Publisher's Synopsis
Texas, 1871: The War Between the States has long since ended, and the era of the great cattlemen has begun. The Major Ambrose Butterbaugh, of the bustling little town of Deadlimb, is looking for one more work-hand for the spring cattle drive to Abilene, Kansas. Kit Quinlan, the young drifter, happens along and gets the job (after a horse/mule match race!). And Miriam, Butterbaugh's twenty-year-old daughter, is soon sweet on Kit, but there's trouble brewing: Kit's association with the infamous Mesquite Riders. Kit is being drawn into trouble by Little Bat, the French-Canadian; Black Deer, the outcast Pawnee; Amanda Tippetts, the fading, desperate beauty; and the notorious, charismatic outlaw himself, the dashing, disturbed Mesquite. Who will Kit choose? Will Kit be loyal to the glamorous life or to his new ranch family? With a great cast of characters, including Flo Grandy, mistress of the Grandy House night spot; Cody Wilson, Butterbaugh's tried and true foreman; Onion Bill, the grizzled, loco chuck wagon master; Preacher McCoy, out to rescue Kit; and even Wild Bill Hickok, town sheriff of Abilene--this is a great read with guns, horses, heartbreak, and finally, redemption. Hey, Western fans, you can't miss this one!
