Page 38 of Roots of Redemption (Hicks Creek #4)

Chapter Thirty-Two

Sutton

T he wine glass is cool against my palm as I swirl the crimson liquid, staring at the spreadsheet on my laptop screen.

The numbers don’t lie, no matter how much I wish they would.

Two weeks. That’s all the time I have to come up with the rest of the money.

My mind races through possibilities, but none of them feel like enough—or fast enough.

Selling my house might work, but there’s no way I could close a sale in time.

My throat tightens as the weight of it all presses down on me.

My phone buzzes on the table, and I glance at the screen.

I had ignored Wade’s text earlier, only because I’m too embarrassed to tell him just how bad things are financially for Dad.

I need to focus on finding a solution and then I’ll talk to him about it.

If I know him, he’ll swoop in and try to fix it when his ranch could also be in money trouble.

I didn’t open it or even look at it. I’m sure it was just him checking in to see how the meeting went.

I breathe a sigh of relief to see that it’s Kelsey. I grab it and swipe to answer, grateful for the distraction.

“Hey,” I say, trying to keep the exhaustion out of my voice.

“Hey, yourself,” Kelsey replies, her tone light but laced with concern.

“How do you always know when I need a call?” I tease.

“Bestie intuition. What’s wrong?”

“Oh, you know,” I say, forcing a laugh. “Just drinking wine and staring at spreadsheets, trying to figure out how to pull a miracle out of thin air.”

“The cattle?”

“No, I need to come up with fifty-k in two weeks.” I take a deep breath and lean back in my chair.

“Um, okay. Backtrack. Why the hell do you need that kind of cash?”

“My dad took out a second mortgage on the ranch. It’s got a ridiculous balloon payment and…the bank isn’t willing to work with him anymore. They’re threatening to foreclose.”

“Oh shit. Why didn’t you mention this sooner?”

“I don’t know,” I sigh. “Trying to figure it out on my own.”

“And how has that worked out for you?”

“Not great,” I reply.

“What are we looking at?”

“I have about half of what we need just from my savings and investment accounts. Dad’s been paying as much as he can, but it’s not enough. I’ve got two weeks to come up with the rest, and I’m out of ideas.”

“FeetFinder?” she quips. “OnlyFans?”

“Adding to my list,” I laugh.

“What about selling your house?” she asks.

“It’s an option,” I admit, “but it’s not fast enough. Even if I found a buyer tomorrow, closing would take weeks.”

“Okay,” Kelsey says, her voice taking on a determined edge. “What about a loan? Can you take out a second mortgage?”

“I thought about that,” I say, running a hand through my hair. “But my credit’s not great, and I don’t think I’d get approved for enough.”

“How is your credit not great?”

“Student loans out the ass, added on to being stupid in college and applying for all those credit cards for free tee shirts so I didn’t have to do laundry, and not paying them off.

Money was so hush-hush in our family and something only my daddy dealt with.

I didn’t really understand credit and all of that stuff.

The house is the only thing I have in my name, and Mama cosigned for that.

Now, I just have old credit, and that’s not a good look either.

“What about crowdfunding?” she suggests. “You could set up a GoFundMe or something. People love a good ‘save the family ranch’ story.”

I sigh. “It’s not a terrible idea, but it’s risky. What if we don’t raise enough? Plus, it’s not exactly a quick fix. And my dad would despise the idea of it.”

“True,” she concedes. “What about investors? Is there anyone who might be willing to invest in the ranch?”

“I’ve thought about that, too,” I say, staring at the spreadsheet again, because I have, even before Wade asked me to move to Hicks Creek.

“But who’s going to invest in a struggling ranch with a ticking clock?

Not to mention, my dad isn’t exactly easy to work with, and since he’s the one who always called the shots, it’ll be impossible to change that. ”

“You’d be surprised,” Kelsey says. “People love a good underdog story. Maybe there’s someone local who’d want to help out and be a silent partner.”

