Maintaining only a few inches of space between them, he walked in a circle around her. His green-eyed stare drew her in and she couldn’t look away.

“Did you grant me a dance at the Harvest Festival last fall?”

She moved her head, following his predatory stalking. “I did not.”

“Thought not.” He reversed direction and tightened, easing closer and brushing his knee against her thigh.

Blood pounded in her ears and she swallowed hard. Against all logic, arousal built and her nipples tightened into peaks.

“And my dinner invitation a couple months back?”

“I refused it.”

“Exactly.” With a flick of his hand, he tipped her hat and cupped the back of her head, holding her immobile. “Rejection back in high school and rejection now.”

“Shit, Garth, you’re talking years in the past. So you’re refusing to share water as revenge?” She pressed her hands against his chest and pushed hard, but his grip wouldn’t budge.

He narrowed his eyes into slits and his nostrils flared. “Do you deny you’ve given me cause?”

How to fight a choice she made half a lifetime ago? She’d dated Garth for six months before Dave’s family moved to town. Every girl tried to catch the eye of the new guy, but she’d succeeded. Little had she known that laid back, fun-loving Dave would turn into a lazy husband who expected her to shoulder most of the ranch work. Anything not related to rodeo held little of his interest.

Until his last bull ride changed her life forever.

“No.” With that single whispered word, she closed her eyes and dipped her chin. Hopefully, she’d stomach living with herself after tonight’s surrender. “I agree to your offer.”

“Louder.” Garth’s voice growled in her ear as he tangled his fingers in her hair. Lifting a handful, he inhaled.

The rasp in his voice made her shiver. “I agree. One night of sex for the water.”

“Hot, unforgettable sex.” With a chuckle, he loosened his grasp. Moving away, he set his feet shoulder-width apart and crossed both arms over his chest. “Except that was yesterday’s deal.”