E. E. Halleran Bücher

Tracking down a crazy Confederate scheme to capture Colorado was the kind of job Union Captain Tom Baird was ready for. But he hadn&;t reckoned on a hidden cache of ammunition big enough to equip a small army &; or the surprising partnership of a beautiful brunette Federal agent.

The Apaches had a superstition that blood would run red when the crimson cactus bloomed. And the red blooms were lush against the Arizona desert.

The U. S. government was pledged by treaty to keep white emigrants out of Sioux lands. At the same time, it wanted its citizens to mine the Black Hills gold and get it into circulation.

The Indians were "quiet" -- but Scout Bert Monroe's closest friend, Charlie Pronghorn, had become strangely critical of the whites who had educated him. He was joking of course -- he joked all the time -- and even if he wasn't, criticism couldn't kill a man.

Tensions escalate in the Big Horn Basin as conflicts arise between small ranchers and large combines, threatening violence. The situation intensifies with reports from Johnson County, where hired gunmen are already unleashing chaos, raiding and burning properties, and killing those who oppose them. The looming threat of a deadly confrontation casts a dark shadow over the community, setting the stage for a gripping showdown.