The Lonesome Rancher

by Patricia Thayer

  “Yeah, son, you got me there. It’s not like you to bully a person. Make it so she didn’t have a choice but to leave.” He shook his head. “No, you’d never let the sins of a past relationship cloud your judgment.”

  Sloan pushed aside any thoughts that Jade could be innocent. “I’m aware of what people will do to invade our privacy. I need to protect my family.”

  “Maybe you just needed to protect your own heart.”

  By the time Jade got into town her tears had dried, but she wasn’t sure what to do next. She’d left the note for the senator with Marta. She was told that Clay and Louisa would return home by the afternoon. The housekeeper promised to put the envelope on his desk. It was finally set into motion. Now it was up to Clay Merrick to decide if he wanted to see her. If not, she would be gone and never bother him again. Still she had to wait out the next twenty-four hours.

  Jade parked in front of the Blind Stitch. She sat in the car a few minutes, trying to get up enough nerve to go inside. She wanted to touch base with Jenny Rafferty one last time, just in case she had to leave town. She’d been the one person, besides Louisa and Alisa, who she’d begun to strike up a friendship with. She didn’t want to go without saying goodbye.

  Climbing out of her car, Jade walked into the shop. For a change the place was nearly empty. She spotted Millie with a lone customer.

  Jenny came out of the back room. “Jade. What brings you into town today?” the blonde greeted her, then glanced around. “Is Louisa with you?”

  “No, it’s just me. I wanted to stop by to see you…because I don’t know how much longer I’ll be in town.”

  The blonde blinked. “Why? What happened?”

  She felt her emotions begin to surface again. “I’m no longer working for the Merricks.”

  Jenny looked surprised. “Is Louisa well enough to handle her recovery on her own?”

  “She’ll be fine as long as she continues her exercises.”

  The blonde regarded Jade for a moment. “I have a feeling this sudden change has more to do with her good-looking son, than with Louisa.”

  “I was wrong to get involved with Sloan. It was unprofessional.”

  The bell over the door rang and several customers walked in. Jenny took Jade by the arm. “Come with me.”

  They walked to the back of the store. She spoke to Millie then led Jade up a back staircase. At the top of the stairs, she found herself in an attic apartment. There was a rather large room that made up a living area and a kitchen.

  “This is the apartment I was talking about,” Jenny said. “I lived here before I married Evan. Great memories.” She sighed. “Enough about me. It’s you I’m worried about.”

  Jade shook her head. “There’s no need to worry, Jenny. I’ll find another job as soon as I get back to Dallas.”

  “Dallas? You don’t want to go back there, do you?”

  Jade looked away. “It’s been my home for most of my life.” Until she came here, she added silently.

  “I know it’s none of my business,” Jenny began, “but this has man troubles written all over it.”

  She nodded. “It’s more than that.”

  “Like what? Have you broken any laws?”

  “Of course not.”

  Jenny smiled. “Then stay here and find other employment. And forget about Sloan. He’s not the only man in town.”

  Jade didn’t want any other man. “I’m not looking for a man. And believe me, it would be best if I leave town. And I’ll be gone by tomorrow.” Unless the senator called her. Was that wishful thinking?

  “At least you’re giving Sloan time to come to his senses.”

  “He has every right to be upset with me. I wasn’t exactly truthful with him.”

  “You have no idea how much I want to know what this is all about, but I’m not asking. What I am doing is offering you a place to stay. Right here.” She waved an arm around the room. “It might be a tad dusty, but there are clean sheets in the cupboard along with plenty of towels.”

  “Oh, no, Jenny, I can’t. What would the owner say about it?”

  “Allison Casali.” Jenny smiled. “That’s right, you haven’t met her yet. Well, that will have to wait a few more days. She’s in Italy right now with her husband, Alex. They have a ranch outside of town. She’ll be back next week. Allison helped me out when I first arrived in town. She gave me a job and this place to live. I’m just returning the favor.”

  “But you don’t know me.”

