The Rancher Takes a Bride

  He'd been wrong once again about her. Rose was his own little con artist. She was not greedy and mean, but an innocent victim of a father who had abandoned his only daughter to somehow make it on her own. And she'd done the best job she knew how with the resources available to her.

  Her mouth opened up like a flower, and his tongue caressed the inside of her lip, then swept her mouth, insistent and urgent. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him, pressing her sweet body against him, seeking what he was more than happy to supply.

  With a swish of skirts, he lifted her in his arms and carried her to his bed. Needing the contact of her mouth to his, he covered her lips once again, nipping at her bottom lip, drinking of her sweet nectar.

  Joining her on the bed, he curled around her, wrapping her in his arms.

  The urgency to be next to her, to touch her, almost overwhelmed him. She was leaving, and he needed to be imprinted by her body one more time. To somehow absorb as much of her in one night as he was capable of, though he knew his thoughts were irrational.

  His hand skimmed down the front of her dress, cupping her breast, kneading the soft mound, while he ached to wrap his lips around her sweet nipple.

  He'd taken her once in a hurried fashion, along the banks of the pond. This time he wanted to linger over her body, explore her, relish in her sweet curves. This time had to be special, since it would be their last. This time had to last him a lifetime and then some, because he couldn't ask her to stay.

  She tasted of erotic dreams and lazy mornings, and if this was a dream, he didn't want to awaken if Rose was not in his bed, lying beneath him. His lips trailed down her neck, across her silken shoulder, as his hands worked at the buttons of her dress.

  His fingers fumbled, and she brushed them away. Quickly she undid the buttons on her dress and opened the bodice of her gown. He smiled and for a moment felt lost in her hot emerald gaze.

  Until she pulled his mouth back down to her lips, collecting his attention once again, while kissing him hungrily. His hand reached inside and tenderly plucked her hardened nipple from her chemise, the pebbled kernel hard and wanting, just like him.

  Reluctantly, he released her sweet mouth and continued his exploration across her shoulder and down her chest, leaving a trail of soft, moist kisses across her sensitive flesh.

  God, he didn't want her to go. She'd brightened his life, she made him laugh, she defied him at every turn, and now she was leaving.

  He encircled her nipple, moving closer and closer until finally he flicked his tongue across the hardened pebble. Rose arched her back, pressing the kernel closer to him, wanting more. She moaned, a deep, earthy sound, as he suckled her breast, his mouth teasing and taunting her with his tongue.

  From the very beginning she'd attracted him, intrigued him. Yet he'd believed the worst about her, when really she'd been an innocent, left to struggle and find her own way in the world.

  He opened her chemise wider when her dress got in the way. Finally she pushed him aside and sat up on the edge of the bed. She stood and faced him, her lips turned up in a tantalizing smile that left him breathless. Slowly, she peeled her dress from her body and stood before him in her under-petticoat, her chemise hanging down to her knees. Her breasts beckoned him through the filmy material.

  Rose untied her petticoat and let it drop to the floor in a pool at her feet; then she stepped out of the cambric material. Her drawers peeked out from beneath her chemise as she turned and pulled the loose garment over her head. When she turned around, she faced him in nothing but her drawers, and he gasped at the sight of her naked breasts, pleased she was no shrinking violet.

  He held out a hand and she placed her palm in his and he pulled her into bed, determined not to let her out again.

  But Rose had other ideas as she promptly pushed him out of bed.

  "Uh-uh. It's your turn now," she indicated with a wave of her hand, pointing at his pants. "Lose 'em."

  She reclined in his bed, her dark hair splayed across his pillows. She looked as though she belonged there. This room, this bed, might have been made for her, and he couldn't help but stare.

  A smile creased her face. "What are you waiting for, cowboy? Dawn?"

  He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his boots off. When he was finished, she pushed him off the bed.

  "On your feet. Last time was a muddy blur. Not this time."

