Hunter's Moon (Hunter Family Saga; Half-Moon Ranch 1) (13 page)

Crystal moved on to chat with the other
customers. She wasn't sure why she'd felt drawn to
the older man, but she had enjoyed talking with
him.

Jack watched her go, and he was most impressed.
She was pretty and talented, and she'd been kind to
him, which was something that hadn't happened a
lot since his return.

Edmund and Iona returned to the table where Abby
was sitting alone.

"May I have the honor of the next dance, Abby?"
he asked.

"I'm sorry. I don't dance."

"I could teach you."

"I'm perfectly happy sitting here with Iona."

Edmund studied her as boldly as he dared,
keeping his expression carefully benign. He
imagined himself touching her soft skin and running
his hands through her dark hair. There were other
things he wanted to do with her, too, but he put
those lecherous thoughts from him-for now. Iona
was already looking at him strangely, and he didn't
want her to suspect the truth of what he was feeling
for Abby.

Frustrated, Edmund silently cursed them both.
He excused himself and left the two women, moving
away from the crowd around the dance floor. He
breathed deeply of the evening air as he struggled to
control his anger. He was startled when Dr. Gibbs
stepped out of the shadows before him.

"Iona is taking laudanum again, isn't she,
Edmund?" he demanded accusingly. "I could see it in
her eyes when I talked to her tonight. I warned you it was dangerous when I prescribed it for her. She was
only supposed to use it temporarily, and now, with
her present problem, there's a risk-"

"Her present problem?" Edmund countered
coldly.

Her drinking."

"Iona enjoys a glass of sherry now and then, but
her drinking is controlled."

"Are you that naive?"

"Believe what you like," Edmund snapped back at
him. "Iona asked me to find a way to get the
medicine for her when you would no longer supply
it. I found it was available through my contacts back
east, so I complied with her request."

"But I told you-"

"I don't care what you told me. Iona is satisfied,
and so am I."

"I'm warning you, Edmund-"

"Warning me?" A tight smile twisted his mouth.
"What will- you do? Report me to the sheriff?"

Dr. Gibbs went pale at his words.

Edmund gave a short, confident laugh. "No, I
don't think you'll be doing that."

Edmund turned his back on the silent doctor and
moved off to rejoin the crowd.

"Are you having a good time, dear?" Iona asked
Abby.

Abby wasn't enjoying herself at all, but she
couldn't admit that to Iona. It was painful to watch all the girls her age dancing and having fun while she
sat on the sidelines feeling miserable. She had never
been included in their merriment, and she never
expected to be.

The music has been lively," Abby said, hoping
Iona would not notice that she'd sidestepped her
question. "I believe Mr. Harding has improved his
skills on the fiddle."

Iona nodded, and they sat in silence watching the
festivities.

When Iona asked Edmund to dance again, Abby
went to find Brent, She was aware that some of the
people were staring at her and that some of the
women were whispering to each other as she passed
by, but she ignored them. She had more important
things to worry about than what the folks in town
thought about her.

"Where did Papa go?" Abby asked Brent.

"I have an idea, but I'm not sure," he
responded.

"I don't understand. I thought he said he was
going to stay here at the dance and visit with his old
friends."

"That didn't work out, so I think he's renewing
his acquaintance with some bottles of liquor down at
the Lone Star. I'll go over there now to check on him. Will you be all right here by yourself for a little
while?"

"Edmund and Iona are here. I'll be fine, but,
Brent..."

He gave her a questioning look.

"I hope you're wrong about Papa. I hope he's not
drinking."

"So do I, Abby." Brent steeled himself for what
was to come. "If Melinda comes looking for me, tell
her something came up, and I'll be back for you as
soon as I can."

"I'll give her your message." Abby was tempted
not to tell Melinda. If her brother was finally going
to start courting, she didn't want it to be Melinda.
Granted, the girl was pretty enough, but looks
weren't everything.

Brent's mood was somber as he headed for the
Lone Star. He remembered how his pa had reacted
to the news that there was no liquor at the ranch.
Brent was positive that he'd find Jack at the saloon
drinking. He just hoped he hadn't gotten into any
fights.

The Lone Star was the best saloon in town. Brent
could hear the sounds of revelry coming from the
bar as he drew near. The cowboys who were in town
for a good time always found it at the Lone Star. He
went into the crowded saloon and spotted his father
immediately, standing at the bar with his back to the
door. Even as Brent looked on, the bartender was
refilling his glass.

Brent made his way to his father's side.

"I had a .feeling you'd be here."

Jack had lost count of the number of drinks he'd
had, and he didn't care. He glanced at Brent with
annoyance.

"I'm a free man, and I can do whatever I want.
Right now all I want to do is just relax a bit."

"You couldn't do that at the dance?"

"No," he answered harshly. "Folks are friendlier
here at the Lone Star, and they got real good
entertainment. I'm waiting for Miss Ruby to come
back out again." Jack grinned as he thought of her.
Ruby had smiled at him and treated him like a man.
It had been quite a contrast to the way everyone else
was treating him. Her acceptance had eased the pain
in his soul.

"Who's Ruby?" Brent wondered if some dancehall girl were going after his father.

"She's the entertainment here. Stay with me.
She's due back out in the next few minutes, right,
Ken?" Jack looked at the man tending bar.

"That's right," Ken answered.

"I don't care about seeing Ruby."

"Go ahead and leave, then, but I'm staying."

Brent was frustrated, but he didn't want to pick a
fight with his father.

You want a drink?" the bartender asked
Brent.

"Give me a beer," he said.

Ken served him and moved off.

"You're having a beer?" Jack looked at Brent in
surprise.

