy, Lucky Ranch’s resident chef, uses the massive, modern kitchen to turn out breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the entire staff during the week.
After Aubrey left, Garrett moved back to the old farmhouse. My brothers cleaned out his belongings only last month, and now Wyatt calls it home.
I suck in a long, deep breath. In my gut, I knew Mollie would come to the ranch, but I still hoped there was a small chance she’d chicken out.
Not too late for that. Maybe once she’s here, she’ll realize she’s not up to the task of running a ranch. She’s a city girl with soft hands and likely no real physical skills. Can’t imagine she knows how to muck a stall or drive a tractor.
I tell myself she’ll more than likely run screaming after a day or two.
“Cash!” I look up to see a tall cowboy stride into the office. “I been lookin’ for you. Weren’t we supposed to meet at the horse barn?”
Pasting a smile on my face, I walk over and extend my hand. “Hey, Beck. My apologies—must’ve gotten my times mixed up.” That, or I had a near miss with a nervous breakdown. “Thanks for stopping by.”
“Horses are ready when you are.”
Sally, one of Lucky Ranch’s veterinarians and an old family friend, peeks her head into the office. “I took a look, Cash. They are fine animals in perfect health. Beck, y’all have your reputation for a reason.”
Beck Wallace heads the horse breeding program on his family’s ranch about twenty or so miles from here. They’re famous for producing some of the best ranch horses this side of the Rockies, which is why we recently purchased two quarter horses from them. Beck is here to deliver the mares.
He smiles, wrapping an arm around Sally’s shoulders when she steps up beside him. “Why, thank you, Miss Sally. High praise indeed, coming from Hart County’s rising star.”
Sally grins. “Aw, Beck, stop. You’re makin’ me blush.”
“What’s wrong with that? I’m just givin’ credit where credit is due.”
Sally recently returned to Hartsville after going to college and veterinary school, followed by a years-long stint doing a residency. Her dad, John B, is an insanely talented vet in his own right, but Sally’s already giving him a run for his money.
Wonder what he’d think of this little flirtation between his daughter and Beck Wallace. Beck’s a good guy, but he and his brothers have a bit of a reputation. They get around, as my mama used to say.
I turn around to open a desk drawer. “I’ll bring the checkbook. Meet y’all out at the barn?”
“Sounds good.” Beck opens the door and motions Sally through it. “After you, sugar.”
Goody chuckles once the door is closed. “Well, that was…something.”
“As long as it ain’t Wyatt giving her that look, I’m fine with it.”
Patsy and John B are like family at this point. Really, the only family we have left. I don’t want to risk losing them if Wyatt does what he always does with girls and breaks Sally’s heart.
“I feel like everyone still thinks Sally’s seventeen. She’s a grown woman now. She wants to have some fun, I say let her.”
Goody eyes me as she reaches for the door. “Ever thought of taking your own advice?”
“Sure have.” I dig a pen out of the drawer and shove that in the back pocket of my jeans, along with the checkbook. “I’m about to have a lot of fun with City Girl.”
“I’m serious, Cash. You’d be smart to make Mollie an ally, not an enemy.”
Jogging to the door so I can open it for Goody, I hold out my arm. “After you, sugar .”
Goody chuckles again. “Allies. Please.”
I tell myself I’m only taking Goody’s advice as I make plans to give Mollie Luck a very warm welcome to Lucky Ranch indeed.