  Travis had never felt more self-conscious in all his life, yet he couldn't help but grin. He could play her game. He slowly turned toward her and unbuttoned another button on his pants. His hands moved to his feet, and as he pulled off one sock, he caught a quick flash of disappointment in her eyes. He unbuttoned another button of his pants and smiled down at her.

  She grinned, catching on quickly, and settled more firmly into the mattress.

  He reached for his second sock and pulled it off. His fingers flicked another button open on his pants.

  He glanced up and met her gaze; the fire in her eyes scorched him, and he clenched his fists to keep from yanking the rest of his clothes off.

  Gritting his teeth in agony as he tried to prolong the suspense as long as possible, he straightened and undid another button on his pants. His manhood strained as he tested the strength of the remaining button.

  With a quick glance and a naughty smile, Travis unhooked the last button. Turning his back to her, he shucked his pants to reveal his naked skin beneath.

  When he turned around, she took one long look at him and smiled. "Where are your long johns?" she questioned.

  He crawled on the bed beside her and pulled her up against his naked skin, reveling in the feel of her satiny flesh against his.

  "I don't wear underwear in the summer," he whispered in her ear.

  She gasped. "Oh, my. You mean you're always naked under those pants?"

  Travis chuckled as his tongue teased the soft ridge of her ear. "Just me and my birthday suit."

  "Oh . . ." she said as he rolled over on top of her, his hands trailing down her silken flesh.

  "Maybe you should try it sometime," he drawled, grasping the curve of her sweet bottom.

  His hand returned to the waistband of her drawers and he yanked them off, sending the garment flying to the floor. His fingertips continued their path, down past her waist, down to the thatch of hair between her thighs. She was soft and silky and oh-so-warm and moist, just for him.

  He'd been her first lover. He was the only man she'd let get this close in her short years. He was the one she had trusted enough to show her how it could be between a man and a woman. The man who held her captive, who'd never believed in her, who thought the worst about her. Yet, she'd trusted him.

  "Oh, Travis," she whispered in his ear as his fingers delved into her moist depths.

  Gently, he cupped the center of her being, while his lips nibbled on her earlobe. His fingers brushed her satiny folds, tempting and teasing while his lips brushed her neck, trailing down her creamy shoulders, sampling her sweet flesh. Her lashes fluttered and he could feel her pulse beneath his lips pounding rhythmically as, like a cat, she arched her back against his hand, wanting more.

  In the glow of the lantern, he felt her heated release against his hand as he stroked her center, until she called his name out loud and he quickly silenced her with a kiss.

  Before this woman, no one had ever called his name out loud with need. No one had ever abandoned herself totally in his arms, the way Rose let herself go. She lay limp, trusting, in his arms, and he'd never felt so connected with another human being in his life.

  His hand reached out and brushed the tangled mass of curls away from her face, and she opened her eyes slowly. She almost purred his name.

  "Travis, I . . ."

  Her lips were too tempting as he covered them once again. He didn't want to talk right now. He only wanted to feel, to experience this woman.

  Feel her body lying beneath him. Feel her flesh wrapped around him, pulsing against him. No thoughts of tomorrow,
only tonight, the two of them pursuing the desire between them.

  She slid a hand down his chest, past his waist, until she reached her final destination. He gasped, his lips releasing hers, as she wrapped her fingers around his hardened flesh, flicking the head with a gentle stroke. He lay back, letting the fierce pounding of his blood overwhelm him, as pleasure wafted over him in pulsating waves. She leaned over him, her hand still caressing him as her lips covered his. Greedily, she devoured him, her tongue tracing the edges of his lips, her hand sliding up and down his blood-engorged manhood.

  Deep, resonant sensations filled him, and he lay back and let her fingertips work their magic, rhythmically stroking him ever closer to the edge. Her lips gently nibbled on his mouth, her tongue teasing a seductive path down to the hardened muscles of his chest. Her mouth lavished his nipple, tenderly caressing the tender orb.

  Suddenly, unable to take the ecstasy anymore, he lifted her up and rolled her to her back in a single movement.

  She wrapped her legs around him as he placed his manhood at her womanly entrance. With a primal surge, he entered her, needing to feel her flesh surrounding him, burying himself deep within her.

