Free Hunter's Moon (Hunter Family Saga; Half-Moon Ranch 1) by Bobbi Smith Page A

much.
    "Tell you what-I'll buy everyone a drink, and
you can toast Opal's health. How's that?" he offered,
desperate to quiet them down.
    Their anger abated at the offer of free liquor, but
their disappointment was still obvious.
    Bill managed to keep smiling as he served up the
liquor, but he couldn't help wondering what had
really happened to Opal.
    "Does Opal do this often?" Dan asked as Bill set
his free drink before him.
    "No. As a matter of fact, this is the first time."
    "If you'll tell me where she lives, I'd like to go pay
her a visit. I'm not going to be in town for very long,
and I don't want to miss seeing her."

    Bill didn't know what it was, but something
about this man bothered him. "Sorry. I don't give
out that kind of information. Come back tomorrow
night. She'll be here."
    Dan was furious. He wanted to grab the bartender
by the shirt and beat the information out of him, but
he didn't. Instead he merely smiled.
    "I'll do that. I'm looking forward to renewing my
acquaintance with her."
    "I'm sure she'll be glad to see you, too."
    Dan didn't respond as he took a drink. He didn't
want to wait until tomorrow, but what was one
more day after all these months? He believed he'd
finally caught up with her despite her efforts to hide,
and that was all that mattered.
    Dan got another drink and went to join in a
poker game to pass the time. If he was going to be
stuck at the Six Gun, he might as well enjoy
himself.
    "Damned shame Miss Opal ain't performing
tonight," one of the men lamented as he anted up.
    It sure is. It ain't like her not to show up. She
must be sick, like Bill said," another added.
    "I'll bet you she ain't sick," the first man said with
a knowing gleam in his eyes.
    Dan listened attentively to their conversation,
hoping he could learn more about her whereabouts.
    "Why ain't she here, then?"
    "I say she ran off with Andy!" He guffawed.
    They all laughed except Dan.

    "What's so funny?" Dan asked, suddenly fearing
Crystal had gone away with some man, eluding him
again.
    You ain't from around here, are you?" The first
man looked at him.
    "No. I'm) ust passing through, but the way you've
all been talking about Miss Opal, she sounds real
special." He pretended not to know anything about
her to find out what these men knew. He hoped
they might be able to tell him where she lived.
    "Oh, she's special, all right. We all love her. She is
a very talented lady."
    "I see," Dan responded.
    "No, you don't see," the man corrected him,
understanding what he was implying and wanting to
set him straight.
    "But you just said she might have run off with
some man named Andy."
    "Miss Opal is a lady, and Andy... well, he's her
biggest admirer in town, and he's also her oldest. How
old do you boys think Andy is? Eighty? Ninety?"
    The other men chuckled in good humor. "A
hundred if he's a day," one replied.
    He finally understood their joke. "Oh, well, the
barkeep said she'd be back tomorrow. With all that
I've heard about her, I was looking forward to seeing
her performance tonight."
    We all were. I guess we'll just have to satisfy
ourselves with playing poker instead."
    It was late when Dan left the saloon and made his way to the hotel where he'd taken a room for the
night. Frustrated though he was by his sister's
nonappearance, he had won handily at the poker
table. He figured that was a sign his luck was finally
changing. He needed some good luck for a change.

    The next night Dan went to the saloon early,
ready for the confrontation to come with his little
sister. The Six Gun was crowded again with many of
the same cowboys who'd been there the night before,
and he eyed the poker tables with interest, trying to
decide which game to join.
    "So you did stay over to see Opal," Bill
remarked as Dan came up to the bar. Bill had
already made the announcement to his regular
customers that Opal would not be performing that
night, and he didn't look forward to telling this