4. Clint
4
CLINT
C lint woke with Nora’s scent filling his senses, and a pang of loss followed it. Missing her was his first thought in the mornings and his last thought at night.
Blinking away the heaviness from his eyes, he glanced around the unfamiliar room. Yesterday came back to him in a rush. Picking up Nora. Getting to the hotel and finding out they didn’t have a room for him.
Sharing a bed with Nora.
He turned his head toward the other side of the bed and grinned. Nora was curled up on her side, cuddling his arm.
So much for not touching. At least she wasn’t pressed up against him. That would be awkward. Still, it was going to be fun ragging her about this later .
For now, he’d take the moment to soak it all in. Nora wasn’t an overly touchy person, so he’d take it while he could get it as long as she was the initiator.
He wanted this, but what if Nora didn’t? After being struck silent yesterday and making her angry last night, she probably wasn’t ready to hear about his undying devotion.
Whoever invented patience was on Clint’s blacklist. He knew how to jump into the deep end, but that kind of rushing could mess up his chances with her forever.
What if she didn’t want the same things as him? What if she couldn’t give him more than friendship? Would they ever be able to go back to being just friends if he opened his big, dumb mouth and rocked the boat?
Nora stretched beside him, untangling her arms from his. She let out a cute little sigh and rolled over, tucking the covers around her again.
Shoot. Now she’d never believe him if he told her she cuddled him in the night. It was probably for the best. There was no doubt she’d get all red-faced and deny it to the bitter end either way.
What did it say about him that he liked that fiery attitude, even if it was directed at him? Few people stood their ground with confidence the way Nora did. It was one of the many things he appreciated about her. She never danced around the truth or stayed quiet when she had something to say .
Clint closed his eyes and prayed for patience. He needed all the help he could get now that Nora was back home.
When he’d finally come to terms with putting his feelings aside–at least for now–he slid out of bed and grabbed his clothes before closing himself in the bathroom. He took a quick shower and tiptoed back into the room.
Nora sat up in the bed and stretched her arms over her head. She still had a dazed look in her eyes, and her hair was a mess.
Why did her just-rolled-out-of-bed look make his heart race?
She let out a big yawn. “Man, I slept like a rock.”
Clint grabbed his belt and slipped it on. He wasn’t about to admit that he’d slept well too. Far from it, actually. He’d tossed and turned all night like a kid who wouldn’t take a nap because he was afraid of missing the fun.
Sleeping next to Nora wasn’t fun. It was torture. Everything he wanted was so close, yet so far away.
“I’m gonna head on down and let Irene know you’re on your way.” He didn’t want Nora thinking he was creeping around in the room while she got ready. He could give her privacy.
Nora slipped out of the bed and checked her phone on the bedside table. “Thanks. I’ll hurry.”
Clint took his time heading downstairs. The dining room was large with massive windows on two walls that showed off a nice view of the Rockies in the distance.
Colorado was beautiful, but the state couldn’t make up its mind when it came to landscape. Denver was a metropolis, the Rockies were packed with ski slopes and seasonal resorts, and the western slope was…the western slope. The climate changed, the views changed. It didn’t look anything like the other half of the state.
Clint loved his home and never even considered moving away. His brother, Jordan, had high-tailed it out of Redemption Ridge as soon as he could join the Marines. Even after his time with the Marines was over, he still kept moving. He hadn’t come home until earlier this year when he got married and built a house on the family ranch.
Redemption Ridge was Clint’s home, but it was nice to see the other side of the state every once in a while. Even with all its beauty, he was still ready to head back west.
Irene stepped into the dining room with a swinging door flopping behind her. She carried a pitcher of water in one hand and a carafe of coffee in the other.
“Oh, just have a seat at one of the two-person tables. I’ll be right over.”
Clint chose a table and sat down. True to her word, Irene hurried right over. She pulled out a notepad and flipped to a clean page. “Where’s Nora?”
“She’ll be here soon. I’m just giving her some privacy to get ready.”
Irene pressed her lips together and rested a hand on her chest. “That’s so thoughtful of you. What can I get you to drink?”
“A cup of coffee, please. Nora will want water.”
Irene wrote down the order and smiled at him. “I take it you’re just passing through.”
“We are. Headed home.”
“It’s dangerous for women to travel alone. I’m glad she has you.”
Clint nodded. “She flew part of the way by herself, and trust me, I did some worrying over it.”
Irene pocketed her notepad and propped her hands on her hips. “I hope my daughter finds a good man like you one day.”
“Oh, Nora isn’t my girlfriend.”
In his dreams. She could have been if he’d told her how he felt at the airport yesterday.
Or she could have told him to buzz off. He’d never know.
Irene grinned and rolled her eyes. “Yeah. You keep telling yourself that.”
Clint propped an elbow on the table and winked at Irene. “Maybe she’ll give me a chance one day.”
Irene patted him on the shoulder as she hustled off to get the drinks. Nora stepped into the dining room fifteen minutes later with her hair pulled back in a high ponytail and wearing her usual flannel, jeans, and boots.
Clint waved her over and pulled out a chair for her.