  Her soft whimpers of pleasure increased with each long, slow stroke of his body as he slowed his pace, feeling the need to make it last. This moment with this woman had to last a lifetime. In less than two days, she would be gone, a distant memory to keep him warm on cold winter evenings and hot summer days. But his life would never be the same.

  Rose had changed him, made him see life from a different angle. Made him realize just how empty his existence had been until she'd stumbled into his world.

  And once she was gone, how lonely he would be once again.

  His lips covered hers as they shared the breath of life, his nostrils filled with the scent of Rose, the taste of Rose on his lips. And he was consumed with a passion that surpassed anything he'd ever felt before.

  He clasped her hands in his, bracing against her, plunging deeper and deeper into her, feeling as if his soul was joining with hers. Her eyelashes fluttered against her cheek. Her body quivered as she shuddered with completion.

  "Travis," she whispered in the dark, and his heart swelled inside his chest. God, this woman had a way of making him feel larger than life.

  He couldn't hold back any longer. He'd waited as long as he could, but Rose was ready once again. And this time they both rode a star to the moon and slowly fell back to earth clasped in each other's arms.

  ***

  The moon had risen to its full height and was once again descending when Travis awoke with a start. Rose lay curled against him, snug in his arms, her silken skin warm against him.

  In the moonlight, he could see her eyelashes curled against her pale skin, the dark shadows underneath her eyes. She looked so innocent, so peaceful and gentle, the will of iron and steel hidden beneath her kind heart. This tiny woman who had tested his strength in so many ways lay curled, sleeping, in his arms.

  They had only hours before dawn. Only days before she went away permanently, leaving him alone once more. He'd never known just how isolated he was until she'd come into his life. But now he knew his existence before Rose had been dull and lifeless. Now he wondered what he would do once she was gone.

  It wasn't as if he'd fallen in love with her. But he couldn't keep his hands off her. There was this persistent itch that only she seemed to soothe. Her touch brought instant relief to his drought-ridden soul and left him hungering for more.

  Maybe it would have been different if both times the sex hadn't been so gratifying as to leave him stunned at the intense satisfaction. But Rose had taken him to heights of pleasure that he'd never before experienced.

  He'd resisted succumbing to her magic every step of the way, but somehow he'd been unable to defy the potency of her charms. And deep down, he no longer wanted to.

  She intrigued him. She frustrated him and challenged him at the same time. Life would indeed be dull without her. He didn't know why her leaving should matter so much, but it did.

  Rose wasn't what he wanted in a wife, so he hadn't fallen in love with her. She wasn't quiet, meek, and trained in all the fine arts a lady should know. She didn't know how to cook, clean, or live the life of a rancher's wife.

  She wasn't a lady, but she was so much more.

  Rose Severin was an enigma who constantly kept his life in turmoil. She was a good woman, and he'd taken her virginity.

  For a moment he stopped, stunned. He had taken her innocence.

  Tonight he'd slept with her beneath his mother's roof. A good woman would insist upon marriage.

  He didn't want her to leave.

  A good woman would insist he must marry her.

  Rose was a good woman. Indeed, it was his duty to marry her.

  Travis pulled her tighter against him. It would be less than honorable not to offer her marriage, and he was an honorable man. He had to offer her marriage; he had no choice in the matter. It was the solution to his dilemma.

  In the morning he would insist they marry. Then she wouldn't be leaving.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Rose stirred sleepily in Travis's arms when the light, feathery kisses he placed on her neck and ear roused her from a deep sleep. For just a moment she wondered where she was. Then memories of the night before came rushing back, and she burrowed deeper under the covers, her mind still in a sensual daze.

  She felt his lips graze along her naked shoulder, and all she wanted to do was snuggle closer to him. Her eyelashes fluttered open, and she glanced up at the man whose arms she lay in and met his clear, brown-eyed gaze. God, he was handsome all sleep-tousled, warm, and sensuous.

