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

Burnett doesn't want you to leave the ranch?"
    "No, I haven't forgotten. But he can't hold me prisoner here any longer."
    Since the first night, she had been a relatively easy prisoner, hoping he would see she wasn't a thief, hoping he would realize his mistake, hoping he would release her. But no morel Travis was about to have his hands full of trouble.
    ***
    Rose peered into the parlor, hoping to catch a glimpse of Travis sitting in his favorite chair. It was late evening, and she and Isaiah had spent the rest of the afternoon stitching up the rips and tears in her only dress. They had washed it, and now Rose felt prepared to take on Travis, whom she hadn't seen all day.
    She'd tried not to watch for him, but several times she'd caught herself looking off in the distance, watching for a tall man on horseback, wanting to see his figure silhouetted against the sky. But no such luck.
    Restless after her preparations, she'd finally decided to go downstairs and wait.
    Eugenia glanced up at Rose as she stood in the doorway. "Desirée, dear, come in. Travis still hasn't come in from the barn. Seems one of the cows was having a difficult birth, and he's been out trying to save the calf."
    Rose stepped in through the door and watched as Eugenia's eyes widened. "My, my, you certainly look pretty tonight. You've fixed up that dress very nicely."
    "Isaiah repaired it for me."
    "Well, Travis will have to be dead not to notice," Eugenia said, her knitting needles silent in her lap.
    "Thank you." The thought of Travis thinking she was pretty left a pleasant feeling that she immediately tried to stifle. Right now she didn't want that warm, breathless feeling. She was trying to escape from Travis and his mother. Yet part of her wasn't ready to leave behind the handsome, stubborn cowboy.
    Eugenia picked up her knitting, and the sound of needles clicking resounded through the parlor like castanets. Rose took a seat in a rocker by the window and glanced out into the inky blackness.
    Tense, she waited and watched, occasionally getting up to pace the floor, eager for his return.
    Maybe now would be a good time to apologize to Eugenia. She felt she owed the woman at least an explanation regarding her name.
    "Eugenia, there's something I need to tell you."
    "What, dear?"
    "When you met me in the séance parlor, I introduced myself as Desirée Severin. Desirée is my stage name. My real name is Rose Severin."
    Eugenia smiled and tilted her head to the side. "Rose," she said as if trying her name out. "I think I like your real name much better. It seems more fitting than Desirée."
    "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I never gave it much thought until Isaiah called me Rose last night and Travis had a fit."
    She stood and began to pace.
    "He acted like I had intentionally misled him. It's just a name. It's all part of the presentation of my skills."
    Eugenia laughed. "Travis certainly can get himself riled up. Almost as much as his father." She laid her knitting needles down. "You know, dear, you still owe me a séance to try to find my other son. Tanner was such a dear boy, I can't stand to think of him as dead."
    "What do you know about him?"
    "Only that at the Battle of Atlanta he disappeared. His body was never recovered, and as far as we know he was not taken prisoner." She sighed. "We just don't know what happened to him."
    "Eugenia, I don't want to get your hopes up. I don't think I'm going to be able to help you," Rose said, not wanting to lie to Eugenia.
    "But you promised you would try."
    "All right. We'll try, but not when Travis is around." Rose twisted her hands, an idea forming in her mind. "You know, Eugenia, I would really appreciate your help with a little problem. Isaiah told me about a theater troupe coming to town."
    Rose paused, watching the interest dawn on Eugenia's face. "I remember when you came to visit me, you recommended that I try acting before I went all the way to New York. Well, now's my chance. They're holding auditions in two weeks."
    Eugenia had stopped her knitting and sat gazing at Rose, her forehead drawn together in a frown.
    "I don't know what to say." Eugenia glanced at her knitting, picked up a dropped stitch, and then the sound of furious clicking resounded in the room. "I did say you should try acting." Eugenia sighed, the sound heavy in the room. "Didn't you tell me your mother was a famous actress?"
    "Yes," Rose said, trying to keep the rising excitement out of her voice.
    "This is very important