He'd forgotten just how dark it was at four o'clock in the morning in Little Bend, Texas. And how quiet. The only sound was the 'click-click-click' his boot heels made on the boardwalk as he headed for home. His name was Bart Maverick, and he'd just closed the biggest saloon in town for the night and locked the doors. He didn't work nights anymore; he'd been the General Manager at Maude's for several years and was normally at home and asleep at this time. He had a Floor Manager, Billy Sunday, who worked nights, but Billy had been sick as a dog when Bart sent him home earlier in the evening, and he stayed until closing.
Bart had been a professional poker player most of his adult life – it was only since marrying that he'd stopped drifting from place to place while he made his living playing the game he loved. His love for Doralice Donovan proved stronger than the pull of the cards, and he took over running Maude's for his mother-in-law. He never regretted his decision – the beautiful blonde he'd married was everything he'd ever wanted in a woman and never thought he'd find. He was tired of getting thrown out of towns just because he was a gambler; he played poker honestly, without any of the tricks employed by most of the cardsharps out in the world. Little Bend was his hometown, most of his family was still here, and once he'd decided to marry and stay in one place, it was the logical choice. He and Doralice were still insanely happy, even after four children, and he had no complaints about his life.
Without his knowing it, all that was about to change.