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I’ve never felt so relaxed. Ever.
Nora moves her head to my chest. “You really thought I was going to leave?”
I tighten my arms around her. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
I take a breath. “You know that I basically grew up with Shane, right? My dad worked as his dad’s trainer. Ran the reining and racing programs.”
“You told me that, yeah.”
“The reason that we spent so much time with Shane and his family was… my mom left us,” I whisper.
Fuck. I don’t know that I’ve ever actually said it out loud. Somehow, the words feel… dusty. Like they’ve been waiting inside of me for too long. But once they’re gone, I feel a hell of a lot lighter.
Nora leans up, her chin on my chest. She doesn’t say anything. Instead, she waits.
“My mom left me and my dad. She said that she didn’t want to live the life we had, I guess. My dad told me after she left. That she wanted something fancier. Something different. Something that didn’t revolve around horses and ranching.”
“But she didn’t to begin with?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know,” I say hoarsely. Fuck. I don’t really want to cry right now. I wait a couple of minutes until the tears that claw at my throat feel like they’re not there anymore. “I know, though, that she went back on her word. She made my dad feel like she would be okay with that life, and then…”
“She lied,” Nora says simply.
“Yeah. She lied to him.” And to me.
“God, I’m so freaking sorry, Clint.”
Nora’s blue eyes are looking up at me, and I look to the side. “Yeah. Well.”
“So you thought that as soon as I knew about how you planned to buy my ranch, I’d leave.”
“I didn’t think you’d be happy about it,” I grumble.
Nora sighs. She presses a kiss to my chest before looking up at me again. “Just because I’m not happy about it doesn’t mean I’m going to leave, Clint. If I love someone, I’m in it to win it. I don’t walk out on people like that.”
I nod, looking down at her. “I can see that.”
“I was mad. I said some things that I shouldn’t have said.”
“Yeah?”
She wrinkles her nose. “Yeah. I think you probably got the wrong impression when I said something along the lines of ‘don’t ever look at me again.’”
“That did do it,” I admit.
Nora laughs. “Sorry. I really am, Clint. I don’t want to fuck things up like this again.”
I shuffle. “Neither do I.”
“So. How about we agree, no more lies?” she says.
“Never, Nora.”
“And you won’t try to steal my ranch from me?”
“Darlin’, you couldn’t convince me to buy this ranch if it was the last one available.”
