7. Nora
7
NORA
N ora tied up the last bag and stretched her back. She’d been sitting on the hard chair for two hours, and muscles she didn’t even know she had were starting to protest.
“Is that the last of them?” Bella asked.
“Yep. I counted fifty-seven, but you might need to check my math.”
Bella gathered up the remaining supplies from her kitchen table and shoved them into bags. “That’s a good number. Thanks for helping.”
“No problem. I needed something to keep me busy.”
Packing bags for the homeless shelter to hand out wasn’t doing a good job of keeping her mind off the problem waiting for her at home. In fact, it only reminded her that she would be amongst the homeless soon if she didn’t find a place to rent or buy .
The thought of being homeless stole the breath from her lungs like a fire. She helped her dad pay for that place when she got her first job. After her mom left, it was the place she felt safe and thought of as home.
She’d met with the bank this morning. They were advancing on the foreclosure. None of her pleas had helped. Her dad had not only dug himself a hole, he’d dug a lake with enough room to fit the whole ranch inside it.
Bella put down the bag and walked around the table to Nora’s side. “I’m sorry you’re going through this. Just know, you’ll never be without a place to stay.”
“Yeah, but you have a husband and kids. Plus, my dad is losing his home too. I can’t just saddle up my problems and bring them to your doorstep.”
Bella sat down beside Nora. “That’s what friends do, and I would do anything for you. You have to know that.”
“I do,” Nora whispered.
Bella really was an awesome friend. She was always the first in line and ready to help when someone needed a hand. Still, Nora couldn’t impose on her friend. They had a nice place, but it wasn’t big enough to house two more adults comfortably.
Bella stared off toward the empty living room. “Remember when Mav’s gambling almost tore our relationship apart? Remember how you were there for me?”
Wow. That seemed like a lifetime ago. Mav and Bella’s marriage had been tested to the max back then, but they’d come out stronger in the end.
“I forget you know what it’s like to love a man who struggles with the temptation to gamble,” Nora said.
Bella rested her hand on Nora’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but I do know I’m glad Mav and I work through it together.”
Nora checked her watch, then checked it again. “Are you sure there isn’t anything else to do?”
“I’m sure. Sorry. If you’re looking for a distraction, it isn’t here. At least not while the kids are at the ranch with Mav.” Bella checked the time on the microwave. “Actually, they should be back soon.”
Nora stood, stretching out the ache in her knees. “I should get going.”
“I wasn’t trying to run you off.”
“I know. I really do have to go. I told Clint I’d meet him at his place.”
Her stomach rolled. The last person she wanted to face was Clint. Did she have to tell him? He was already suspicious. He’d called and texted to check on her a dozen times today.
He might already know, and the thought alone had her shoulders hunching. The only way this situation could be more embarrassing was if everyone in town knew about her money troubles.
“Does he know?” Bella softly asked.
“I’m not sure, but I’m also not in a hurry to tell him. He’ll try to fix it.”
“What’s wrong with that? I mean, if he knows of a way, I’d like to hear it too,” Bella said.
“There isn’t a way, but he won’t just let it go. I know him. He doesn’t give up, and right now, I kinda need to be wrapping my head around the truth.”
Bella rested her hip against the counter and grinned at Nora. “You don’t get it.”
“Get what? I do get it. There isn’t anything I can do to stop this now. It’s already too far gone.”
Bella shook her head. “No. I mean you don’t understand Clint. He’d do anything for you. Why don’t you let him?”
“What in the world do you think he could do?” Nora’s arms were flailing now, but she couldn’t rein in the storm rising in her chest. “He’s all talk and no show.”
“What makes you think that?”
“He’s… He just jokes around all the time. He acts like anything is possible, but this is one of those times when I don’t need to be fed lies. We’re losing the ranch. That part is settled. Now I need to focus on moving on.”
Bella hung her head and chewed on her lip for a second before lifting her chin. “Just because Clint is optimistic doesn’t mean he’s making light of things. The two of you are just two sides of the same coin.”
Nora huffed. “We’re nothing alike.”
“And that’s why you make the best team. If you worked together instead of trying to be right all the time, you might come up with a solution.”
Nora rubbed her hands over her face. She’d been worried that Clint wouldn’t understand, but apparently, Bella didn’t either. There wasn’t a solution. The ranch was already a lost cause. The only solution was to figure out where to go next. “Thanks for letting me help out. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Bella wrapped her arms around Nora, and she lowered her shoulders as the fight drained out of her. Bella only wanted to help, and so would Clint. How could she blame them for being supportive friends?
“I love you,” Bella whispered. “We’re praying, and if you need anything else, just call.”
“I will,” Nora whispered back.
Bella released her and smiled. “Everything is going to be okay. You won’t be homeless, and you will always have your friends. We’re here for you.”
Nora lifted her chin and grabbed her keys from the bar. “I know you’re right. It’s just–”
“Hard to accept help. I know. Now put away your pride for a second and let the people who love you help out. This isn’t your fault.”
Nora gave her friend a tight smile. She might not have gambled away the money herself, but she left her dad to struggle alone. She had a part to play in it, whether she liked it or not. She’d handled the ranch finances for this very reason, and she knew better than to leave that much money in her dad’s hands.
Inside her chest was a gaping hole. She loved the ranch. She loved it too much. It was more than just a home to her. It was her safe place–a safe place that wasn’t even hers anymore.
The pain in her chest was familiar. She was losing a part of her life that she loved and desperately wanted to hold onto. Having the ranch taken from her hurt worse than being abandoned by her mom. What did that say about her?
Nora straightened her spine as she headed toward the door. “Thanks. Let me know when you’re ready to deliver the bags, and I’ll come with you.”
Bella waved a hand in the air as she opened the front door and stepped to the side. “Mav will take them. Be careful.”
Nora waved and bundled her coat tighter around her as she sprinted to the truck. She started it and gave the engine a minute to warm up before setting a path toward Clint’s place. Thankfully, the freezing night distracted her from the coming conversation. Could she get away with not telling him?
No, he’d find out eventually. It was better if he heard it from her instead of through the Redemption Ridge grapevine .
Instead of turning left into her own drive, she turned right toward Taylor Ranch. She passed the main house with several lights on inside before she veered off onto the path leading to Clint’s. He’d built a small two-bedroom cabin on the western slope as soon as he graduated from high school, and she’d helped out whenever she could. It still amazed her that he built most of it himself.
Her headlights shone on the cabin, illuminating the figure sitting on the rocking chair. Clint stood as she parked in front of the porch.
He’d been tall and lean most of his life, but her friend had definitely filled out lately. Being away from him for almost a year highlighted the changes. Clint wasn’t a kid anymore.
Neither was she. Real, adult problems were sitting on her shoulders like mountain boulders.
Nora turned off the truck and took her time walking to meet him. Clint might be strong and handsome, but neither of those things could help her now.
Maybe Bella was right. She needed a friend, and Clint had always been there for her.