8. Clint
8
CLINT
C lint’s feet wouldn’t stay still any longer. He bounded down the porch steps and met Nora by her truck. His boots planted on the dirt, waiting for direction from her.
She wrapped her arms around her middle and looked up at him. Her shoulders sagged as she whispered, “You know, don’t you?”
Clint shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I want to hear it from you.”
She jerked her head toward the door. “Let’s go inside.”
Right. They were standing out in the cold because he couldn’t even wait for her to get to the door.
Clint closed the door behind them, shutting out the rest of the world and wrapping her up in the warmth of his cabin. He didn’t always build a fire, but he’d gotten it roaring as soon as he got home this evening. He wanted Nora to be comfortable tonight, despite the absolute mess she was dealing with.
She pulled off her coat and hung it on the rack as she toed off her boots. “So, what did you hear?”
Clint took her hand and silently led her toward the kitchen. “Let’s get you some hot chocolate first.”
Nora sighed. “I’d give my left pinky toe for a warm cup right now.”
“Don’t trade your body parts. Just sit.” He pulled out a chair at the table and kept a hold on her hand until she lowered onto the seat.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been by to see your folks yet,” she said. “I’ve been busy.”
Clint busied himself making her favorite drink. “It’s fine. You know where to find them when you have time. Mom asked about you this afternoon.”
Nora propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. “How is everyone?”
Clint pulled one of Nora’s mugs out of the cabinet. She’d pointed out a plain, six-piece set at a flea market once, and he’d bought it for her. After she refused to take it from him without a reason like Christmas or a birthday, he stored them in his cabinets and deemed them hers for whenever she came over to hang out. “They're as crazy as ever.”
“How’s the expansion?”
“Good as gold.”
Nora lifted her head, and a genuine smile spread over her lips. “I can’t believe you bought Chuck’s place.”
Chuck had owned the land adjacent to Taylor Ranch and caused Clint’s family a ton of trouble over the years. After his dad was beaten to a pulp by Chuck, he was convicted of assault and got a moderate jail sentence. While Chuck was serving time, Jordan and Alicia made an offer to buy the land under the name of her entertainment company. Chuck took the offer without knowing he’d sold out to the neighbors he hated.
“Me either. It was Alicia’s genius idea. I sleep better at night knowing I don’t have to watch out for my looney neighbor.”
Nora stared at her clasped hands on the table. “You’re losing another looney neighbor too.”
Man, the hurt in her voice stabbed him like a hot knife straight to his chest. He’d thought over every angle of Nora’s situation since hearing the news earlier today. He still couldn’t wrap his head around it.
“I wouldn’t call you looney. You’re a little ornery sometimes and kinda bossy, but you’re not quite looney.”
She didn’t even crack a smile at his joke. Granted, he didn’t normally get smiles, but she usually rolled her eyes or gave him a playful shove or something .
Clint stirred the chocolatey drink before setting it in front of her. “How’s the new job?”
“Good, I guess. I haven’t been very focused, but it’s all pretty standard.”
“Are the other kids being nice to you?” Clint asked with a parental tone.
That earned him an eye roll. “Yeah, everyone is great. I already knew half of them, but the others are fine. I’m not there to make friends.”
“I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but you’re incredibly friendly.”
Nora leveled him with a narrowed stare. “Ha ha. I just don’t have the headspace to be social right now.”
Clint waved for her to stand. “Come on. Let’s get comfortable.”
Nora followed him to the couch and took her usual seat, tucking her legs beside her. “What are we watching?”
He pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and spread it over her. “Card Sharks or Family Feud?”
“Card Sharks. The 70s version,” Nora said as she tucked the blanket around her and spread the rest out for him.
He took the seat beside her and turned on the show. If she needed time to think about something other than the troubles waiting for her at home, he’d give her that .
They watched in silence for a minute before she spoke. “Dad lost the ranch. It’s a done deal.”
It didn’t matter that he’d heard the same thing earlier, the news still shocked him. He wanted to deny it, but after hearing it from Nora herself, it was settling in as truth.
“That’s what I heard. If it makes you feel any better, it wasn’t someone gossiping. It was a friend who was worried and wanted to help.”
She rested her cup on her knee. “It doesn’t matter. I’m so embarrassed.”
Clint turned to her with one brow raised. “Why? You didn’t do it.”
“Yeah, but my dad did. I’ve always been in charge of the finances. If I hadn’t left, we wouldn’t be losing everything.”
Clint turned to face her and rested his arm along the back of the couch. “You love your job, and you wanted to travel. I’m glad you went. No one expects you to give up your dreams and watch over your dad’s shoulder your entire life.”
“But he needed me, and I wasn’t here.”
“I was right across the road. I helped him out all summer, and I didn’t have a clue what was going on. Who’s to say you wouldn’t have been clueless too? He might have still made those bets.”
