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“That doesn’t mean anything.”
Her brother’s voice held notes of pity and maybe some empathy. “I know you don’t want to accept this, but he’s gone, Rose. Mike isn’t the kind of guy to stick around when things get hard. And after that conversation you had with me when you were out for lunch with him… I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the tipping point.”
She shook her head vehemently. “That wouldn’t be the reason he left.”
Ethan frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“The storm.”
All the men stared at her hard.
“What about the storm?” Ethan asked.
“It knocked down a tree and crushed part of Otis’s house. It needs to be fixed, but I don’t think Mike can do it on his own, and he definitely can’t afford to hire people to fix it for him.”
Ethan moved even closer. “Tell me exactly what happened to the house.”
“A tree got knocked down and it ruined the roof. The framing will need to be fixed in places. The siding will need to be redone. The tree needs to be taken care of. There’s water damage?—”
Her brother held up a hand. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“Because I wasn’t sure you would care.”
“Rose. Mike was my friend. Just because I didn’t agree with what he did when we were kids doesn’t mean I would leave him high and dry after something like this.”
Her cousins nodded in agreement.
“You were right about how much work he was putting into that house. I was impressed that he managed to do so much on his own with what little he had.” Ethan glanced around the group. “I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we’re willing to help Mike with this issue.”
Again, all the cowboys nodded their agreement. Ethan turned to his cousins.
“We can start after we get our work done today. I’ll call around and see if we can get donations or if anyone would be willing to put in some extra time. Heck, we might be able to get this fixed without dipping into the funds you got from the art show.”
“Really?” Rose jumped up on her toes. “You really think we can make this work?”
“I know we can.” Ethan offered her an apologetic smile. “And maybe you should let him know. If I’m right and he’s taking off, it would be a good idea to make sure he’s not gone for good.”
“He’s not.”
“How do you know?”
“I just know.” Rose smiled.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
First things first, Mike had to pay a visit to the hardware store. He wasn’t going to go back to his grandfather’s place without making right everything that had gone wrong. The folks there might have already filed a report with the sheriff, and if they had, he needed to know what he was up against.
Even if he had to spend a night in county, he would. Whatever it took to get back in the good graces of the folks who lived and worked in Rocky Ridge, he would do it.
Mike pulled up in front of the store. He’d need to call Rose at some point so he could use the money she’d collected for the house. He’d need every last cent of it if he wanted to fix that house up right. They’d have to prioritize the things that made the house livable, and then he’d continue working on it more and more as the years went on.
Right now, however, he had bigger problems.
He stared at the sign of the store and sighed. The last conversation he’d had here, he’d skipped out on because of the storm. Then he hadn’t come back. Now, he’d make it right.
Squaring his shoulders, Mike strode through the front door and headed straight for the front counter. The same man was standing there, and the recognition in his gaze made Mike nearly turn around and run out of there with his tail between his legs.
No backing out now.
