The Lonesome Rancher (5 page)

“I know that. I happen to like your friends, but if you’d rather I disappeared…”

Louisa studied her. “Okay, what’s going on here?”

“Nothing,” she said too quickly. “I mean, you’re probably tired of having me glued to your side.”

“If I felt that way, I’d tell you,” Louisa assured her. “But you don’t have to work 24/7, either. You know there are labor laws. And I believe you haven’t had any time off since you arrived here The weekend is coming up. You should get out and get to know the area. There’s plenty of wineries to the north of us. Jenny’s husband, Evan, owns the Rafferty Vineyard. And there’s San Antonio.”

“I’m not real social. But if it’s okay with you, I’d like a few hours off today. I might go riding while you’re with your friends.”

Louisa blinked in surprise. “Sloan asked you?”

Here it comes. She nodded. “He’s checking the herd and thought I’d like to see some of the ranch.”

“So he’s taking my advice.” Louisa’s gaze met hers. “I’m glad, because he’s worked too hard this past year.” She waved her hand. “Go, and make sure you both relax.”

“Then since we’re finished here, you should hit the showers.” Jade handed Louisa her cane and followed her out of the gym and down the hall to her bedroom. She went on ahead into the connecting bath and turned on the water in the large walk-in shower. Once she had Louisa situated, she left the woman to her privacy and went into the bedroom.

The phone rang. When it wasn’t answered by Marta on the third ring, Jade picked it up.

“Hello, Merrick residence,” she said.

There was a pause. “Who is this?” a man with a deep, rich voice asked.

“Jade Hamilton.”

“Oh, so you’re the miracle worker I’ve been hearing about.”

“I wouldn’t say I was a miracle worker.” She felt her heart pounding hard against her ribs. “May I ask who is calling?”

“Clay Merrick.”

“Oh, Senator.” She nearly choked. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“Why? You’ve never met me. You had no idea who I
was.” She heard the smile in his voice. “But I can’t wait to meet you.”

She swallowed back the dryness in her throat. This was her father. “I’ve been looking forward to that, too.”

A
N HOUR
later, Sloan sat atop his gelding, Amigo, watching closely to see how Jade handled her horse, Cally. The small mare was the gentlest mount on the ranch.

Once outside the corral, they headed through the grove of trees and rode along the dry creek bed. Thanks to the recent autumn rains the plains were a rich green, but the trees on the hillside were changing color into bright, golden hues of red and orange. This was his favorite time of year, when all his hard work paid off.

Suddenly his mother’s words came to mind.
You lead a boring life, son.
He’d always worked hard, especially the last eleven months. He’d never been one to order ranch hands to do anything that he wouldn’t do. Damn, he was turning into a control freak. Maybe he could use some time off.

He stole a glance at Jade. It had been a long time since a woman had distracted him. Not because he didn’t want someone special in his life, but Clay’s public life had made it difficult to have much privacy. He was also suspicious of who his true friends…and lovers…were. As the son of a U.S. senator, people had expectations of him.

He expected to feel a pang of sadness over Crystal.
Although she was from San Antonio, he’d thought he knew his former girlfriend better. After being together six months he’d soon discovered that she wanted the Merrick name and money. When they’d broken up she sold her story to the tabloids. He’d learned his lesson the hard way. It just seemed safer to concentrate on his work. The River’s End Ranch.

He heard his name called and looked toward Jade again.

“How am I doing?” she asked.

She sat relaxed in the saddle as she moved easily with the horse. He smiled. “Just fine. In fact you look pretty good, which is better for the horse. Believe me, they can sense an inexperienced rider.”

“So I’m not too bad for a city gal,” she said in an exaggerated twang.

She was a lot better than not bad. “A natural. I think you’ve ridden more than you said.”

“Actually, not so much,” she began. “Once my mother saw the size of the horse I’d been riding, she refused to let me continue the classes.” Jade glanced at him as their horses walked side by side along the trail. “My parents were older when they got me.”

He smiled. “So you were a surprise?”

“Yes and no.”

Jade enjoyed watching Sloan. If anyone was born to ranch life, it was this man. He was impressive astride his roan gelding, and handled the large animal with ease and grace. She quickly shook away any wandering thoughts. Gawking at good-looking cowboys wasn’t why she came here.

“I was always planned, but I didn’t arrive until they were in their late forties.” She wasn’t willing to tell him everything.

“No wonder they were a little overprotective of you.”

“I know. My mother wanted a baby for a long time.” She gave him a bright smile. “So giving up riding wasn’t so bad, not when my mother bribed me with ballet classes.”

“How did you like that?”

She smiled trying to hide her nervousness. “I loved the little outfits better than the dancing. Besides, I soon discovered I had no talent whatsoever, but my friends were in the class so I stuck it out for a few years.”