I take a sip of wine and consider her words. “Maybe. I’ll have to make some calls tomorrow and see if anyone’s interested. I don’t think two weeks is enough time to vet properly or find someone who wouldn’t invest and then turn it all into a resort or something.”

“What about selling off some of the cattle?” she asks. “Would that help?”

“It might,” I say slowly. “But it’s a short-term solution.

Selling off too many would hurt us in the long run.

Besides, with the outbreak being known, it’s against everything I stand for to sell any of them, knowing they could be harboring silent symptoms. Then, the outbreak would just spread further.

That could come back and cause fines that we’d never be able to pay. ”

She sighs. “I hate this for you, Sutton. You shouldn’t have to deal with all of this on your own.”

“I don’t have much of a choice,” I say quietly. “Dad’s done everything he can, but his hands are tied. If I don’t figure this out, we’re going to lose the ranch.”

“You won’t lose it,” she says firmly. “We’ll figure something out. What about Wade? Can he help?”

I hesitate, my thoughts drifting to Wade. “I don’t know. He’s got enough on his plate as it is. I don’t want to drag him into this.”

“There’s no harm in asking.”

“I need to try everything else first. This is my responsibility, Kelsey. I can’t just lean on him to fix it. I don’t want him to think that I’m using him for money. Callahan Ranch is the most profitable in Hicks Creek, but they’ve been taking financial hits, too, with the cattle.”

“You’re so stubborn,” she says with a laugh. “But that’s why I love you. Just promise me you’ll at least consider asking him if it comes down to it.”

“I promise,” I say, though the words feel heavy on my tongue.

“Good,” she says. “Now, finish your wine and get some rest. You’re no good to anyone if you’re running on empty.”

“I’ll try,” I say, though I know sleep will be hard to come by tonight. “Thanks for listening, Kelsey.”

“Anytime,” she says. “Call me tomorrow and let me know how it’s going.”

“I will,” I say.

I set my phone down and stare at the spreadsheet again, the numbers blurring together as tears prick at the corners of my eyes. Two weeks. It’s not enough time, but I have to find a way. Failure isn’t an option.

I close the laptop and drain the rest of my wine, the weight of everything pushing me under. The house is quiet, and the ranch outside is alive with activity.

I should be out there working with the cattle and figuring out what the problem is, but I’m exhausted in every sense of the word.

I don’t want to be around anyone.

I haven’t been sleeping. I haven’t been eating regularly. I haven’t been taking the time to take care of myself, and now I’m paying the price for it. I just want to sit in the house, drink my wine, and hide from the rest of the world while I brainstorm ways to save the ranch.

I’ve taught Wade, my dad, and the other ranchers well enough that they can manage the cattle without my assistance for at least one day.

It’s a tomorrow problem.

Today, I have to take care of myself and rest while also figuring out the ranch issues.

I sit there for a while, lost in thought before I grab my headphones, my phone, and walk to the bathtub. I fill it with hot water, and a liquid conconction of Epsom salt, magnesium, and lavender. Maybe a relaxed state will help me come to the conclusions I need to.

In the meantime, I’m ignoring my phone for the rest of the night. I’m sure when I explain it to Wade tomorrow, he’ll understand why I didn’t answer.

When I’m done in the bath, fully relaxed, I climb into bed.

I lay there for at least ten minutes, tossing and turning as a million different things pop into my brain. I finally pull my phone out and look at the text from Wade telling me that Dr. Reed had shown up earlier.

Why would Dr. Reed show up here, unannounced, after the way things went down at Bob Nance’s ranch?

I start to reply to Wade, but instead my mind starts reeling.

There’s something I have to be missing. If someone had contacted the Department of Agriculture, then they would have reached out to the lab for information and my research. Ronnie had no clue they were involved. Is it possible they’re not really from the Department of Agriculture?

Dang it, why didn’t I catch that earlier?

I sit right back up in bed and grab my laptop. I need to figure this out before it’s too late. Maybe my hunch is wrong, but I won’t rest until I prove that.

Looks like it’s another night of no sleep for me.