Hunter's Moon (Hunter Family Saga; Half-Moon Ranch 1) by Bobbi Smith Read Free Book Online

since that day at the
Diablo jail, when Jack Hunter had ordered his
children to leave him alone and to stay away from
him. Considering what he'd done, they hadn't found
it too hard to put him from their lives. There had
been only a few times over the years when he'd been
missed, and then the memory of what he'd done
would return and the gentler sentiment would
vanish.

    But now their father was a free man.
    Jack Hunter recognized Brent immediately,
though his oldest son had changed quite a bit in the
time they'd been apart. When he'd last seen him,
Brent had been only twenty years old. He was a fullgrown man now-tall, confident, and serious, Jack
judged from the look on his face.
    Jack hadn't been certain how things were going
to go upon his release today. He hadn't known if
anyone would come to meet him or if he would be
left on his own to get back home. He was glad
Brent had shown up, but he wondered why
Quince, Matt, and Abby hadn't come with him,
too.
    "Where is everybody?" Jack demanded.
    "You haven't wanted to see us for ten years. Why
should everyone come rushing at your beck and
call?" Brent countered as he met his gaze straight-on.
He saw no warmth in his father's regard, only
condemnation.
    "You're here."
    "That's because we've got some things to settle
between us before we go back to the ranch."
    Jack's gaze hardened on him. "We don't have a
damned thing to settle."
    "Yes, we do." Brent was not about to back down.
"But this isn't the place." He unhitched the horse
he'd brought for his father and held out the reins.
"Let's go."
    Jack looked the stallion over and was impressed.

    "Good bloodlines," he remarked as he took the
reins.
    "I know," Brent said.
    Jack swung up in the saddle. "Let's go home."
    He didn't wait for Brent. He turned the horse and
rode off without looking back. He couldn't get away
from the prison fast enough.
    Brent mounted up and followed him. He could
no longer deny reality. His father was coming home.
    Brent spurred his horse and caught up with his
father. They rode on in silence, leaving Huntsville
and the prison behind them.
    Edmund Montgomery sat alone in his office at the
bank in Diablo. He knew what day it was: today
was the day Jack Hunter was being released from
prison.
    An ugly smile twisted Edmund's mouth. It had
been ten years since they'd locked Jack up, but in his
opinion ten years wasn't nearly long enough-not
for what Jack had done.
    Rage filled Edmund.
    Jack had been the cause of all the misery in his
life. True, they had once been friends long ago, in
their younger days in New Orleans, and everyone
thought they were still friends. Edmund alone knew
the truth.
    Jack had always been a high roller, a wild, daring
man who was never afraid to gamble-even when he
should have been.

    Edmund prided himself on being smarter than
Jack. Certainly, he'd proven it over and over again
by his ability to make money.
    When he had met the beautiful Beth at a social
occasion, she had been witty and bright, and he'd
wanted her from the first. Beth had been attracted
to him, too. Edmund knew he was handsome; he
had money; he was certainly debonair and
confident.
    Then Jack came back to New Orleans, and Beth
began seeing him, too.
    To Edmund's fury, Beth had seemed to prefer
Jack to him. When Jack had proposed to her,
Edmund had been forced to propose, too. Edmund
had expected her to accept his proposal immediately,
but, even though her family preferred him because
he had money, Beth had eloped with Jack.
    At the time Edmund had appeared indifferent to
their marriage, but inwardly he'd been furious. He'd
pretended to remain friends with them, even though
he'd always despised Jack for winning her.
    Edmund had told himself Beth would eventually
realize she'd made a mistake in her impetuous
marriage. She hadn't realized that she would have
had a far better life with him. He was rich enough to
give her everything, while Jack could offer her