Chapter 15 #3
She hugged him tighter. “Yes, and I’m already trying to wrap my head around the distance between us once again.”
He raised up on one elbow, smoothing away the sleepy tangles off her forehead.
“Darlin’, that’s just temporary. As soon as we get Dad home, which is either today or tomorrow, the only thing I have left to do is organize home healthcare for him until he’s completely healed. We’re not staying, either. I’ll fly in and drive you back to Austin with your things.”
“We’ll figure all that out after we’re both back in our homes. All I need is a place to hang my clothes and a room for an office and I’m in business.”
“What about your furniture? Your special things?”
Her eyes welled. “I just sold my special things to Sonny Bluejacket.”
He brushed a kiss across her lips. “Then we’ll make other special things, and they will be ours,” he said. “We’ll be going to Amarillo sometime today. We all need to tell Dad in person about Mom and the money, and why he was shot. It’s going to be a jolt. Not sure how he’s going to take it.”
“And I have to clean out the food in the refrigerator, then pack. Let this be our goodbye until Austin. I can’t keep saying goodbye. I need the next time to be welcome home,” Nora said.
“Then it will be. Promise to call me when you get there, so I’ll know you arrived safely,” he said.
“I will. You’re flying home in the chopper, right?” she said.
“Yes, and I’ll let you know the moment we land. Once we’re sleeping under the same roof every night, is when the rest of our lives begins. Stay under the covers where it’s warm. I’ll turn the lock before I let myself out.”
She nodded, too overwhelmed to say more, and watched him dressing, then blowing her a kiss as he walked out the door.
She closed her eyes, following the sound of his footsteps, until she heard the door open and close, and wished she could just will herself home, without the long hours of driving to get there.
She heard the SUV start, and then heard him driving away.
Until we meet again.
Then she got up, stripped the sheets and put them in to wash so that everything would be clean and fresh when Chris and Ellen moved in.
She made coffee one last time. Ate a bowl of cereal, using the last of the milk, then washed the dishes by hand, dried them, and put them up in the cupboard.
After emptying all of the food in the refrigerator, and dumping it into the garbage bin, Nora pulled it to the curb, then ran back in out of the cold.
The washer had stopped, so she put the wet sheets in the dryer and went to finish packing. By the time the dryer went off, she had everything she intended to take with her loaded up in the back of her car.
The sheets were soft and warm, and smelled faintly of lilac from the scented dryer sheet she’d used. She remade the bed, carefully plumping the pillow shams before giving the room a last look, then turned out the light.
As she was walking up the hall, the grandfather clock was striking the hour.
Nine a.m.
She would not hear that in this place again.
Her coat was on a chair by the door, as were her purse and keys. She’d planned to stop at the Rose and say goodbye to Pearl, but she didn’t want to cry again, so she sent her a text, instead.
Thank you for everything. For your help and your love, and for being a friend when I needed one most. I’m going home today. See you next time around.
Nora
She slipped into her coat, grabbed her purse and keys, and walked out, locking the door behind her.
After stopping at the gas station to fill up, she drove out of the lot, past the flapping crime scene tape on the front of the Tumbleweed Bar, and didn’t look back.
* * *
Dylan had just finished shaving when Asher walked in. He started to say something, then saw the look on his face and went for aftershave, instead.
“If you’ll give me a couple of minutes to notify the Feds that we caught our guys, I’ll be ready to go.”
“If you want to shave, we can…”
“I don’t,” Asher said.
“Let me guess. Nora is gone,” Gunner said.
Asher frowned. “Not forever, and setting our personal issues aside, we still need to organize a home health aide for Dad until he gets some strength. We can’t stay forever. We need to get back to our own lives. So back me if he gives me hell when I suggest it.”
They nodded in agreement and had the good sense to leave Asher alone to make the call. The phone rang three times before he got an answer.
“Special Agent Worth speaking.”
“Agent Worth, this is Asher Kingston. We caught our perps last night. You are now free to release the recovery of the missing money. The fact that it was found on our property is going to stir up a lot of shit for our dad, and he’s yet to be released from the hospital.
Don’t forget what I said. You give Jacob’s sons the credit for solving the cold case and finding the money during their investigation into the attempted murder.
I better hear a good spin on all that, or we’ll hold our own press conference. Dad is the one we intend to protect.”
“No worry. We will certainly give all three of you the credit. We were just the recovery team. The announcement has already been written. We were just waiting for the okay. You can expect it to hit local and national news by tonight. Our best wishes for your father.”
“Thank you,” Asher said, and disconnected.