The Lonesome Rancher / Finding Happily-Ever-After

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.”

Rain pelted the windows as Sloan leaned against the doorjamb. He was surprised at her reaction, her enthusiasm over this house. Her eyes were so expressive, so filled with excitement. How long had it been since he’d seen someone get this much joy out of something so simple?

This woman distracted him, stirred a yearning in him. Damn, he wanted to deny it, tried to tell himself it was because he’d been too long without a woman.

“When was the last time anyone lived here?” she asked.

“From what I understand it hasn’t been used since Otis and Sarah passed away. Otis’s son, Samuel, married Alice Kerry, the daughter of the town’s founder, she didn’t want to live in this house. There was a falling out, so her daddy built the house on the hill. Soon after my father, Clayton Samuel, and his younger brother, Adam, were born. Kerry and Merrick merged their land into one large cattle operation and prospered even more. They named it River’s End.

“Not long after that Samuel became the town’s mayor. A few years later, he ran for state representative, then the senate.” Sloan nodded toward the main house. “So from childhood, Clay had been groomed for public service.”

“What about Otis and Sarah? Did they ever resolve things with Sam?”

“They never set foot inside the big house, but they lived into their late eighties, only dying a few months apart.”

Jade glanced back at the headboard. “It’s a shame Otis and Sarah never got to have a relationship with their son.”

“But they did,” he said. “Although the daughter-in-law wouldn’t give them the time of day, Sam came by to see them.”

“I’m glad.” Sighing, Jade looked around. “I bet with a little cleaning and some paint this place would be almost new again.”

“I guess we should preserve our heritage.” Sloan looked at the beautiful furniture that Otis had made. “Alisa will inherit all this one day.”

He saw Jade stiffen. “It’s important to keep it in the family. Didn’t your parents have a house?”

She shook her head. “Not anymore. My mother’s care was expensive. She had to sell it. My father has never been in my life.”

Sloan barely knew Jade, yet he felt bad for her. No father. “At least you get to keep some of the family’s things.”

She hesitated. “They don’t belong to me, either.” Those beautiful eyes were sad as tears filled them. “I’m adopted.”

He went to her. “Oh, Jade, that doesn’t mean your mother loved you any less.”

He leaned closer and closer to her, feeling the heat radiating through her still damp clothes, her scent was intoxicating. His gaze locked on hers with an intensity that seemed hypnotic. He wanted her.

“My mother’s cousin, Margaret, asked for most of her grandmother’s keepsakes since I’m not a blood relative.”

“You are a part of that family, too. Your mother wanted you as her daughter. Did she will those things to you?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t want to argue about it. It was a rough time for all of us.”

He touched her cheek, telling himself he only wanted to give her comfort. But it was more than comfort; it was need. Her eyes were mesmerizing, drawing him deep into their depths. Silence surrounded them, except for the soft tapping of the rain against the windows.

“You were special to them.” He couldn’t stop what was going to happen. He leaned down and brushed a kiss across her mouth. When she sucked in a breath, he went back for another taste.

Jade knew she had no business letting Sloan get this close, but she couldn’t help herself as she allowed his mouth to capture hers. She couldn’t seem to deny him or the desire he stirred in her. When his hands drew her against his body, she was lost.

Her arms circled his neck and she opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. Sloan was just as eager when his tongue slid inside her mouth to taste her.

Suddenly Sloan’s phone rang, bringing her back to reality. She jumped back breaking his hold.

He cursed. “Bad timing. I need to get this.” He turned away as he opened his phone. “Hello.”

“Sloan, thank God.” His mother’s voice came over the line. “I’ve been trying to reach you.”

“Mom, what’s wrong?” He glanced at Jade, seeing her concern.

“Nothing, I’m fine. It’s you and Jade I’m worried about. When I couldn’t get you on your phone I was so worried you got caught in the storm.”

“It’s okay, Mom, we found cover. We’re at Otis’s place.”

He stole a glance at Jade’s thoroughly kissed mouth and felt another surge of desire. “We’ll be riding back as soon as the weather clears.”

“That’s just it, honey. You need to stay put because there are severe weather warnings out for the next few hours.”

