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

forward, surprised by her comment. "Mother, how did you get involved with this woman? Why are you going to séances?"
    "Oh, several of the ladies from my sewing circle were talking about her, and we decided to just drop in and see what a séance was. You know Katie McLaughlin lost her husband recently, and the poor dear is—"
    "Mother!"
    "Well, the poor dear is terribly lonely and misses her husband something fierce. They obviously were very much in love and had a wonderful marriage."
    "Look, I'm sorry about Mrs. McLaughlin, but do you know this séance woman had the gall to tell me she saw Tanner tonight?"
    She crossed her arms, a stubborn set to her jaw. "Well, dear, let's hope she had a vision of him."
    Travis swore.
    "Son, it's impolite to swear in front of a woman, especially your mother. Desirée can read palms and tarot cards, and she sometimes has visions of people who are alive."
    "You're upset I'm swearing, not that you gave money to a woman who takes advantage of people who are grieving and lonely?"
    "Every penny I spent was worth meeting this young woman if she can help me locate your brother. Desirée is delightful, a very caring person who obviously understands how you feel when you've lost a loved one."
    He stared at his mother in disbelief. His brother had been a strong, vital force whom they all missed, but ten years had passed with not a word of his whereabouts. The last time they'd seen him was right before he ran away to join the Confederate army. Travis thought his mother had accepted Tanner's death, but obviously he'd been mistaken.
    She tilted her head and gazed at him. "I thought you were supposed to see Cecilia tonight?"
    "Don't change the subject. I know you don't like her."
    "She's more timid than a church mouse and twice as dull. You marry her and you'll be bored within a week." Eugenia slammed the ledger shut. "Name one woman you've courted seriously in the last year who isn't either afraid of you or only interested in hitching up with the Bar None?"
    He grinned at his mother. "Uh, Sister Bertrice doesn't seem to be interested in me."
    "Travis!" Eugenia shook her head. "It's not healthy for a man to work as hard as you do. You need to get away from the ranch more, socialize, and get to know people. How else are you going to find a wife?"
    Travis took a deep breath and refused to let his mother's words goad him into a confrontation he knew he could never win. So instead, he gave her the same response he'd given her for the last two years. They both knew it was a way of avoiding a subject they didn't agree on. "I'm busy with the ranch right now."
    For a moment she just stared at him. She sighed. "You must admit, Miss Severin is a stunning creature."
    Stunning didn't begin to describe her. More like a curvaceous stick of seductive dynamite. One wrong move and he'd go up in flames.
    The memory of her glossy brown curls, framing a face that was almost ethereal, left him wondering what she looked like underneath that red dress that dipped low, revealing the curve of her breast. Travis reminded himself that it wouldn't matter if she were prettier than Molly Riley's highest-priced whore. She was still a cheat and a liar, even if her emerald eyes teased of hidden promises and enticing pleasures.
    He shrugged his shoulders, trying to appear indifferent. "What does it matter what she looks like? She's cheating people out of their money. She's deceiving them."
    "Travis Burnett, everything in your world is black and white. If you'd been born a woman, you would understand her plight."
    "What plight? Seems to me like she's got it pretty easy."
    "A man has choices he can make as to how he's going to earn his living. A woman can either get married or become a cook, a laundress, or a soiled dove. If she's real lucky, she might get a job as a schoolteacher or a governess. But most women choose marriage."
    "Maybe." If he didn't divert her attention, he'd be hearing the lecture on getting married and producing an heir. "But do you really believe she saw Tanner?"
    For a moment his mother's bottom lip trembled with indecision. Exasperated, she stood—all five feet, three inches—and came around the desk to stand in front of her son. "I don't know for certain."
    "Yes or no, Mother?"
    "There you go again, speaking in absolutes."
    Travis stared at her and frowned with annoyance.
    "I can't give up and admit your brother is dead. I have to try everything I can to find him, even unconventional ways if that's what