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

miserable, while she had laughed and cajoled him every step of the way. She was unendingly optimistic even in the face of his wrath.
    He cleared his throat nervously. "I'm sorry if I upset you earlier. Tonight was important to you, and I should never have said anything that might have spoiled the occasion for you."
    "Two apologies in one week, Mr. Burnett. That must be some kind of record." She halted her ministrations and glanced down at Travis. "I appreciate the way you defended my honor. I've never had anyone to protect me. I'm just sorry you got hurt."
    Travis resisted the urge to tell her just how he would like to protect her. How he would like to keep her locked in his bedroom or even set up in a nice little house. But that was impossible. He couldn't tell Rose these urges, and somehow the thought of setting her up as his mistress just wasn't appealing.
    "It's because of men like that drunk that I didn't want you working in the theater to begin with. Nice women don't work as actresses or run séance parlors. I just don't want to see you get hurt."
    She picked up a new cloth and dipped the rag in a second bowl. This time when she laid the compress against his skin, the cloth was warm and soothing. "Travis, I consider myself to be a very nice woman. But I have to earn a living. I can't stay here forever, depending on you. My mother earned her living as an actress up until she died. I intend to pursue a career full-time."
    She wiped the cloth against his skin. "You have to accept the fact that I never took your mother's ring. I know you don't believe me, but I don't know how to convince you."
    Travis's gaze held hers. His hand reached out and stopped her hand from wiping the blood from his face. "I don't know what to think about you, Rose. I want to believe you didn't take Mother's ring, but everything points to you. There was no one else."
    And he wasn't ready to let her go. Not yet. But he would never admit it aloud.
    Even if she had taken his mother's wedding band, he didn't want to see her walk out the door and out of his life.
    He released her hand, and she stepped from between his legs. She took a deep breath and slowly released it.
    "You always want to believe the worst about me, though time and again I've proven you wrong. What will it take to convince you of my innocence?"
    Her voice was steady and sure, and he wanted to believe her, but he couldn't.
    "No ... you're wrong. I don't know what to believe about you anymore. I only know you're different from any woman I've ever met."
    Silently he added, I don't want you to leave .
    ***
    Rose blew the lantern out and climbed into bed alone. The moon shone through the window, a moonbeam skittering across the foot of her bed like her thoughts through her head.
    Travis's own words came back to haunt her. He didn't know what to think of her anymore. He didn't believe she was innocent, and he could not convict her either. Therein lay the problem.
    She had stayed here at the ranch now for well over a month while he tried to decide what to do with her. While he tried to find some proof of her guilt. While he waited for her to confess. And stubbornly she refused to admit to a crime she hadn't committed.
    After everything, the fact that he still thought her capable of stealing from his mother hurt. How could he believe that she would steal from Eugenia? She'd never seen the ring, couldn't even describe the band. It was as if he were blind to the truth and her personal standards. Yes, she'd been a con artist, but never a thief. She'd never taken anything from people they hadn't been willing to give.
    But more important, why did she care? The man had kidnapped her, held her captive, and still refused to let her go.
    Her life had not been the same since Travis Burnett had come charging into it, and she must be demented to be attracted to the man. Why else would she have stayed at his ranch so long? She could have left at any time, but something held her back. Something much stronger than Travis.
    She'd given herself to him and would gladly do so a second time, if only he would give her the chance. She'd considered seduction, but somehow the thought of her seducing anyone made her want to laugh. She hardly had the feminine wiles to seduce him back into her bed. Yet she wanted Travis, yearned for him, and that was hard to swallow considering the man held her imprisoned in his home.
    But their time together had not felt as if she was being held captive. She had stayed with