21. Nora
21
NORA
C lint scrolled to the next photo on his phone. “This will be the tack room. It’ll have saddle racks all along this wall, and that wall will be hooks and poles.”
Nora leaned in to get a closer look at the blueprint. “I love the boot rack. It’s kinda big, don’t you think?”
Clint stared at her like she was a stranger. “Have you ever known me to do anything on a small scale?”
“You’re right. Moderation isn’t in your vocabulary.”
“What’s moderation?” Clint asked.
Nora rolled her eyes. It was exciting to see Taylor Ranch growing, even if her own was effectively dead now. Well, maybe not dead, but it wasn’t hers anymore.
He kept flipping through the photos, looking at them with hearts in his eyes. “I’ve only been saving for ten years for this. I want to do it right.”
He’d been talking about running an equine therapy center since they were teenagers. Now that it was within his reach, the setbacks just kept coming. Not only had he given up a huge sum of money to erase her dad’s debts, but now he had a surgery to pay for.
Clint had a way with horses like no one she’d ever seen. He was excellent at helping his parents run the cattle ranch, but that was just paying his dues. The therapy center had always been the goal. Not only could Clint train horses, but he was adamant that they could be used to help people who’d been injured or experienced mental trauma cope and heal.
Now, the problems she’d brought to his door were holding him back. The guilt sat heavy on her shoulders. All she wanted was to see him happy and doing what he loved, but she’d stolen the dream from him, at least for a while longer.
Clint shifted in the plastic chair in the waiting room where they’d been stuck for over half an hour. He was starting to fidget more, and his leg hadn’t been elevated all day.
“Put your leg across my lap,” Nora said as she sat back in her chair.
“No way. That won’t be comfortable for you. ”
Nora huffed. “Just do it. Your foot is going to be swollen when the surgeon gets in here.”
Clint hesitated, then lifted his leg to rest it across her lap. She made a soft “oof” sound as the weight hit her thighs. Clint’s leg was as big around as her head, and the bulky boot only made it heavier.
“See! I told you it wouldn’t be comfortable.”
He started to lift his leg, but Nora rested her arms on it. “Stop it. It’s fine. Just lean against the wall and quit wiggling around so much.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Clint said as he settled in. “How much longer do you think it’ll be?”
“As long as it takes. Do we need to play a game?”
“Rock, paper, scissors?” Clint asked.
Nora reached for her purse and pulled out a deck of cards. “Go Fish or Crazy Eights?”
“Crazy Eights. Go Fish just makes me wish I was casting a line.”
Nora hadn’t finished shuffling the cards when the door opened and a stout older man walked in.
“Mr. Taylor.”
Clint reached out a hand to shake with the doctor. “Good to see you again, doc.”
Dr. Mooney turned to Nora and extended a hand.
“I’m Nora, Clint’s friend,” she said as she shook his hand.
Friend. The meaning of the word was foggy these days. She had plenty of friends, but none of them were like Clint. Her relationship with him didn’t fit the mold anymore.
The doctor removed Clint’s boot and examined his leg and verified some of the things in his chart as he worked.
Nora watched the doctor, but she silently prayed. Clint could get really bad news today, and she prayed he would be able to handle it no matter the physical damage or treatment plan.
When the doctor showed recent x-rays on a screen and pointed to the breaks, the roaring in her ears grew louder.
Another surgery was absolutely necessary, and it wouldn’t be easy. The recovery would take months.
Months. She stole a glance at Clint, but his expression was blank, as if he couldn’t understand the doctor’s simple words. There was no reaction–no response. They’d been warned this was a possibility, but the truth still hurt.
Nora’s chest ached. Clint was so fun and joyful. Seeing him tied down with this injury was difficult to watch. Knowing he had more downtime in his future left her hollow and cold.
Clint clasped his hands in his lap. “Are you sure? I’m a fast healer. Any chance it could take less time to heal?”
“It’s a possibility, but you have to be careful not to overdo it. Physical therapy will allow you to gain back the mobility, so be sure to follow the at-home therapy guidelines as well.”
Okay, that was one thing she could help him with. She’d make sure he did his therapy at home and had a way to get to the clinical therapy sessions. Between her, Jordan, Alicia, Caroline, and his parents, they should be able to come up with a system.
After setting a date for the surgery and prep, Nora and Clint walked in silence back to her truck in the parking deck. Clint tossed his crutches into the truck bed with a little too much force before climbing into the cab and resting his head back.
“This will be over before you know it,” Nora said as she started the truck.
“Months,” Clint said without lifting his head or opening his eyes.
“I know, but it’s the winter months. You’ll be good as new by spring.”
“I’ll be in full-on cabin fever by then.”
Nora drove out of the parking space and headed toward the exit. “I’ll just have to keep you company and make sure you’re entertained.”
He lifted his head and turned to her. “Oh, really? What kind of fun do you have in mind?”
The deep, playful tone of his voice had her heart racing. She fought against the urge to look at him and kept her attention locked on the road ahead. “I…I don’t know. ”
“Come on. What can we do while we’re stuck inside by the fire all winter?”
Shoot. Why did Nora’s thoughts automatically go to cuddling and kissing? Her face and neck grew warm, and she prayed she wasn’t blushing.
“I could teach you to knit,” Nora said.
“Knit? I’m not knitting. Have you seen these fingers? There’s no way I’m holding chopsticks, much less making yarn masterpieces with them.”
“What about guitar? You took lessons when we were little.”
“I was eight. Let me tell you how that went.”
Nora laughed. Eight-year-old Clint wasn’t much different from twenty-eight-year-old Clint. He could barely sit through school and church, much less regular guitar lessons.
“Ms. Lottie all but kicked me out the door after a year with no progress. To my credit, it was hard.”
“You just have zero patience,” Nora said.
“I can be patient.”
The softness of his words made her examine all the ways he had unexpectedly shown patience. He’d waited a decade to start a business, and he’d put up with her and her problems over and over again. Clint might be known for jumping the gun, but he was a loyal, dependable man she was happy to have at her side.
“You are. Now you need to remember that this will pass. You can still do the woodworking. There are lots of things you can do sitting down or standing without walking a lot.”
The rest of the way back to the ranch passed quickly as they poured over options for things he could do to keep busy during his recovery.
Nora turned down the path leading to Taylor Ranch. “Where are we going?”
“Let’s see if Mom made lunch. You want to grab and go so we can start the marathon?”
“We’re really doing a monster movie marathon?” Nora asked.
Clint held up his phone with the note app open. “Between Godzilla , Jurassic Park , and King Kong alone, we’re talking two weeks of action-packed entertainment.”
Nora held up a finger. “But we get to watch one Christmas movie for every two monster movies, right?”
“Right. Bright Movie Network releases two new movies every week between now and Christmas, so we should have plenty of options.”
What was she doing? Making plans to spend all of her winter free time either helping out at the stables, taking care of Clint, or watching movies with him, how was she going to handle her growing feelings?
She parked in front of Clint’s parents’ house and shifted into park. She moved to get out, but Clint rested a hand on her arm. When she looked up at him, the intensity of his stare warmed her from the inside out.
“Thanks for taking care of me. You don’t have to do all this,” he said low and deep.
“I want to.” It was a dangerous truth, but she wanted all of these planned moments with him. She wanted mornings and nights. She wanted rainy days and snowy nights. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life, including the home and family she’d lost.
Clint smiled for the first time since hearing the bad news from the doctor. Keeping him happy would be her mission this winter, and she couldn’t wait to get started.