The Rancher Takes A Bride (The Burnett Brides Book 1)

isn't buzzard meat," he said, insulted.
    "I don't want to ride your horse. I don't want to go back to Fort Worth. And I certainly don't want to be with you." She took a deep breath. "Given my feelings, I'm staying here!"
    She turned to walk off, certain that being firm was the way to handle this situation. After all, how many times had she and Isaiah handled an unruly customer? Way too many to count.
    Travis grabbed her by the arm, his voice soft but firm. "Don't be in such a hurry."
    He pulled her back toward the waiting horse, which gazed at her, as if sizing her up. She just knew the dumb animal was calculating how soon it could dump her off its back.
    Travis untied the reins of his mount and sidestepped to where he filled her vision. "I really don't care what you want, Miss Severin. You have no choice but to return with me, unless you'd like to give me back the ring now."
    Repeatedly he came back to the same subject. Some stupid ring, which she knew absolutely nothing about. Just because she was a medium, he thought she was also a thief.
    "Cowboy, if I had that ring I'd gladly hand it back to you just so you would go away, but I don't. So give up and let me go."
    "Who did you sell it to?" His eyes bored into hers, and his voice was gruff.
    She threw up her arms, exasperated. "I didn't steal the ring, much less sell it. I can't even describe it to you." Rose's frustration rose along with her voice. "Now, get it through your thick skull. I don't have your mother's ring!"
    The horse nickered in alarm and stepped away from Travis straight toward Rose, sending her scrambling into the cowboy's arms.
    It was a natural fit, her head beneath his chin, his hands around her back, her breasts crushed against his chest. In addition, when she glanced into his dark brown eyes she couldn't help but wonder at the security that enveloped her. The fear subsided, the anger drained away, and a new emotion seemed to take root.
    Heat spread through her like a wildfire. The memory of the man's kiss had awakened all kinds of emotions, feelings she wasn't ready to explore. Feelings she didn't want with this cowboy who was certain she was a thief.
    Seconds stretched into minutes. He smiled down at her. "I'll assist you onto my horse."
    She stepped out of his arms. Her voice trembled. "Look, I'm a city girl. I don't ride horses. I travel by carriage or I walk, but I do not ride."
    "Then get prepared, 'cause you're about to have your first lesson, Miss Severin."
    He turned and put a foot in the stirrup, swinging his leg over the saddle. Leaning over he pulled Rose up onto the horse before she could protest again.
    "Oh, God," she cried as she clung to the saddle horn. "Have I told you how much I despise you?" she said between gritted teeth, her false French accent completely gone.
    "Frequently."
    She swallowed her fear and glanced down at the ground, which seemed very far away, and quickly closed them. " Merde! I'm on a horse! I don't like horses."
    With a jingle of his spurs, he prodded the horse into motion. The animal swayed beneath her, its hips moved slowly. At first she kept her eyes clenched tightly shut, refusing to open them, fearful she would fall at any moment.
    Finally, she opened first one eye and then another. They were moving, plodding along, the saddle swaying with the horse's hips in a rocking rhythm. She swallowed and took her first breath since they'd started. She could do this. She could ride this animal as long as she didn't think about falling.
    This wasn't so bad. Bravado was the best way to overcome fear, or at least to hide behind. "Humph! At this pace the stage will beat us back to Fort Worth on its return trip."
    "Say the word and I'll speed her up," he challenged.
    "No!" She turned slightly to her right and glanced up at the man who held her in his arms. She gazed into earthy brown eyes that radiated annoyance and something that made her feel like summer on a cold winter day.
    "It would help if you relaxed."
    "Relax?" She swallowed the lump that had risen in her throat. "I'm about to die and you want me to relax."
    He laughed. "It'll help."
    "Who? The horse?"
    Travis shook his head, grinning.
    "Do you think this horse knows I don't like her?"
    "I'm sure. She's heard every word. We'll be lucky if she doesn't throw us at least once before we arrive in Fort Worth."
    She jerked her gaze back to his forehead and stared at him. She thought he was joking, but she wasn't quite certain.
    "You are a beast."
    "Thank you. I'll