Nora scooted up to the table and looked at the menu in front of her. “I’m so hungry. I might order one of everything.”
“Go right ahead. I’m eyeing the huevos rancheros and the patty melt.”
Nora kept browsing the menu. “Well, if you’re getting two, I’ll have the eggs benedict and pancakes with sausage.”
Nora’s phone rang, and she pulled it out to look at it. “It’s my new job.”
“Take it,” Clint said. He’d never been offended when someone answered a call. It could always be an emergency or something important.
“Hey, Cheryl. Yes, I’ll be home later today.” Nora looked down at her menu as she listened to the other end of the call, then glanced at her watch. “I can be there by then, as long as we don’t run into any traffic or road construction on the way.”
When she ended the call, she looked up at Clint. “They want me to be there by noon to try on some uniforms while the tailor is there. Can we make it?”
Clint checked his watch. “Yeah. Let’s get the food to go. ”
“How exactly do you plan to eat huevos rancheros and drive?”
“I’ll have two patty melts, and I’ll have them eaten before we get on the road.”
Nora’s shoulders slumped. “Are you sure?”
“Very sure. I’ll run up and get our stuff while you put in the order.” He stood and pulled some bills out of his wallet and handed them to her. “Get me a coffee to go, please.”
She took the money and stuffed it into her back pocket. “Thanks for this.”
“No problem.”
They were on the road within fifteen minutes, and Clint had scarfed down the two patty melts as promised. Nora told him all about her new job at Redemption Ridge Family Care. Clint and Nora had both been long-time patients at the clinic, so Nora was excited to start working somewhere so familiar.
After that, she told him about the hospital where she’d been working for the last eight months. Apparently, there was a shortage of medical professionals in the area, and the working conditions were pretty stressful.
By the time they reached Blue Sky Ranch, Nora was scooting to the edge of her seat.
“Ready to be home?” Clint asked.
“You can say that. Everything looks the same. I guess I was afraid Redemption Ridge would change without me. ”
“The last big change we had was Alicia playing at The Mesa.”
“Oh! When is her next show?”
Alicia Carver had been America’s pop princess before she met Clint’s brother, Jordan, and settled down on the family ranch in Redemption Ridge. She’d given up the bright lights to hold charity gigs at a local venue that helped women and children. Having Alicia’s name associated with their tiny town blew up the already hefty tourism. Now, Redemption Ridge was a household name.
Nora struck up a quick friendship with Alicia, despite their differences. Nora wasn’t even a fan of pop music, but no one would ever know it after seeing the way she cheered for her friend.
“She has a show on New Year's Eve. Want to go?”
“Of course! I’ve missed her. I’ve missed everyone.”
“She keeps up with you through Mom and me. You should come over for dinner and see everyone.”
Nora spent nearly as many evenings at Clint’s parents’ place as he did. His family was chomping at the bit to have her around again.
“I’ll definitely do that. Let me get settled back in at Dad’s first.”
“No rush.”
Nora let out a deep sigh. “I can’t believe I’m living at home again.”
“It’s only temporary,” Clint reminded her .
“Yeah, but apartments don’t come up for rent often. Well, except for the places seasonal workers rent, but those are usually kinda sketchy.”
“I’d appreciate it if you stay away from those.”
Seasonal workers were usually wranglers or Christmas retail workers. While the holiday workers could be retired women, the wranglers were usually rough around the edges.
“I’ll find something. I’ll just have to hang out in my teenage bedroom while I wait.”
Clint turned onto the dirt drive leading to Nora’s dad’s place. There were a few paths that branched off the main road, but it was a straight shot to the house. He’d spent hundreds of hours on this ranch since Nora’s dad bought it, and it was easy to see why she loved it here. It had all the natural beauty of Taylor Ranch just across the main road.
Dense forest closed around the path until the world opened into a wide-open field. The house sat on a slight rise while other buildings dotted the valley below. The stables, a shed, and a pole barn came into view as they topped the rise.
“What’s that?” Nora asked, pointing to an enclosed trailer backed up to the front porch of her dad’s house.
Clint leaned forward to get a better look as they approached. “Just a trailer.”
“What’s it doing at the house?”
He parked by the trailer that was hitched to Nora’s dad’s pickup truck. The back of the trailer was open and facing toward the few steps leading to the porch, but no one was around.
Nora unbuckled and hopped out of Clint’s truck. Deliveries were usually directed to the barn, shed, or stables. There was no telling what Hank was having delivered to the house.
Nora peeked into the trailer before turning to bound up the porch steps. “Dad!”
Hank stepped onto the porch and stopped with his hand frozen on the doorknob. The wide-eyed look on his face reminded Clint of all the times he got caught sneaking extra helpings of dessert from the kitchen after bedtime when he was younger.
“Hey, Scoot.” The hesitation in Hank’s voice as he tried and failed to casually use Nora’s nickname was a big red flag waving in the Colorado wind.
“Dad, why is your stuff in a trailer?” Nora said, pointing behind her.
Clint took a second to glance that way. Haphazardly stacked furniture was packed inside the trailer.
The tension in Hank’s shoulders eased, and his chin lowered to his chest. “Come on inside. We’ve got some things to talk about.”