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

the hardwood floor as she eased it under her chair, until she touched the cool metallic bell. Gripping the handle of the bell between her toes, Rose shook the bell. The clapper clattered against its side three times.
    A lady sitting across from Rose jumped. Isaiah silently came in right on cue, stirring the air with a fan in the darkened room. Then the sound of chimes tinkled softly in the night air.
    Releasing the cowboy's hand, she clasped her palm to her head, moaning. "Ah . . . ah, so young. So tragic." She swayed. "A little girl with blond ringlets is coming toward me, wearing a pink pinafore. She says her name is Sar . . . no, her name is Sally."
    A gasp came from the darkness and one of the Women said in a weak voice, "My daughter's name was Sally, but her hair was dark, not blond." Her voice broke on a sob. "Is it Sally? Tell me more about her, please. Is she happy?"
    Rose ignored the woman's comment about her daughter's hair. "Sally says to tell you she's with her grandmother."
    Rose hesitated and then began to move her lips silently, as if she were speaking. "The two of them miss you and are awaiting your arrival on the other side."
    The lady burst into tears. "Thank God, she's not alone. I've been so worried about her."
    "Families often are reunited after death." Rose moaned and pulled her handkerchief to her lips.
    "I feel the presence of a man who was gunned down. A law-abiding man killed in a holdup."
    "My brother," the older woman sitting next to Rose proclaimed.
    Rose massaged her temples, moaning. She held up her arms as if seeking help from the sky. "Is his name Robert?"
    "Yes," the woman replied, stunned. "How did you know?"
    "He told me. He says you shouldn't feel guilty about his death. It was meant to happen. Your grandfather is with him."
    "But grandfather is still alive," the woman said, puzzled.
    Rose felt a moment of panic. Whoops, she'd guessed wrong again. The lady's age appeared to be in the mid-forties. Rose had been certain her grandparents were dead. She let out a moan. "I meant your great-grandfather."
    "Oh, we never knew him."
    The cowboy beside her snickered just loudly enough to be heard. He was going to cause trouble, blast him.
    "Oh, oh. The name Burnett comes to mind." She moaned. "Does anyone know someone named Tanner Burnett?"
    "That's me," a husky, curt voice from her left replied.
    It was the cowboy. Even in the dark, she couldn't help but remember six feet of rugged, tightly muscled man with honey-brown hair set against tanned skin and eyes that looked more dangerous than friendly.
    "Are you certain the person you're seeking is dead?"
    She could feel his gaze upon her, and the memory of his brown eyes gleaming with determination and purpose almost made her shiver.
    "He's been missing for over ten years," he acknowledged.
    "I have a vision of him in battle. There's danger all around him."
    His fist slammed against the table, causing sparks to fly from the bowl of incense and her patrons to jump in surprise.
    "Bullshit!"
    "Lady, how far are you going to carry this farce? You can't see my brother."
    " Monsieur !"She exclaimed, throwing up her hands in disgust. Gripping the bell with her toe, she rang it, signaling the end of the séance.
    "The sound of the bell indicates that the spirits have gone," she said between gritted teeth. "You've broken the spell. The spirits have all departed because of your disbelief. Your doubt has scared them away!"
    Isaiah lit a lantern, casting an ominous glow on the scene.
    A chill ran down Rose's back as she stared into the coldest pair of dark-brown eyes she'd ever seen. She stood and turned her attention to her other clients. "I'm terribly sorry, but once the spell has been broken, the spirits will not return this night. Thanks to Monsieur , our evening has been cut short. That is the way sometimes. Please come back and we will attempt to contact your loved ones once again." She gave him a look that could have plunged daggers into his heart. "Without Monsieur Burnett."
    He smiled a contemptuous sneer. "Lady, if you can speak to the dead, I can walk on water! All you're interested in is cheating people out of their money!"
    " Monsieur !" She motioned for Isaiah to usher her other customers out the door. Business had been good, and she didn't need gossip being spread around town about this little scene. "The Trinity River is right up the street, if you'd like to test your faith."
    "I don't need to test my faith. People like you do it all the