The Rancher Takes a Bride

by Sylvia McDaniel

  "What do you mean, she's gone? She was here when I left Saturday morning, and the two of you seemed to have reached an understanding. I thought that maybe ..."

  Her voice trailed off. Travis wasn't surprised his very observant mother had realized that the two of them had become a couple.

  "She went with the acting troupe on to Waco. They left on the stage yesterday morning," he said, unable to tell his mother how it had taken every ounce of will power he possessed to keep from riding after Rose. In fact, he'd ridden out to the farthest pasture to work, just so he couldn't change his mind and go after her. Now he knew how foolish he was to have let her get away.

  "But I thought the two of you . . ." She paused. "I thought that maybe you would eventually ask her to marry you. It was pretty obvious you wanted the girl."

  Travis shrugged. "I did ask her to marry me."

  "She turned you down?" Eugenia exclaimed.

  "No. She accepted." Travis ran his hand through his hair.

  Eugenia stood and walked over to her son. "What happened? Why did she leave, if you asked her to marry you?"

  He glanced at his mother and shoved his hands in his pockets. Why did he feel that he was ten years old again and had to explain why he had gotten in trouble at school?

  "After I brought Rose back to the ranch from that roadhouse in Waco, Tucker told me about an investigator in town who could search out her background. I thought I would find out how unscrupulous she was, and then I could prove to you that this woman was meant to be behind bars."

  He glanced at his mother, feeling awkward. It wasn't often that he admitted to anyone he was wrong, but to have to tell his mother was tough.

  "The investigator gave me the report last week. Rose is a con artist, but she's not even close to how bad I wanted her to be. Until she stole your wedding band, running a séance parlor was the worst thing she'd ever done."

  "I thought that was a more creative way to earn money myself. But you still haven't told me why she left," Eugenia pointed out.

  "Saturday she found the report on my desk," he stated. "She was upset that I had her investigated instead of asking her these questions directly. She said I didn't trust her. And then, when I couldn't tell her I knew for certain she hadn't stolen the ring, she left."

  He sighed and sank down on the couch. "At the time, I thought I had to investigate her. She was a con artist; after all, and your ring disappeared while you were with her. But now I realize how much I love her, and I don't care what's become of your ring. I'm going after her."

  Eugenia laid her hand on her son's arm in a comforting gesture. She took a deep breath. "You love her?"

  "Yes, with all my heart. I don't care if she took your ring, I only know I love her."

  "There's something I need to tell you about my wedding band," his mother said, a dire note in her voice.

  She paused, and he could see the apprehension in her eyes. "Rose never stole my ring."

  Unable to comprehend what she was saying, Travis stared at his mother in disbelief. "How do you know for certain she didn't take it?"

  "Because I still have it."

  "What?" Comprehension slowly dawned. Travis groaned and leaned his head in his hands. How? Had she lied to him? He couldn't be that wrong about Rose. Could he? "Why did you do this, Mother?"

  "I've waited for years for one of my sons to get married, and finally I decided the only way this was going to happen was for me to take matters into my own hands." She paused and glanced at her son guiltily. "After you had Tucker put her in jail, I knew she would stand up to you. That she was just the type of woman you needed. I didn't require an investigator to tell me Rose was a good person. I knew it from watching her actions and her deeds."

  "What did you do with the ring, Mother?" Travis asked, clearly irritated.

  Eugenia wrung her hands. "Well, after I bailed Rose out of jail, we went back to that little house she was staying in. While she was packing, I tried to convince her to stay, to move out to our ranch. I so desperately wanted her to stick around that I offered to let her try to contact Tanner. But she turned me down."

  Eugenia paced the floor, clearly nervous. Travis waited patiently, his anger building as his mother avoided his direct question.

  "I was desperate. I knew how protective you've been of me since your father died. I knew you wouldn't stand for anyone taking advantage of me. So I slipped off my ring, and well ..." She glanced up at Travis. "I lied to you, son. I had the ring all along."

