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     Table of Contents  Also by Title Page  Copyright Page CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 10 CHAPTER 11 CHAPTER 12 CHAPTER 13 CHAPTER 14 CHAPTER 15 CHAPTER 16 CHAPTER 17 CHAPTER 18 CHAPTER 19 CHAPTER 20 CHAPTER 21 Teaser chapter      Look for these exciting Western series from bestselling authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone    The Mountain Man   Luke Jensen: Bounty Hunter   Brannigan’s Land   The Jensen Brand   Preacher and MacCallister   Fort Misery   The Fighting O’Neils   Perley Gates   MacCoole and Boone   Guns of the Vigilantes   Shotgun Johnny   The Chuckwagon Trail   The Jackals   The Slash and Pecos Westerns   The Texas Moonshiners   Stoneface Finnegan Westerns   Ben Savage: Saloon Ranger   The Buck Trammel Westerns   The Death and Texas Westerns   The Hunter Buchanon Westerns   Will Tanner: U.S. Deputy Marshal     William W. Johnstone is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over three hundred books, including the bestselling series Smoke Jensen: The Mountain Man, Preacher: The First Mountain Man, Flintlock, MacCallister, and Will Tanner: U.S. Deputy Marshal, and the stand-alone thrillers Black Friday, Tyranny, and Stand Your Ground.   Being the all-around assistant, typist, researcher, and fact-checker to one of the most popular Western authors of all time, J.A. Johnstone learned from the master, Uncle William W. Johnstone.   He began tutoring J.A. at an early age. After-school hours were often spent retyping manuscripts or researching his massive American Western history library as well as the more modern wars and conflicts. J.A. worked hard—and learned.   “Every day with Bill was an adventure story in itself. Bill taught me all he could about the art of storytelling.‘Keep the historical facts accurate,’ he would say. ‘Remember the readers, and as your grandfather once told me, I am telling you now: be the best J.A. Johnstone you can be.’”   Visit the website at www.williamjohnstone.net.  CHAPTER 1  Leon Armstrong turned when he heard the door open to discover the now-familiar image of Cullen McCabe in the doorway. Armstrong hurried to the telegraph window to fetch a telegram from the drawer. “Mornin’, Mr. McCabe,” he greeted him.  “Mornin’,” Cullen returned. “Mr. Thornton, over at the store, said you have a telegram for me.”  “That’s right, I do,” Armstrong said. “It came in day before yesterday. I told Ronald to let you know if you came into the store, in case I didn’t see you.” He handed an envelope to Cullen and stood waiting, hoping Cullen might comment on the message. When he failed to do so, Armstrong commented, “We like to deliver telegrams as soon as we can, but with you not living in town, nothing we can do but hold it till we see you.”  “No problem,” Cullen said as he folded the telegram and stuck it in his pocket.  Armstrong was itching inside with curiosity about the quiet man whom no one in the little town of Two Forks knew anything about, except him. And the only thing he knew was that, from time to time, Cullen McCabe received a wire asking him to report to Michael O’Brien in Austin. The telegrams never said what the meetings were about, and the reason Armstrong was so curious was the fact that O’Brien was the governor’s aide. Of course, Ronald Thornton had dealings with McCabe, but according to Thornton, they always consisted of a minimum of words to place an order for supplies. The only noticeable difference in the size of his orders was whenever they came after he had received one of these telegrams from the governor’s office. And as Thornton had predicted, when Cullen returned to his store, after picking up his telegram, he placed a larger order for supplies than he normally did. Being the speculator that Thornton was, he guessed that the quiet man of few words had gotten another notice to travel.  When Cullen had completed his order, Thornton thanked him for the business, then commented, “From the size of that order, I’d figure you were fixin’ to take a little trip.”  “Is that so?” Cullen replied, and gathered up his purchases without further comment.  “I can give you a hand with those,” Thornton offered.  “Thanks just the same,” McCabe said, “but it’s no bother. I’ll just make a couple of trips. That way, you won’t have to stand out there holdin’ ’em while I pack ’em in the sacks on my packhorse.” As he said, he left half of the supplies on the counter while he rearranged his packs, then returned to get the rest as Clara Thornton came into the store. “Ma’am,” he said politely as he passed her on his way out.  When McCabe was out the door and in no danger of hearing him, Thornton greeted his wife. “He’s on the road again,” he said.  “Did he tell you that?” Clara asked, every bit as curious about the man as was her husband.  “He didn’t have to,” Thornton insisted. “I could tell by the order he placed. I knew when Leon said he had another one of those telegrams from the governor that McCabe would be gettin’ ready to travel.”  “Huh,” Clara snorted. “Maybe he just ain’t plannin’ to come into town for a while,” she offered sarcastically. “I declare, you and Leon Armstrong will have everybody in town thinkin’ Cullen McCabe is some kinda mystery man, just because he doesn’t talk much.”  “Is that so?” Thornton replied, standing at the front window now. “Then how come he’s headin’ straight to the blacksmith?”  “Maybe he