Read The Rancher Takes A Bride (The Burnett Brides Book 1) for Free Online

me."
    Rose stopped walking and stared at the woman in disbelief. Finally she started to laugh. "What kind of game are you playing, Mrs. Burnett?" She took a deep breath. "You think I'd move out to your ranch with your son? I'm not a miracle worker!"
    "Travis doesn't need a miracle. He's a good man, he's just protective of those he cares about."
    "Protective! I'd say he's more like a mountain lion—cunning, with a ferocious roar and a determined mindset."
    Her voice resonated through the street, and people stopped and stared. Rose shook her head and started to walk again.
    "This is nonsense. You're a sweet lady, but your son doesn't want me anywhere near you. Why would he allow me to live with you?"
    "Miss Severin, I know you're upset. I know my sons have treated you horribly, but really, they're both very nice men. Travis is stubborn to a fault, just like his father, but I know once he gets to know you, he'll see what I see."
    Rose didn't take the time to even glance at the woman but hurried along the sidewalk, ignoring the obvious stares. "Just what do you see, besides a semi-hysterical woman who has just lost her business and must travel to another city?"
    "I see a strong young woman who is tender and compassionate, who has had to make her own way in the world. And has done a remarkable job."
    They arrived at The Last Word , and Rose turned and stared at Mrs. Burnett. The wind teased a slip of silver hair from her carefully coiffured hairstyle. The lady looked like a nice sweet grandma, and Rose knew exactly where Travis Burnett had received his iron will. A shining example of that determined spirit stood before her, yet she'd grown rather fond of Eugenia Burnett.
    "That's about the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," Rose said, surprised at the older woman's comment. "Thank you."
    "My sons want only to protect me, and that includes keeping me from you."
    "I'm hardly dangerous!"
    Rose opened the door and stepped inside. The feeling of being home assaulted her. She liked this little house. She had felt comfortable here, and now, because of Travis, she had to leave.
    "Mrs. Burnett, you're a nice woman, but how are you going to protect me from your sons? Why would you want to?"
    "I'm going to tell Travis that he can close you down, he can have you thrown in jail, and every time he does, I'm going to run right down there and get you out. And that will embarrass his brother Tucker enough that he'll quit arresting you." She gazed at Rose, her chin lifted stubbornly. "Travis may be grown, but I'm still his mother, and sometimes he needs to be taken down a notch or two. This is one of those times."
    "But why are you doing this?" Rose asked, wondering at the woman's purpose.
    "I want to know what happened to my son, Tanner. He ran off and joined the war and he's never returned. I want you to try to help me contact him again." The little gray-haired woman picked at the strings of her purse.
    Rose cringed. This woman was sincerely interested in trying to reach her son on the other side. Yet Rose was just playing a game of speaking to spirits. It was just a way to make a living. "I can't help you."
    "Why not?"
    Rose glanced at the woman and then at the clock. The clock was ticking, the stage would be leaving, and regardless of how much she'd have liked to stay and help Eugenia, it was all an act. She had to be on that stage.
    "I'm sorry. I'm not taking any chances on returning to that jail."
    She went to the closet, pulled out her trunk, and dragged it across the floor to her bedroom. Everything she owned could be compartmentalized into this trunk. The magic, the tarot cards, the tablecloth, and the dinner bell all bundled together.
    "Desirée, I'm asking you to contact my son Tanner and help my son Travis overcome some of his pride." Mrs. Burnett scurried behind her into the bedroom.
    "Your son Travis and I get along about as good as a hornet in a bee hive. Right now I'd like to blacken his eyes and knock out his teeth. For a