“Yeah, but he wouldn’t have just handed over every penny we had.”
“Who says? ”
“Me.”
Clint leveled her with a stare. “Is his name on the bank account?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, so he could have done this whether you were right here or not. He has a problem. We all know about it, but we didn’t know he was struggling. He’s really good at hiding it.”
Nora rested her cup on the small table beside the couch and covered her face with her hands. “I can’t believe this.”
Clint’s chest ached. Nora was the strongest person he knew, and seeing her break down was killing him.
He reached out and rested a hand on her knee. “You know we’ll figure this out.”
Nora dropped her hands and lifted her chin. “There’s nothing to figure out! It’s gone. We’ve already lost it!”
Clint tightened his grip on her knee. “I know you’re stressed. I know this is awful. Yeah, you’re allowed to be mad, but I won’t let you give up.”
“You don’t get it. It’s in the bank’s hands. I should be home packing right now.”
“No, you should be here venting to me and drinking hot chocolate. If you have to move, I’ll help you. My whole family will.”
Nora waved her hand in the air. “Everybody I know shouldn’t have to stop what they’re doing to help me. I don’t like depending on people.”
“Tell me something I don’t know. No one is saying you can’t do anything. I’m just reminding you that many hands make light work.”
Nora stared at the fire as the tension in her jaw loosened. Her shoulders lowered, and she rested her head against the back of the couch. “I know. Sorry. It’s just a lot to think about. I have so much to do.” She huffed. “Well, I don’t have as much to do as before. Dad sold the cattle, and all of the horses except Ash.”
“What do you have to do?” Clint asked.
“For starters, I have to clean out the shed behind the stables. There’s a tractor in the back that Dad wants to sell, but I have to move all the junk first.”
“You can scratch that off your list. I did it earlier.”
Nora looked up at him with pinched brows. “You did?”
“Yeah, I went over to see if your dad needed help with anything.”
“Did he tell you what’s going on?”
“No. I didn’t ask. He called me for help quite a few times over the summer, but I hadn’t heard from him in a few weeks. I guess I know why now.”
“I can’t believe he didn’t tell me until it was too late.” Nora fisted the blanket in her hands. “I’m so mad at him!”
“With good reason. He really messed up this time. ”
“But he’s still my dad,” she whispered. “He’s all I have.”
“That’s one lie I wish you’d quit telling yourself. You have friends all over town.”
“No, you have friends all over town,” she said, pressing a finger to his chest. “I have you and Bella.”
“And my family, and everyone in the church. I could break it down into a list of individual names, but it would take me a while. Just face it. You think you’ve been pushing people away when you walk around looking mad at the world all the time, but a lot of people can see right through you.”
Nora looked up at him, and her expression softened. “And what does everyone see? What do you see?”
Man, that was a loaded question. All the fire he’d built up when he planned to tell her how he felt at the airport came rushing back. He could lay it all on the line right now. He could tell her exactly how much he loved her. He could swear his loyalty to her. He could vow to take care of her through better or worse.
He was ready to promise all those things, but Nora was worried about losing her home. He couldn’t make this about him.
She needed to know he would stand beside her through everything. That he could prove, and his actions would speak louder than the words he wanted to scream from the rooftops .
“I see a strong woman who can handle anything. Trust me. I have plenty of faith in you.”
Nora’s lips lifted slightly on one side. “Enough for the both of us?”
“Enough for a whole army. Just because I offer my help and promise to stand beside you doesn’t mean I think you’re weak.”
Nora tilted her head back and forth. “Okay. I get it now.”
“Good. What’s our first order of business?”
Nora took a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh. “Find a place to live.”
“Easy. You and your dad can live here, and I’ll move in with Mom and Dad. What’s next?”
“Um, polite decline. I need to find a place to buy or rent.”
Clint shook his head. “I think we already established the best solution.”
“No, running you out of your house is not the best solution. It’s not even in the top ten solutions.”
“It should be. Nora, it’s right across the road, it’s plenty big enough for the two of you, and it’s close to your work. Tell me the downsides.”
Nora’s dark eyes were even darker in the shadows that flickered from the fire and TV as she stared at him. Clint held his breath, praying she couldn’t come up with a reason to turn down his offer.
He’d thought about it all day, and though he hadn’t run it past his parents, he knew they would be on board.
Nora swallowed hard and turned her attention to his hand that still rested on her knee. “I’d like to look for a place first. If I can’t find anything, we’ll revisit this talk.”
Clint gave her knee a squeeze before removing his hand. He was pushing against the walls Nora put up tonight, but he didn’t want to push too far and ruin his chances. “That’s fair. If you can’t find a place by the end of the week, you can move in here.”
“Let’s make it two weeks because that’s how long I have until the eviction.”
Clint turned the volume up on the TV and tried to hide his grin. Nora would have a new home within two weeks, and that was as much of a win as he could hope for tonight.