About This Book
Jess McCain, an agent for the Overland Stage Company is disgruntled when his boss, Clint Randall pulls him off an important assignment and sends him to Junction City, Colorado to help a young woman rancher, Lisa Kidd who is having trouble with outlaws who want to take her ranch and aren't hesitant to kill her and her father to get it. The Overland Company is the last stage and freight line to avoid Wells Fargo's aggressive acquisition efforts. The Overland Company has a stage depot on Kidd property and the Kidd Family raises horses for them. Aware that if the Kidd Ranch fails, the Overland Company might also be in trouble, Jess accepts the assignment.
On his way to the Kidd Ranch, Jess helps a young man who has been attacked by outlaws. His name is Jim Sparks, a guard and hired hand working for the Overland Company. Jess discovers that the wagon was loaded with gold from a nearby goldmine and that the outlaws have been attacking the freight line repeatedly. With the driver dead, they head for the Kidd Ranch.
Jim Sparks and Jess McCain (who is working undercover as Tom Hardy) arrive at the Kidd Ranch in time to fend off another outlaw attack. Jess (Tom) meets Lisa Kidd and is immediately impressed with her beauty and captivated by her independent spirit and relentless courage. She tells him that Simon Moore has been trying to buy the ranch and that the outlaws have become more daring since Moore made the offer. Tom masquerades as a land developer hoping to find out who is behind the outlaws viciousness.
After surviving the onslaught, Jess, Jim Sparks and Lisa take two of the wounded ranch hands to Junction City where they discover that the outlaws have taken over the town. Frank Stillwell, the leader of a murderous gang of outlaws from Oklahoma, has become the sheriff and Jess knows they are in for a lot of trouble. Stillwell is a vicious killer and wanted in several states. Jess feels an attraction to Lisa and tries to get her attention except she is more interested in getting rid of the outlaws than she is in romance. Jess knows he has to clear up the mess before he has a chance with her. He worries about how he is going to protect her since she seems to have an independent streak in her that makes it difficult to secure her cooperation.