that didn’t stop him from wishing he could have one.
Instead, he’d made a pit stop for coffee. He took a sip. The cup of black coffee from the gas station that he desperately needed to keep him awake and alert tasted old and burned and a bit like what he imagined a sweaty foot might taste like. Cash figured he had no choice but to work with what he had, so he took another sip, willing the caffeine to kick in and boost his mood. To say he’d had a bad day was a lot like saying rattlesnake venom was poisonous.
A few more sips of coffee made it evident the caffeine would do little to combat his exhaustion.
It was early spring. The busiest season on the cattle ranch that his family owned and had operated for decades now. Four generations of O’Connors had worked or were working the Katy Bull Ranch, otherwise known as the KBR. And even though he and four of his brothers had other jobs, most of which were in law enforcement, everyone pitched in this time of year. Sleep was as rare as a unicorn sighting.
Finn O’Connor, the family’s patriarch, had always been the epitome of strength and honor and everything good about ranching life. He was a staple in the community of Katy Gulch and used the considerable fortune the family had amassed to benefit others through charitable work mostly headed up by Cash’s mother. Folks couldn’t help but admire the man’s generosity even if they did envy his life.
From an outsider’s view, the O’Connors had it easy—easy meaning they were wealthy. But no amount of money could bring back the daughter Margaret O’Connor hadn’t seen since the baby last slept in her crib at five months old. The heartache and loss Margaret and Finn endured had shaped the O’Connor family. Tragedy had a way of doing that. It wrote a different history for those affected. One of his brothers, Riggs, worked the ranch full-time. Each brother had a home on the property in a location of his choosing. Each was expected to take his rightful place on the land at some point in the future. For now, their father and Riggs kept business under control. But Pops hadn’t been himself lately. There’d been mention of him being ill but he’d reassured the family it was nothing he couldn’t handle. Finn O’Connor was made of tough stock. He was a good man and the kind of father most wished they’d had. He’d been married to Cash’s mother, Margaret Ann O’Connor, for the last forty-two years. Both sat on top of the O’Connor dynasty because of hard work, honesty and generosity.
Cash had noticed that Pops seemed more tired than usual. Cash chalked it up to springtime on a cattle ranch. He thought about the home that had been built for him as a gift for his twenty-first birthday that he had yet to claim. Most of his five brothers were in the same boat. Six boys. Six future inheritors of one of the largest fortunes in Texas. Not one who wanted either of their parents to die in order to fill a bank account. The O’Connor boys had all done fine in their own right. None were strangers to hard work.
There may have been six O’Connor boys but there’d been seven houses built. A lone home had been built for Cash’s only sister, Caroline, a sister he’d never met. Caroline had been kidnapped at five months old and the case had long since gone cold. Even so, their mother had started planning the house on what would have been Caroline’s birthday. Just like the others that would follow, the keys had been ready to be handed over exactly one year later. His mother had overseen every last detail, fretting over whether she’d picked out the right color rug for the main room or the perfect pillow sham for the bedroom. Hell, Cash wouldn’t even know what a pillow sham was if his mother hadn’t spoken about everything during the decorating process. The detailed planning for each home had commenced on each sibling’s twentieth birthday. The keys were delivered exactly one year to the day later.
Cash’s cell buzzed. With the way his day had gone he couldn’t help but wonder what now?
As soon as he glanced at his phone and saw his brother’s name, Cash pulled off the road and into a convenience store parking lot.
“What’s up, bro?” Cash answered before the call rolled into voice mail.