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

from beneath the closed door. She tossed her hat and gloves onto her bed, turned, and took the few steps to reach his room.
    Rose raised her hand to knock, feeling awkward, and then hurriedly tapped on his door before she could change her mind.
    He opened the door and stood there, framed in the lantern light, his bare chest gleaming, with the top button of his pants undone.
    God, he looked gorgeous standing there, half naked, framed in the doorway.
    "Hello," he said, his eyes raking her with a hungry glance. "Did you have a good performance tonight?"
    "Yes, I ... it went well," she stuttered at the sight of him staring at her.
    "No more drunks?" he questioned.
    She smiled. "Not a one. I think they're afraid to show up and take the risk of being beaten. Tucker has been there every performance making sure everyone is peaceful."
    "Good. My brother is doing his job then."
    She shrugged. An awkward silence fell between them as he stared at her, and the warmth of his eyes made her breasts tingle with awareness. His bed dominated the room, though it was only a piece of furniture. Its presence took center stage and she couldn't help but stare at him, trying to avoid looking directly at where he slept.
    "I... I need to talk to you," she said, barely managing to get the words out. She loved this man, and suddenly the urge to fling herself in his arms was almost overpowering, but she resisted. She had to leave or forever be cursed by the knowledge that he thought her a thief.
    His hand reached out and pulled her into his room, shutting the door behind her. She felt trapped as he leaned against the closed door. "What about?"
    "I've been offered the part of Bianca for the duration of the play. The troupe is leaving on Sunday, and I'm going with them," she gushed, almost tripping over her words in a hurry to expel them.
    Travis just stared at her; he didn't say a word.
    "You can't hold me any longer, Travis. You must let me go. I didn't steal your mother's ring."
    He ran his hand through his hair. His brow furrowed, and his eyes darkened. His face held an odd grimace that twisted her heart. She didn't want to leave him, but she must, for the sake of her future and her heart.
    "All this time I've waited for you to either find the ring or the person who stole it, and all you've done is concentrate on me. I don't have it. So I plan on being on that stagecoach on Sunday. You can't stop me."
    Travis took a step toward her. His eyes were unreadable, his face drawn, and she felt his edginess, even if he didn't show his displeasure. The air was so ripe with tension, she could almost touch it. His eyes seemed to engulf her, and she fought the urge to retreat across the hall to her bedroom. But she stood her ground, refusing to back down from him ever again.
    "Where are you going?" he finally asked.
    She swallowed. He hadn't said she was free to go, but he hadn't refused either. "Waco. We'll be down there for two weeks before moving on to San Antonio. They offered me a job through the rest of the tour."
    He nodded. "I told you, you were good."
    "Thanks. I ..." She stuttered, her eyes locked in a staring battle with his large brown ones. "Look, I can't stay here any longer. I should have left before now, but—"
    Reaching out, he ran his hands down her arms. A rush of heat sent her blood raging through her. He put his hands around her waist and hauled her into his arms, molding her body against him.
    "I don't want you to go," he whispered huskily, before his lips came crashing down on hers.
    ***
    Desperation had him clinging to her. Greedily, his lips covered hers with an urgency that clawed at him. She was leaving. The very moment he'd been dreading was thrust upon him before he had time to recover from what the Pinkerton man had told him that afternoon.
    He was filled with an urgency that surged through his blood, thundering in his ears, reverberating through his mind. This woman who tempted him, tantalized him, and had led him on a merry chase was not who he'd thought she was. Like a medieval knight, he had captured her and brought her to his lair, and now, when he didn't want her to leave, she was going.
    And he didn't have the right to ask her to stay.
    His mouth plundered hers as he melded her sweet body to his. His hands were everywhere as his need exploded through him in a gripping sensation. He needed her in a blinding way. He needed her to chase the demons from his consciousness and clear the voices from his mind. He needed her to