Harvest Moon Read Online Free Page B

the hell do you think you’re doing? Someone’s dead, and you’re acting
like the president came to town.”
    “Wait, someone’s dead?” Courtney asked as her mouth
fell open. “No, you’re joking!”
    “No joke,” Gabe cut in while he flipped a burger and
let it sizzle on the flat-top. “Some hiker ate it sometime last night.”
    “No!” Courtney said as she slapped her hand over her
mouth. “Oh my God.”
    “How did you not know?” Dawn whispered, trying to keep
their conversation quiet. “Everyone in town knows. Didn’t you see the crowd?”
    Courtney shook her head. “No. I mean, I guess I
noticed some people hanging out more toward your way, but I didn’t see
anything.”
    That much was at least plausible. Courtney lived with
her folks in a house in the opposite direction from Jim’s. She didn’t have to
walk by the scene to get to work like Dawn did.
    “Some hiker was attacked by an animal,” Dawn
explained. “In town. There are cops and FBI checking it out now.”
    “Wow,” Courtney said, but there was still excitement
in her eyes. Even the news of a dead hiker found so close to home wasn’t enough
to kill the energy that was bursting from her. “Okay, that sucks, but can I
tell you the good news now?”
    “Sure,” Dawn relented. It better be good , she
thought to herself. It wasn’t like Courtney to be so uncouth about a situation
like this.
    “Okay, this is crazy,” Courtney gushed. “You know that
cabin off of highway seventy-nine?”
    “Um, no?” Dawn said. She wasn’t much for doing any
exploring outside of town, and she definitely didn’t go looking at other
houses. She was lucky enough to be renting the place she had.
    “Well, someone bought it!” she said, but Dawn already
assumed that’s where she was headed with her train of thought.
    “Is it someone you know?” Dawn asked, feeling like she
was playing twenty questions.
    “Yes!” Courtney gushed. “Well, not know know,
but he’s totally famous.”
    “Okay,” Dawn said. “Spill the beans. Who is it?”
    “Gavin Mosley!” she shrieked. “He moved in last week,
my brother Andy saw him at the hardware store and they were chatting. He told
Andy that after his shoulder injury forced him to retire last season, he had
been thinking about moving to a small town, and he chose Goosemont!”
    “Who’s Gavin Mosley?” was all Dawn could reply with.
    “Are you kidding me?” Courtney laughed. “He’s only one
of the greatest first basemen ever! In his first season, he broke the record
for most stolen bases by a rookie player, and he was on track to becoming one
of the greats before he wrecked his shoulder sliding into third base last
year.”
    Dawn shrugged. “Sorry. Never heard of him.”
    “Whatever,” Courtney said. “He’s famous, and I’ve
heard he’s really nice and he’s totally hot. Oh my God, I’m so excited, I can’t
even see straight.”
    “Well, tell you what,” Dawn said as she listened to
Gabe chuckling at Courtney’s hyperactive rambling. “It’s not busy, and you are
way too energetic for today’s crowd. Hang back here with Gabe and calm down for
a bit. I’ll take care of the tables.”
    Courtney stuck out her tongue at Dawn’s instructions,
but her eyes were playful and excited and Dawn knew her friend wasn’t really
mad. How could she be? Her mind was probably too wrapped up in some baseball
player to remember Dawn even confining her to the kitchen for a spell.
    It wasn’t like Dawn needed the help on the floor. Only
a few tables were occupied come six, and most of them were only grabbing a
couple beers.
    “Damn,” Jim said as he stepped out of his office and
into the dining room. “Figured those FBI guys might at least come by for
dinner, get a few more mouths through the door.”
    Just the thought of the FBI agents coming into the bar
made Dawn’s stomach flutter. She didn’t need them coming to her bar, seeing her
name on their tab, or getting a good look at her