  “Yes, I do. I’ve seen you with Louisa. She’s a special lady, and you took the time to help her get back to the living. In my book that makes you a good person.”

  Jade cared a lot about Louisa. “I don’t want her to be hurt by this, or her family.” Tears threatened again. “It was a mistake coming to Kerry Springs.”

  “Oh, Jade. I wish I could help you, but just so you know, if you ever need to talk, I’m here.”

  Jade shook her head, wishing she could, but lately trust didn’t come easy. “Thank you. But I’ve made this mess, I need to figure out how to fix it.”

  “Okay. You rest now. I’ll get you something to eat. Maybe that will help you feel better.”

  Jade nodded, but she doubted anything would help when she knew she’d hurt the family. A family she truly cared about.

  Clay and Louisa arrived home by late afternoon. Sloan watched as the obviously happy couple got out of the car. Whatever problems they had seemed to have been resolved during their time together. He envied what his parents had. And it made what he had to tell them even worse. He went into the kitchen and opened the door as his father helped his wife up the last step.

  “Hey, son,” Clay called out.

  He went to them and kissed his mother. “I’m surprised you’re back so soon.”

  “I’ve scheduled a press conference,” the senator said. “I have to work on my speech.”

  Sloan still had trouble believing his father’s decision. “So you really are calling it quits?”

  Clay nodded. “It’s time, son.” He leaned down and kissed Louisa. “Your mother made me realize that there’s more to life than politics. I want to be with my family. Speaking of which, maybe you should think about something besides the ranch. You work too hard. Take a vacation.”

  “I have too much to do right now.”

  His mother stepped in. “Son, I missed my workout this morning.” She looked around. “Where is Jade?”

  “That’s what I want to talk to you about,” he told them, and motioned them inside the house. “Could we go to your office?”

  With a nod, Clay led the group down the hall just as Alisa came down the staircase. “Hey, you’re home.”

  “I haven’t retired yet,” Clay told her. “But once I make my formal announcement, we need to deal with the media. Will you work on my committee?”

  “Of course.”

  “We’ll talk later, right now your brother has something he wants to talk to us about.”

  Alisa beamed. “I bet I know what it is.”

  Sloan felt his gut tighten. Last night he would have hoped for some good news, too. That died a quick death. “No, you don’t.”

  Clay motioned them into his office. “Whatever it is, why don’t we sit down and discuss this?” He called for Marta to bring some coffee, then helped Louisa inside the dark paneled room. A large mahogany desk faced the door, with a row of windows along the back wall, framed by floor to ceiling bookcases.

  Once Louisa was settled in a chair, she turned to Sloan. “Okay, son, will you please tell us what happened?”

  He looked at his parents. “I had to fire Jade.”

  Louisa’s temper flared. “You had no right to do that, she works for me. Better yet, why would you?”

  Sloan moved to the other side of the room. “Jade Hamilton was here under false pretenses. She was after a story. She had a picture of you.” He looked back at the senator. “It was an old one from your first campaign.”

  “Son, a lot of people
have photos of me. All you have to do is go to my website and print one.”

  Sloan would give just about anything for it to be that simple. He wanted Jade to be innocent. “Why would she carry it around in her purse? And when I asked her how she got it, she only said she needed to talk to you before she could tell me anything.”

  “I know how you ask, big brother,” Alisa murmured. “It was probably an interrogation.”

  Clay sat down on the edge of the desk. Sloan knew he was thinking about Crystal and the trouble she’d caused the family. “Maybe I should have her checked out.”

  “No, I want to talk to Jade first,” his mother insisted. “There has to be an explanation.” She turned to her son. “I know you’re trying to protect us, Sloan, but there’s nothing she can say or do that would hurt us.”

  Marta arrived with a tray of coffee. She set it down on the table and looked at the senator. “Senator, there’s an envelope for you on your desk.”

  “Thank you, Marta. I’ll look at it later.”

  “Please, I promised Señorita Jade I’d make sure you got it first thing.”

