Saddles and tobacco are not all they are selling in the shops today. Annalise Coton is to be sold to the highest bidder. At eighteen, she has met her usefulness as a nursemaid to her half-brother. With no natural parent to protect her from the outcome, she will go home with the man offering the best price by the close of business today. Proposal of marriage optional. But if the choice were hers, the attractive lord who entered the leather shop is the one she would consider. He was obviously used to having his desires met, but there was a gentleness about him that belied the harder, angular exterior. She imagined he would be a strict taskmaster, possibly a ruffian in the marriage bed, but a tender caretaker. She would go with him if he would only pay her price.Lord Stephen Thayer needed to find a wife, produce heirs, and meet his first-son obligations. Which was fine, however, he had prerequisites that were making a choice difficult, and he would not lower his expectations or standards merely to obtain a bride. Stephen wasn't a snob. He had needs, and he wanted a woman who had the same desires as he did, but how to find her was the issue. With the London season ended, Stephen prepares to return to his estate, stopping to purchase some needed leather and possibly a new pistol. He finds that a new saddle and pistol are not all that is offered at the shops today. He wants a burst of sunshine in the morning, a sprite in the afternoon, a lady in the evening, and a wanton at night, but the choices are slim. Are his desires unattainable? Could the lovely blonde-haired sprite with the biting tongue, innocent bravado, and enticing pout be the answer to his dilemma? Would she submit to his benevolent manner and subtle take-charge ways? The choice was his to make and hers to take.