“You didn’t plan on falling in love with my son,” Louisa said.
Jade hesitated and wanted to deny it, but couldn’t. “No, I didn’t. I’m sorry. That’s all I can say and I’ll leave town just as soon as I know one thing.” She looked at the senator. “Just tell me, did you care about my mother?”
Clay seemed surprised by the question. He glanced at his wife, then said, “Yes, but we never should have gotten together. I was married at the time.”
Jade closed her eyes.
Her father continued. “It’s something I’m not proud of, but my first marriage was more or less an arranged union between two political families. I’d been primed for politics from an early age and that included marrying the right woman.”
Jade recalled Sloan telling her about the famous Merrick family and how they’d been expected to go into politics.
“Kathryn Lowery was a college student who worked on my first campaign when not many people believed in me,” Clay told her. “We had many a late night together during the campaign, and when I won the election, there was a big staff party. When it was over, I took her back to her apartment and we made love.”
He swallowed hard. “Suddenly I realized how much I’d come to care about her, but I had to do the right thing. I told Kathryn we couldn’t see each other again, then I went home to my wife.”
“Did you know she was pregnant with me?”
The senator shook his head. “No! If I had, things would have been different. I would have stood by Kathryn and my child.”
Jade brushed away a tear. “Thank you for that.” She managed a smile. “Now, I can go back to Dallas with all the blanks filled in.” She looked at Louisa. “Again, I’m sorry, Louisa. If you continue the exercises you’ll get stronger every day. Soon you won’t even need the cane.”
Jade hated that she had to leave, but she forced herself to stand. “If Miguel can take me back to my car, I’d appreciate it.”
Clay exchanged a look with his wife. “No, Jade, please, don’t leave,” he said, looking uncomfortable. “This has been hard for me to take in, but you can’t just walk into my life, then walk out. If you are my daughter—and I’m pretty sure you are since your birthday comes exactly nine months after the election.” He took a step closer, but didn’t touch her. “We’ve missed a lot of years, Jade, and I’d like a chance to get to know you.”
Oh, why did this matter so much to her? She shook her head. “But you already have a family, a son, a daughter. I can’t intrude anymore.”
Louisa stood. “Yes, you can. When I married Clay twenty-five years ago, I had a son that he accepted without question. And now, I accept you.”
A tear hit Jade’s cheek, and she wanted so much to feel the happiness, but there was Sloan. He would never accept her. “I appreciate that, but I’m not eight years old, Louisa.” She looked at the man who wanted to be a father to her. Her feelings were nearly overwhelming. “And, Clay, you have your career to think about.”
He grinned. “I’ve retired, remember. Besides, over the years, the press has had me fathering numerous children. We’ve survived many stories.” He shrugged. “It happens this time it’s true. I’d be proud to call you my daughter, Jade. Speaking of daughters, Alisa is over the moon about this news. You have a sister, Jade.”
Jade was thrilled about that, but it was Sloan she was worried about. “And a stepbrother,” she added, recalling how he was willing to pay her to go away. “I can’t drive a wedge between you two.”
“You won’t,” Clay assured her. “And as soon as Sloan sees that, he’ll come around.” He smiled. “So what do you say, Jade, stay awhile. Get to know us. Let us get to know you.”
Jade wanted to stay, so badly.
“Of course there’s always the chance the media will get wind of this,” Clay said. “For now, we have the cover that you’re Louisa’s nurse.”
Jade didn’t care about herself, only that she would hurt this family. The last thing she wanted was to destroy Sloan’s relationship with his father. “First, we need proof I’m truly your daughter. We need a DNA test.”
Sloan looked out the back door waiting for his parents. When he’d returned from his visit with Jade, Marta informed him that Miguel had driven them into town on their own mission.
He had a feeling they went to see Jade, too. Good. The senator would be able to convince her to leave town. Of course there was still a chance Jade Hamilton wouldn’t let this go.
If only he could.
He paced as his mind returned to last night when he’d left the barbecue and gone looking for Jade. It was a big mistake going to her room. Yes, he’d been drawn to her from the beginning. He’d never wanted a woman as much as he’d wanted her. Never cared about anyone as much and she’d taken him for a ride. He could never forgive her for that. No matter if he loved her or not.
He froze. Love? No! No, he couldn’t be in love with her. Not after her deception.
The car headlights drew his attention and he hurried out to the porch as Clay was getting out of the car. Then he watched his father reach inside to help Louisa.
Sloan went down the stairs. “You’re back late. So did you get Jade to leave town…”
“Why would I do that?” his father said.
Sloan looked between his parents. “Surely, Mom, you can’t want her here. She’s lied to all of us.” He looked at his father. “You don’t even know for sure that she’s your daughter,” he went on.
Clay nodded. “We’re having a DNA test done.”
“Great. And when the tabloids get a hold of it, we’re going to be a laughingstock. Again.”
“Sloan,” his father began. “What is wrong with you? You are talking about my daughter here.”
“I thought I was your son.”
Clay’s gaze softened. “You are my son and that will never change.”
Everything inside him hurt. What had happened to his family? “I won’t let the media invade my life. I’ve got to go.”