  Clay looked over his shoulder and found the envelope. “Maybe this will answer our questions.” He opened the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of stationery. The room was silent as he began to read, then slowly the senator’s face paled.

  “What does she say, Clay?” Louisa asked.

  “She talks about finding her adoption papers in a safe-deposit box of her mother’s. She also found a picture of me after I won my first campaign.” He looked at his son. “Is that the one you saw?”

  With Sloan’s nod, Clay read on. “She said there was also a small journal from her biological mother a… Kathryn Lowery.”

  The senator turned to his wife and swallowed hard. “How old is Jade?”

  Louisa shrugged. “Twenty-nine, I think. Yes, it was on her résumé.”

  Clay didn’t speak for a moment, then said, “Oh, my God, Louisa. I think Jade Hamilton could be my daughter.”

  Jade didn’t have much of an appetite. In fact, she was close to being sick to her stomach. It had all backfired. She only wanted to see where she had come from. To find her biological parents. With Kathryn gone, it was only her father. Now everything was a mess. It was never her intention to hurt this family. She closed her eyes fighting the wave of nausea.

  She lay down on the sofa, hoping it would pass. Then she would leave. Tonight. She heard someone come up the steps. Jenny must be checking on her again.

  “Did you really think you could get away with it?”

  Her eyes shot open and she saw Sloan. “Sloan.”

  She sat up, then stood. “What are you doing here?”

  “You think I wouldn’t find you, did you? Well, welcome to small town living. Several people saw you come in here.”

  Her hungry gaze moved over him. The handsome Sloan Merrick had stolen her heart right from the first. And she had hurt him. Badly.

  “I wasn’t trying to deceive anyone,” she said. “I’m leaving town, so you don’t have to worry.”

  “Then why are you still here? Are you waiting to be paid off?”

  That shot went straight to her heart. “No, I don’t want any money. When I came here, I only hoped to meet the senator.” She shook her head. “I never expected to be hired that day, I only wanted to see him.”

  “And he wasn’t at the interview,” Sloan added.

  She shook her head. “Then I thought that if he was coming home soon, I could keep working until that happened.” She could see he didn’t believe her story. “I’d already decided to leave last night when you came to my room.”

  “Was I part of the game, too?” He quickly raised his hand. “No, don’t tell me. I’ll wait until the story comes out to find out how you’ve rated me as a lover.”

  She gasped. “Sloan, I’m not selling anything. What I’m telling you is the truth.”

  He took a step closer. Close enough for her to see the fire in his dark eyes. His jaw was tense. “Excuse me if I don’t believe you. I’ve known people who have done crazy things to get into the Merrick family. The last thing I want is my family name splashed across the tabloids again, so how much will it cost to keep your silence?”

  This time her anger got the best of her. “I don’t deserve the insults. I’m not Crystal.” She clenched her fists to hide their shaking. “If I remember correctly, you were the one who came after me.”

  “Believe me, it won’t happen again. You’ve killed all trust. And if you care as much as you say, you’ll leave town and stay away from my family.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  HER heart breaking, Jade watched as Sloan walked down the apartment steps and out of her life.

  Forever.

  Trembling she sank to the sofa. She’d never expected to be a Merrick, but hearing the things that Sloan said hurt more than she ever imagined. She only wanted to fit in. Somewhere. It didn’t look like Kerry Springs was that place.

  She opened her suitcase, gathered the few personal items she’d unpacked, put them inside and zipped the bag. Suddenly her phone rang and she checked the caller ID. Senator Merrick.

  Her breath caught. She couldn’t answer it. She didn’t think she could handle one more rejection. Someone else telling her to leave town.

  She went downstairs just as Jenny was closing up the shop. “You’re leaving? Tonight?”

  “I’ve decided it’s best to go back to Dallas right away.”

  Jenny nodded. “I’m sorry about Sloan coming upstairs. He convinced me he needed to talk to you. I thought you two were going to make up, but I can tell it didn’t go well.”

  Jade’s heart tightened. “It wasn’t meant to be. Look, Jenny, I’m sorry about getting you involved in this.”

