“To pursue the claim on Twin Springs, it will be better if we marry.”

Rowena’s voice gained a bitter edge. “If you are asking me to be your wife, you ought to at least have the courtesy of looking at me.”

Marshal Hunter pivoted on his boot heels, and Rowena could feel the scrutiny of those cold green eyes. “What I’m proposing is a business arrangement,” he informed her. “You said you wanted to go back to Twin Springs, settle there. If we marry, I can make that possible. Do we have a deal?”

Such a cold, businesslike approach. Rowena controlled a frisson and brushed aside the fleeting regret. She’d had a proposal that came with kisses and declarations of love, and those had turned out to be false.

“Yes,” she replied. “I have no objection to marrying you. So far you have treated me with courtesy, acted with honor and shown remarkable generosity. I believe my chances of finding happiness with you are as great as they are with any other man.”

The marshal’s jaw tightened. “Don’t expect too much from me.”