Man Drought Read Online Free

Majestic for the last two years. One of the things about a small town with next to no women was the lack of gossip. Usually it wasn’t a problem, but in situations like this …
    ‘Buying the pub. She signed the papers last week. Handover is in a month.’
    Gibson gulped and gave in to the urge he’d been fighting since he walked in the door. He turned and unashamedly stared at thefemale trio, zooming in on the beauty with red hair and a rather large … bust. Not too large, but big enough to cup in his hands –
shit
, what was he thinking?
    He shook his head and turned back to Charlie. ‘Her and her husband?’
    ‘No. She came a few weeks ago to have a look, and I asked Cathy and Trev about her later. Only her name on the contract.’
    ‘That’s insane.’ He looked around the pub at the rowdy mob of blue-collar workers. They were generally in good spirits, but if a brawl kicked off, how was she supposed to handle it? She couldn’t be much over twenty-five and she couldn’t rely on Charlie. At eighty-two, he wouldn’t stand a chance against an irate patron, although he’d give it his best shot. ‘What about you? Will she want an old bloke hanging around still?’
    ‘Nuff of the “old”, thanks. But don’t worry your pretty little head about me, Gibby. Cathy and Trev wrote me into the contract. The old girl and I,’ he waved his arms around, gesturing to his surroundings, ‘we’re a package deal.’
    Gibson tapped his fingers on the bar top, resisting the urge to ball his fingers into fists. ‘She’ll never last. A pub’s no place for a woman on her own. This town’s no place for a woman.’
    ‘We’ll see.’ Gibson detected a hint of amusement in his grandfather’s voice. The man was mocking him. ‘So, can I interest you in the pasta?’
    Gibson took one more look at the girls then shook his head. ‘No thanks, I’m not hungry. See you tomorrow.’
    Before Charlie could say more, Gibson downed the rest of his beer, turned and walked out of the pub.

Chapter Two
    One Month Later
    Imogen spent most of her first full day in Gibson’s Find in The Majestic’s tiny office, sweating in the late summer heat and discussing the handover with the previous owners. According to the contract, Cathy and Trevor had to stay on site for ten days to help Imogen learn the ropes, but the middle-aged couple were eager to leave sooner if possible. They were getting ready to head off in their shiny new caravan on a tour of Australia, and Imogen was looking forward to having the place to herself.
    She knew The Majestic would be hard work, but that’s what she wanted – needed – to keep her mind from dwelling on the past.
    Cathy was giving her a crash course – everything from the staffing arrangements and the ordering of new liquor and food supplies to the system for taking accommodation bookings. After a day of it, Imogen’s head spun from all she’d learnt but she appreciated Cathy’s attention to detail. With her experience of runningthe wine bar in Perth, she had her own ideas for overhauling some of these ancient systems, but she didn’t want to sound ungrateful by telling the older woman. As helpful as Cathy and Trevor were, with them hanging around, she felt as if a teacher were constantly watching over her shoulder.
    At half past five Trevor poked his head around the door. ‘You girls finished yet?’
    He wore a chef’s outfit that could no longer be classified as white, and his round face was red and shiny from the heat in the kitchen. As a couple, he and Cathy had always held very defined roles within the pub. Trevor handled the menu, any heavy lifting and all the cooking, while Cathy did the bookkeeping, managed their limited staff and sweet-talked the boys that treated the bar as their home night after night. From what Imogen had seen, the regulars all adored Cathy – none of them seemed to care about the derelict state of the building.
    Imogen had big shoes to fill. And even though she’d hired