  The room became deadly quiet, with only the ticking of the clock to be heard. A gut-wrenching pain made Travis almost cry out. His own mother had lied and tricked him. She had manipulated him to gain what she wanted, and in the end he had been duped and hurt. Not to mention what he'd done to Rose, the woman he loved.

  "I ... acted without thinking, Travis. If I had thought this thing through instead of reacting, I never would have done this. I've been unfair to you and Rose, and I don't blame you one bit for being upset with me."

  God, if she wanted to, Rose could prosecute him for what he had done to her. All because of his mother. Travis had never yelled at his mother, at least not until today.

  "How could you do this and sleep at night?" he yelled. "You let me abduct an innocent woman, drag her kicking and screaming back to our ranch, only so that you could play matchmaker!"

  "Well, I did it with your best interest at heart," Eugenia said timidly. "I know that doesn't excuse my actions. But you know my children are important to me."

  "Mother, it was wrong! Do you realize how I have treated her? You let me disrupt her life, you let me believe that she was some sort of evil con artist who was stealing from innocent victims."

  "Now, wait just a minute. I was wrong, I admit, but you came to that conclusion all on your own. If you remember, I was the one who defended her. I kept telling you she was not who she seemed. And she wasn't, was she?"

  "No. But that still doesn't excuse you!" he yelled. "Damn it, Mother. She told me she loved me before she left. But she couldn't be with me because I didn't trust her or believe in her."

  Eugenia stared at her son. Travis clenched his fist and felt the urge to hit the nearest wall, but he resisted. "What you've done goes against every principle you taught me. All along she's been innocent. She's been exactly who she said she was, and I've never believed her, but I believed you."

  He'd always prided himself on being an honest, fair-minded person, yet knowing his mother, he'd taken her side and believed Rose had stolen her wedding band. Now to find out he was wrong, that all along Rose had been innocent, made him feel ten times a fool.

  But worse than anything, he'd hurt the woman he loved.

  Unable to sit any longer, he jumped up and strode from the room, his steps angry and forceful.

  "Where are you going, Travis?" Eugenia cried, running after him.

  "I'm going after her. I'm going after the woman I love and tell her how sorry I am for believing my mother instead of her."

  Yanking his hat off the rack, he shoved it on his head.

  "Give me the damn ring!"

  Eugenia reached into her handbag and took out the small diamond band. She gave it to her son. "Give it to Rose."

  He paused at the door. "Do me a real big favor, Mother. Stay out of my business from now on. Don't interfere again."

  Chapter Twenty

  Rose missed Travis so much, she didn't know how she got through each day. Waco was a small town compared to Fort Worth, a peaceful community. But the ranch wasn't there, Eugenia wasn't there, and most of all Travis's dimpled smile wasn't there. The dependability and security she had experienced for the first time in her life was suddenly missing.

  Though the feelings were wonderful, she couldn't stay and have them any longer with Travis. If he couldn't say he loved her, couldn't tell her he knew she had never taken his mother's wedding band, then they had no future. But living with her decision was not easy, and the urge to jump on the next stage and return to Fort Worth was stro
ng.

  Fortunately, the theater had kept her busy. The performance had been packed the night before. People from miles around had come into town to see The Taming of the Shrew.

  In the small community, they were all celebrities. People stopped her on the street and told her how much they enjoyed the performance. Yet, she seemed to have lost whatever pleasure she'd found in acting. And sometimes she wondered if she had ever enjoyed this or simply had become an actress because that was what her mother had done, and it was Rose's last connection to her mother.

  She was alone in the world. Both of her parents were dead, and now she was going to let Isaiah go. It was time for her to start over, make a change in her life. And that change meant starting fresh.

  A knock on the door alerted her that Isaiah had arrived.

  She opened the door and gave him a brief hug. "Come in, Isaiah."

  "Miss Rose, are you all right?" he asked, thrown off balance by her hug.

  "I'm fine, Isaiah. I'm probably better than I have been in months—I just don't feel that way yet," she said, knowing her whole world was about to change. "Sit down, Isaiah, I need to talk to you."

