24. Nora
24
NORA
N ora glared at herself in the bathroom mirror. There wasn’t a full-length mirror in Clint’s cabin, but she didn’t need the complete view. The orange dress didn’t look nearly as cute on her as it had on Bella at church a few weeks ago. This was false advertising at its finest.
“Nora, I’m begging you, please just put something on,” Clint shouted from the living room where he waited for her.
The barn dance at Redemption Ranch was a huge event in town, and she’d attended every year since she was six.
This year just happened to be the first time she would attend with a date. It was her first date with Clint.
No big deal .
Lies. It was a huge deal, and her wardrobe wasn’t cooperating.
“I’m working on it!”
“You look great in anything. Let’s go!”
Nora groaned and pulled the dress off. Jeans it was, then. There wasn’t much point in dressing up a pig. It was still a pig.
She braided her hair and smoothed any flyaways. She looked the same as she did any other time she wasn’t wearing scrubs for work.
She stepped out of the bathroom and headed straight for her boots by the door. “I’m ready. Let’s get on the road before you miss the first dance.”
“Low blow!” Clint said as he pushed up on his good foot and grabbed his crutches.
“Sorry. Tell me again why we’re going if we can’t dance.”
Clint stopped beside her as she slipped her feet into her nicer boots. “Because all of our friends will be there.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in. “And because I can’t wait to tell everyone you’re there with me.”
“Ha! As if I’m a great catch,” Nora said as she brushed at her ordinary flannel shirt.
Clint’s hand slid over her cheek and lifted her attention to him. “You’re beautiful. I can’t tell you that enough.” His hand trailed over her temple and down the braid.
She’d never thought of herself as a natural beauty, but Clint made her feel singled out. He gave her all of his attention and complimented her so often it was embarrassing.
“Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Taylor.”
Clint smirked. “It’s not flattery. I’m just reminding you that you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“Now that’s a load of crap.”
Clint pulled her closer, and she sank into his strong embrace. As much as she wanted to push the point, Clint was weakening all of her defenses.
“I’m not a lying man, Nora. Now that I can tell you exactly how much I love you, I don’t plan to hold back anymore.”
Nora froze in his arms, and her lungs seized. “L…love?”
There was a momentary look of panic in Clint’s eyes before he relaxed. “Oops. Did I just mess up my chance to make a big, sweet declaration?”
“Love?” Nora repeated. Love had always felt out of her reach. Sure, she had God’s love, and she loved Him back, but romantic love? She’d seen it work for other people in her life, but it was hard to imagine a man choosing her as the one woman in the world he wanted to share his heart and life with.
Yet, Clint was already doing that. He’d done it for years, and it was the reason she trusted him so completely.
“Don’t freak out. You don’t have to say it back.” He brushed a hand through his hair. “Shoot, Nora. Please don’t make a big deal out of it. Yes, I love you, but I wanted to wait to tell you until you’d had more time to get used to this new shift in our relationship.”
She held up a hand, halting his explanation. “Stop. I’m not freaking out. Well, I am, but only a little.” She took a deep breath and pushed it out through rounded lips. “I love you too.”
Clint blinked back at her. “Are you serious? Don’t play with me like that.”
“I’m serious. You’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I’ve never put a lot of effort into dating because I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to settle down and marry me.”
Clint opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.
“But everything is different with you. Everything is right with you. You know me better than anyone. I love that. I love everything about you. I love you .”
Clint wrapped both arms around her waist and lifted her off her feet, crushing her to his chest. The rush of warmth in her middle seeped into every inch of her body as she wound her arms around his neck.
When he rested her back on the ground, he dove into a toe-curling kiss that had her gasping for breath.
“Clint, if we don’t leave now, we’ll be late,” she said between kisses .
“I don’t care. We don’t even have to go. We can just stay here.” He kissed her again and again, setting fire to her nerve endings every time his lips met hers.
“Okay. I guess we can just watch the 1998 Godzilla movie,” Nora suggested.
Clint raised his head. “Wait. No. I’m showing you off tonight. Stop trying to keep me from telling everyone in Redemption Ridge that you finally gave me a shot.”
Nora rolled her eyes. “Please don’t make it a big deal.”
“I won’t announce it over the speakers, but I’m going to tell everyone I talk to.”
Good grief. Clint was friends with more than half the town, and it was entirely possible he could spread the word as far as Denver before the end of the night. “Please don’t embarrass me.”
“Okay. I’ll quietly tell everyone that you decided to have pity on me and gave me a shot.”
Nora laughed and stepped out of his hold. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously in love. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Anything less than over-the-top wouldn’t be the Clint she knew and loved, but she didn’t mind if everyone knew they were together. She was just as happy to be by his side as he was to be with her.