Water Witch Read Free Page A

had a feeling she’d tackle a tiger and come out with him by the tail.
    Yet, for all her gutsiness, there was something else he saw behind those dark eyes. Maybe it was just nervousness. She didn’t know him from Adam, and he had tried to break in the house, had nearly scared the pants off her. Recalling their earlier exchange, he grinned. Yes, she was some kind of woman. And he wanted to see more of her—again. He groaned when he remembered the soft curves visible beneath her thin nightshirt.
    “Are you in pain?”
    He looked up to see Max standing beside him, frowning. “Just a little,” he said, feeling a twinge of guilt for the lie. His leg was the furthest thing from his mind. Reaching for the snifter she offered, he gave a blatantly theatrical sigh and said, “I may have to stay here overnight so you can nurse me.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Come off it, Garrett.” Sure, the project was vital to her, but she’d be damned if she’d play games with this overgrown redhead to keep it—no matter how attracted she was to him. Sinking into the sofa that matched the chair he was sprawled in, she tucked her legs under her. “You’ve probably been hurt worse playing football lots of times.”
    “Why do you think I played football?”
    “Because you’re as big as the side of a house. Didn’t you play football?”
    He shook his head. “Do I look crazy? I’m a gentle kind of guy; I didn’t want to get my brains mashed out. I played a little baseball in high school and college.”
    “And what do you do now?”
    “Nothing.”
    “Nothing?”
    “Absolutely nothing.” He took a sip of brandy and rested the snifter on his stomach. Looking a bit smug, he added, “As of today, I’m retired.”
    “Retired? Aren’t you too young to retire?”
    “Nope. Too old. I’d planned to retire by the time I was thirty-five. I missed it by a year.”
    His comments infuriated Max. Here was this big brute, obviously from a wealthy family, and he could retire. Here she was, she who had worked her buns off for everything she had, struggling to survive. Dammit, life wasn’t fair.
    “I suppose now you can spend your time sitting on the front porch rocking and whittling,” she said, doing nothing to hide the caustic bite of her disdain.
    “Now there’s an idea,” Sam said, nodding, ignoring her sarcasm. “I may even learn to chew tobacco and spit.” Then he grinned. “Actually, I plan to do some fishing, some more building around my place, raise a few sheep, maybe some chickens. And I intend to devote a lot of time to painting. It’s something I’ve always wanted time for. The scenery around here is perfect for it.”
    Max regretted her snide remarks. After all, her troubles weren’t Sam’s fault. “Sounds nice.” Her finger absently traced the rim of her snifter. “So you’re an artist.”
    He shrugged, then abruptly changed the direction of their conversation. “What kind of project are you doing for Buck?”
    She reached for her purse on the coffee table, pulled out a business card, and handed it to him. She didn’t mention that the ink was barely dry and the cards weren’t paid for yet. “I’m the owner of the Never Miss Drilling Company. I’m here to locate water on Mr. Barton’s hilltop south of Kerrville and drill a well for Mrs. Barton.”
    Sam let out a whoop of laughter and Max glared at him. “What’s so damned funny?” she asked, grinding her teeth to keep from kicking his good leg.
    “Sweetheart, you don’t look like any water well driller I’ve ever seen. And in any case, there’s no water on that property Honey Bear wants to build a house on. I know. As a favor to my uncle, I had my best drilling crew sink seven or eight holes up there. If there was any good water to be found, they’d have found it. It’s nothing but a pile of rocks with a pretty view. Don’t waste your time and Buck’s money.”
    “Do you have a drilling company?”
    “No, until today I had a heavy construction