I might as well be an invalid.”
He could see her frustration. Hell, he had a big share of his own. Her strong Spanish heritage showed in her distinctive bone structure and coloring, especially her deep brown eyes.
“I know how important your independence is to you.”
“Then get ready because I’m planning on getting it back. And soon.”
He stared at her, recalling the day she’d collapsed in front of him. Thank God she’d gotten immediate medical attention. And as the wife of a U.S. senator, she’d had the best care. “You haven’t gotten all your strength back. There are times when you need someone to help you.”
“I agree. That’s why I’m planning on hiring someone to help me get back on my feet.”
“What? Why didn’t you say something? If you needed help we’re here.”
She shook her head. “No, you, your father and Alisa need to get on with your lives. I want—no, need—to do this on my own. Thankfully I still have my faculties. My mind isn’t completely gone. That’s why I’m hiring a nurse to be with me until I’m back on solid ground, so to speak.”
Sloan calmed down a little. Okay, maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea. Marta had been overworked with the housework and Mother’s demands. “So who did the doctor recommend?”
“He gave me the name of a nurses’ registry that specializes in this sort of thing. I’ve been interviewing several candidates and I found one I like.”
Before Sloan could speak there was a knock on the door and the longtime housekeeper, Marta, peered in. “Señorita Hamilton is here.”
Louisa smiled. “Good. Send her in, Marta.” Then she glanced at him. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
He folded his arms across his chest, leaned a hip against the desk and looked toward the doorway. “Not hardly.”
When the candidate walked into the room, Sloan froze. The woman from town.
She was an attractive female with dark hair cut in a straight style that moved freely just below her chin. She glanced up at him and his breath caught. Those large eyes, a rich green and tilted upward at the corners, had thrown him off guard just an hour ago and were still having the same effect on him now.
He quickly recovered and stood. “You don’t seem to take direction well, Ms. Hamilton.”
“Maybe because it’s Mrs. Merrick who wanted to see me. It seemed right that she should be the one to tell me to leave.”
“Wrong,” he told her. “Too many people like to take advantage. It’s surprising how lucrative a story about the Merricks is, so I’m very protective of my family.”
“Sloan. Please, at least let Ms. Hamilton catch her breath before you give her the third degree.”
Jade Hamilton walked to the wicker sofa and sat down next to his mother. “Mrs. Merrick, it’s so nice to finally meet you. You have a lovely home. It’s so bright and sunny in here.”
The sunroom had rows of windows that overlooked the rose garden. It also expressed his mother’s culture with the hand-painted floor tiles and brightly colored walls.
Sloan saw Ms. Hamilton had turned a bright smile at his mother. “It must be a comfort to you to be able to be in familiar surroundings during your recovery.”
“It is,” Louisa said as her eyes brightened. “I decorated this house, turned it into a home right after Sloan and I moved in.” She looked at him. “Remember, son, how the place resembled a museum?”
“Yes, Mother, I do.”
“I had my husband add this room. I needed sunlight … and some color.”
Sloan cleared his throat. “Maybe we should start the interview.”
Ms. Hamilton blinked those gorgeous eyes at him. “I thought your mother already had.” She turned back to Louisa. “What questions do you want to ask me, Mrs. Merrick?”
“I think it’s time you call me Louisa.”
“And I’m Jade.”
“What a lovely name. I can see why your mother named you that. Your eyes are striking.”
Jade couldn’t stop shaking, afraid that any minute they’d discover who she was. “Thank you. My mother told me when she saw their color she couldn’t come up with anything else.”
Sloan stood. He wasn’t going to be taken in by a pretty face again. Not where his mother was concerned.
“Around here we’re big on family names,” Louisa continued. “My son was christened John Sloan Merrick. Sloan is his biological father’s name and then my husband, Clay, adopted him when he was eight.”
Sloan crossed the room. “Mother, I don’t think we need to go into family history.”
“He’s right,” Jade said, giving him a sideways glance. “This is an interview. Ask me whatever you want, Mr. Merrick.”
“Your last place of employment?”
Jade reached into her oversize purse and pulled out her résumé. She handed it to him. “I worked at a small private hospital in Dallas before I took a leave of absence to be with my mother during the last months before she passed away.” Jade felt the tears and willed them not to fall. “She had multiple sclerosis for years.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Louisa sighed. “That must have been so hard on you.”
Jade didn’t expect to feel an instant liking for this woman. That was what made this so hard. “Thank you. My consolation is that I know she’s isn’t suffering any longer.”
“That has to be comforting for you,” the older woman said as she took hold of her hand.
Jade saw the woman’s honest concern and felt the warmth in her touch. She also had the sudden urge to run out and forget it all, especially with Sloan Merrick watching her so closely. She wanted this job. It would be her best chance to get to see the senator. “Enough about me. What about you, Louisa?”
Sloan started to speak, but his mother sent him a look. He backed off.
Louisa’s expression softened as she said, “I want my life back. And I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Jade found herself smiling. “That’s the good news. And as we discussed on the phone, I plan to help you do that. It will also take some hard work and determination on your part.”
Louisa’s son did interrupt this time. “Well, we want to thank you for coming by, Ms. Hamilton. We will let you know our decision.”
Jade rose from the sofa. Okay, so it wasn’t a total success. He would get her out of there before she could meet any of the family, or allow Louisa to make a decision. “I’ll be staying in town at the Cross Creek Bed and Breakfast for the next few days.” She started for the French doors when she heard her
