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soon,” he said, falling back into his glib role. “I know you want to get the sale completed as soon as possible.”
    She
had
to get the sale completed soon. The bank loan was coming due and she didn’t have the money for the next installment. If she couldn’t pay it, the bank would auction off their property. McGloughlin would get her ranch at a low price, and she and her brother would be practically destitute.
    â€œSince neither finding the bull nor completing the sale quickly is important to you, I won’t keep you anylonger.” Idalou tried to inject every bit of disdain possible into her tone of voice. “I’m sure you’ll find more convivial company at the Swinging Door.”
    â€œMaybe more welcoming, but certainly not more attractive,” Will said.
    She felt her cheeks grow warm, but she quickly recovered. “I don’t like flattery.” Idalou was certain Will believed fancy words would solve any problem. With a face like his, he was probably right. She had to keep reminding herself she was furious at him, that he was a graceless scamp. She probably ought to thank Mc-Gloughlin for making it impossible for her to close the sale today. She had gone so weak in the knees when she’d set eyes on Will, he could probably have talked her into selling the bull for any price he named.
    â€œNeither do I,” Will said, his eyes surprisingly hard. “I’ve experienced it often enough. But I’ve also seen enough women to know there aren’t many more attractive and spirited than you. If you think that’s flattery, you need a better mirror.”
    Now Idalou was angry at herself for letting her temper get the better of her. “There’s more to me than a face.”
    Will leaned against the porch rail, a quirky smile causing his eyes to gleam with amusement. “I was warned I’d need plenty of liquid courage if I had to tangle with you.”
    Idalou knew people talked about her temper. Considering how she’d behaved toward him during the last twenty minutes, he probably believed the talk was justified. “It makes me angry that people don’t take me seriously just because I’m a woman.”
    â€œYou ought to meet up with Isabelle. The two of you probably wouldn’t stop talking for weeks.”
    Even if they did share an idea or two, Idalouthought it was probably better that she kept a safe distance from Will’s peculiar family. “I really have to go help Carl look for the bull. You may be in no hurry, but I am.”
    Will walked down from the porch and unhitched his horse, a sleek quarter horse of good breeding. “I’ll get out of your way. I hope you find him soon.”
    As she watched Will mount up and ride off, she was irritated that she’d gone and done just what the men in town had said she would. They said she was too temperamental, but she was temperamental because they ignored her efforts to be taken seriously. She’d been foolish to let Will Haskins’s handsome face make her think he would be different. Webb Mc-Gloughlin had been unfaithful as well as reckless. Van Sonnenberg was the worst of the bunch. Was it possible to find a man who was honest as well as hardworking and dependable? A man who believed a woman was worth paying attention to at other places, besides the table or the bed?
    A tremor shook her. The thought of sharing a bed with Will Haskins was like being struck by lightning. If she had any sense, she’d put him out of her mind. It wasn’t any consolation to know he was so handsome that any woman would be overwhelmed just by meeting him. She couldn’t afford to act like
any woman
. Her father had never listened to her, and now the ranch was in trouble. Webb hadn’t listened to her when she’d begged him not to ride the rogue horse that killed him. Carl wouldn’t listen to her because he was in love with Mara. Idalou refused to let Will ignore