Chapter 21 Nora
TWENTY-ONE
NORA
I pull into the driveway of the Grizzly River Ranch and slowly take the gravel road down to the big house. I should be at work, but I called in because I can’t concentrate knowing that Truett is injured.
Leaving him last night was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I’ve loved him since I was a teenager, and he was just my best friend’s older brother. I’ve sat back and watched as he’s done what he’s had to do in order to keep their ranch afloat.
I’ve listened to him worry about when Aubree was living in Chicago.
I’ve seen him date other women.
But through it all, my stupid heart has clenched every single time I’ve gotten a glimpse of him in a crowd.
Parking my truck, I get out and then take the steps quickly, before knocking on the door. Cookie answers, a smile on his face.
“Hey girl, come on in. Heard you saved our boy last night.”
My cheeks heat with embarrassment. I hate being the center of attention. “Yeah, can’t take much credit because he did most of it himself. I’m just glad I gave him a fighting chance.”
“That you did.”
“Has he been awake yet today?” I ask, following him to the kitchen.
“Off and on, here and there. I’ve been keeping up with his pain medication, but it’s almost time for it again, so he might be more lucid.”
“Good, I’m going to go check on him.”
I’ve been in this house more times than I care to count, but today it feels so much different than it ever has before.
Walking down the familiar hallway toward Truett’s room, my heart pounds against my ribs like a caged bird.
The floorboards creak under my boots, the same sounds I’ve heard a thousand times growing up here visiting Aubree, but now each step feels weighted with something I can’t name. Fear? Hope? Both?
I pause outside his door, my hand hovering over the handle. Through the thin wood, I can hear the soft sound of his breathing, steady and strong. Relief floods through me so completely that I have to lean against the doorframe for support.
Taking a deep breath, I turn the handle and step inside.
The room is dim, curtains drawn against the afternoon sun, but there’s enough light filtering through to see him clearly.
Truett lies propped up against a mountain of pillows, his chest bare except for the white bandages wrapped around his torso.
Dark stubble covers his jaw, making the sharp angles of his face even more pronounced.
Even injured, even pale, he’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
His eyes are closed, thick lashes casting shadows on his cheekbones, and for a moment, I just stand there, drinking him in. Alive. Safe. Here.
“You gonna stand there all day staring at me, or are you gonna come closer?”
His voice, rough with sleep and medication, makes me jump. Those storm-gray eyes are open now, watching me with an intensity that makes my cheeks burn.
“I wasn’t staring,” I lie, crossing the room to the chair beside his bed. “I was just…checking to make sure you were still breathing.”
A slow smile spreads across his lips. “Still breathing, thanks to you.”
I settle into the chair, suddenly nervous. “Cookie said you’ve been in and out all day. How are you feeling?”
“Like I got trampled by a bull and then shot,” he says with a dry laugh that turns into a wince. “But alive, which I hear I owe to you.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Truett. Anyone would have done the same thing.”
His expression grows serious, those gray eyes searching my face. “No, Nora. Not anyone. You saved my life. Cookie told me what you did. You saved my life.”
The weight in his voice, the raw gratitude, makes my throat tight. “I just did what needed to be done. You would have done the same for me.”
“In a heartbeat,” he says without hesitation. “But that doesn’t make what you did any less incredible. Thank you, Nora. For everything. For being there when I needed you most.”
Tears prick at my eyes, and I have to look away before they spill over. “You don’t have to thank me. I couldn’t…I can’t imagine…” My voice breaks, and I take a shaky breath. “I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you. If something took you away from me permanently.”
The admission hangs between us, raw and honest. I’ve never said anything so vulnerable to him before, never let him see how deeply my feelings run. But last night changed everything. Coming so close to losing him stripped away all my carefully constructed walls.
When I finally look back at him, his expression has shifted to something I’ve never seen before, soft and wondering, like he’s seeing me for the first time.
“Nora,” he says quietly, and my name on his lips sounds different somehow. Like a prayer, or a promise. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you say something like that.”
My heart stutters. “What do you mean?”
He’s quiet for a long moment, his eyes never leaving mine.
When he speaks, his voice is barely above a whisper.
“I mean, I feel the same way. The thought of something happening to you, of losing you…it would destroy me. You’ve been the one constant good thing in my life, even when I was too stupid to see it clearly. ”
Hope blooms in my chest, wild and desperate. “Truett…”
But he holds up a hand, stopping me. Pain flickers across his features, not physical pain, but something deeper. “But I can’t. Not yet. Not until I’m worthy of you.”
“What are you talking about? You’re already…”
“No, I’m not.” His voice is firm, final.
“Look at me, Nora. Really look. I’m lying here shot because I got mixed up in something dangerous.
I’ve been making questionable choices trying to keep this ranch afloat, putting myself and everyone I care about at risk.
