In this first novel of a blazing new American Western saga, two brothers must set aside their differences to defend the land and legacy passed onto them from a ruthless, scheming banker and his band of kill-crazy desperadoes. Jack Noble built the Rafter N Ranch with his own blood, sweat, and tears—the pride of Montana and the envy of every cattleman in the surrounding territory. His eldest grandson Gabriel Bartlett inherited Noble's fighting spirit, necessary to survive in an unforgiving land. Daniel, Gabriel's younger brother, has the strength and discipline to work the ranch, but lacks true grit when faced with a truly bad man. Gabriel is now the notorious Noble Bartlett, a quick-draw gunfighter surly as a sidewinder. So when he learns about rustlers targeting the Rafter N, rides hard for home. There he finds Daniel holding down the ranch. He's a hardworking family man who puts his trust in law and order. But the Bartlett brothers face brutal...

A cowboy discovers gold in California and fights outlaws threatening his family in this western adventure from Carson McCloud. With nothing keeping Jim Heston tied to Texas, he treks northwest to California, determined to carve a life out of the untamed and often brutal wilderness. In the shadow of the Sierra Mountains, he builds a ranch, until an unforgiving winter wipes out his stock. With jobs sparse in the small nearby town, Jim turns to hunting to keep fed, only to stumble upon an even more elusive prey: gold. Cord Bannen makes his living parting miners from their hard-earned gold, hoping to find a motherlode instead of the small, scattered nuggets he and his gang steal. And when he spies Jim exchanging gold at Bidwell's Bar on more than one occasion, Cord believes he's finally struck it rich. But when Cord threatens Jim's family, he learns the hard way that all that glitters isn't gold. For Jim Heston depends on another type of metal to...