The sudden murder of Don Sebastian Ruiz by outlaws places his son Pablo as the patrón of the vast Ruiz hacienda. Jean and Catharine, along with Henry and his family, make the trip to Taos to attend the Don's funeral and assist Pablo. Their first order of business is to bury Sebastian, the second to hunt down his killers. A problem arises when Sebastian's lack of a will puts ownership of the hacienda in limbo as the US Government does not recognize Pablo's inheritance. Together, they face the challenge of legally securing the property for Pablo and future generations. Meanwhile, in Fort Collins, a chance glimpse on the street places Jennie at risk when a former enforcer for Madame Min recognizes her and decides to exact his 'lost payment' for failing to locate her and return her to Min's.
About the Author: Mountain men, Voyageurs, pioneers, and explorers make up the branches of Dave's family tree. His mother's side was from Canada where the men plied the fur trade in the Canadian wilderness. Others moved down into the wilds of Northern Minnesota and established trading posts among the Chippewa. On his father's side were veterans of the War of 1812, and the Spanish American War. His natural grandfather died out West while working as a telegrapher for the railroad. His step grandfather, born in the 1800's, was Native Blackfoot from Montana. He was a hunter and horseman who brought a great deal of Old West influence into the Fisher family. As a lifelong Westerner Dave inherited that pioneer blood and followed in the footsteps of his ancestors. Originally from Oregon, he worked cattle and rode saddle broncs in rodeos. His adventures have taken him across the wilds of Alaska as a horsepacker and hunting guide, through the Rocky Mountains of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado where he wrangled, guided and packed for a variety of outfitters. Dave weaves his experience into each story. His writing, steeped in historical accuracy and drawing on extensive research, draws his readers into the story by their realism and Dave's personal knowledge of the West, its people, and character. He has near to 500 fiction and non-fiction works published. Included are western action/adventure, outdoor novels, and short story collections, 70 short stories, and inclusion in 18 anthologies. He is the first, and currently the only, writer to win the Will Rogers Medallion Award three times for outstanding Western Fiction. Nine of his short stories have earned Reader's Choice Awards. You can learn more about Dave's background and writing at his website: www.davepfisher.com