You deserve better than that. You deserve someone who can protect you, not someone who brings danger to your door. ”
Frustration flares in my chest. “That’s not your decision to make. You don’t get to decide what I deserve or what I can handle.”
“Don’t I?” His jaw tightens. “When it’s your safety on the line? When it’s your life that could be in danger because of my choices?”
I want to argue, want to tell him he’s being ridiculous, but movement outside the window catches my eye. A familiar truck is pulling up the drive. Noah’s patrol vehicle. My stomach sinks.
“Truett,” I say quietly, nodding toward the window. “Noah’s here. He’s talking to Jesse and Aubree.”
Truett turns his head to look, his expression darkening. Even from here, we can see the serious set of Noah’s shoulders, the way Jesse’s hands clench into fists at his sides, the worried look on Aubree’s face.
“Shit,” Truett mutters, trying to push himself up straighter. The movement makes him grimace, and I automatically reach out to steady him.
“Don’t,” I warn. “You’ll tear your stitches.”
He settles back against the pillows, but his whole body is tense. “They probably want to question us about last night. Someone probably told them the trucks and trailers headed toward the ranch.”
“What were you doing last night?” I ask, though part of me isn’t sure I want to know.
His laugh is bitter. “Something stupid. Something I thought would help save the ranch, but instead nearly got me killed.” He looks at me then, his expression pained. “This is exactly what I’m talking about, Nora. This is why I need to stay away from you until I get my life straightened out.”
“Stay away from me?” The words hit like a physical blow. “You’re going to shut me out because of this?”
“I have to. I won’t put you in danger. I won’t risk—”
“Stop.” My voice is sharper than I intended, cutting through his words. I stand up, pacing to the window where I can see Noah gesturing toward the house. “Just stop talking like you have all the control here.”
“Nora…”
I whirl around to face him. “No, Truett. You listen to me. You just told me you’ve wanted to hear me say how I feel about you. Well, here’s some more honesty for you. I’m tired of you making decisions for me like I’m some fragile flower who can’t handle the truth or make her own choices.”
His eyes widen, but I’m not done.
“Do you think I don’t know what you’ve been doing to try to save this ranch? I’ve lived in this community my entire life. I’m not blind, Truett. And I’m not stupid.”
“I never said you were.”
“But you’re treating me like I am.” I move closer to the bed, my hands clenched into fists. “You’re sitting there talking about staying away from me ‘for my own good’ like I don’t get a say in it. Like my feelings don’t matter. Like I’m not strong enough to handle whatever comes next.”
He stares at me, something like awe flickering in his expression. “Nora…”
“I’ve been in love with you since I was seventeen years old,” I continue, the words pouring out of me like water through a broken dam.
“Seventeen, Truett. That’s eight years of watching you from the sidelines, eight years of hoping you’d see me as more than just Aubree’s best friend.
Eight years of keeping my mouth shut while you dated other women and made decisions that broke my heart. ”
Tears are streaming down my face now, but I don’t care. I’m past caring about anything except making him understand.
“So don’t you dare sit there and tell me what I can and can’t handle. Don’t you dare try to protect me from the choices I want to make. If I want to be with you, danger and all, that’s my choice. Not yours.”
The room falls silent except for the sound of our breathing. Truett’s eyes never leave my face, and I can see a war playing out behind them—want and fear, hope and desperation.
Outside, I hear Noah’s truck door slam, footsteps on the gravel. He’ll be at the door any minute.
“Eight years,” Truett says finally, his voice hoarse.
“Eight years,” I confirm.
“And you never said anything.”
“Neither did you.”
He closes his eyes, leaning his head back against the pillows. “God, Nora. I don’t deserve you.”
Despite everything, I laugh. It’s watery and shaky, but it’s real. “Yes, you do.”
When he opens his eyes again, they’re burning with an intensity that makes my knees weak. “If I kiss you right now, there’s no going back. No matter what happens with Noah, with the ranch, with whatever mess I’ve gotten myself into, if I kiss you, I’m not letting you go again.”
My heart pounds so hard I’m sure he can hear it. “Good,” I whisper. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”
He reaches for me then, his hand cupping the back of my neck, pulling me down until our foreheads touch. “I want you,” he breathes against my lips. “I’ve wanted you for so damn long I can’t remember what it felt like before.”
“I want you too,” I whisper back.
And then he’s kissing me, soft and desperate and full of eight years of waiting. His lips are warm and sure against mine, his hand tangling in my hair. The kiss tastes like promises and hope and coming home.
When we break apart, I’m breathless. He’s looking at me like I’m something miraculous, something he can’t quite believe is real.
“We’ll figure it out,” I tell him, my voice stronger now. “Whatever trouble you’re in, whatever’s coming next, we’ll figure it out together.”
He nods, his thumb stroking across my cheek. “Together.”
Truett’s hand finds mine, our fingers interlacing. His grip is strong and sure, an anchor in whatever storm is about to break over us.
“With you? I’m ready for anything.”