"Shut up, Pa."

Jack changed the topic, his words starting to slur.
"You're going to like Miss Ruby. Sings like an angel.
She's damned sweet, too. She was real nice to me."

"Sure she was," Brent said cynically as he took one
token drink of the beer, and then set the glass aside.
"They're all nice to you-when they think you've
got money.

"No, Ruby's different. Just wait-you'll see."

Brent took a look around and remembered the
last time he'd been in a saloon. His mood had been
dark then, too, but at least he'd had the girl named
Opal to brighten that night up a little bit. He just
hoped this Ruby was mildly entertaining, for he
needed some distraction this evening.

The piano player began playing Ruby's
introduction.

"Here she comes now," Jack told him, grinning as
he looked eagerly toward the stage.

Brent frowned. The tune sounded vaguely
familiar.

And then Ruby made her appearance.

Brent's expression turned from a frown to a look
of surprise and disbelief.

It was Opal....

The red hair gave her a very different look, but
there was no mistaking her beauty or the sound of
her voice.

Jack glanced at him and saw the look on his face.
"She's damned pretty, isn't she?"

"You're right. She is," he agreed.

Brent gave his full attention to her performance,
but he couldn't help wondering how and why Opal
had ended up in Diablo disguised as Ruby.

Jack finished off his whiskey and motioned to the
barkeep to refill his glass. He was glad Brent was so
busy watching the singer that he didn't notice.

Crystal moved about the stage, singing her heart
out to the men. They responded with genuine
enthusiasm, cheering and clapping. As she finished
her final song, she looked out across room to see if
the older man was still at the bar. He was. She went
completely still as she saw Brent Hunter standing at
his side.

Crystal didn't know how it was that fate had
brought them together again, but she was thrilled.
Her gaze lingered on Brent. He was every bit as
handsome and wonderful as she remembered.

"Ruby!"

The sound of one of the other customers calling
out to her jarred her from her momentary reverie.
She forced her attention back to doing her job. As
she left the stage to mingle with the customers,
though, she slowly and deliberately made her way
toward Brent. She couldn't wait to talk to him
again.

"Good evening," Brent said, his gaze meeting hers
as she came to stand before him.

"Ruby, this is my son Brent," Jack put in, giving
her a drunken smile.

"Hello, Brent," Crystal said softly, gazing up at
him. She understood now why the older man had
seemed vaguely familiar to her earlier. There was a
definite family resemblance between the two. "It's
good to see you again."

"You know each other?" Jack was shocked as he
looked between the two of them.

"Yes, I met Ruby in San Antonio," Brent
explained, giving a little extra emphasis to her name
that only she noticed.

"Brent saved me from being attacked. He's a
wonderful man," she quickly explained to Jack.

Jack glanced at Brent. You saved Ruby? What
happened?"

Brent wanted to ask her about her changed name
and looks, but decided to wait until later, when he
could speak with her privately. "Someone tried to
rob her after she got off work. I was lucky enough to
be close by so I could stop him." Brent turned to
Ruby. "What brings you to Diablo?"

It was time for me to move on, and Diablo
seemed like a nice enough town." She had thought
he was wonderful before, but the fact that he hadn't
asked her about her disguise raised her opinion of
him even higher.

"I'm glad you picked it."

"Isn't she beautiful?" Jack insisted drunkenly.

"Yes, Pa, she is," Brent agreed.

"And she's about the best singer I ever heard,"
Jack went on, draining the rest of the whiskey in his
glass.

"Why, thank you," Crystal said.

"Have you been in town long?" Brent asked, for
he hadn't heard any talk about her from the ranch
hands.

"No, this is my first evening to perform."

"Gimme another whiskey, Ken," Jack called out
as he turned clumsily toward the bar again.

"No. Hold that," Brent said, giving the barkeep a
sharp look that stopped him from reaching for his
glass. "It's about time for us to call it a night."

"You want to leave when we could stay here and
visit with Ruby?" Jack argued.

She sensed what Brent was trying to do, and
played along. "I'm going to have to put on another
performance shortly, so I don't have much time to
talk right now. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other
again."

"That we will, little darling," Jack slurred.

"Come on, Pa." Brent started to usher him out of
the saloon. He was aware that some of the other
customers were watching them with condemning
glares.

"Brent," she began.

He looked back as he kept a hand on his
staggering father.

"It was good to see you again. Will you be back?"

Brent nodded slightly as their gazes met. If there was one thing he could be certain of, it was that he
would return to see her again.

Crystal gave him a small smile of understanding
and went back to work. She hoped he returned
quickly.

Brent got his pa back to the hotel and up to the
room without too much trouble.

"So you liked Ruby, too," Jack remarked
thoughtfully as he undressed. Even though he was
drunk, he knew enough to keep his liquor bottle
hidden among his clothes, where Brent wouldn't see it.

"In San Antonio she was going by the name of
Opal."

"Opal? I wonder why she changed her name?"
Jack repeated dully as he bedded down and slowly
succumbed to his drunken stupor.

"I don't know. Maybe she's making a fresh start
here."

"A fresh start," Jack mumbled, thinking the idea
applied to him, too. "Maybe I should have gone
somewhere else and..."

He passed out then, his liquor-blurred thoughts
lost to sleep.

Brent stayed on a little while longer, wanting to
make sure his father really was asleep. Only when he
was sure Jack wouldn't be rousing anytime soon did
Brent leave the room.

He wanted to go straight back to the Lone Star
and Opal, but he knew he had to check on Abby. He couldn't go off for the rest of the evening and
leave his little sister to fend for herself. She was his
responsibility. He would see her safely back to her
room, and then return to the saloon.