5. Nora
5
NORA
N ora stared at her dad as the cheeks visible above his graying beard reddened. She hadn’t seen him in months, but could he have changed so much during that time? The lines on his forehead and around his eyes were deeper. His beard was lighter overall, and the hair peeking out from beneath his cowboy hat was completely white.
The aging didn’t bother her as much as the guarded expression. His thin lips pressed together, and his brow furrowed until two stark lines formed between them.
Why were half of the contents of her dad’s house stuffed into a trailer?
Her dad glanced at Clint and gave him a single nod. “Clint.”
“Hank. You need some help? ”
“Nah. I just…forgot what day it was.”
Nora braced her hands on her hips. “What do you mean? You forgot I was coming home today, so you were making a quick getaway? What gives?”
Hank turned around and glanced back into the house as if someone might magically appear and save him from this confrontation.
To be fair, he needed help. Nora was half a second away from losing her cool.
Good grief, why was he dancing around whatever he wanted to say?
Nora whipped around and stomped back down the steps. Stopping right in front of Clint, she let out a huff that did nothing to ease the pressure building in her chest. “Thanks for driving all that way to pick me up. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Anytime.” Clint’s mouth spread into a grin, and he gave her one of those winks that made half the women in the county go weak in the knees. He was a regular lady whisperer.
But not to her. They were complete opposites. Clint made friends, and she scared people off. He melted hearts, and she broke them.
What a pair.
Stepping around him, she saw he’d already pulled her bags out of the truck. He reached for them, but she grabbed the handles first. “I got them. Let me figure out what’s going on. I’ll call you later. I have to get to work. This better be quick. ”
Clint rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Let me know if you need anything.”
The gesture was nice, but calling for help wasn’t at the top or even the bottom of her to-do list. She’d only asked Clint to pick her up at the airport because her dad said he was busy, and Bella was working.
Nora backed away from Clint, despite her better judgment. Everything inside her said whatever her dad wanted to talk about wasn’t going to be fun.
Clint reached up to tip his hat before remembering he wasn’t wearing one. The guy was too suave for his own good.
Nora turned around to face the music before she lost all patience with her dad’s runaround. She lifted her chin along with her bags and marched back to where her dad waited–still in the doorway, looking like a puppy who just got caught chewing up a shoe.
He jerked his head, indicating she should follow him inside. She stopped in the living room to put her bags down. The place hadn’t changed a bit since they moved in when she was twelve years old. The stone fireplace was covered in soot, the area rug was threadbare, and the boot rack by the door only had one worn-out pair on it.
He led the way to the kitchen where he pulled out the old wooden chair at the head of the table. When he sat, he tossed his hat onto the counter behind him and rubbed his head. Had he lost more hair since she last saw him?
Nora took the seat she’d always sat in–the one to his right. This wasn’t the way she wanted to come home. She wanted to wallow in the familiar smells of home for a minute before heading out to work. Then she wanted to go visit Bella and come home to spend some time in the stables.
Instead, she was having a melancholy sit-down with her aging father.
Her dad clasped his hands on the table in the same way he always did before praying.
Maybe she should be praying. This felt like one of those talks that was going to stab her in the gut and twist.
Her dad let out a tired sigh but didn’t raise his chin. “I made a mistake.”
Nora knew exactly what he’d done. As soon as he said the words, the truth struck her in the face. “You didn’t, Dad. Please tell me you didn’t.”
Shaking his head, he pressed his eyes closed. “I tried, honey, but…” He let his head fall into his hands. “I’m sorry.”
Nora’s throat throbbed, and she swallowed past the dryness in her mouth. Not this again. They’d just started to break even, and… and she couldn’t handle it.
Hank St. James was a good Christian man, but the devil knew his weakness. It was true that the enemy was alive and well in the world. She saw the evidence every time he sank his claws into her father.
The gambling problem had run her mom off, but Nora had been too young to understand back then. Not that her mom offered to take Nora along when she left in the night.
She’d felt sorry for him at first. Her dad seemed so convicted–so remorseful.
Now, he was just sad–a sad, lonely man. She’d done that to him. She’d left him here unsupervised.
Good grief, her dad wasn’t a child. She was the responsible one, always had been. He’d struggled when she was in college, and she hadn’t even left home to get her degree.
How could she have possibly thought she could leave him for eight months and not come back to a dumpster fire?
“How bad is it?” she asked. There wasn’t any softness in her tone. Not this time. He’d gambled away his money again, and she was tired of giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Her dad lifted his head, but he still didn’t look at her. “Pretty bad.”
“Bad enough that you needed to sell half the things in the house? How much is it?”
Her dad’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he gathered the courage to tell her. “I took out a second mortgage. ”
“No! Dad, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
He shook his head. “I…I still owed more after that.”
Nora’s heart sank. “Dad, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me all this was going on.”
“I already paid most of what I owe, but there isn’t anything left over.”
Nora stood in one swift movement. Despite the storm raging in her middle, her words were calm as she asked, “What did you say?”
“I already paid it. They came to collect. In person. I didn’t have a choice.”
“Did you give them cash? Where did you get it? How much?” Her heart beat wildly in her chest. The pounding organ responsible for keeping her alive was ready to burst.
“Nora, I know it was wrong. I hate that I failed you again. I’m so sorry.”
“How. Much.” She punctuated each word, making them sharp enough to sting.
Her dad stilled before whispering, “Two hundred thousand dollars.”
“Two what!” Nora shouted. “Two hundred thousand? And it’s already gone?” She turned around and pushed her hands into her hair. Looking at him right now would only make her break one of the ten commandments.
“I’m sorry. I–”
Rounding on him, she launched her thoughts at him as fast as they formed. “How much is left? Really? There has to be something. What bills are past due?”
“Honey, I’m sorry.”
“How much, Dad? Please tell me.”
“There’s not much left. We have enough to buy food, but the mortgage and bills…”
Nora reached for the chair and lowered herself onto it. Nothing left. There was nothing left.
“I sold the cattle two months ago. I sold the horses last week.”
Nora’s head jerked up. “What? You sold Ash?”
“No. She’s the only one I kept.” He brushed a hand through his hair. “The bank has already contacted me about the ranch. The payments are five months overdue.”
She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t speak. The house she’d lived in during the best days of her life was in danger of being taken away. She’d stupidly thought the ranch was the only thing in her life that couldn’t leave her. It turned out she could lose it just the same. It could be stripped from her life and memories in an instant. She hadn’t accounted for that possibility when she’d focused all her energy on keeping people at a distance.
The crackling fire in her middle demanded action. She stood and took two shaky breaths. “I need to see the books and accounts.”
Her dad nodded, resigned to his fate. “Okay. ”
“I’m going to unpack. I’ll meet you in the office.”
Why was she even bothering to unpack? How much time did they have before they were evicted? They had equipment spread out over the ranch. Hundreds of acres of stuff that would have to be sold if her dad hadn’t already done it.
Dad was right. They’d have to sell everything in the house. What could they even afford around here?
Bankruptcy. She’d talk to an attorney this week about it. They probably wouldn’t be able to keep the ranch or the house, but maybe her dad could get a clean slate.
Nora said a prayer of thanks as she dragged her bags into her old bedroom and closed the door. She’d always kept her own finances separate from her dad’s and the ranch for this very reason. What would it even help if she’d have to spend it to find them a new place to live anyway?
Leaning her back against the door, she hung her head and whispered, “Lord, what do I do?”
When her throat began to burn, she lifted her chin and took a deep breath. She would not stop to cry. Crying never solved a problem.
Only work would fix it–maybe not even that–and she had to start now.