Caleb whipped his head left and right, hoping someone else saw the ghostly figure. Nobody batted an eye. The bar was still loud with drunkards and gamblers. The barmaid had already moved on to another man at the bar, his money gone just as quickly. The warmth of the moonshine had taken him over. Caleb wasn’t a real drinker, at least, not until this card had accepted him as the new owner. Yea, he had a few sips here and there with Pa, but nothing like drinking shots of moonshine in a boomtown bar.

  With his card now quiet, Caleb was able to focus on the aesthetics of the Cactus Moon. The tables around the saloon were really thrown together with anything that would hold up a drink. Old wagon wheels with wooden tops littered the place. Green felt was hastily nailed to the top of some tables to create a place to play cards or throw dice. Barstools made from old saddles lined the entire bar. Caleb didn’t realize he had been standing next to one the entire time he was bartering for his drink.

  Caleb leaned back on his newfound barstool, observing the card games at the center of the saloon. He had heard about a few of these games from his old man. Caleb didn’t see the allure of gambling around a table with a bunch of drunkards. To him, cards flip fortunes faster than bullets drop thieves. It was too much chance for a farm boy with no money.

  While scanning the smoke-filled saloon, Caleb noticed extra commotion towards the back of the Cactus Moon. He was drawn to the sound of a feminine voice that carried the air with an incredible uniqueness. A voice that stood out amongst those that he was familiar with. Caleb slipped his way through the onlookers to see a young woman with glossy black hair sitting at the poker table. Her red dress was outlined with lace; her neckline plunged like a cold dip into a deep river. Caleb leered as she threw a large pile of chips into the pot.

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  Rowdy men shouted as the remaining cards were dealt into the middle of the oval table. The woman in red remained calm, smirking at her opponents as they flipped over their own hands.

  “Three queens with a pair of eights takes the pot. The lady with the funny voice wins with a full house.” The dealer said with confidence, but without much thought. Caleb watches as the woman in red leans over the table, as to flaunt both her winnings and her blessings off at once.

  “Gentleman, I tire of taking so much money from you all. In England, it would be polite to just give me the rest of your chips. Seeing that I will end up taking it all anyway. I promise, it would save us all so much time and you could go back to drinking whatever it is you drink here.” A small chuckle escapes the English woman in red.

  Cards are thrown into the middle of the table and most of the players decide to cut their losses. “Aw did I make you wonderful gentleman upset? I promise that it’s just beginner's luck.” The woman in red jeered at the retreating men.

  Caleb watched as the men walked past him, smelling of old sweat and stale tobacco. As the last man brushed by Caleb’s shoulder, he could feel eyes boring a hole through him. He looked towards the table to see the English woman in red staring at him.

  “Hello there, handsome. Surely you aren’t afraid of a scared woman from abroad who is just learning how to play a silly little card game, are you?”