Chapter 4
Cash
It was gone. Every. Last. Piece.
I stood in the driveway, staring at the scattered pieces of my inheritance.
The house hadn’t been worth saving, I knew that.
But seeing it just… gone… It gave me a strange sort of empty feeling in my chest. The front porch along with Dad’s rocking chair were gone, the leaky roof, the wooden framed windows that my grandfather had built with his own two hands.
All of it, gone. The only thing left behind was the stone foundation with broken bits of pipe and wire sticking out at odd angles.
The ancient oak had been toppled as well, the tire swing I loved as a kid now lying limp on the ground.
Beyond that was a long winding path of upturned earth, the tornado tearing out even the grass.
Then it hit the barn, the only building on the property that might’ve been worth saving.
The only thing left of it was the pair of rusted tractors that clearly hadn’t been used in years.
Beyond that, the tornado’s path would cut through the pastures, racing across open land until it side-swiped Brooks’s house.
From where I stood, it was starting to look like the Callahan name was cursed.
But we’d survived thanks to Rowan’s vet clinic that had a sheltered basement.
But even with the tornado, I found myself still in shock about Brooks’s situation.
First off, I never expected him to be engaged to a man.
And definitely not a man at least ten years younger than him.
But the part that irritated me the most was that my father, despite his disowning me, apparently hadn’t said a single nasty word to Brooks or Rowan for their “lifestyle choices”.
Honestly, I could barely stand to look at either of them.
While I was on the other end of the state taking every job and shitty living situation I could find to stay off the street, they were here setting up a successful business and living comfortably with the man that had destroyed my life.
I barely even knew Rowan’s name, and I already wanted to punch him for getting everything I was never allowed to have.
And now that I stood there, staring at the ruins of my inheritance, all I wanted to do was scream. Why could nothing in my life ever go right? Ever be easy? It was so fucking unfair.
“I’m sorry, Cash,” Brooks said as he stepped up beside me. Rowan stood close beside him, looking more than a little shook up.
“It’s fine,” I grumbled, kicking a broken piece of wood near my boot. “It was a piece of shit, anyway.”
“But it was your childhood home,” Rowan said, his voice trembling.
“I don’t give a shit about that sentimental crap,” I shot back, unable to help myself where Rowan was concerned.
Brooks wrapped an arm around Rowan, glaring at me in the process.
“Well, there’s too much damage to the cabin for us to live there right now,” he said.
“That tornado ripped half the roof off. We’ve got a spare room in the vet clinic that Rowan and I can stay in, but we’ll need to find you another place for now. ”
I nodded, the anger burning in the pit of my stomach.
Of course Brooks and Rowan had a nice place to stay.
But I, once again, had to fend for myself.
A tiny voice inside told me it was my own fault for being such a rude asshole to Rowan, but I quickly squashed it.
Another day, another family member sending me packing.
The tornado damage was just a convenient excuse.
“Whatever,” I grumbled, kicking another piece of debris. “I’ll figure it out.”
“The new pastor in town is helping people find places to stay,” Rowan offered, sweet despite my coarseness toward him. “I’m sure he can find a place for you. Do you us to help you—”
“No,” I snapped, cutting him off. “I know how to take care of myself. I don’t need help.”
I turned away, boots kicking up dust as I headed for my truck.
My heart was pounding, anger filling my chest. I was sick of Rowan being nice, sick of everything going wrong, and on top of that, I now had to figure out how the fuck to make this ranch sellable and fast. Not only did my father leave me a trash heap, but now it was completely destroyed by some greater power.
I was starting to wonder if he’d died just to punish me.
As I pulled my truck door open, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned in a huff, expecting it to be Rowan again. But it was Brooks, a stern look on his face.
“Cash,” he said, forcing his voice to be steady. “I know you’re hurting right now, but that doesn’t mean you have to take it out on Rowan. That’s not fair.” He paused, giving me an earnest look. “We’re family.”
I couldn’t help but scoff. “Family?” I laughed. “You gotta be fuckin’ kidding me.”
Brooks stared at me, genuine hurt in his expression. “Aren’t we?”
“I don’t know,” I replied, the anger welling up too fast for me to stop it.
