“The problem is,” Cody continued, still frowning, “if I don’t stake my claim on you now, there’ll be ten other ranchers all vying for your attention.”

“Stake your claim?” He made her sound like an acre of water-rich land.

“You know,” he said. “Let everyone in town see you’re my woman.”

“I’m not any man’s woman.”

“Not yet, but I’d like you to think about being mine.” He removed his hat; Sherry guessed that meant he intended her to take him seriously. “If you’d be willing to run off and get married, then—”

“Then what?”

“Then we’d be done with it. See, like I said, I don’t have the time or energy to waste on courtin’ a woman.”

Sherry nodded slowly, all the while chewing the inside of her cheek to keep from saying something she’d wish she hadn’t. So much for romance! So much for sipping champagne and feeding each other chocolate-covered strawberries in the moonlight, a fantasy she’d had for years. Or a romantic weekend in San Antonio, the way Norah had described. No wonder Heather was frustrated with her father. The girl must feel as if she was smacking her head against a brick wall.

“Well?” Cody demanded.

Sherry stared at him. “Are you kidding me?”

“Of course not! I meant every word.” He paused to take a deep breath. “I like you. You like me. What else is there? Sure, we can spend the next few months going through all those ridiculous courtin’ rituals or we can use the common sense God gave us and be done with this romance nonsense.”

“And do what?” Sherry asked innocently.

“Get married, of course. I haven’t stopped thinking about you in two weeks. You didn’t stop thinking about me, either. I saw it in your eyes no more’n an hour ago. You know what it’s like when we kiss. Instead of playing games with each other, why not admit you want me as much as I want you? I never did understand why women always complicate a basic human need. A bunch of flowery words isn’t going to make any difference. If you want kids, all the better.”

Sherry carefully composed her response. Apparently she took longer than he thought necessary.

“Well?” he pressed.

She looked up at him, her gaze deliberately calm. “I’d rather eat fried rattlesnake than marry a man who proposed to me the way you just did.”

Cody stared at her as if not sure what to make of her response, then slammed his hat back on his head. “This is exactly the problem with you women. You want everything served to you on a silver platter. And for your information, fried rattlesnake happens to be pretty good. Doesn’t taste all that different from chicken.”

“Well, I wouldn’t eat it even if it was served on a silver platter,” Sherry snapped. This conversation was over. He’d frustrated her before, but now she was really angry.

“That’s your decision, then?”

“That’s my decision,” she said tightly.