Book excerpt: Ever since he left his daughter in San Diego with the only family she remembers, Will Barlow has been tormented over the loss of his little girl. So when his longtime friend White Bear suggests they head to Taos to find themselves a couple of bare-shouldered señoritas, Will agrees that it’s as good a place as any in which to drown his sorrows. Back in town just a few days, the pair find themselves accused of gunning down a U.S. soldier and thrown in jail. Facing certain execution, they do the only thing they can to stay alive: break out of the rotting cell and split up. To dodge the soldiers on his trail, Barlow joins up with a wagon train delivering goods to the Settlements, only to encounter one savage enemy after another—each one more life-threatening than the last…