The Lonesome Rancher

by Patricia Thayer

“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.

&nbs
p; 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.”

  “Maybe you’ll find another job right here. Our medical center is small, but they’re always looking for good nurses.”

  She didn’t want to argue. “I’ll think about it,” she said, knowing she couldn’t consider it at all.

  Louisa smiled. “That’s all a mother could ask for.”

  Early the next evening, Jade went to search for Sloan. She walked along the gravel road, trying to come up with something to say to him. Something that didn’t sound lame as her reason for coming to his home. She was playing with fire. He was her weakness, and he could easily sway her resolve. She needed to stay away from him, but she didn’t listen to her own common sense, even knowing the man was one big temptation.

  She came up the steps to the big wraparound porch. There was an old chain swing at the far end. She smiled, knowing how nice it would be to sit out on warm summer nights with someone special.

  She shook away the thought of anything that involved Sloan Merrick. He was off-limits to her. There were too many complications to count. One being the reason she was here. The only reason that mattered right now.

  She had supper earlier with Louisa. It was obvious that the empty spot at the table made the woman sad. That meant she had to get things straightened out with Sloan so as not to interrupt Louisa’s progress. Try to get things back to before…before they touched, before they kissed. />
  Jade looked at the front door. Everything inside her told her to turn around and go back, but she still rang the bell. After hearing “come in” she opened the heavy oak door and went inside.

  She was greeted by a large entry with nutmeg-colored hardwood floors. A large great room with a mammoth flat-screen television hung over a stone fireplace. The furniture was overstuffed and leather. The soft sounds of country music came from the speakers overhead. This was a man’s room.

  Jade walked farther into the house, past a divider to find the open kitchen and dining area. Dark stained cabinets lined the buttery colored walls and the countertops and large center aisle were covered in earth toned granite.

  In front of a stainless steel stove was Sloan. He was in a white fitted T-shirt tucked into clean jeans. His feet were bare and his hair still damp from a shower. He turned a thick steak on the stove’s center grill, then picked up his beer. The longneck never reached his lips as he turned and saw her.

  He froze, then said, “What are you doing here?”

  Okay, so he wasn’t happy to see her. “I need to talk to you.”

  “I thought we agreed to stay away from each other.”

  She tried to hide the hurt. “You chose to banish yourself from the house until the day I leave? There are other people to consider here. So get over yourself, cowboy.” When he didn’t say anything, she said, “This was a bad idea to come here and try to talk to you.”

  She started to walk away when she heard him call to her. She didn’t stop until she reached the door, when his hand on her arm turned her around to face him.

  “Okay. I’m sorry. Why did you stop by?”

  “It’s your mother.”

  His concern was obvious. “What’s wrong with Mom?”

  “Nothing, physically. But since you’ve avoided the house, have you at least talked with her?”

  He released her and she missed his touch.

  “Hadn’t had the chance,” he told her. “Okay, I’ll stop by and see her tomorrow.”

  “That’s not the problem. She’s worried about being a burden to you.”