Thief of My Heart (Watty Awards Finalist 2012)

Chapter 35

She couldn't stop smiling.  She hummed to herself as she stood in the kitchen chopping fresh mint leaves while Georgia and Livvy iced the big cake and talked about the strange yet charming man that was now inhabiting the spare bedroom upstairs.  Evie had spent the last two hours in that room with Preacher listening to tales of outlaw adventures.  He had ridden in the Devil's Hole gang for several years with Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry.  She had been completely enthralled with every tale he spun and could hear in his voice and see in his friendly face that he cared for and respected Heyes and the Kid very much. Her visit was of course under the guise of seeking spiritual advice from a man of the cloth before taking such a big step tomorrow. 

"What did the man say his name was?" Georgia asked.

"He didn't.  He said his friends just called him Preacher.  And you know if I didn't trust Thaddeus' word that he was a real honest to goodness minister I'd have sworn I smelled whiskey on his breath,"  Livvy said.

"He sho is humble.  Looked at us like we was crazy for inviting him to stay in the house.  Like decent folk would let a minister stay out in the bunkhouse with the hired hands."  Georgia observed.  "It ain't like he'd steal anything from us."

Evie's smile grew wider.  If you only knew she thought.   She tugged at the tight corset that cinched in her waist.  She hated corsets.  They were so uncomfortable and made her feel like she couldn't draw enough air into her lungs.  But Livvy had insisted that she wear one along with one of her finest dresses when they had gone into Red Rock to meet Preacher.   She couldn't wait to get out of this corset and this dress.  And speaking of getting out of this dress, she couldn't wait for her beloved to get home.  She so hoped he would brave the wrath of Georgia's broom go come into her room again tonight.  Just thinking about lying naked with him in her bed caused a dreamy look to cross her face and her smile to widen.  Then her thoughts returned to the other reason for her smile.  Tomorrow night, she would be Evangeline Heyes.  Mrs. Hannibal Heyes.  Hannibal Heyes would be her husband. Even if it was in secret, he would still he her husband.   She almost laughed out loud.  Her husband.  She loved the sound of it.  Her husband.  Husband.  Her hand went still. She looked up from her work. Her smile disappeared.

"Aunt Livvy?"

"Yes, dear?"

"The woman in Cold Springs.  Laura with all the children..."

"What is your fascination with that woman, Evangeline?"

"Just humor me, please.   Do you remember what her husband's name was?"

Livvy  huffed in frustration, not understanding her niece's need to know everything about that woman and her family.  "His name was Bradley.  Mr. and Mrs. Bradley.....oh, shoot what was that last name?"

"Bradley."   She said the name out loud.  "I punched that boy in the nose. Then she informed me that I was too young and immature for her and Bradley was her new beau.   Then I went off by myself and cried like a big baby."  She recalled the story he had told her when they were riding in the wilderness of the Trans Pecos. Bradley was the name of the boy who had taken Laura away from young Hannibal.  So she had married the boy. 

"Shepherd!"  Livvy exclaimed.

"What?"

"Shepherd.  That was their last name.  Bradley and Laura Shepherd."

Evangeline's insides started to quiver.  The wheels of her mind began to turn.  The pieces of a puzzle were falling into place.  She felt suddenly weak in the knees. She had to sit down. "Do you remember why they were coming to Cold Springs?"  she asked, gripping the side of the table for support as she sank into the nearest chair. She had a feeling she already knew the answer but she had to hear it out of Livvy's mouth just the same.

"Oh, yes.  They came here to get a new start.  Mr. Shepherd was going to be the new blacksmith in town. I suppose the boys will be meeting him soon."

Air.  She needed air.  She was going to be sick.  Damn this infernal coset.  And damn herself for not putting two and two together before now. 

"Evangeline what's wrong with you?  You've turned white as a ghost."

Laura Thompson had married Bradley Shepherd whom everyone apparently called Shep.  He was the new blacksmith in Cold Springs.  He had to be the boy Hannibal had caught Laura kissing.  The boy he had punched in the nose.   And if Laura had recognized him, surely...Oh, dear Lord.  And if he had any idea that his wife  harbored fantasies of leaving him for Hannibal Heyes he probably hated him more now than he had the day  he'd punched him in the nose. He wouldn't think twice about turning them in to the sheriff.  We're worth the same dead as we are alive. The Kid's words echoed in her mind.  If the wrong person recognizes me and wants to turn me in dead he has the legal right to do so.  And Hannibal's words as well.  Bradley Shepherd probably wouldn't think twice about killing them before claiming the reward on their heads.  It wasn't Laura her mother had been warning her to keep them away from.  It was Laura's husband the blacksmith.   She stood quickly knocking her chair over in the process.  All the blood dropped to her feet.  She couldn't breathe.  "I have to warn them,"  she whispered on a ragged breath before she fell to the floor in a dead faint.