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
