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Jade nearly groaned. What was he doing here?
“Hey, Merrick,” Matt said. “How’s it going?”
There wasn’t any handshakes exchanged between them. It was more of a standoff. “Not bad,” Sloan said as he glanced at Jade. “And it’s getting better by the second. You?”
“Working hard, and just trying to stay out of trouble.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Louisa spoke up. “Sloan, please tell me you haven’t been following me.”
He shook his head. “I came into town to pick up my order at the feed store. I saw Miguel and thought I’d stop and say hello.” He tipped his hat. “Ladies, I’m sorry to interrupt.”
They all smiled. This was the last thing she’d expected. For a small town there sure was a lot of testosterone floating around.
Then Sloan’s gaze went to Jade, causing her breath to catch. What was that about?
He finally turned to Louisa. “Mother, just don’t overdo it.”
“Not a chance of that with everyone hovering.”
Again he nodded. “I’ll leave you all to your lunch.” He started to leave, then paused and said, “Hey, Rafferty, I need to talk to you about the roundup.”
Matt said goodbye, but his gaze lingered on Jade. “Maybe we’ll run into each other again.”
Jade wasn’t sure what to say, so she nodded.
Sean was the only man left now. “I take it you ladies all want the barbecue lunch special?” With their nod, he said, “And a pitcher of iced tea.”
“That’s perfect, Sean,” Louisa said. “Thank you.”
When he walked off, Beth spoke up. “I’ll pick up the check today, Louisa. I haven’t had this much entertainment in years.” She glanced at Jade. “Don’t look now, darlin’ but looks like you caught a couple of live ones.”
Louisa had a smile on her face, too.
“I’m not here to catch a guy,” Jade stressed. “I’m here to help Louisa.”
“It doesn’t look like you have a choice.” Liz sighed. “Oh, I remember those days when my Randy used to chase after me, trying to get my attention.”
With their nods, they watched as Sean went behind the bar.
“Isn’t he something,” Beth said.
“Don’t let Millie hear you saying that,” Liz said. “She’s had a thing for Sean for years.”
“A lot of good it does her,” Beth told her. “The man hasn’t dated much. Do you think he has someone in San Antonio?”
“Who cares?” Lisa said. “I think we have more love budding closer to home.” She smiled at Jade. “Two men. And to think I thought life was getting boring around here, and then you come to town.”
CHAPTER FOUR
TWO hours later, Jade brought Louisa home from town and talked her into taking a nap. Even though she insisted that she wasn’t tired from her outing, the older woman fell right to sleep once she lay back against the pillow.
Jade stayed a few minutes to make sure she was truly asleep, then left. She would have gone to her own room to relax, but found she was too keyed up to stay inside. She had had a great time with Louisa and her friends today, until Sloan showed up. Did he follow them? Did he not trust her?
Going down to the kitchen, she asked Marta if she would listen for Louisa.
When the housekeeper agreed, Jade walked out the back door to the porch to enjoy the late afternoon fall day. The sights and sounds of the operation were evident. She watched the ranch hands on horseback shout commands as they moved cattle into large holding pens.
This was her father’s life. He’d been born and raised on this ranch. Yet she’d been denied this life. Kathryn chose not to tell Clay about her. As a child Jade had daydreamed about a father. She never got the chance to know any more about Jim Hamilton than that he never wanted anything to do with her and left the marriage.
Would Clay have accepted her as his daughter if he’d known about her? Did he know about her and walk away anyway? She couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like to come here to live.
She sighed. She couldn’t think about that. She hadn’t had a perfect life growing up but there was never a doubt that Mother loved her. Still the past few months had been difficult, trying to grasp the fact that her identity had all been a lie. She wasn’t a Hamilton, and there was a good possibility she was a Merrick. Was it crazy to want to know where she’d come from? To discover who she was.
Curious about ranch life, she was itching to go out and experience it all. But she didn’t want to get in anyone’s way, especially Sloan’s. Even though he was only a stepson, he was truly Clay’s son. They had a special bond.