He took off up the road toward his house, feeling his entire world had fallen apart. And he couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it.
A few days later, Jade walked into the Kerry Springs Medical Center with Louisa and Clay. Nothing odd about that since she was Louisa’s nurse, she told herself.
The senator had already talked to his doctor earlier and had assured Jade that the man would be discreet with the DNA test. Dr. Wills would handle everything personally, and use different names. Suddenly Jade was nervous. She hated to think she might not be Clay’s daughter.
As if Clay could see her panic, he took her aside. “Are you feeling okay?”
She shrugged, looking into this man’s face, hoping to see some resemblance to him. “What if Kathryn made all this up? I mean there could have been someone else in her life.”
“You mean, another man?”
She nodded, feeling more relaxed.
“It may have been thirty years ago, but I remember her and our time together. Maybe I was guilty for taking advantage of her youth and her infatuation with me. There wasn’t anyone before me. Our night together was Kathryn’s first time,” he admitted, his voice low so only the two of them could hear. “And there’s the fact that your birthday fits.”
She believed his words. He seemed to be happy about Jade being a member of his family, and so was Louisa. And Alisa was excited, too.
Sadness crept in. If only Sloan would change his attitude toward her. She didn’t expect his undying love, but at least, maybe they could manage to be civil. She’d given up any notion that Sloan Merrick would ever care for her. For now, she would go for like. Just not hate.
“I don’t want anyone to be sorry about my staying in town.”
Clay glanced at his wife, then back at her. “No one is sorry. At least, no one who counts.”
She couldn’t help but think about Sloan. He would always count to her.
That afternoon, Jade put on a smile and followed Louisa into the Blind Stitch. Her group of frien
ds were at the corner table.
“Louisa, it’s about time you got here,” Beth said, then sobered. “Lilly said she saw you coming out of the medical center this morning. Is everything okay?”
“Oh my, we can’t make a move around this town without someone watching. Yes, I’m fine. Clay’s fine, too.”
“What about Jade?” Millie asked.
Louisa rolled her eyes, then looked at Jade. “I’m recovering so quickly that I’m not going to need her. But Jade needs a job. What better place than Kerry Springs Medical Center?”
“And especially when she has a senator to put in a good word for her,” Liz said.
Louisa’s gaze narrowed. “The fact that Jade is a good nurse is word enough. There’s always a shortage of those.”
The group laughed and Jade found herself relaxing. “Yes, ladies,” she admitted. “If you want me to join your group, I need to find work so I can stay and help out with the baby quilts.”
Moving to Kerry Springs had a lot to do with Sloan. Could they live together in the same town?
Quickly the topic changed to quilts. This time they were joined by the shop owner, Allison Casali, who had arrived back from Italy that morning. The petite redhead was pretty and friendly.
Allison approached her. “Hello, Jade. I’m Allison Casali. Jenny has told me so much about you.”
They shook hands. “It’s nice to finally meet you, too, Allison. Your shop is incredible.”
“Thank you. Jenny is the one who’s put the work into it. Once she started teaching, I thought I was going to lose her, but she was laid off because of school cutbacks. So she still manages the place for me.” Allison grew serious. “She told me you might be interested in renting the upstairs apartment.”
Jade was interested. “It’ll be a few weeks before my job with Louisa ends. Then a lot depends on me finding a new position.”
“Not a problem. I didn’t plan to rent it to anyone, but Jenny has recommended you highly, so if you decide you need a place, let her know.”
“I will. Thank you.” Now if only a certain cowboy would be as welcoming.
Liz spoke up. “Hey, let’s go and celebrate that we have a new resident in Kerry Springs.”
Before Jade could deny anything, the group headed toward the shop entrance. Of course they ended up at their favorite place, Rory’s Bar and Grill. Sean Rafferty was there to greet them and give the women his special attention as he led them to a large booth. Jade started to follow the others when someone touched her arm.
She turned to see a smiling Matt Rafferty. “Hi, Jade.”
“Matt, hi,” she said, not knowing what else to say.
He glanced over her shoulder. “So your boyfriend finally let you out of his sight.”
“Boyfriend?”
“At the roundup, Sloan let me know you were spoken for.”
How things had changed and so quickly. She shrugged. “That’s news to me.”
Matt ran his hand over his handsome jaw. “So you’re not with Sloan any longer?”
Sadly, she shook her head. “No, I’m not.”
“Then how about I give you a call?”
She smiled. It was nice to know that another man found her attractive. Too bad she didn’t feel anything at all for this good-looking cowboy. “Matt Rafferty, I hear you have a string of women. Why would I want to be one of them?”
Here came that killer smile of his as he gave her the once-over. “You, Jade Hamilton, could make me give them all up.”
She laughed and it felt good, but it quickly died when Sloan appeared at the end of the bar. She wanted to look away, but her gaze was hungry for the man. In his low-riding jeans and Western shirt, he was comfortable in his skin. He was who he was. A rancher.
He was exactly the man Jade wanted.
Matt glanced in the direction that held her interest, then back at her. “Man, I wish you’d look at me like that.”
Jade found herself trembling.
