In the thrilling saga from the Western Heritage and Spur Award–winning author, Chet Byrnes stands his ground—with his courage, guns, and blood. For Chet Byrnes, building a ranching empire means adding new land, hiring good men, finding water, and trying new breeds of cattle. But outlaws and Tucson’s idle rich want to take it all away—and Arizona just may be too lawless to stop it. So while the Byrnes family expands its reach, Chet must do his job hunting down outlaws on either side of the border. Chet’s cowboys prove to be tireless fighters, going up against former Mexican military men, a powerful family with bad in their blood. Then Chet takes on the most dangerous risk of all: a bloody, all-out shooting war—with everything to lose, and one last enemy to kill . . . “Dusty takes readers into the real west at full gallop.” —New York Times-bestselling author Jodi Thomas “Dusty Richards writes . . . with the flavor of the real West.” —Elmer Kelton

Chet Byrnes tries to end the feud he started when he hanged three horse thieves.

With blood and tears, Chet Byrnes built a life in Texas, only to have it shattered by an ill-fated cattle drive and two deadly family feuds. Spurned by the woman he loves, Chet sets off for new territory. The journey won't come cheap. Original.

A rancher and US marshal battles a corrupt cabal as a new railroad comes to Arizona, in this powerful Western by a Spur Award–winning author. In the brutal, unforgiving wastes of the Arizona desert, Chet Byrnes built a cattle ranching empire with his bare hands, steel will, and a fast draw. As a US marshal, he risks his life to bring law to a lawless land. When a new railroad route is planned to pass through Navajo territory, Chet fights to get the Indians a contract to supply the locomotives with coal. But the corrupt politicians in Tucson and D.C. have other ideas. The coal contract means millions, and the ruthless Tucson Ring will do anything to get it—even if it means killing a US marshal. Battling bandits, the railroad, and a corrupt gang of millionaires, Chet won’t back down until the desert is painted red with blood.

“Dusty Richards is the embodiment of the old west. He brings it to life so realistically, you can almost feel the bullets whizzing past your face.” —Storyteller magazine Never fight a man . . . Six hundred miles from a railroad head in Texas, Chet Byrnes and a handful of cowboys set out to build a new life on the Arizona frontier. Behind the Byrnes family is a tale of bloodshed and blood feuds. What lies ahead is any kind of future they can scrape together out of a merciless landscape—as long as they're willing to make it on their own. . . . who has fought his way from Texas. From a woman who lays claim to Chet’s heart to a land ripe for grazing, the Arizona territory begins to open its arms to the dauntless determination of the Byrnes family. But with every success there rises up a gathering danger. A sheriff who won’t do his job. Trigger happy outlaws competing to kill. And a mysterious rancher hell bent on running a herd across Chet’s land—and forcing the Texan into a war . . . “Dusty Richards writes. . .with the flavor of the real West.” —Elmer Kelton

Bloodthirsty hired guns are out to ruin a lawman’s plans for progress in this action-packed Western from the award–winning author of Sharpshooter. Born out of the grit, sweat, and drive of a cattle ranching empire, U.S. Marshal Chet Byrnes is turning the savage and lawless Arizona desert into a homeland. To some he’s the hero that the West needs. To others, he’s a moving target. Chet is spearheading a stage line from Gallup to the Colorado River. It’ll be a boon to Navajo trading posts, and lay out the territory for new settlements. Unfortunately, it’s not Gerald Hall’s idea of progress—killing Chet is. The mysterious Texas gambler has hired three kill-crazy assassins—and counting—to bury Chet under a storm of bullets. To turn the tables on a game of revenge, Chet must match the deranged Texan play by play, body by body, and bullet for bullet. Come hell or high water, that stage line is going through—even if it’s forged in blood.

When he expands the family ranch in the lawless Arizona Territory, Chet Byrnes, while trying to keep his empire safe from outlaws and Mexican military men, is caught in the middle of an all-out shooting war where only one man will be left standing.