E. E. Halleran Knihy

"Tom Kane's partner disappeared in Lusk, Wyoming, with the money from the sale of his herd--money Tom had hoped would save his wife's life. Now Tom has sold his ranch in Texas and driven the last of his cattle to Wyoming in an attempt to find the man he believes is responsible for his wife's death"--

Tracking down a crazy Confederate scheme to capture Colorado was the kind of job Union Captain Tom Baird was ready for. But he hadn&;t reckoned on a hidden cache of ammunition big enough to equip a small army &; or the surprising partnership of a beautiful brunette Federal agent.

The Apaches had a superstition that blood would run red when the crimson cactus bloomed. And the red blooms were lush against the Arizona desert.

The U. S. government was pledged by treaty to keep white emigrants out of Sioux lands. At the same time, it wanted its citizens to mine the Black Hills gold and get it into circulation.

Pursued by bandits into the town of Tombstone, Jack Vicker, investigator for the Pacific Mine and Smelting Company, is forced to kill. From that point on, killing and violence assail him at every turn -- perpetrated by a group of clever smugglers. Caught in their midst, after hours of captivity Vicker manages to escape. But that only propels him into further trouble, all of it centered around a seemingly dry claim that has been salted by the smugglers.

The Indians were "quiet" -- but Scout Bert Monroe's closest friend, Charlie Pronghorn, had become strangely critical of the whites who had educated him. He was joking of course -- he joked all the time -- and even if he wasn't, criticism couldn't kill a man.

Tensions escalate in the Big Horn Basin as conflicts arise between small ranchers and large combines, threatening violence. The situation intensifies with reports from Johnson County, where hired gunmen are already unleashing chaos, raiding and burning properties, and killing those who oppose them. The looming threat of a deadly confrontation casts a dark shadow over the community, setting the stage for a gripping showdown.