  "Wake up, sleepyhead," he said softly, his breath tickling her ear. "I hate to kick you out, but it won't be pleasant if someone found you in my room."

  "Hmm. I know," she said, burrowing a little deeper, not yet ready to slip back to her room. Day after tomorrow, she would depart and leave him behind. Each moment they were together she memorized, to enjoy later when she was alone.

  Yet she couldn't stay and face Travis every morning, see him every day, without giving away the knowledge that she loved him. She couldn't stand the thought of being cast aside, once he found his perfect wife. These last few moments were all she had left, and she wanted to enjoy the feel of his arms around her, snuggle just a little longer with him beneath the covers.

  "What time is it?" she asked sleepily.

  "Time for you to wake up and talk to me before you go back to your room."

  The moon shone through the open window, clearly enough so that she could see his eyes in the darkness. He looked so serious that she turned her head to his chest instead and nestled deeper down into the covers.

  "Rose, don't go back to sleep."

  "I'm not, I'm listening," she said drowsily.

  "I've been thinking. Most women would have expected marriage after what we've done," he said, his voice tense.

  "Hmm."

  "I ... I think we should get married," he said nervously.

  Suddenly her body tensed, and she jerked up from his chest. She stared at him. Had her ears been deceiving her?

  "Did you just ask me to marry you?" she questioned.

  "Yes," he stated.

  "But Travis ..."

  "Will you marry me, Rose?" he asked, gazing at her.

  Rose felt her body start to tremble, and her eyes filled with tears. She threw her arms around him. "Yes! Yes."

  Marriage! Travis was asking her to marry him. She laughed giddily, a rush of happiness stunning her. They were going to marry.

  "We can tell Mother this weekend and then see about the arrangements. By next weekend, we could be man and wife. There would be no more sneaking around," he said, smiling.

  Travis's lips covered hers in a kiss, and Rose thought she'd never been happier. No other time in her life had she experienced so much turmoil and now blissfulness. She felt as though she was still asleep and wanted to pinch herself to ma
ke sure this wasn't a dream.

  But there was so much to discuss. She put her hands between them and broke off the kiss, her heart pounding, her breath coming in short gasps.

  She pulled back away from Travis. "Why are we waiting until the weekend? Why not tell everyone now?"

  "We'll go into town on Sunday and have dinner with everyone and announce it at the dinner table. It will be a nice surprise."

  She thought for a moment. "Um. That would be fun. Who all will be there?" she asked.

  "Mom and Tucker. Maybe my aunt and uncle, but I know Tucker will be there," he said, running his finger down her cheek.

  "Do you think we can keep it a secret until Sunday?" Rose asked.

  Travis rubbed his hand along her back in a caressing manner. "I know I can, but what about you?"

  "It's going to be hard. And your mother will probably be suspicious, especially if we're getting along."

  "Then I'll pick a fight," he said teasingly.

  "Just try it, mister. I'll come to your room tonight and punish you," she promised.

  He kissed her neck, the curve of her shoulder, easing his way beneath the covers. "Sounds like fun. What do you want to fight about?"

  She gasped as his lips found her nipple and he nipped the delicate bud with his teeth. She couldn't think. She could barely talk. "Right now I ... just want you to continue what you're doing."

  ***

  Saturday afternoon, the hot summer sun beat down unmercifully on the land and the people. Rose sat inside the parlor trying to read a book and stay cool, her thoughts on Travis and their upcoming wedding. A week from today she would become Mrs. Travis Burnett, and she felt her lips turn up in a secretive smile.

  The knowledge was fairly bursting from her, yet so far she had managed to keep the news to herself. Fortunately, with Travis out working the cattle and Eugenia gone to visit a friend, the secret was safe. And soon she would need to leave for town to give her last performance.

  They hadn't discussed her acting last night. She'd only assumed he would want her to give up her position with the troupe. Though she had enjoyed being in the play, it suddenly no longer seemed the important, all-consuming way she wanted to live her life.

  She gazed about the parlor dreamily. She never would have believed it if anyone had told her that Travis was going to ask her to marry him.