“Hey, darlin’,” Matt said as he took her hand. “Don’t let him see you hurting.”
She nodded. “It’s not that easy.”
“Let me help.” His arm went around her shoulders and drew her close, then he dipped his head toward hers and whispered in her ear, “You’re too special to put up with someone who doesn’t care.”
She worked up a smile, then stole a glance at Sloan. He was still glaring at her.
“Let’s really make him squirm.” Matt kissed her cheek. “How am I doing?”
She opened her eyes in time to see Sloan walk out. “He’s gone.”
Matt shook his head as he took a look, too. “Merrick is a fool.”
“No, he’s going through some things. We’ll both be fine. I should go, Matt.” He reluctantly let go of her hand and she went to the booth.
“Like I said before, Jade,” Liz began, “Since you’ve come to town, you sure have made life interesting around here.” She clasped her hands together. “Two men, what a hard choice.”
Jade didn’t think so, but she couldn’t have the one she wanted.
“This isn’t a game,” Louisa said, then turned to Jade. “Somehow these things work themselves out. But Sloan will need to come to his senses. Knowing my son, that may take a while.”
Jade wasn’t counting on Sloan at all.
CHAPTER TWELVE
SLOAN had tried to stay busy with work, but since roundup was over, things had quieted down considerably. Although his mother had left several messages, he hadn’t felt like talking to his family, not about Jade anyway.
Not since the day he walked into Rory’s and saw her there with Rafferty. It hadn’t taken her long to find someone else. Why the hell did he care? The last thing he needed was to get involved again with a woman who had another agenda.
He needed to stay busy, so he drove his truck over to Otis’s place. The contractor’s crew had set straight to work, and already the roof had been replaced along with a new porch floor. The house was painted white with glossy black shutters hung next to the windows.
The place was looking good. So why did Kennedy need him here? Something about inside colors.
There was only one vehicle parked in front. He climbed out of the truck and walked up onto the hardwood porch floor that had been painted a light gray. The front door was partly open. He heard muffled voices coming from the back of the house. He followed the sound down the hall to the third bedroom. The bed was pushed to the center and behind it he saw Kennedy and Jade conferring over paint swatches.
He stopped and drank in his fill of her. She was wearing jeans and a long-sleeve pink T-shirt. The big surprise was seeing buckskin boots on her feet. Her dark hair hung to her shoulders, shielding part of her face. Yet, he’d memorized all her features, her slender nose, full mouth and large green eyes. His breath grew unsteady, but nothing he did stopped his reaction to her.
Then Jade spoke. “I’ve decided on Needlepoint Navy for the focal wall,” she told Ben. “And for the other three walls Summertime Tan.”
“Good choices.” Ben marked the paint swatches. “The painter will be here tomorrow. Give him two days to finish.”
“When do you refinish the floors?” she asked.
“That’ll be the last thing we do. I’ll check with the plumber to see how he’s coming along. You still need new fixtures for the bathroom.”
She smiled. “Oh, Ben, they did a wonderful job of reglazing the tub and sink.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Ben finally noticed Sloan was there. “Mr. Merrick. I didn’t see you come in.”
Jade looked surprised, too, but not in a good way.
“You were engrossed in your work,” Sloan said as he walked into the room. “I see that things are moving along.” He stole a glance at Jade. “You’ve been busy in more ways than one.”
“Only doing what you asked me to do,” she said.
The contractor looked uncomfortable at the chill between them. “Well, I’ll let Jade fill you in,” he said, gathering his samples
. “I’ll call in this order so they can start tomorrow.” Ben paused. “Remember, Jade, you’ll have to be out for a few days while we do the floors.” With her nod, the contractor said goodbye and left them.
Sloan frowned. Jade was living here?
Jade refused to be nervous about Sloan’s arrival. She knew that he’d show up sooner or later. She only hoped she’d have other people around.
“Seems you’ve already moved in, even before the DNA tests are back.”
“I still work for your mother, and you asked me to help with this house. I’m only staying here temporarily.” And she couldn’t sit back and wait for the DNA test to come back. “I’m not going to abandon Louisa because you don’t like me.”
He didn’t look happy.
“I can understand why you’re angry, Sloan.” She walked up to him. “You ever figure that the reason I couldn’t talk to you, or tell the truth was that I knew you’d react this way? You wouldn’t have accepted me, no matter what.” She blinked, refusing to shed another tear over this man. “Oh, what’s the use? You’ve made up your mind to dislike me.”
“That’s the problem, Jade. I wish I could dislike you. I wish I could put you out of my mind. All I keep thinking about is being with you. What we shared that night.”
He stared down at her and she couldn’t stop the tears.
He cursed. “Don’t, Jade. Don’t cry.” He moved in and drew her into his arms.
“I never meant for this to happen,” she whispered.
He brushed a tear from her face. He lowered his head and kissed her, softly, sweetly. He drew back and watched her. “Damn, you’re so addictive.”
Jade wasn’t sure what to do. She was afraid to say anything, or do anything to break the spell. So she just enjoyed being in his arms. She’d never dreamed she could ever feel this way, ever care this much for a man. A man she couldn’t have.
The Lonesome Rancher Page 13