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

her. He had disrupted her life, ended her business as Desirée, Voice of the Dead, taken her virginity, turned her into a woman—and somehow touched her heart. She wouldn't call it love, but something about Travis called out to her with longing.
    For the first time in her life, she was doing what she wanted, what she'd always dreamed, and it left her miserable.
    She shut the curtain and turned back to her fellow actors and actresses. Maybe it was just this play, she told herself. Maybe the situation with Travis clouded her perspective.
    "Everyone to their places," yelled the director.
    Rose hurried behind the stage to an area where the actors could watch before they appeared on stage.
    As the curtain went up, Rose stood and viewed the action of the play, coming in whenever she received her cue.
    After her first time out in front of the audience, she forgot her nerves and became engrossed in the tale. The first and second acts passed very quickly, with very few mistakes by the actors, and Rose was beginning to think opening night was turning out to be a success.
    Act Four began. Rose knew the end was at hand and was sorry that her first performance was almost complete. Somehow the hard work, the sacrifice, for this short time seemed too high a price.
    She walked out on stage and knelt in front of Baptista. " Pardon, dear father. "
    "How hast thou offended ?—Where is Lucentio?"
    "Here's Lucentio, Right son unto the right Vincentio; That hath by marriage made thy daughter mine, While counterfeit supposes blear'd thine eyne.
    "Here's packing, with a witness, to deceive us all!"
    Gremio responded.
    " Where is that damned villain, Tranio, That fac'd and brav'd me in this matter so?" asked Vincendo.
    "Why, tell me, is not this my Cambio? "Baptista asked.
    " Cambio is chang'd into Lucentio ."
    A voice yelled from the back of the crowd. "I want to be Lucentio. As long as I can have one of those women."
    Rose ignored the man, and the actor portraying Lucentio opened his mouth to say his lines, when the man yelled again.
    "Desirée, you French whore, I'll marry you," the drunken cowboy yelled out.
    Rose felt her heart sink. She tried to continue her lines, but a firecracker came flying up on stage, sending everyone scrambling to get out of the way. The lead actress screamed, and the other actors shrank back against the back curtain of the makeshift stage as loud pops and smoke filled the stage.
    Rose caught a glimpse of movement in the crowd. She stared in disbelief as she watched Travis jumping over benches in an effort to get to the heckler. She whirled around just in time to see Travis throw the first punch. He grabbed the man by the shirt collar and yanked him up, his face inches from the unknown cowboy. Tucker was there beside his brother, trying to pull Travis's hands off of the man's shirt.
    It was all over in just a matter of moments, but the crowd had grown restless and people were shrinking away from the fight and even slipping out the back of the tent.
    Travis finally released the man, and Tucker hauled the drunk out of the tent, his hands wrapped firmly around the man. It was then that Rose saw the blood trickling down Travis's face. Her heart plummeted to her feet. He was hurt. He was bleeding, and it was all her fault.
    He took out his handkerchief, wiped his face, and took his seat next to the rest of the Burnetts.
    Rose shuddered. What if someone had been seriously hurt?
    The actors resumed the play, grateful it was the last act. When it was over, the remaining audience clapped and cheered for the group, and Rose was exhilarated by their ovation. The hard work, the sacrifice had been worth it after all, for the applause, the congratulations, and the cheers. She'd completed her first public performance, and she knew she would never forget the excitement, the suspense—and the fight.
    After their final bow, she hurried from backstage and ran to find Travis. The crowd was trickling out of the tented arena when she found him and the other Burnetts waiting for her.
    Eugenia grabbed her and gave her a big hug. "You were fabulous! I was so proud of you and told everyone around us who you were."
    "Thanks," she said, sheepishly gazing at Travis, his face a bloodied mess. "If you look this bad, he must look awful."
    "Yeah, he was a mess. I'm sorry about that drunken cowboy spoiling your performance," he said quietly. "I tried to shut him up."
    "I see that," she said, reaching out and touching his cheek tenderly. "I