  He took a seat across from her and leaned forward, his hands clasped together. "What's wrong, Miss Rose? You don't seem too happy."

  She smiled. "You're very perceptive, Isaiah. No, I haven't been happy since before we left Fort Worth." She glanced down, and then she raised her eyes to him again. "Travis asked me to marry him."

  She shook her head when Isaiah made an excited sound. "Then I found out that he had me investigated. I probably overreacted a little bit about the investigation, but when he couldn't admit that I was innocent of his accusations of stealing his mother's ring, and he couldn't tell me that he loved me—well, I broke it off."

  "Oh, Miss Rose. I'm so sorry."

  "It gets worse, Isaiah. In that report I found out that my father is dead."

  "Oh, no, Miss Rose. How?"

  "Apparently he had some problem with his heart and died not long after he remarried."

  "My, oh, my. I'm sorry to hear about your father."

  "I've been taking a long look at my life and what I want to do."

  "Yes'm."

  "Since I was a little girl, all I've heard about is the fact that my mother was Rosalyn Severin. I always thought that if Mother made it in the theater, I could too. But I don't know anymore."

  "Miss Rose, your mother loved the attention she received. She always said it was hard work and not the sort of thing most people are cut out for."

  "Isaiah, I think I've been chasing my mother's dream and not my own. I really don't enjoy acting. You know, all my life I've been dragged from one town to another, chasing my father's dream of getting rich. Acting is the same type of life. Going from town to town, never putting down roots or making friends.''

  "So what are you going to do, Miss Rose?"

  "I don't know yet. I've got a little money saved. I think I'm going to California. Make a fresh start and leave behind my parents' ghosts. At least there I won't be known."

  "But it's so far, Miss Rose," Isaiah said.

  "I know, and that's why I'm releasing you from your duties," she said solemnly. God, it hurt to let him go, but she had to release him, let him stay and take care of his aging parents. Let him live his life for a change.

  He stared at her, stunned, as if he'd never thought of the two of them not being together. He bowed his head, and when he raised it, there were tears in his eyes. "I always thought I would hand you over to a husband."

  "Isaiah, you have family here who need you. I can't ask you to travel all the way to California and leave them behind. It's not fair. You've been faithful to your promise to my mother all these years—now it's time you took care of your family."

  She couldn't let him see her cry, or he would refuse to go, and she knew she was doing the right thing, even if it did hurt.

  "When are you leaving?" he asked.

  "Tonight is my last performance. I've told the troupe I will not be going on to San Antonio with them. I'm going to travel to Galveston and catch a boat from there."

  "You will let me know when you reach California that you're all right?" he asked.

  "We won't lose touch, Isaiah. You're the only family I have now. Of course I'll let you know."

  Together they stood, and she reached out and hugged him to her close. "I'll miss you so much."

  "Not near as much as I will you. I'll talk to you again before you leave."

  He released her and made his way to the door.

  "Miss Rose, I really had hopes for you and Mr. Burnett. He was a fine gentleman."

  Tears clogged her throat before she managed to clear them. "Me too, Isaiah. Me too."

  ***

  Travis had just about killed his horse and himself getting to Waco. In fact, he would have been there sooner if the beast hadn't thrown a shoe. He had to walk her for ten miles to the nearest settlement before he could get her fixed up with a new shoe and continue on.

  It was Wednesday night; the play would already be in progress. He was dirty, dusty, and tired, but he didn't care. He thought of finding a hotel room, taking a bath, and getting cleaned up, but was afraid that in the time it took him, the play would end and somehow he'd miss Rose. And nothing was going to keep him from finding Rose.

  He tied his horse up outside and swiped at the dust on his clothes in an attempt to brush it off, but it didn't help much. Travis bought a ticket, stepped into the theater, and took a seat. The play was already in the second act, but he didn't care. Just the opportunity to see Rose, watch her, and know that soon they would talk made him feel better.

  Somehow he felt that his entire life was riding on this night. All the way here, he'd thought about the words he was going to say.

