25. Clint
25
CLINT
T he barn dance at Redemption Ranch was always a hit for everyone in town, as well as tourists. The Reynolds’ dude ranch was a well-oiled machine that brought in tons of guests for the town year-around.
Twinkling lights draped from the rafters, and there was no shortage of garland in the huge barn. Half a dozen familiar faces greeted Clint and Nora as they stepped into the bright interior.
Nora threaded her arm through his and leaned in to whisper, “Don’t overdo it, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.” The promise was a tough one. Clint and Nora had been dancing at parties like this for years, and it was one of the things he looked forward to for months.
Nora pointed to a table where Bella sat cradling a sleepy Myla in her arms. Her husband, Mav, was walking their son, Jesse, through the steps of a line dance as the band played an upbeat tune. “Let’s sit with Bella.”
Right, he’d be sitting for most of the night. Sitting with friends would make being tied down much easier.
Clint hurried over on his crutches and pulled out the chair next to Bella for Nora to sit before taking the one beside it for himself.
“Hey! You made it,” Bella said as she opened her free arm for a hug from Nora.
Nora embraced her friend before sitting beside her. “We would have been here earlier, but–”
“But Nora couldn’t decide on an outfit,” Clint said. “Oh, and we were kissing.”
Bella gasped, and her eyes widened. “Kissing?”
Nora rolled her eyes. “Yes, that’s a thing now. Sorry I haven’t had a chance to fill you in. This is new.”
Bella laughed. “It’s not new. I’ve been telling you to just kiss him already for years.”
Clint propped his elbow on the table and leveled Nora with a serious stare. “Oh, really? Why in the world didn’t you listen to your very intelligent friend?”
Nora shot him a side glare. “Stop it. You know why.”
“I definitely don’t, and Bella is now my second favorite person. You should always call her for advice when it comes to important matters.”
Nora ignored him and opened her arms to Bella. “Can I hold her?”
“Sure.” Bella transferred Myla to Nora. “She sleeps like a log.”
Cuddling Myla to her chest, Nora jerked her head toward the dance floor. “Go dance with your man.”
Bella cast a longing look toward the crowd. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Get outta here.”
Bella drifted off into the sea of dancing people, but Clint couldn't draw his attention from the sight of Nora holding a sleeping kid. So many people wrote her off as hard and unfeeling, but Nora had a nurturing heart. He’d been on the receiving end of her care for weeks now. No wonder she made such a great nurse. She had a way of soothing people without even saying a word.
“Do you want kids?” Clint asked before he had a chance to think about what he was doing.
Nora’s attention jerked up to him. “I… I guess so. I haven’t thought about it a lot. To be honest, I haven’t thought much about having a family, since marriage has always seemed so far in the future.” Her cheeks began to bloom pink as she averted her gaze. “Well, I mean, we haven’t talked about that.”
“This is all new. I get it. I’m not trying to pressure you. I was just asking. You don’t have to have an answer right now.”
Nora nodded. “I guess I always pictured the future to be a lot like we’ve always been. I just didn’t know we’d be more than friends.”
“Are you still okay with this? Things between us can move as slowly as you need. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been working on my patience.”
Nora chuckled. “I have noticed. Thanks for that, but thinking about the future doesn’t seem so scary. I mean, I’m happy. I love you, and whatever my future is, I’m pretty certain you’ll be a part of it.”
Clint took a calming breath. “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”
Nora’s smile grew, and she scanned the crowd. “You want some cider? The line is getting longer.”
“It wouldn’t be a Christmas party without it. I’d offer to get some for us, but…” He pointed toward the boot on his foot that kept him from having fun most days.
Nora handed Myla over to him. “I’ll get it. Be right back.”
Clint cradled the little girl in his arms. She was light despite her slumped sleepy state. The warmth seeped into his chest and all the way to his heart.
Yep. He definitely wanted kids. He wanted a house full, and he wanted them with Nora.
Nora pressed a kiss to his cheek before skirting the dancing people on her way to the refreshments line. Clint gently bounced Myla in his arms.
Nora had almost made it to the line when she spotted something on the dance floor and stopped. She changed directions and headed toward Zeke Reynolds and his new wife, Kaitlyn.
Oh, Zeke’s ex-girlfriend, Jenny, was giving the newlyweds a hard time, and what Clint wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall as Nora put Jenny in her place. That woman had hooked her claws into Zeke when she saw the dollar signs attached to his last name. One look around would tell anyone that the Reynolds’ business was thriving, and Jenny wanted a piece of that pie.
It didn’t take long for Jenny to stomp off, and Nora said a few more words to Zeke and Kaitlyn before resuming her quest for Mrs. Reynolds’ famous Cowboy Christmas Cider.
As if he needed one more reason to love Nora. She wasn’t one to stand by when someone needed help. Zeke and Kaitlyn didn’t need a vindictive ex causing a rift in their new marriage.