“From where I sit, you look pretty graceful to me.”

She was taken aback by his compliment. “You didn’t see me at nine when I was all arms and legs. The braces came later.”

She caught him studying her and it did funny things to her insides. She took a slow breath, trying to steady her sudden rapid heart rate.

“Well, everything seemed to turn out good,” he said. “You’re a beautiful woman, Jade Hamilton.”

“Thank you.” She looked toward the trail. No matter how attracted she was to this man, she couldn’t let this go any further.

“So, how far is this herd?”

“I have a turkey and a ham sandwich,” Sloan said as he looked into the lunch bag.

“Whatever. I don’t care which.” Jade sat down on the blanket spread under a big tree beside the creek. Water trickled over the rocky bottom, making a soothing sound. Across on the other side was the free-range herd. Sloan had told her the fence was to keep them in the large pasture where the soil was free of any pesticides or fertilizers.

The wind caught her hair but she barely noticed as she watched the black Angus steers feeding on the tall grass. A calm feeling came over her.

“It’s so peaceful here.” Although a Texan, she hadn’t experienced much of country life.

He sat down beside her and handed her the plastic wrapped sandwich. “Some people would think it’s boring.” He tipped his hat back and looked out at his herd, with a leisurely gaze. A breeze rustled through the trees. “I call it heaven. That’s why I picked this part of the ranch to build a house.” He nodded behind him. “It’s over there.”

“Your house?”

“Don’t look so surprised. I haven’t lived with my parents since college. I stayed with Mom after her stroke and still do when Alisa and Dad are away. It’s only temporary.”

Jade rose up on her knees and spotted the buildings off in the distance. “It must be nice to have your own place, yet be close to family.”

“It is. The Merricks have been on this land for a long time. They settled in this area around the turn of the last century. Built the first house and barn not far from here.” He pointed past the rise. “Started raising Texas beef. And finding oil on your land doesn’t hurt, either. Good investments over the years helped out.”

Jade was intrigued about the ancestors. Was this her family? “That’s quite something to live in the same place for over a hundred years.”

He nodded. “The Merricks were even close friends of the Kerry family the town was named for.” He gave her an easy grin. “It’s said that Angus Kerry beat Otis Merrick in a poker game and got to name the town. If
things had turned out differently, it might have been called Merrickville or Merrick Springs.”

She caught the glint in his eyes, and reached out and slapped him on the arm. “You’re making that up.”

“It could have happened that way.” He took a big bite of his sandwich and chewed a long time before adding, “But you’ll have to ask a true Merrick, Clay or Alisa, about the details.”

Jade frowned, unable to finish her sandwich. Would they claim her? “You’re part of the family, too, in every way that counts.”

He nodded. “And Clay has never made me feel any less, but there are many differences between us. I don’t have the drive for political office like he does. And there’s pretty much been a Merrick in Washington for the last fifty years.”

“I take it you’ve argued about it?”

He shook his head, but she could see something was bothering him. “Clay’s more subtle. But some think because I have the name I should run for office.”

“That’s crazy.”

He looked surprised at her comment. “And I’d make a rotten politician. Alisa would be better at it, but I don’t want her to be pressured, either. If you knew my baby sister you’d know that no one can make her do something she doesn’t want to do.”

“I like her already.” Jade might have a half sister. Would she be gone before she got the chance to meet her? “Does she come to the ranch often?”

Sloan opened the cap on a bottle of iced tea. He handed her one. “She doesn’t work far away, only in Austin.” He took a drink. “She’d like to meet you, too. The woman who helped bring our mother so far along.”

“Louisa would have gotten there. She just has a little stubborn streak.”

He sobered. “We were so worried about her, especially when she was losing her desire even to do therapy. To us, you’re a miracle worker.”

“Just doing my job.” Would they think that if they knew her real reason for coming here? “Besides, your mother’s the one who wanted to improve.”

The wind caught the blanket edge and blew it against her leg. That was when she noticed the building clouds.

Sloan looked up, too. “I don’t like the looks of this. “We better start back and now.”

By the time they’d gathered up their things, and mounted the horses the rain started coming down. Hard.

Sloan knew they couldn’t make it back to the house. “We need to find shelter. So we need to pick up the pace a little.”

“Okay, I’ll do my best,” she called to him as the rain penetrated her lightweight jacket and even her blouse.

“So hold on—tight. We’re making a run for it.” He instructed her to grip the saddle horn, then grabbed Cally’s reins. He kicked Amigo’s sides and took off over the rise.

Jade gasped, but managed to regain her balance as they cantered across the field. She soon found the rhythm and leaned forward on the horse. It wasn’t easy fighting against the wind and rain.

“That’s it,” he called as he turned toward her. “You’re doing great. Just a little farther.” They continued through the pasture until they came to an old house.