“Were we family when I got kicked out at sixteen and you didn’t come looking for me?
Or maybe we were family when I’d been living on the street for three months and had to suck off greasy, old men for a meal?
Or, you know what, we were probably family when you got to have your little veterinarian twink and my father was okay with that, while I was still struggling and disowned by him. ”
Brooks’s jaw hung slack, the deluge of information catching him off guard. But no words came out. He just took a step back and took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry, Cash. I…”
“I don’t care about your excuses Brooks,” I shot back, wrenching the door open. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m selling this place and I’m leaving. End of story. Enjoy your life.”
Slamming the door shut, I turned the engine over and tore out of the driveway, heading back toward Sagebrush.
I didn’t acknowledge the tears in my eyes or the fact that I felt more lonely than ever.
But it didn’t matter how I felt right now.
A new life was waiting for me. All I had to do was collect the money and leave this fucking town behind forever.
The drive into town was a blur of dust, anger, and the image of Brooks’s crestfallen face in my rearview mirror. I couldn’t bring myself to care. Years of resentment had finally boiled over, and it felt damn good to let it out.
Sagebrush looked like a war zone. The tornado had torn through the east side of town, leaving splintered trees, overturned cars, and buildings with their guts exposed.
People wandered the streets in a daze, some carrying what little they’d salvaged from their homes.
I drove slowly, navigating around fallen debris and emergency vehicles.
The church steeple was still standing, a beacon against the gray sky.
I parked my truck in the crowded lot, watching as volunteers unloaded bottled water and blankets from the back of a pickup.
For a moment, I considered turning around and heading to the nearest motel, even if it was thirty miles away.
But my wallet was feeling light, and I needed to save every penny until I could unload the ranch.
Inside the church, the scene was organized chaos.
Families huddled together on cots, children clutched stuffed animals, and volunteers bustled about with clipboards and coffee.
The smell of sweat and fear still hung in the air, mixed with the scent of burnt coffee and whatever casserole someone had brought in.
“Can I help you?” A plump woman with steel-gray hair approached me, clipboard in hand.
“I need a place to stay,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended. “My house was destroyed.”
“I’m Maggy,” she said, eyes scanning her clipboard with a frown. “I’m sorry to say we’re completely full up here. Some of the surrounding communities are full too.” She gave me a sympathetic look. “I don’t think we’ve met before. Where’s your place located?”
“Callahan Ranch,” I muttered.
Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh! You must be James’s boy.” Her expression softened. “I was sorry to hear about your father’s passing. He was a complicated man, but he did a lot for this community.”
I bit back a sarcastic comment. Everyone in this town seemed to have known a different version of my father than I had.
“Yeah, well, now his house is gone too. Tornado took it clean off the foundation.”
“Good Lord,” Maggy sighed. “We’ve got nowhere left to put people, I’m afraid. Unless...” She looked over my shoulder, her face lighting up. “Mike! Mike, come over here.”
A tall man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a pressed shirt approached us. He was all smiles and sunshine, the kind of person that found the good in any situation. The moment I laid eyes on him, I despised him.
“What’s up, Maggy? I just got back from Beau’s wedding. Looks like all hell broke loose while I was gone.” He scanned the room. “Everything okay?”
“This is Cash Callahan,” Maggy said. “James’s son. His place was destroyed in the tornado, and we’re out of room.”
Mike extended his hand, which I reluctantly shook. His skin was soft and warm, definitely not the hands of someone that worked for a living like everyone else in this town. “Cash, it’s nice to meet you, though I wish it were under better circumstances.”
“Likewise,” I mumbled, not meaning it.
“Everyone’s set except for Cash here,” Maggy explained. “I don’t know where to put him.”
Mike scratched his chin thoughtfully, a perpetual grin on his face. “Anyone have room nearby?”
“Everyone in town with a spare room has lent them out already,” Maggy sighed. “And the churches for the next twenty miles are full up. We weren’t the only town hit by the tornado.”
“Hmm… that is a problem.” Mike glanced around once more, looking for a solution. The moment the idea struck him, his entire face lit up. “Isn’t there a spare room in the pastor’s lodging?” he asked, that smile getting bigger. “It’s just a bed and a closet, but nobody else is using it.”