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JAKE HARWOOD 4/3/2012 4:09:49 PM
Exciting action CHAPTER ONE
Jake Harwood eased his large buckskin over the last ridge before the wide expanse of the New Mexico backcountry began. He had been on the trail out of Santa Fe for five weeks and was dusty and tired. The Rio Grande, with its cool and soothing water, was some distance behind and Sam, his horse, needed water. He started downhill as the sky turned copper, but reined to a quick halt. A cloud of dust, vanishing in the southwest, caught his eye. Reaching into his left saddlebag, he pulled out a small field glass and peered through the lens. A band of Apache braves raced their ponies into the afternoon sun. Jake scanned the area next to the trail that parted the plains. An overturned stagecoach lay half-buried in the sand.
Urging his horse forward past clumps of brush and cactus, Jake drew his gun and cautiously trotted toward the stage. The bright sun and a slight breeze brushed his face. He adjusted his hat. Nothing moved as he drew closer. The coach was tipped on its side and the driver lay slumped over a wheel. A dead guard lay face up in front of the stage with an arrow protruding from his chest. All six horses had been cut loose. Three passengers, with arrows in their backs, lay spread-eagled, face down, in the soft sand next to the coach’s door. Their bloody scalps attracted hungry ants. Trunks and baggage, busted open, lay scattered around and the strong box was smashed and empty.
Jake shifted his blue eyes from the bodies and dismounted from his horse. He flinched when he heard a scraping sound.
