Thief of My Heart (Watty Awards Finalist 2012)

Chapter 36

"Cold Springs Texas  Population 894"

That's what the sign read as they rode into town just before noon on the cool, cloudy Saturday. 

"Boy, it sure has gotten chilly since we left the ranch.  Wish I'd brought my coat.  And I left my gloves laying on the bunk."  Hannibal Heyes pulled his black hat lower over his eyes to shield them from the brisk cool wind that had started blowing in from the north.  

"Looks like another cold spell is blowing in,"   Kid Curry told his partner as they rode through the busy streets of Cold Springs towards the blacksmith's shop.

"Sure will be glad to get to that smithy's and warm up next to his fire,"  Heyes said. 

They pulled rein in front of the only blacksmith's workshop in town.  The smith was busy with his back bent over the hot forge.  The boys observed from the large open front doors for a moment as the man pulled a glowing red hot horse shoe from the flames and placed it on the anvil to pound into shape.  The horse tied next to their own must be awaiting the newly shaped shoe.  

"Excuse me,  are you the fella they call Shep?"  Heyes asked making his way under the tin roof  to stand among the many instruments of the trade that hung from the low rafters.

"Yep, that's me."  The man turned to face the two young men who had just rode in. 

When Shep turned to face the boys they were taken aback for the briefest of seconds.  The entire right side of the man's face, head and neck were disfigured by deep scars, obviously the results of severe burns.  All the hair, eyebrows and eyelashes on his right side had been singed away.  Heyes quickly recovered his manners and spoke without  staring,  "This paint here needs a new set of shoes.  How soon before you can have him fixed up?"

"I just got started reshodding that bay there.  It'll take me another fifteen or twenty minutes.  Then I can get started on your pony.  All four shoes should take me a little better than an hour."

"Fine. Fine.  We'll just wait here by your fire if you don't mind.  Sure has turned off cold hasn't it?"

"I didn't notice.  Standing over a fire all day you sweat no matter what the weather,"  Shep stated indifferently as he turned back to his work.  

The boys leaned against the opposite wall watching the smithy at work,  relieved to be out of the cold wind and out of the public eye.  Heyes hadn't forgotten his promise to Evie to go nowhere except the jewelers and the blacksmith's shop.  And after her warnings about coming to Cold Springs, no matter how unfounded or silly they may have thought the warnings to be,  both he and the Kid were a little on edge.  Hopefully in a couple of hours  they'd be headed back to Red Rock with no trouble.  

"You fellas must be from Red Rock.  I don't remember seeing you around here before.  I've been getting a lot of old Boone's customers.  How is old Boone doing after that fall anyway?"

Wary of giving away any information about where they'd come from or where they were headed the boys didn't answer immediately, prompting Shep to ask,  "Is that where you'll be headed back to after you leave here?  Red Rock?"

The boys exchanged a worried look.  "Uh, we're just passing through,"  Kid said nervously.  

"Oh?  Is that a fact?  Which direction will you be headed in then, when you leave here?"

Another look passed between the boys.  "I think right for now we've warmed up enough and  we'll be heading for the saloon,"  Heyes said and motioned for his partner to exit the establishment.  "We'll be back in about an hour to check on the horse."