THE SEARCH BEGINS
Once, John Stone had everything a man could ever want: wealth, position, and a woman who loved him. But that was before the Civil War. Now he's lost his fortune, and his fiancee has disappeared. All he has left is his Colt, a picture of Marie, and a mission: to roam the West until he finds the woman he loves.

HE IS THE SEARCHER
The settlers were on their way to a new life in Texas, while John Stone was stirring up the ashes of a life that died with the war. Still, he signed on to act as a scout for their wagon train. Maybe Marie had found her way to Texas. Maybe he'd find someone who'd seen her...

John Stone wonders if he'll ever find peace. It's a good bet he won't find it on the way to Tucson ... not with a band of Mexican cut-throats after him, sworn to avenge the death of their vicious leader. And not while the desert is home to the marauding Apache ... Even if Stone can dodge the bullets and arrows, ahead lies the vast desert itself – more merciless than any battlefield he's ever faced ...