"How hard can it be to drive three thousand longhorns one thousand miles across the Sonoran Desert and up to California? Its the end of the Civil War, and the demand for beef is high. In Mesilla, James Colton convinces his three brothers theres money to be made. And lots of it. However, the Colton clan is definitely new at this. The brothers climb into their saddles only to encounter problems they had never considered previously. Whid MacGilvry, determined to exact revenge for his wrong belief that James Colton stole his sweetheart, stays one step in front of James and his cattle drive. Devious, Whid dreams up ways to torment not only James, but his brothers, too, deciding that killing James is not enough. Destroying the entire family will have to do. Problems plague the Coltons from the start. Poisonings, Indian attacks, false accusations by the army, a fabricated anthrax alert keeps Tin Town from buying the herd. In Tin Town, James and his brothers confront Whid and his delusions. James shoots Whid, ending the nightmare"--"--,Provided by publisher.