Spur Award–Winning Author: "To read a Dusty Richards novel is to journey back into the Old West with a writer who knows the territory." —Jory Sherman, author of Trapper's Moon
The land made him hard.
The Byrnes family came to Texas and carved out a place on the land. Three generations who paid in blood and treasure. Children carried off by Comanche. A brother lost to war. Lives shattered. Chet Byrnes was trying...

Chet Byrnes has his hands full taking care of his family and running his ranching operation in Arizona Territory. But he still takes his responsibilities as a deputy U.S. marshal very seriously. Bandits have been crossing the border, cutting a bloody swath of mayhem--stealing horses, robbing banks, and murdering innocent folk--then high-tailing it back to safety in Mexico. The chief U.S. marshal asks Chet to lead a secret task force to stop the raids...

"Chet Byrnes has built a ranching empire from the ground up. And he's defended it with his sweat, blood and a ragtag band of ranch-hand fighters. Now a beautiful young Spanish widow comes into Chet's life, just as he starts off in search of a lost cattle drive that heads straight into the eye of a sprawling, violent storm. Chet, and his men--and his seductive new woman--end up on a wild ride through Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas, where authorities...

From the Spur Award–winning author, the saga of one family and the blood spilled to make Arizona Territory their home . . .

Building a ranching empire is one thing, keeping it out of the hands of robbers, kidnappers, murderers, embezzlers, and every no-good opportunist crawling through the Arizona desert is a daily grind for Chet Byrnes. He's just as likely to rescue a stolen daughter as he is to recover rustled cattle on...

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 hes the hero that the West needs. To others, hes a moving target. Chet is spearheading a stage line from Gallup to the Colorado River. Itll be a boon to Navajo trading posts, and lay out the territory for new settlements. Unfortunately, its not Gerald Halls idea of progresskilling Chet...