Chapter One

The sun was just showing signs of going to bed by the time Heath, who had been traveling for the better part of the day, walked into Abbottsville leading his horse. He was supposed to have been in hours ago only his horse had thrown a shoe, and it had delayed him. He guessed he should have taken a train and then a stagecoach, but he hadn't wanted to leave Charger behind. So he'd taken a train and put Charger in the animal car until he had to travel by horseback. He just hoped that Jim Barkley would still be in town. He hated the idea of walking out to the ranch before he got to see his uncle. Just as he turned a corner and headed for the livery stable, he heard Jim Barkley calling him. Heath turned back and saw his later father's brother hurrying towards him.

"I was starting to think I needed to gather a search party!" Jim smiled as he slapped Heath on the back and asked his nephew what had kept him.

Heath pointed to Charger's right front leg and explained. "I was hoping to make it into town in time to see if the blacksmith could help me." He looked in the direction of the blacksmith shop which lay on the other end of town. "Though I guess I'll simply have put Charger up at the stable and take care of it in the morning." He said as he looked back at Jim.

"Pete might still be working," Jim smiled as he gestured in the same direction Heath had just been looking. "Even if he's not, he lives behind the blacksmith shop and he owes me one." Jim chuckled as he started walking.

Heath was walking beside Tom's brother in no time at all. While he appreciated his uncle's help, he hated the idea of disturbing the blacksmith if the man had actually gone home. After all, Heath knew all too well how it was to get comfortable in one's home only to be pulled away. It could be rather irritating at times, depending on what one was doing. Besides, Pete had been more than polite to Heath the few times Heath had been to Abbottsville. Heath didn't hesitate to speak up and tell Jim that he, Heath, had had other plans. "I was just going to stable Charger, get a room at the hotel, and then send word out to you that I'd be out as soon as I had Charger's shoe fixed."

"Nonsense," Jim shook his head and restated that he was sure Pete, the blacksmith, would be more than happy to help them. Jim also made it abundantly clear that Heath was not to argue with him, as Jim had been looking forward to Heath's visit and wasn't about to have his nephew spend the night in a hotel. That is, he wasn't about to stand by and watch it happen when he, Jim, had a perfectly good guest room waiting for Heath to use it. "We've had very little time to get to know each other since you joined the family." Jim smiled as he and Heath drew closer to the blacksmith shop. "Call me selfish, I want you at the ranch, not bedded down in some hotel." Jim told Heath as they walked up to Pete, who was just beginning to clean up. Though, he stopped the moment he saw Jim and Heath, along with the way Charger was walking as Heath led him towards the shop.

"Hello, Jim! Heath!" Peter grinned from ear to ear as set his tools in his hands down on the table that sat within five feet of him. "Been awhile," he said as he looked at Heath, "How ya been?"

"I'm fine, just tired." Heath gestured towards Charger's hoof and asked if Pete could help, adding that he, Heath, would wait until the morning if necessary.

Peter shook his head and told Heath it was no problem. "Why don't I take care of it and then take him to the livery stable for you?" He looked at Jim as if to ask him if he, Jim, wasn't going to take Heath out to the ranch himself.

Jim had to silently chuckle. Pete had known him for many years and could read him like a book, something Jim didn't know whether should irritate him or not. "Come on Heath, my rig is at the livery stable right now. I'll bring you back into town in the morning, or I'll have one of my employees do it." He and Heath then bid Peter goodbye. The blacksmith smiled, bid them farewell and then went to work…telling himself it was a good thing he was a widower or his wife would probably have had his hide for being late for supper.

~oOo~

Heath, who would have been helping Jim harness his horse to the small wagon he'd driven into town, had stayed inside the stable when his uncle led the horse out of the stable. Now Heath was looking around the livery stable as his uncle had insisted that he could harness his own horse. He wasn't surprised to see most of the stalls filled. Abbottsville had a fair amount of residents, was growing and had many visitors that passed through.

"Well, come on." Jim poked his head inside the stable and told Heath that everything was ready to go. "We just have to stop by the Patterson place. I told Widow Patterson I'd deliver this small amount of wood to her, only my day has not gone as I'd planned and-as you can see-I've been in town longer than I ever intended to be. She'll think I'm not bringing it, if we don't hurry."

Figuring his uncle was talking about an elderly widow, Heath climbed into the wagon. Soon he and his uncle were heading out of town; Jim explained the Patterson family lived three miles out of town. "Her brother would be getting her wood for her, except he busted up his leg last month and will be in a cast for another two weeks."

"No problem," Heath gave his uncle a crooked smile. Silence then fell between the two as Abbottsville slowly disappeared behind them.