squirmed, settling herself firmly against him. She then proceeded to watch as the last of the sun's rays disappeared behind the western sky. The horse plodded along, and Rose felt her body begin to unwind on the back of the big Appaloosa. Maybe riding a horse wasn't half bad after all. It reminded her of being in a rocker that moved sideways, jolting her up and down.
A mosquito buzzed around her ear and she reached up and swatted the pesky bug. When she did she almost lost her balance, but Travis's arms tightened around her, protectively. An enveloping sense of security and warmth stole over her, and she fought the feelings with all her strength. She didn't want to have any pleasant emotions for this man. He didn't deserve them.
Twilight slipped into darkness and still they continued on. "I hate to be the one to mention this, but it's getting dark. Are we going to ride all night, or just to the next inn?"
"We're not going to spend the night at an inn. We'll camp somewhere just off the trail," he advised calmly.
"What? Where am I going to sleep? I'm not sleeping on the ground," she said, aggravated more by his calm, quiet attitude than by his words.
"Then you can sleep standing, and I'll use my bedroll."
"Don't you think it would be better to keep going until we find an inn or a ranch house willing to let us spend the night?" she questioned, fearing before she asked what the answer would be.
"No."
"You know—sheets, blankets, and a pillow? The kind of things civilized people sleep on?"
"I'll sleep on the ground, and you'll have the bedroll, so quit complaining."
She looked up at the stars, as if seeking help from above, and shook her head. "Oh, God! If I'd known how much trouble was coming my way when I met Mrs. Burnett, I'd have refused her money."
"But you should have known. I thought palm readers knew everything," he said, his voice almost laughing.
She glanced up at him, but couldn't see his face clearly in the near dark. This cowboy didn't let anything slip past him. "It's bad luck to read your own palm."
"I just bet it is."
Rose held up her palm and glanced at it in the fading light. "Years ago a friend of mine read my palm and predicted I'd find fame and fortune," she said, unsure of why she was telling him this story.
"Yeah, fame on a wanted poster with a fortune going to the person who finds you."
"You do have a vicious tongue, Mr. Burnett. Not a wanted poster, but a billboard as an actress. Some day I'm going to be a famous actress." Her dreams were just as important as everyone else's. Why did she always receive the same reaction when she mentioned wanting to be an actress?
"And you've already started practicing your art," he said with a laugh. "Playing a medium."
Frustration overwhelmed her. The man just didn't understand. "Of course not! Being a medium is a vocation I was born with. Acting is what I dream of doing. Don't you have dreams, Mr. Burnett?"
"Yes, of a quiet night under the stars without a yapping woman."
"Dogs yap. I speak."
He glanced down at her and grinned. "Lady, you never shut up. Maybe there is some truth in your speaking to the dead. Maybe people have died from over-exposure to your tongue."
"Hardly!" She glared at him in the semi-darkness and said with frustration, "Are we going to eat anytime soon?"
"Mother packed some hardtack biscuits. When we stop, we'll have them."
"How convenient."
She squirmed, trying to relieve certain portions of her body that had no feeling left in them, and in the process elbowed Mr. Burnett.
"Stop moving around or you're going to knock both of us off the back end of this horse."
"Well it's a good thing I don't know how to ride a horse, because otherwise your backside would be in the dirt, and I'd be riding back to Waco."
"You might escape me, Miss Severin. But I'd find you. You wouldn't get away from me for long. And when I found you, I'd make your life hell!"
She faked a yawn. "Another nasty threat, Mr. Burnett? Truly this one makes me
A mosquito buzzed around her ear and she reached up and swatted the pesky bug. When she did she almost lost her balance, but Travis's arms tightened around her, protectively. An enveloping sense of security and warmth stole over her, and she fought the feelings with all her strength. She didn't want to have any pleasant emotions for this man. He didn't deserve them.
Twilight slipped into darkness and still they continued on. "I hate to be the one to mention this, but it's getting dark. Are we going to ride all night, or just to the next inn?"
"We're not going to spend the night at an inn. We'll camp somewhere just off the trail," he advised calmly.
"What? Where am I going to sleep? I'm not sleeping on the ground," she said, aggravated more by his calm, quiet attitude than by his words.
"Then you can sleep standing, and I'll use my bedroll."
"Don't you think it would be better to keep going until we find an inn or a ranch house willing to let us spend the night?" she questioned, fearing before she asked what the answer would be.
"No."
"You know—sheets, blankets, and a pillow? The kind of things civilized people sleep on?"
"I'll sleep on the ground, and you'll have the bedroll, so quit complaining."
She looked up at the stars, as if seeking help from above, and shook her head. "Oh, God! If I'd known how much trouble was coming my way when I met Mrs. Burnett, I'd have refused her money."
"But you should have known. I thought palm readers knew everything," he said, his voice almost laughing.
She glanced up at him, but couldn't see his face clearly in the near dark. This cowboy didn't let anything slip past him. "It's bad luck to read your own palm."
"I just bet it is."
Rose held up her palm and glanced at it in the fading light. "Years ago a friend of mine read my palm and predicted I'd find fame and fortune," she said, unsure of why she was telling him this story.
"Yeah, fame on a wanted poster with a fortune going to the person who finds you."
"You do have a vicious tongue, Mr. Burnett. Not a wanted poster, but a billboard as an actress. Some day I'm going to be a famous actress." Her dreams were just as important as everyone else's. Why did she always receive the same reaction when she mentioned wanting to be an actress?
"And you've already started practicing your art," he said with a laugh. "Playing a medium."
Frustration overwhelmed her. The man just didn't understand. "Of course not! Being a medium is a vocation I was born with. Acting is what I dream of doing. Don't you have dreams, Mr. Burnett?"
"Yes, of a quiet night under the stars without a yapping woman."
"Dogs yap. I speak."
He glanced down at her and grinned. "Lady, you never shut up. Maybe there is some truth in your speaking to the dead. Maybe people have died from over-exposure to your tongue."
"Hardly!" She glared at him in the semi-darkness and said with frustration, "Are we going to eat anytime soon?"
"Mother packed some hardtack biscuits. When we stop, we'll have them."
"How convenient."
She squirmed, trying to relieve certain portions of her body that had no feeling left in them, and in the process elbowed Mr. Burnett.
"Stop moving around or you're going to knock both of us off the back end of this horse."
"Well it's a good thing I don't know how to ride a horse, because otherwise your backside would be in the dirt, and I'd be riding back to Waco."
"You might escape me, Miss Severin. But I'd find you. You wouldn't get away from me for long. And when I found you, I'd make your life hell!"
She faked a yawn. "Another nasty threat, Mr. Burnett? Truly this one makes me
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