What would happen when he learned the real story? The man didn’t trust easily. She’d probably be run out of town.
No. She couldn’t let anyone find out yet, if ever. Not before she talked to Clay. She was pretty sure how they’d react and right now she’d settle for a little piece of Clay Merrick’s life. She stepped off the porch, and headed toward the barn. She decided she wanted to see the filly again.
She walked through the double doors, and found Bud talking with one of the hands. “Well, hello, Jade.”
“Hi, Bud. Is it okay to visit the filly?”
His smile turned into a grin. “I don’t see why not. Come on, I’ll go with you.” Together they walked down to the last stall. Immediately Polly came to the railing to greet them.
Bud spoke up, “Hello, Mama. Look who I brought by to see ya.”
The horse made a nickering sound and moved toward Jade. Jade tensed at first, but slowly began to relax recalling their connection during the birthing. “Hi, Polly.”
The horse pushed her muzzle against her arm. Jade reached up and began petting the large animal. Polly was eager for some affection. “Hello, girl. How’s your baby today?”
The animal bobbed her head and blew out a loud breath.
“Now, that’s one happy mama,” Bud teased and they both laughed.
“I guess I missed the joke.”
They both turned to see Sloan standing in the aisle. He didn’t look any happier than he had at Rory’s.
“Hey, Sloan,” Bud said. “Jade came out to check on Polly.”
With one look from Sloan, Jade felt as if she was doing something wrong. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not as long as you don’t go wandering around by yourself,” he told her. “You aren’t used to ranch life.”
She felt a sudden anger. That wasn’t her fault. “Then I guess I should learn the ins and outs, so I won’t get caught in a cattle stampede or something.”
“With the roundup scheduled for next week it’s going to be busy around here, that’s all. You could get hurt.”
She straightened. “I’ll stay out of the way, Mr. Merrick. I better get back to my responsibilities.” She smiled at the foreman. “Thank you, Bud.”
“Anytime, darlin’, you just call on old Bud.”
“Excuse me,” she said, then hurried off down the aisle.
Sloan glanced at the disappointment on Bud’s face, realizing that he’d spoken harshly. Then he watched Jade until she disappeared through the doors.
“Well, I’m willing to guess your daddy would be ashamed of how you handled that.”
Sloan turned back to his foreman. “What? She’s my mother’s nurse. She shouldn’t be out here.”
“Why not? Is she chained to the house?” He whipped off his hat. “You didn’t have any problem with her out here yesterday when you needed her.”
“That was different. We were all here.” His words even sounded lame to him. “Besides, she’ll be leaving soon.”
“I think anyone who has the smarts to go through college and get a degree would be able to find their way around a ranch without getting into trouble.” His gaze moved over Sloan. “But maybe not.”
“What was that supposed to mean?”
“You’re a smart college guy. Seems to me you ought to be able to figure out why one cute, green-eyed filly sets you off.”
He stiffened, recalling a different time, a different woman. “I won’t be fooled again by a pretty face. It’s a waste of time and trouble when all they want to do is change you.”
Bud sighed, and pushed his hat back off his forehead. “Now there’s your first mistake, son, thinking they’re all the same.” He glanced down the aisle toward Jade. “I’m thinkin’ this one could be a keeper.”
It wasn’t until the following evening that Sloan conceded Bud had been partly right. His attitude toward Jade Hamilton had been uncalled for. The only reason he could come up with was the one old Bud hinted about, that the woman was one big distraction. She had only been here a few days, and she’d been in his head constantly. Yet, there was something about her that still nagged at him.
Okay, she was a beautiful woman. He’d seen the interest she’d gotten from other men, including Matt Rafferty. Why had it bothered him? He wanted to think because he was protective of her because of Matt’s carousing ways, but he knew the real reason: he was attracted to her, too. That could mean trouble for so many reasons. First and foremost, she was his mother’s nurse and he didn’t want anything to interfere with his mother’s recovery.
