Chapter 4
Hadley
“Hadley, hurry the hell up! I’m going to be late!” Kayley screeches from the other side of the bathroom door. Three sisters, and still, I haven’t learned the art of a speedy bathroom visit. Part of me enjoys tormenting them—payback for being surrounded by females my entire life.
Who am I kidding, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Man of the house since I was twelve’s been a bitter pill to swallow. My good-for-nothing father skipped town and left us with a mountain of debt and a ranch to run, and it was Mom and me against the world. Literally.
Nia was one year old when he left.
I always thought because it’s Mom’s family ranch that his pride couldn’t take the hit. It wasn’t until years later that I found out the only thing my father concerns himself with is chasing skirt. Who, if the few occasions I have seen him around are anything to go by, are getting younger as he gets older.
There are so many ways I hate the man who is supposed to be the rock of our family. The man who’s supposed to be here, raisin’ his family, loving his family, working an honest day for our legacy.
Nope, he up and split.
Some days, I don’t care at all. Good riddance.
Some days, the man he is, the man he could never be, drives me to madness.
I gladly took his place. He might have thought we weren’t worth the trouble, but this little family, my sisters and mother, are my life. Them, and this ranch we call home.
I pull my shirt off and wince as the bruising on my ribs pangs with my arm raised over my head. A small price to pay for the chance to bring home extra money to keep the bank off our backs.
The door rattles again under Kayley’s assault. “Come on, Hads, I need to use the bathroom!”
She slept over last night, and it was like old times when Kales lived at home and I wasn’t in the fixer-upper a field over. She should have driven home like she usually does. But we were exhausted from working. Nothing new there.
Not bothering to tuck the shirt in, I tug the door open. “Hold ya horses.”
“Urgh. Why do you take longer than any of the women in this house, hey?” She raises a brow as she crosses the threshold, blonde hair swaying as we pass each other. The door slams behind me and I chuckle.
Our house is a modest—well, more like falling-down-around-us four-bedroom homestead. With the girls in rooms on either side of the hall, Mom has the back room. Me—I live in the old worker’s house down behind the barn.
Currently, I have no plumbing since it busted and we can’t afford the parts to fix it just yet. Another couple rodeos and I’ll have enough for that and the holes in the roof to be taken care of. But it would be a godsend if I could win a few rounds. Living on ramen and beef jerky on the road is getting old.
Speaking of the road... Mom stands by the door, arms crossed and frown securely planted. “We don’t need the moneythat badly. No need to go get yourself killed for a few lousy dimes.”
Her grey-streaked light brown hair is tied back, her light blue eyes laced with worry. “Please, reconsider. We will make do. Kayley is getting a promotion at the feed and seed place next year. It’ll all work out.”
“We can’t wait that long.” I shoulder my overnight bag that I left waiting by the door.
Her face tilts as a sad smile stretches her lips. “Make sure you come home to us, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I pull her into a one-armed hug.
“Bye, girls!” I call out before pushing through the screen.
Two voices holler back with, “Bye, Hads!”
“Break a leg, big brother!”
Geez, Nia, thanks.
“Bye HAD-LEY JONES!” Gemma roars like the commentators always do, stringing out my name like they’re having a tug-of-war with the syllables.
I toss my bag into the back of my old Chevy pickup. It’s old and rusted, just the way I like the things in my life. A little character to them. The two-toned white-and-blue pickup fires to life when I turn her over.
