New Release - Gypsy Rock by Robert D. McKee

 Central Wyoming—1892

 

Wyoming Territory is the kind of land where a man can make a life for himself, but it can be just as easy to take the outlaw trail as to do the right thing…easier, sometimes. 

Deputy Hugo Dorling is determined to take the hard way—and stand up for justice, no matter how rough things might get. In the midst of the vast grazing lands and the discovery of precious metals, greed abounds, and there are a few who will commit murder to take what they want.

But Deputy Dorling isn’t alone in his fight. Twenty-year-old Billy Young stands with him through it all. Billy has suffered losses, and views the grizzled deputy as the family he no longer has. His loyalty runs deep for his mentor and friend.

When one evil act sets off a chain of events that spirals downward culminating in dozens of brutal deaths, Billy is determined to join Hugo Dorling in the almost insurmountable fight against the hate and prejudice that envelopes Gypsy Rock and the entire community. But the corruption and brutality runs much deeper than Hugo or Billy realize, and the only people they can trust are one another. When guns blaze, will either of them be able to survive the showdown at GYPSY ROCK?

EXCERPT

“Seems to me,” said Hugo, “any fella who’s been living in the middle of Wyoming since he was four years old oughtta be able to handle the crisp climate better than you do.”

Billy shrugged. “Pa always said I had thin blood. He figured that’s the way some folks’re built.” Billy pulled his blanket tighter around his shoulders.

Hugo spread the two long tails of his heavy duster and plopped down, too. He brushed his bushy mustache away from his lips and dug out his tobacco and papers. “I kinda like the chilly months myself,” he said. He rolled a thin, tight cigarette as he spoke. “Folks get into less mischief when the air’s a little on the frigid side, which tends to make my job some easier.” He struck a match, and as he lit his smoke, he cupped his hands to protect the blaze from the wind.

“Maybe you should explain your opinions on cold weather and crime to Mr. O’Dell,” Billy suggested. No matter the season, Ben, his brother Thatcher, and their gang of ruffians were eager to cause trouble. “Killing an old woman just because she’s a Gypsy sounds like mischief to me.”

“Well,” Hugo said as he flicked away the spent match, “Benjamin O’Dell is worse than most.”