The sound of the rain intensified at the same time he lost the connection. “Damn. The phone died.” He glanced out the front window where rain was sheeting off the porch roof.

“Well, it looks like we’re going to see how well old Otis built this place.”

CHAPTER SIX

OVER the next hour, Jade fretted as the wind howled and rain pounded the old house. The windows rattled under the stress, but held. They’d lost the electricity shortly after Louisa’s phone call, but there were candles and the light from the fire. Daylight was quickly fading away. And the storm hadn’t shown any signs of dying out.

She rubbed her arms in worry as she stole a glance at Sloan. He was kneeling in front of the hearth adding more wood to ward off the falling temperature.

Her gaze moved over his wide shoulders and broad back then down to his narrow waist. Lower still to the well-washed jeans that stretched over his muscular thighs and tight rear end. He lifted the log with ease, exhibiting the strength of his arms. The memory of being in those arms was very vivid in her mind. The feel and taste of his mouth, his body pressed to hers. A warm shiver rushed down her spine.

She groaned and looked away. She couldn’t let herself be attracted to him. There were far too many reasons to count. Besides, cowboys had never been her type, at least not before she met Sloan Merrick.

She never should have gone riding with him today, and the kiss was even crazier. When he discovered who she was, she’d probably be tossed off the property.

Ever since learning about her adoption, she’d felt lost. All her life she’d thought one thing, only to learn it had been a lie. Nothing could change the love she’d felt for her mother, but she wanted to know about her biological family. What she didn’t need was to get involved with Clay Merrick’s stepson. So she had to be sure that he knew that.

“How long are you going to ignore me?”

Jade looked at Sloan. “There isn’t anything to say.”

“You didn’t have any trouble talking earlier. Before I kissed you, and you kissed me back.”

“And we probably should leave it at that.”

“I agree with you there. You’re a beautiful woman, Jade, and hard to resist. It’s easy to kiss you, the problem is stopping.” He crossed the room. “But I’m going to do my damnedest, because I’m not a good bet. And I definitely don’t want anything permanent.”

Jade saw a flash of pain across his face. She could tell he was guarding himself, and her heart went out to him. “Who was she?”

He glared at her, then finally said, “Believe me, she isn’t worth our time.”

The rain pounded against the roof. “It looks like we have nothing but time,” she told him.

His gaze darkened and she had trouble not reacting.

“I’m a rancher, a cattleman,” he said with such conviction, she knew what it meant to him. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to be since the day I came to River’s End when my mother married Clay Merrick. Although for some people they feel you need to be something more. And then they set out to try to change you.”

“Why would they do that? You’ve found what you love to do in life.”

Sloan wanted to believe Jade’s sincerity, but he harbored too much bitterness. “The game is different when your father is a U.S. senator,” he began. “There’s the prestige and important connections that go along with the title. It draws the good and the bad.”

“I take it … this woman was one of the latter.”

He nodded. “That about sums it up. Crystal Erickson came to town and singled me out, telling me she wanted to meet me. We went out for a few months, and it didn’t work out. End of story.”

He wished it had been simple. Sloan shook his head, thinking about what a fool he’d been, remembering after they’d been dating awhile, he’d come home and found Crystal there. She was talking with his father.

Out of sight, Sloan had listened while she planned out his future. Her dream was for Sloan to follow after Clay. She’d even offered to help prep him to take over the seat in congress someday. She even assured the senator that she could convince his son to run for office. Sloan quickly realized that Crystal didn’t love him as much as the Merrick name.

Angry more than hurt, he broke it off with Crystal. She wasn’t happy and it didn’t take her long to get back at him.

“Even though I ended things between us, my family paid the ultimate price with their story and pictures plastered over the tabloids.”

“I’m sorry, Sloan.”

“There’s no need to be.” He shrugged. “It’s been over a long time.” He didn’t want to think about his mistakes. He just knew that he wasn’t about to have a repeat in the future.

His gaze locked with hers. This woman could make that damn difficult, make him forget every hard lesson he’d learned from the past.

