Chapter One The Returning Cavalryman

The second shot struck the fat man in the knee. He screamed and collapsed. The young gunman drew fastest, almost firing in the same heartbeat. His bullet cut Jack's coat and smashed a piece of window frame behind him. Jack did not step back. He stepped forward. His third shot tore the brim from the young man's hat near the left ear. The fourth went into his right shoulder. The young man fell. His pistol slid away. The whole thing took less than three seconds. Dust settled. Only groans remained in the yard. Jack walked to the fat man. The man clutched his ruined knee. The smile had vanished from his face. "Who are you?" he gasped. Jack looked down at him. "The owner of this land."