Then there was the fact he didn’t want to put himself out there again. Once before he’d thought he’d found a woman he could love. Crystal had seemed perfect for him, for the ranch life. Then he learned that he was being used because of the Merrick name. And his bad judgment cost them all a lot.
No. He wasn’t about to let that happen again.
He walked through the back door and saw Jade all fresh and pretty. She looked up. Her eyes drew him, causing an awareness that was so strong and so intense he had to work to slow his breathing. He definitely wasn’t thinking with his head anymore.
“Hello, son,” his mother called, drawing his attention away.
“Oh, hi, Mom.” Then he saw piles of fabric squares scattered on the table, and he asked, “How was your afternoon?”
She glanced at him. “Oh, it was lovely. When I saw all the girls yesterday, they convinced me, even if I can’t hand sew right now that I still need to get back into quilting. So Jade’s helping me sort through some fabric, and we’re pinning it.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’ll even attempt to use the cutter.”
He watched as Louisa awkwardly picked up fabric. Her actions were slow, but she was putting forth the effort, and it was more than he’d seen his mother try in months. His spirits soared. He looked at Jade, hoping to get her attention, but she was busy sorting. Then suddenly she stood, picked up the empty glasses and walked into the kitchen.
Maybe he deserved the cold shoulder. He put on a smile and turned back to his mother. “It’s good to see you get excited over a project again. I suspect the ladies were happy to see you.”
“They were.” Louisa looked sad. “Even though I’ve been avoiding their calls.”
“Mom, you’re working through your recovery.” He squatted down beside her. “You’ve been through a lot. All we want is for you to get better.”
She touched his cheek. “I’ve been feeling sorry for myself.”
“You had a right.” He fought a smile. “Maybe for a little while. But look what you’re doing to get back at a hundred percent?”
“Jade has helped me a lot. I’m glad she’s here.”
He was beginning to realize that, too. “Seems she’s getting results where we couldn’t help you.”
“No, she just doesn’t let me get away with anything. Not like you.”
He smiled. “Okay, so she’s a miracle worker.”
Louisa gave him a playful smack, then sobered. “Whatever, she’s helped me see a lot of things. If I want to get better, I’m the only one who can do it.”
“She’s not pushing you too hard, is she?”
“That’s just it, son. I need to push myself if I want to get back to how I was.” Tears flooded her eyes. “I’ve been putting you and Alisa through so much with my stubbornness.”
“We’ve survived.” In days, Jade Hamilton had accomplished more good than they had in months. “We love you, Mom, and you’re worth it.”
She looked sad again. “And your father …”
Sloan knew that his mother’s stroke had put a strain on their once perfect marriage. It had been hard to watch as she had pulled away from Clay and any offer of help or affection. “Dad will be home soon. Everything will be fine.”
She didn’t look convinced. “It’s only … I’m not the woman he married.”
He would never call his mother vain. Yet she had always taken special care of her appearance. She was still a beautiful woman, but he realized that a stroke changes people.
He reached for her hand. “Talk to Dad about how you feel.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know if I can.”
Surely she didn’t think that Clay would reject her. “Of course you can.” He didn’t want to discuss his mother’s marriage problems. “You’ve always told me he’s the best listener.”
There had been a time during Sloan’s adolescence that he’d rejected any of Clay’s attempts at being a father. It took a year or so before he trusted the man to be there for him.
“Look, he won’t be home for another week. At least think about it. You two have been married a long time.” He smiled. “I happen to know the man is crazy about you.”
When he saw his mother smile, he added, “I better let you get back to your project.” He stood. “Well, if you don’t need anything, I think I’ll call it an early night.”
His mother looked up and shook her head. “You lead a boring life, son.”
“Maybe you’re right, but I’m busy trying to get ready for the roundup.”
“And you’re thirty-two,” she retorted. “You should go out more … find that special woman.”
He’d been through this before with her. He hadn’t had much luck in the relationship department. He wasn’t a good judge of character. His choosing Crystal proved that.