He forced himself to walk to the window, fighting the pull to go back to her and convince her to do more than share a kiss. The rain sheeted off the window as lightning flashed across the sky, drawing a blanket of intimacy around them. He didn’t trust himself.

Sloan glanced over his shoulder to see Jade watching him. He had to remind himself of how foolish he’d been when a beautiful woman was involved, and how in the end the Merrick family ended up as headline news.

He also needed to set things straight. “Earlier I shouldn’t have taken advantage of this situation.” He didn’t want to get any closer to her, either. “What happened between us was unprofessional.”

She nodded. “I’m to blame, too. I’m your employee.”

He frowned. “You’re my mother’s employee.”

Those incredible eyes of hers widened. “Close enough.”

“We need to get back. Louisa …”

“My mother is fine. And until the storm passes we can’t leave here.”

As if to emphasize his words, several flashes of lightning shot across the sky, followed by instant crashes of thunder. She jerked involuntarily.

“Whoa, darlin’, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She stiffened. “I don’t need you to play the big, strong cowboy. I can take care of myself.”

Sloan raised a hand. “I have no doubt about that.”

He couldn’t help but wonder about the things she’d gone through these past months. He could see the sadness behind her toughness. Maybe that had been the reason he’d spoken so freely to her. It was something he couldn’t let happen again.

“I should check on the horses.” Tugging his hat lower on his head, he opened the door and fought the strong wind as he stepped onto the porch.

He went to the railing and placed his hand on Cally’s rump and along her flank. “Sorry, girl, it’s going to be a while before I can get you home.” He’d removed the horses’ tack earlier, but he wished they had more protection from the storm than the two blankets he’d found in the cupboard.

He checked Amigo, then studied the still dark clouds in the dim light. He needed to get Jade out of his head. The last thing he wanted was her as an added complication. No, in a few weeks Jade Hamilton would be back in Dallas, and he’d be working hard at River’s End.

That was what he needed to concentrate on now. The ranch. Had he lost any of his herd or his crop from this storm? He didn’t need to think about a beautiful green-eyed woman, but that was exactly what he was doing.

He wiped the rain from his face, unable to deny the stirring he felt. He just had to figure out a way to stop it.

Nearly two hours later the freak storm had finally moved on, and Bud had arrived at the homestead with his truck and a horse trailer.

Jade had never been so happy to see anyone. After Sloan kissed her, she knew she couldn’t give into her attraction for him. For so many reasons. She was thankful that Sloan had disappeared into the bedroom, leaving her alone by the fire until they were rescued by Bud.

The men loaded the animals and she got in the backseat of the truck. On the trip to the ranch house, she was happy not to have to talk as the men were busy discussing storm damage. She hadn’t thought about the toll the heavy wind and rain took on crops and animals. She knew now that bad weather was a threat to a rancher’s livelihood.

Bud pulled up at the kitchen door and Sloan climbed out of the passenger seat to help her. The sky was clear, the night cool.

She looked up at him, trying to avoid his gaze. “I can manage, thank you,” she said and started to walk off.

He reached to stop her. “It’s for the best, Jade.”

Ignoring his warm touch on her arm, she looked back at the truck. Bud wasn’t paying them any attention. She still lowered her voice and agreed. “It’s the only way, Sloan, or … I’ll have to leave.”

His eyes narrowed. “Dammit, Jade, that’s the last thing I want. That’s the reason I’m going to stay away from you. I don’t want you to leave … for my mother’s sake.”

So it hurt a little that this all seemed so easy for him. “I’m tired. I’m going inside.” She climbed the porch steps and was met by two worried looking women, Marta and Louisa.

Louisa grabbed her in a hug as Sloan and Bud drove off. “Thank God, you’re okay.”

“I’m sorry we worried you.”

Louisa made Jade sit down at the table. “Why? You didn’t cause the storm. That cold front wasn’t even supposed to come this far south.” She shook her head. “I hate to think about what could have happened. Thank God, Sloan was there with you.” Louisa glanced behind her. “Where is my son?”

Oh, yeah, without Sloan, she might not be confused about everything. “Taking care of the horses.”

Marta brought her a cup of steaming cocoa. “What would you like to eat?” she asked.

