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

Tucker and met his smiling gaze. The man knew exactly what he'd done.
    Travis pulled out the chair across from Rose, but refused to look at her. There was nothing worse than a tense meal.
    Rose sighed. She refused to let Travis get the upper hand. So she had given him her virginity, and since that time he had avoided her. She was not going to let him make her miserable. She had more pride than to let him think that she would mope and pout because of his lack of attention. She would take this part, earn enough money to leave, and find her own place in town once again. She and Isaiah would soon be gone, wedding band or not; she was not going to be confined any longer for something she had not taken.
    "Tucker, how are things at the jail?" Rose asked, a pleasant lilt to her voice. She was determined to show Travis she was okay.
    "Other than arresting a few drunks and settling a bar room fight, things have been rather quiet. Nothing like when I first took this job," he replied, smiling at her.
    Cook brought the food in and set it on the table. The smell of steaks wafted through the air.
    "Anything happen while I was away?" Eugenia asked, glancing between Travis and Rose.
    Rose thought she would choke on the greens she had just spooned into her mouth. She glanced at Travis, and his eyes met hers. For a moment the memory of his hands caressing her body made her heart somersault, but then the reality of the situation hit her like a bucket of cold water.
    They both tried to speak at once, their eyes locking in silent combat. Travis spoke up finally. "Nothing happened, Mother. I have the men still rounding up the cattle. With the newborn calves we have this year, we should have a very productive year."
    Eugenia nodded her head, glanced down at her plate, and asked, "So what did the two of you do while I was away?"
    Rose swallowed and knew she couldn't look at Travis this time or her face would give away exactly what they had done. She gazed at the food on her plate.
    "I found the Complete Works of William Shakespeare on the bookshelf, so I spent most of my time reading."
    Eugenia glanced at Rose. "I'd forgotten all about that book. Did it help you?"
    "Yes, I think so. At least now I have an idea of what this play is about."
    Travis laughed. "I hope you got the part of the shrew?"
    Rose glared at him. "No. I'm Bianca, the beautiful sister everyone wants."
    Travis glanced at her, his brows lifted. "Why not Desirée, the fortune teller, séance holder, all-time con artist?"
    Anger, as fierce as a hot fire, spread through her, and she swallowed, trying to calm her rapid pulse. Her first response had been to lash out at Travis, but she refrained.
    She smiled. "Shakespeare didn't know Desirée, or he might have included her in one of his dramas."
    Tucker burst out laughing, his laughter contagious as it spread around the table to Eugenia. Rose simply smiled at Travis as she met his glare of indignation.
    He jumped up from the table, reached over, and grabbed her by the arm. "Come on, we're going to settle this right now."
    Rose pushed back from the table and turned to Eugenia and Tucker. "Excuse us, we have a problem to take care of."
    As they were leaving the room, Rose heard Tucker say, "Nothing's changed." But it had.
    ***
    Travis didn't know if he was more upset about the fact that he had taken her innocence or that she had lied to him and disregarded his directive that she not try out for this play.
    All he knew was that since that day at the pond, he had been confused. All he could think about was that he had taken her virginity, her innocence. Though he'd never thought of her as untried before that morning, he was the man who had shown her how it could be between a man and a woman.
    Yet a tiny voice kept asking if he would have believed her even if she'd tried to tell him of her innocence.
    He had a tight grip on her forearm as he dragged her out of the kitchen, down the steps, and around the back of the house.
    "Where are we going? Back to the pond?" she asked, her voice taunting.
    Travis ignored her. She knew he couldn't take her to the pond. That place held too many memories that constantly nagged him. He didn't need any additional ones to get in his way.
    They walked past the trellis, where a rose petal drifted on the wind. Hell, he couldn't talk to her here either, without remembering the night she'd tried to escape down the lattice.
    He continued walking, past the burned-out barn, the memory of seeing her in that