Will of Steel Read Online Free Page B

living?” he asked.
    â€œYou didn’t have to anoint him with punch.”
    â€œSure I did. He was so hot under the collar about a speeding ticket my officer gave him that he needed instant cooling off.”
    She laughed. “Your patrolman is still telling that story.”
    â€œWith some exaggerations he added to it,” Theodore chuckled.
    â€œIt cured the guy of complaining to you.”
    â€œYes, it did. But if I wear my uniform to a dance club where people drink, there’s bound to be at least one guy who thinks I’m a target.” She sighed.
    â€œAnd since you’re with me, you’d be right in the thick of it.” He pursed his lips. “You wouldn’t like to be featured in a riot, would you?”
    â€œNot in Billings, no,” she agreed.
    â€œThen you could wear a skirt, couldn’t you?”
    â€œI guess it wouldn’t kill me,” she said, but reluctantly.
    He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. There was some reason she didn’t like dressing like a woman. He wished he could ask her about it, but she was obviously uncomfortable discussing personal issues with him. Maybe it was too soon. He did wonder if she still had scars from her encounter with the auditor.
    He smiled gently. “Something demure,” he added. “I won’t expect you to look like a pole dancer, okay?”
    She laughed. “Okay.”
    He loved the way she looked when she smiled. Her whole face took on a radiance that made her pretty. She didn’t smile often. Well, neither did he. His job was a somber one, most of the time.
    â€œI’ll see you about six, then.”
    She nodded. She was wondering how she was going to afford something new to wear to a fancy nightclub, but she would never have admitted it to him.
    Â 
    She ran into Sassy Callister in town while she was trying to find something presentable on the bargain table at the single women’s clothing store.
    â€œYou’re looking for a dress?” Sassy exclaimed. She’d known Jillian all her life, and she’d never seen her in anything except jeans and shirts. She even wore a pantsuit to church when she went.
    Jillian glared at her. “I do have legs.”
    â€œThat wasn’t what I meant.” She chuckled. “I gather Ted’s taking you out on a real date, huh?”
    Jillian went scarlet. “I never said…!”
    â€œOh, we all know about the will,” Sassy replied easily. “It’s sensible, for the two of you to get married and keep the ranch in the family. Nobody wants to see some fancy resort being set up here,” she added, “with outsiders meddling in our local politics and throwing money around to get things the way they think they should be.”
    Jillian’s eyes twinkled. “Imagine you complaining about the rich, when you just married one of the richest men in Montana.”
    â€œYou know what I mean,” Sassy laughed. “And I’ll remind you that I didn’t know he was rich when I accepted his proposal.”
    â€œA multimillionaire pretending to be a ranch foreman.” Jillian shook her head. “It came as a shock to a lot of us when we found out who he really was.”
    â€œI assure you that it was more of a shock to me,” came the amused reply. “I tried to back out of it, but he wouldn’t let me. He said that money was an accessory, not a character trait. You should meet his brother and sister-in-law,” she added with a grin. “Her parents were missionaries and her aunt is a nun. Oh, and her godfather is one of the most notorious ex-mercenaries who ever used a gun.”
    â€œMy goodness!”
    â€œBut they’re all very down-to-earth. They don’t strut, is what I mean.”
    Jillian giggled. “I get it.”
    Sassy gave her a wise look. “You want something nice for that date, but you’re strained to the gills trying to manage on what your uncle