Copper Creek Stories

By VJ Moore

Copper Creek Stories is a collection of three grassroots short stories. Set in the American Southwest, the stories journey through a sheepherder's camp on a mountaintop, a prison chaplain's Visitor's Room and finally, through the small town of Copper Creek as its residents cope with a punishing heat wave. The cast of characters, a sheepherder, a ranching family, a prison chaplain, a moonlight musician earning a living waiting tables and a carpenter turned sculptor, all have stories to share.

• Language: English
• Publisher: VJ Moore
• Release date: Jul 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005895990

VJ Moore

Hello! Thanks for visiting my Smashwords page. I'm excited to be writing and publishing my Copper Creek series about small town life in the Southwest, my home territory. Cowboys, horses, Harley motor cycles, food that has that extra chile kick, old dogs and wily cats, these are only a few of my favorite things about the West. Its colorful history prevails into the present and I am happy to be presenting Book One of my series, which is titled "Year Of The Miracle", or, in Spanish," El Año Del Milagro"

Book preview

Copper Creek

Short Story Collection

By VJ Moore

Copyright 2020 VJ Moore

Smashwords Edition

Table Of Contents:

Midnight Mission

Fresh Start

Heat Wave

Introduction

Welcome to Copper Creek Short Stories

In Midnight Mission, aging sheepherder, Henry Z. gets an unexpected helping hand from his friend and neighbor, Julia Ramos, tough and independent ranch woman from the Copper Creek series.

In Fresh Start, prison chaplain, Father Paul, reaches out to inmate, Frank Espinosa, in hopes of reuniting the convict with his estranged daughter, Olivia. Believing in Frank, Father Paul also believes justice in the case could be better served.

And in Heat Wave, hard- working waitress, Wanda Boyden has a surprise audience for her late night violin concerts and recovering alcoholic, Zeke Santa Maria, under the influence of the healing power of the music, has an opportunity to gain a new friend.

VJ Moore / Author / Copper Creek Short Stories

Also available on this site: "Year of The Miracle / El Año Del Milagro

Contact VJ Moore at: [e-mail]

Cover Art © BAM

Midnight Mission

It was Henry’s practice to be up and about before daybreak. Underneath a clear, cloudless sky, he sat beside the campfire, having his breakfast and particularly enjoying a cup of thick, dusky brown coffee. He was currently in possession of a decent sized bag of sugar, and had sweetened the morning coffee liberally. Only a small fire was necessary, just large enough to brew a pot of coffee and warm some mutton stew and a couple of day old biscuits. In sheep camp, breakfast, mid-day meal and supper were a variation of the same three ingredients; mutton stew, pinto beans and biscuits. Occasionally there were onions and green chiles to add an extra spark of flavor, but if not, Henry ate whatever was available. Having gone hungry on more than one occasion, he had learned long ago to be grateful for whatever filled up his bowl and his stomach.

His herd dog, Rascal, lay resting at his feet. Rascal was large for his breed, mostly black, with the tip of one ear tattered from an altercation with a mountain lion. The ear would never be the same, but the big cat had been chased off, without the lamb he had planned on having for his next meal.

Rascal was ever polite, and would wait patiently for his share of the breakfast stew. The dog, too, knew enough to be grateful for something to eat. A small share of leftover stew, or a hindquarter of a rabbit, roasted over the coals, gave the loyal blue-heeler all the energy he needed to do his part in managing the flock of sheep that provided his master with a meager annual income. They were partners, Henry and Rascal, and close friends to boot.

Henry finished off his breakfast and broke up a hard, dry biscuit into the gravy at the bottom of the bowl. He scraped the biscuit and gravy mixture into a bowl set aside for Rascal.

Ok, boy. Come along and eat up. We got work to do this morning. Rascal ate quickly and licked the bowl clean. Henry refilled the bowl with water from his canvas water bag and Rascal helped himself to a long drink.

In the valley below the campsite the herd was stirring. Rising from the clumps of meadow grass where they had bedded down, the sheep moved in knotted clusters, inching their way along the banks of the creek that wound its way through the valley. Giant cottonwoods flanked the streambed, their roots sunk deep into the sandy soil. Beneath the trees, dense patches of grass provided excellent grazing. A decent flow of pristine water filled the streambed, a gift bestowed by the wet year. In the inevitable dry years, the creek became a trickle of slow moving muddy water, and in years of drought the water dried up completely, leaving behind only a dry wash.

Henry gazed out over the countryside. There was much to be grateful for. With the creek running full and grass plentiful, the sheep would easily make weight and there would be a good crop of wool. Over the next few days, he and Rascal would be hard at work, dividing the herd up into groups for the shearing crew to work with. Each group to be sheared would be held in small pens, waiting for their trip to the shearing sheds. If the wool crop was as good as he anticipated, Henry would have a nice cash advance to look forward to. With this year’s earnings added to what he had been able to save from past years’ profits, he might come out a bit ahead.

"What do you think, my old friend? Perhaps we’ll do a little better than