Bright Skies and Dark Horses

Across eight hard-edged tales of the American West, men and women collide with violence, buried guilt, and the kind of choices that follow you into the grave. An investigator hunts a killer who preys on saloon girls. A homesteader stumbles into a murder no one wants solved. A ranch hand dreams of escape while the past tightens its grip. Others are pulled back by conscience, trapped by loyalty, or forced to stand when walking away would be easier. Justice comes at gunpoint. Revenge draws blood. And survival often demands a price no one is ready to pay.From lonely creeks and hunting breaks to grading camps and dying towns, these stories strip the West down to its bones-where courage is tested, temptation is lethal, and doing the right thing may be the deadliest gamble of all. Every trail leads somewhere, but not all of them lead out.Because out here, you don't just face the darkness. You ride straight into it.This collection includes: "Incident at Blue Nose Creek," "Visitors in Cantera," "In the Breaks," "Man of Trees," "Night Horse," "Darkness in Burnett," "Buckskin Ruby," and "Next to the Last Chance."