Book excerpt: A Texas sheriff joins forces with legendary desperado Cullen Baker in a fight against a land-grabbing baron in this historical Western adventure. Lawman Sam Heller is busy enough keeping the peace in Hangtree, Texas. But when he saves the life of a gunslinger on the trail from East Texas, the young man makes an audacious request—that Heller trek with him back across a desert held by brutal outlaws to save one more. Bill made the journey to Hangtree to get help for a friend—quick-draw artist Cullen Baker—who’s fighting to save the Torrent River from a robber baron. Baker’s old pal Johnny Cross has agreed to lend a bullet or two, and with Sam Heller at their side, the odds are even better. When the ammo’s loaded and the triggers are cocked, the Torrent will flow red with blood . . .