Building a ranch takes heart and grit. Smoke and Sally Jensen are more than capable of meeting the challenges of shaping the land, raising the livestock, and establishing their brand. But Smoke wasn't always an entrepreneur. He's more apt to settle accounts with a fast draw than a checkbook. And when he learns his old friend Preacher has been ambushed by outlaws, he wastes no time saddling up and hitting the vengeance trail with his fellow mountain men Audie and Nighthawk. Preacher's attackers have taken over the town of Desolation Creek deep in Montana Territory. Their scurrilous leader, Vernon "Venom" McFadden, has his men harrassing terrified homesteaders and townsfolk to get his hands on nearby property that's rumored to be rich with gold. Smoke and his helpmates drift into town one by one with a plan to root out Venom's gang of prairie rats and put the big blast on each and every one.-- Back cover.