Jade shook her head. “I’m not really hungry. I just need to get cleaned up and then sleep.” She glanced at Louisa. “If you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” Louisa said. “Why don’t you take your shower and Marta will bring a light supper up to your room?”

Jade was too tired to argue. She stood. “Okay and thank you. Good night.”

Jade climbed the stairs to her room and began stripping off her damp, dirty clothes inside the connecting bathroom. Once in the stall, she let the hot water erase the chill from her body. Closing her eyes, she suddenly saw Sloan’s face. The look in his eyes before he took her mouth in their first unbelievable kiss. She could still feel the imprint of his body against hers, and it caused a different kind of warmth to shoot through her.

Stop thinking about him.

She finished with a quick shampoo, then got out. She used the blow drier on her hair, and pulled on her satin pajamas.

Returning to her room, she heard the knock. Expecting to see Marta, she called, “Come in.”

She went to her bed and pulled back the quilt. “Thank you, Marta, for bringing my supper. I guess I was hungrier than I thought.” She turned around and stopped talking. It wasn’t the housekeeper, but Sloan.

He hadn’t cleaned up yet. But dirty jeans and boots didn’t curb the attraction she felt for the man. “What are you doing here?”

He combed his hand through his hair as his interest went to her state of dress. “Damn, you even look sexy in pj’s.”

She refused to act embarrassed. “I was planning on getting some sleep. So could we let this discussion go until another time?”

“I didn’t like how we left things.”

“I thought we agreed it was the only sensible way.”

He didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t move from the spot and Jade was grateful for that. She was afraid how willing she would be if he touched her. He needed to go.

“Look, Sloan, it isn’t a good idea you’re here …”

“I know. That’s why I came to tell you that I’ll be gone in the morning.”

He was leaving? “Where?”

“Does it matter? I need to be out of here and away from you.”

“I can’t drive you out of your house.”

“First of all, it’s my parents’ house. I’m only moving back to my home.”

“Okay.” So he would still be close by. “You don’t need to worry, I’ll take care of Louisa.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” he said. “But if you need me for anything just call down to the barn.”

She swallowed. “Thank you for the ride today. Even with the bad weather I enjoyed it.”

She saw something flash in his dark eyes, but wasn’t sure what it was. “Yeah, so did I … more than I should.” He turned and walked out.

Jade released a long breath. Sloan was gone. She got what she wanted, so why wasn’t she happy?

The next morning, it was work as usual. Jade hadn’t slept well at all, but she needed to get back into a routine and do her job. And she needed to figure out what she was going to do when she confronted Clay Merrick.

At seven o’clock, she’d been in the workout room with Louisa. They’d gone through the routine of exercises, and then both headed for a shower and were downstairs for breakfast by eight. And there was no sign of Sloan at the table.

“Is Sloan coming?” Louisa asked the housekeeper.

Marta poured coffee. “No, he ate very early. He had his bag packed and said he was moving back to his house. He would see you later.”

Louisa frowned. “Just like that? He didn’t say anything last night.” She glanced at Jade. “I wonder why all the hurry?”

“Maybe it’s the roundup?” Jade said, unable to think of anything else, though she knew she was to blame for this. He wanted away from her so badly, that he hurt his mother.

“I know I’ve been taking up a lot of his free time,” Louisa said. “He shouldn’t have to look after his mother.”

“Oh, Louisa, I don’t think Sloan minds at all. He loves you.”

Smiling, she nodded. “He needs his own life. A chance for love and a family.” The older woman looked pensive. “When I learned you two were going riding yesterday, I was kind of hoping …”

Jade’s chest tightened, wishing things could be different, for all of them. “That’s a nice thought, Louisa, but I’m not in a place to think about starting a relationship.”

“Oh, Jade, you don’t pick and choose when you fall in love. There isn’t a perfect time, it just happens. And I’ve seen how Sloan looks at you.”

Jade’s heart began to race. She didn’t want to know how Sloan looked at her. Their attraction couldn’t go any further. “It would be better if we didn’t pursue anything. I’ll be going back to Dallas shortly.”