The Lonesome Rancher

by Patricia Thayer

  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.”

  Sl
oan 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.”