  If only she'd give him a second chance, that was all he wanted.

  He watched the play, his eyes mesmerized by Rose. She was amazing, an exceptional actress, and she had been willing to give it all up for him. Until he had refused her his love. As he sat watching her, he hoped and prayed she would listen to him.

  The commotion started during the third act. Once again an inebriated man left his seat and made his way toward the stage. Travis felt his heart start to hammer inside his chest as he watched the man stumble toward the stage. When he could walk no further, he started yelling at the women on stage.

  "Lift your skirts. Do the can-can and kick your legs!" he cried out. "Dance, girlies, dance."

  Just then Rose came to the end of the stage to say her part. The man lunged for her, and Travis was out of his seat, running for the stage.

  Rose had retreated when the drunk reached for her, and Travis didn't know if she saw him or not. He reached out, grabbed the man by the shirt collar, and whirled him around. The drunk swung at him, Travis ducked, and his right fist decked the man, knocking him out cold. Travis then dragged him out of the theater, depositing him outside with the local law.

  It was then that he saw Isaiah. The Negro man ambled over to him. "I was just going for that man myself when I saw you coming down that aisle. What are you doing here, Mr. Burnett, or need I ask?"

  Travis smiled, as he'd always liked Isaiah. "I'm here to see Rose, Isaiah. What else? We have some unfinished business."

  "It's a good thing you got here when you did. She's already told this acting troupe she's quitting and going to California. She's catching the stage tomorrow to Galveston. Head'n out of town for good."

  Travis cringed as he realized that if he'd waited any longer, he might never have found her. Together, the two of them went back inside and finished watching the play.

  When it was finally over, Isaiah shook his hand. "I'll be hanging around until she leaves town, and then I'm headin' back to my family. I want what's best for her. Good luck, young man."

  "Thanks, Isaiah." Travis said, and then watched the man amble away.

  People were leaving the tent as he made his way around back to the curtained-off areas for the actors.


  He came to the makeshift rooms, and as a young lady was going in, he asked her, "Would you tell Rose Severin that someone is outside to see her?"

  The woman gave him the once-over and then said, "Sure."

  She disappeared into the room, and he heard her call out, "Rose, there's some good-looking cowboy outside waiting to see you."

  Rose felt her knees start to shake. He was here, but why? Slowly she opened the curtain and peeked outside. Her heart leaped in her chest at the sight of the man she'd fallen desperately in love with. So that had been him in the audience. She hadn't dreamed she saw him carrying out yet another drunk.

  "You're a long way from home, cowboy. What are you doing here?" she asked anxiously.

  He held his hat in his hand, his clothes dusty and dirty. His face was haggard, as if he hadn't slept. He looked like hell, but he was a gorgeous sight to behold just the same.

  "We have some unfinished business we need to talk about, if you don't mind."

  "If it's about your mother's ring, we've said everything there is to say," she quickly informed him.

  He smiled. "No. The ring has been found. Walk with me for a little ways and I'll tell you everything," he said.

  "Just a minute." She ran back inside, grabbed her bag of personal items, and hurried out of the tent. Travis stood waiting for her, looking tired and saddle- weary.

  They walked beside one another away from the tent theater, strolling along, not touching, just walking.

  "When did you get in?" she asked.

  "About an hour ago," he said. "I would have been here sooner, but my horse threw a shoe. I'm sorry I didn't take the time to clean up. I came straight here."

  Oh, my, he had come directly to her, and he now knew where the wedding band was. Rose felt her pulse quicken.

  The moon was full as they walked along a darkened street until they reached a park bench. The stars twinkled above, and a cool night breeze blew softly.

  "Would you like to sit?" he asked.

  "All right."

  They sat at opposite ends of the bench, not touching. She was afraid to touch him for fear the resolve she had built would crumble and she would be lost.

  He leaned his elbows on his knees and twirled his hat nervously. Rose didn't say anything. He was the one who had ridden all this way to talk to her, and she was going to wait him out.