days are numbered.” Ridge bent over for a small pebble and rubbed it between his fingers. “This country is big enough for everyone. Greed should have no place here.”
“I agree, but greed will always raise its ugly head no matter how much land there is or people on it. At least for now.” Clay squatted to pick up a handful of dirt and let it sift through his fingers. “The clear fact is, some men want it all. I think there will always be a need for men like us, in some capacity, to make sure a few don’t take everything.”
Jack let out a resigned sigh. “I don’t like it one bit, but you’re probably right. We’re the defenders of the weak and poor. We’re the best ones to seek justice for them until the law can catch up with the westward expansion.”
Clay pondered that for a moment, and damn if Jack hadn’t arrived at the bald truth. They hadn’t outlived their usefulness. Not yet. Great change wasn’t far off, but it just might take a while. Until then, he’d best keep his gun handy, bedroll tied on, and his horse saddled.
They were still on guard awhile longer.
Sam Colt and his watchmen.
Still doing their best for God, country, and Texas.
Get ready for A Cowboy of Legend by Linda Broday.
It’s time for a new generation to become Legends.
Deacon Brannock is determined to make a name for himself and the saloon he’s worked his whole life to afford. He was prepared for life in the Wild West, but he hadn’t counted on Grace Legend…
Grace has always fought hard for what she believes in, and after her best friend is killed at the hands of her drunk and angry husband, that includes keeping alcohol out of her town. When the owner of the new saloon turns out to be a kind and considerate man, she can’t help but wonder if they could have a future together…if they weren’t on opposite sides of every issue.
Coming April 2021!
One
Fort Worth Texas
Spring 1899
“Destroyer of men’s souls! Beware the pitfalls of the devil’s brew!” Grace Legend held up her sign and directed her loud yells into the murky interior of the Three Deuces saloon.
A gust of wind delivered the stench of the nearby stockyards up her nose and a swirl of dirt to her eyes. She blinked several times to clear the grit as the two dozen Temperance women behind her took up the chant, banging drums and shaking tambourines. They sounded impressive.
A surly individual went around her and reached for the batwing doors. Grace swatted him with her sign. “Get back! Back, I say. This den of iniquity is closed to the likes of you.”
Built like a bull and smelling like the south end of a northbound steer, the man narrowed his gaze and raised a meaty fist. “This here’s a free country and I can go anywhere I like.”
Gunfire rang out down the street and a woman screamed. Grace was glad she’d stuck a derringer in her pocket. This section of town saw killings every day, even though the citizens cried for someone to clean it up and make it safe.
She wanted to take a step back from the surly man worse than anything. She really did. He had meanness rolling off him like rancid snake oil. But giving ground wasn’t in her makeup. Not today and not as long as she was alive. She had a job to do.
Grace sucked in a quick breath, shot him a piercing glare, and parked herself across the doorway. “I bet your wife would like to know where you spend your time when you should be working. Shame on you wasting your money on whiskey.”
“I earn it and I’ll spend it however I see fit. Now step aside,” he snarled and raised a fist.
“Or else what?” A voice in Grace’s head warned that this course of action could be dangerous, but she never listened to that boring bit of reason. No, she saw it her right and duty to make a difference in the world, and make it she would. She couldn’t do that sitting on her hands like some timid toad afraid to utter a sound.
At least a half dozen gunshots rent the air and people ducked.
A crowd had begun to gather and pressed close as though sensing a free show. Some of the men got into a heated shouting match with her ladies.
Before she could move, the quarrelsome fellow barreled into her, knocking her sideways. Grace launched