It sounds like a sweet deal, almost too good to be true. The U.S. Army needs horses and the Sugarloaf Ranch has got ‘em. The only problem? Getting a herd safely to Fort Craig in New Mexico without losing lives or spilling blood. If anyone can do it, it’s legendary mountain man Smoke Jensen. For backup, he’s bringing his new friend Dean McKinley, a young rancher who helped him stop a robbery in Big Rock. He’s a good man, a hard worker, and together they manage to lead the horses to Socorro without incident. That’s when their luck runs out. . . . Her name is Virginia Griffin. She’s got a stable full of male admirers and takes a quick shine to McKinley, sparking an all-out brawl with a jealous suitor. But before this powderkeg explodes, Smoke gets word of an Apache ambush at Fort Craig, so he and McKinley head off to help—leaving the horses at the mercy of thieves. By the time they return, the horses are gone—and the race is on. Smoke heads off across the barren badlands in pursuit of the gang, led by a notorious outlaw known as Lobo del Desierto: the Desert Wolf. To make matters worse, this leader may be connected to a band of Mexican revolutionaries with a deadly plot of their own. Not to mention that vixen Virginia, who may be at the center of it all. . . . JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. WHERE EVERY JOURNEY BEGINS WITH A SINGLE GUNSHOT.