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

her pause. When had she ever noticed how the wind felt?
    Silence stretched for well over a mile, the quiet tense with unspoken words. He despised her, he thought she was a thief, yet she felt inexplicably drawn to him. He was so law-abiding, honest, and faithful, something she'd never experienced before in a man.
    Finally, he cleared his throat. "Why have you never had new clothes before now?"
    "Not every child grows up well-fed and clothed, with a family that cares about them like yours." She hadn't known the difference when she was younger. But now she realized just how much they had struggled to make a living.
    He shrugged. "I know you're right. Even if I have a snooping mother, in a lot of ways I guess I was lucky. How about you? What was growing up as a medium like?"
    Her conscience twinged, reminding her of the charade she played. The game of how to make a living her father had taught her.
    "It was different, but not bad," she acknowledged truthfully. "Nothing like your own childhood, I'm sure."
    They were raised in different worlds. One loving and honest, the other one on the edge of the law. Drifting from town to town, barely surviving.
    They rode for several minutes in silence before he glanced in her direction again. His eyes seemed to skim her, leaving her flushed.
    "That shade of green—looks good on you. It matches the color of your eyes," he said awkwardly.
    She swallowed. Compliments were rare, yet sincere from a man like Travis, and they only increased her growing awareness of him. "Thank you. I—I didn't expect a dress quite so nice."
    All he'd done was gaze at her, compliment her new dress, and she felt hotter than a rock in the desert. What about this man evoked such intense feelings that left her nerve endings tingling in anticipation?
    He was strong, dependable, protective of those he loved, and she couldn't imagine he had never kept a promise. Travis Burnett was the type of man who, when he pledged forever, it would be until his last dying breath. He was a man whose word could be written in stone.
    Very different from Rose's previous limited experiences with men, whose words were flippantly tossed about, with no expectations of fulfillment. And the only real man in her life had been her father.
    No wonder she'd never felt the necessity to get married. Oh, she'd dreamed of a husband once, but not now. Not when she had a chance of accomplishing her real goal, of being an actress like her mother.
    She glanced over at Travis. His brawny shoulders bunched as he steered the reins of the horses, and a quickening began in her stomach that left her trembling. Only with Travis did she experience such new, unexpected feelings, and they frightened her.
    Sometimes she thought their constant bickering was a way of fighting their mutual attraction. But what had kept other women at bay? Eugenia said he was consumed with the ranch, but was it just the land that occupied his time? Could a man fill his days with cows and ranching and never think to settle down?
    "Why haven't you ever married?" She blurted out the question that suddenly seemed so pressing.
    He turned his dark-brown eyes upon her, his expression slightly bemused at her question. "Well, I never really had much time to spend courting women. And the ones I did consider seemed more interested in the Bar None and my bank account than me."
    His gaze seemed to linger, leaving her breathless. She pushed her wayward curls away from her face and tried to calm her ragged breathing. "You seem like the type of man who would want to settle down."
    "I'm in no hurry," he said, his voice a lazy drawl that touched nerve endings she didn't know she had. "I'm not marrying until I find the right woman."
    "Which would be?" she questioned.
    He tilted his head and reflected for a moment. "I expect my wife to be my helpmate, but also I want her to raise my children in an environment that will nurture and help them. I want an elegant lady. Someone I can trust, who knows a woman's place."
    That certainly didn't describe Rose, and she realized how completely different their worlds were. He wanted the perfect woman, who would be a submissive wife, who birthed perfect children and kept a perfect house.
    Boring. Her world would never be flawless, and his perfect wife sounded dull and lifeless. She longed for a theater that would train her in the ways of an actress.
    She wanted a life with opulent riches and luxuries galore.
    She yawned, leaned back, and watched the scenery flow