  “No, don’t worry about it. I just wish I could help you more.”

  Jade was grateful that Jenny hadn’t asked any questions. “I appreciate that and I’ll phone you when I get back to Dallas.”

  “Please do. I mean it, Jade. You have friends here at the shop. So stay in touch.”

  Would Jenny feel the same way if she learned the truth? Of course her loyalty would go to Louisa.

  Louisa. Oh, she was going to miss her. And Marta, and Bud. Tears spilled. Her sister, Alisa.

  “I promise, I’ll call.”

  Jenny followed her to the front door, gave her one last hug, then Jade walked outside toward her car. Then she saw the familiar town car, double parked. The back door opened and Clay Merrick stepped out.

  She couldn’t move.

  “Jade, will you come with me? So we can talk.”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Senator. I’m sorry that I came here. I never meant to cause you problems.”

  Main Street was quiet as he walked toward her. A slow smile changed his face. “Now I know why you looked so familiar. You have Kathryn’s eyes.” His gaze moved over her face. “And her lovely smile.”

  Her tears spilled over. “You…you remember her?”

  “Yes, and if you wouldn’t mind,” he began and glanced around, “I’d like to talk about this in a little more private setting. Please, come with me.”

  Still she hesitated. She didn’t want to have another confrontation with Sloan.

  “How about we go to my office here in town?”

  When she finally agreed, Miguel took her bag and put it in the trunk. She got in the backseat and Clay followed her.

  They remained silent until they reached a small storefront in a strip mall on the edge of town. He escorted her through the entrance where there was a small light on in a room in the back. The senator’s office.

  “I hope you have enough light to find your way. I don’t want to draw too much attention to us. Not that I’m ashamed of you, but it’s hard for a senator to have any privacy.”

  Jade’s heart was pounding in her chest. “It’s fine. I can find my way.”

  They passed several desks until they reached a private office. That was where sh
e saw Louisa.

  Jade stopped suddenly.

  “It’s all right, Louisa knows everything. She wanted to be here.”

  Jade went inside. “Louisa.”

  The older woman didn’t say anything at first, then said, “You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady.”

  “I know.” She took the chair that Clay offered. “I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am to have caused so much trouble. Believe me, I never knew any of this until after my mother passed away. Like I said, all the papers were in her safe-deposit box.”

  Jade reached into her purse, took them out and handed them to Clay. “I tried once to get you at your office, Senator, but your secretary wouldn’t let me talk to you unless I said why I was calling. I couldn’t do it.”

  She looked Louisa in the eye. “So I gave up. I really did. Then when I needed to return to the work force, I contacted a nurses’ registry and out of nowhere your inquiry came up.” She took a breath. “Okay, I was crazy to send in my résumé. When you called me to come to an interview, I was shocked.” She glanced at the senator. “I told myself that I only needed to see you. But you weren’t there, and I got hired. I’d still convinced myself that I only wanted to see you, to meet you. And that would be enough. I wouldn’t even have to tell you who I was.”

  The room was silent for what seemed to be an eternity as the senator looked over both items, then gave them to his wife.

  “You said in your note that Kathryn died years ago.”

  Jade nodded. “From what I gather, she wanted this to be an open adoption, but died of complications from pneumonia only a few years after she gave me up. My adoptive mother was supposed to tell me about her and give me her things.” Jade shook her head. “But for her own reasons, Renee Hamilton never told me, ever, or gave me any of Kathryn’s things.”

  After a few minutes, Louisa said, “You look remarkably like her.” The woman was visibly shaken. “Your mother was very pretty.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Tell me, Jade, why didn’t you tell me who you were?”

  “I’d planned to, but after getting to know you all, I knew I couldn’t hurt you with my information.” She looked from Louisa to Clay. “I’m not a child, it’s not like I need a family to belong to. I grew up without a father in my life.” She drew a shaky breath. “I only wanted a glimpse to satisfy me, to help me fill in the pieces, except nothing turned out the way I’d hoped.”