Kaitlyn’s son, Stetson, ran over wearing his cowboy hat and boots. The kid looked like he belonged on the ranch just as much as the other Reynolds family members.
“Hey, Mr. Clint. Who’s that?”
Clint tilted Myla up for Stetson to see. “This is Myla. Her mom and dad are dancing. ”
“And you’re holding her because you can’t dance,” Stetson added.
“For your information, I’m a fantastic dancer. I just can’t do it wearing this big ol’ boot.”
Stetson looked back at the throng of dancers. “Will you teach me how to dance like that when your leg gets better?”
“You better believe it. My friend, Mav, is out there teaching his son some new moves right now. See the man in the red shirt and brown hat?” Clint asked.
“That one?” Stetson asked as he pointed.
“Yep. Go introduce yourself and ask Mav to teach you too.”
“Okay! Thanks, Mr. Clint!” Stetson shouted before running off.
Nora returned a few minutes later with two cups of hot cider. “Did I see you talking to Stetson?” she asked.
“Yep. I sent him to Mav. Did I see you put Jenny in her place?”
Nora huffed. “Yep. That woman is a snake. Unfortunately, some things never change.”
Clint leaned toward her, unable to resist the pull toward the amazing woman who’d finally given him a chance and made him the happiest man in the world. “Come here.”
Nora shifted toward him, and he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. When he pulled back, there was a dreamy smile on her face .
“What was that for?” she asked.
“I love that you stood up for Kaitlyn. Also, I’ve been dying to kiss you in public, and I hope everyone was watching.”
Nora swatted his shoulder. “I should have known you were putting on a show.”
“It’s not a show. It’s real . Can you believe it?”
Nora shook her head. “No, it hasn’t settled in yet.”
“Ahh! You two!” Caroline screamed as she barreled toward Clint and Nora.
The baby in Clint’s arms didn’t even flinch.
Caroline wrapped Nora in a hug before slapping the back of Clint’s head.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“For taking so long. Sweet buttercream, could you have made a move while we were all still young?”
“I don’t know about you, but I’ll be young until the day I die,” Clint said.
Caroline grabbed Nora’s hand. “Come on, let’s dance.”
Nora pulled back against Caroline’s grasp. “Um–”
“Go dance,” Clint said. “I’ll stay with the baby. We’ve kinda got a good thing going here.”
So what if he wanted to dance too? He couldn’t with his injured leg, but that didn’t mean Nora had to sit here the whole time .
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Positive. Go have fun.” He jerked his chin toward the dance floor, gesturing for her to get a move on it.
Nora grinned and leaned down to press a soft kiss to his cheek. His entire body heated with the nearness of her.
Yeah, that wasn’t getting old anytime soon.
Eventually, people started making their way over to say hey to Clint and gush over how cute Myla was as she slept in his arms. Nora danced for a while before resuming her place at his side.
After Bella and Mav left, Clint and Nora hung around for another half hour before making their way around to say goodbyes.
Thunder rumbled in the distance as they left the barn. The parking area was lit by yellowish light, and the loud music drifted into the quiet night.
“That was so much fun. Now I can’t wait for all the other Christmas stuff coming up,” Nora said as they approached her truck.
“Are we decorating the cabin this year? I’m sure Mom has some leftover decorations we can use.”
Nora halted with her hand on the gear shift. “You know, that sounds like a good idea. Maybe next Thursday when I’m off work.”
“Sounds like a date to me.”
Nora chuckled as she drove down the path leading to the main road. “Everything sounds like a date to you these days.”
“Oh, I’ve been waiting for dates with you for a while. We have time to make up for.”
They talked about the friends they’d seen and talked to at the barn dance during the drive home. When they neared the main house, Nora pointed to it in question.
“You want to watch a movie?” Clint asked. “It’s still kinda early.”
“It’s after ten, but I could go for a movie. I’m not ready for bed yet.”
They pulled up at Clint’s cabin and got out. Her dad’s truck wasn’t parked outside yet, which meant he was probably watching a western at Clint’s parents’ house.
Nora picked up her phone from where it sat in the cup holder and got out. Clint grabbed his crutches from the back seat and followed.
Thunder rumbled loudly as Clint limped over to where Nora stood in front of the truck. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I just have three missed calls from the same number. I didn’t hear it ring.”
“Probably a scam caller.”
The phone rang as she held it in her hand. “It’s that number again.” She answered it and raised it to her ear. “Hello.”
She threaded her arm in with his as they made their way toward the porch. After a few seconds, Nora spoke.
“Yes, this is Nora.”
She halted after the next step, and Clint stopped too. The porch light cast shadows over her features as all the color drained from her face.
“Nora, you okay?” Clint asked. He didn’t care if it was rude to interrupt a phone call. Whatever Nora had just heard had her frozen in place.
He heard the rain coming before it started dripping on his head and dampening the earth around them. He held his breath as Nora remained still, staring far off into the darkness past the cabin.
The sky opened up, and the rain fell harder as Nora blinked, clearing the haze in her eyes. “Mom?”