Rim of the Desert

Book excerpt: THE LAW OF LEAD IN THE WEST The Broken Bit boys shot Sheriff Ben Borders after the nesters and law-abiders had re-elected him. Old Ben lay dying on the courthouse steps with Jim Keene looking down at him. “You stayin’?” said Ben. “I’ll be staying,” said Jim. “Well, when you get to the other side of the hill—remember this, son—the only thing you’ll find there is just what you brought with you.” Jim Keene had ridden a thousand miles to get to Cloud Valley and away from trouble. He was a strong man and a fighting man, but he always took sides. He couldn’t help fighting for the underdog. And when he got to Cloud Valley he found that he couldn’t run away from himself. With the sheriff dead, there was no law. So Jim Keene dealt himself in on the fight—on the side of the weak—and shot his way to justice...