Sloan jumped off and hurried to help her down. “Go up on the porch while I take care of the horses.”

“I’ll help.” She took Cally’s reins and followed him as he led his horse up the one step to the shelter of the porch. She was surprised when Cally obeyed her commands. He tied the animals’ reins to the railing.

Just then lightning flashed across the sky, and rain sheeted off the porch roof. “Come on,” he told her. “Let’s get out of this.”

Sloan turned the knob on the front door, but had to push it with his shoulder to get it opened. Brushing away the cobwebs from the doorway, he went in ahead of her. Although the lighting was dim, he could see that the place was worse than he remembered.

Sparsely furnished, the room had a small table with two chairs in the center. Wooden cabinets lined one wall and a chipped sink stood alone in front of the window. A musty smell teased his nostrils. He reached for the light switch, and flicked it on.

“Oh, it’s…cozy,” Jade said as she followed him inside. She took off her hat and began to wipe the rain from her face.

“There are a lot of words for this place, but that’s not one of them.”

She shivered. “How about dry?”

“That’s a good one. It is dry.” He dropped his hat on the kitchen table. “But not very warm.” The temperature had dropped suddenly with the storm front. Another streak of lightning flashed.

He walked past the kitchen area into the main living space and the huge stone fireplace. There was wood stacked next to it. “Let’s see if I can warm up this place.”

He found some matches on the mantel. “I prefer a
gas starter, but I’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way.” He spotted a stack of newspapers beside the wood and used that as kindling. He struck a match to the kindling and watched as it caught fire. After a few minutes the flames flared up. He put the screen back.

He glanced at Jade. She was shivering. “Take off your wet jacket.” He went down the hall and yanked a quilt off a bed. “It’s probably pretty dusty but it should help keep you warm.” He wrapped it around her, then rubbed his hands up and down her arms to help stimulate warmth. That wasn’t all it was doing.

When she began to sway, he reached out and caught her. “Whoa, cowgirl.”

Jade felt his arms around her waist, holding her backside against his hard body. Desire shot through her like wildfire. This wasn’t a good idea, but it felt so good.

“I’m sorry how things turned out,” he breathed against her ear. “This storm caught me off guard.”

Jade shivered and not only from the cold. “Just give me a minute, and I’ll be fine,” she lied. She doubted that. The man had kept her off balance since she’d arrived at the ranch.

Finding her footing, she stepped away. “I enjoyed the ride, even in the rain.”

The wood crackled in the fireplace. “Soon you’ll be warm.” He placed another log on the grate. “Come sit down.”

She sat on the hearth, feeling the instant warmth. “It does feel good.” She rubbed her hands along the legs of her pants. “Nothing worse than wet jeans.”

“You’re right.”

Jade sat beside the fire and glanced around the one
story clapboard house. She was more than a little interested in this place. “Who lived here?”

“It once belonged to Otis and Sarah Merrick. It was built in 1905 when they settled here.” He looked around. “It’s a little neglected now.”

“I think it’s in great shape.”

“Otis built it.” Sloan stood and ran his fingers over the rough pine mantel. “Pretty much this entire place. Before he got into the cattle business, he was a carpenter by trade, and he made a lot of the furniture here, too.”

She huddled under the blanket. “Tell me more about Otis and Sarah.”

“Let’s see what I remember. They had four children. Otis Junior, Charles, Samuel and Elizabeth. Charles didn’t live past infancy. Otis Junior died when he was a teenager.”

Jade shook her head. “How terrible!”

“Life was tough back then. But you’re right, that would be awful.” Sloan sighed. “There aren’t many Merricks left and Clay only had one biological child, Alisa. His brother, Adam, never had children.”

Jade didn’t know what to say to that. She didn’t have real proof that she was Clay’s daughter, only words in Kathryn’s journal. Of course a DNA test would take care of that.

“Jade?”

She heard her name and looked at Sloan. “What?”

“Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Yes, I’m finally getting warm.”

“Good. This fireplace really puts the heat out.”

Feeling nervous she looked around the room. There was a lone sofa and an oval braided rug covering the dusty hardwood floors. A sideboard stood against
the wall behind a small kitchen table. “A little work and this place could be livable.”

He frowned. “I guess it could be. It probably should be maintained better anyway, seing as it’s family history.” He stood. “Are you warm enough to take a look around?”

“Sure.”

He held out his hand to help her up. Jade took it, immediately feeling the warmth of his large, rough palm. That heat he generated quickly spread through her body as he tugged her down a hallway to the largest of the three bedrooms. He flipped on a switch, revealing the space. The focal point was a big bed with a massive carved headboard.

“Oh, Sloan. It’s beautiful.” She crossed the room and ran her fingertips over the intricate work. “I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s obvious that this took many hours.” She glanced over her shoulder. “You’re right, this place should be preserved.”