Showing results by author "Johnnie Burns" in All Categories

Lydia Hartman, orphaned young and raised without a home to call her own, boards a train bound for Sacramento as a stowaway chasing a new beginning. But the iron rails carry more than dreams westward, and not everyone on board will reach California alive. Jack Callahan, a former gunslinger turned businessman, thought he had buried his past a long time ago. On his way to purchase a seaside hotel, he discovers that some ghosts refuse to stay buried, and this time they have found his trail. As secrets unravel and the miles roll by, Lydia and Jack are drawn into a deadly web of deceit and ...

Cole Dalton is a notorious outlaw on the run from his own gang. When he stumbles across a terrified family, he learns their town is held hostage by a ruthless villain hunting for a legendary cache of gold. Against his better judgment, Cole is drawn into a fight thick with danger and deception. Lila Byrne is the blacksmith’s strong-willed daughter and the leader of a secret resistance against the outlaws’ rule. When Cole arrives in her dying town, she sees in him something she thought was gone forever: hope. Cole and Lila must push aside their misgivings and fight together for their own ...

Jacob Hardy shouldn’t be alive. Left for dead by the outlaw who burned his adoptive family’s ranch and slaughtered everyone he loved, Jacob miraculously survived. Now the only thing keeping him going is the vow he made over their graves: that man will pay in blood. Clementine Carter is alone in the world and drowning in grief. She watched her brother die for crossing the same man Jacob hunts. With only a retired bounty hunter for company, she’s on her way back to her hometown when fate throws Jacob in her path. Both Jacob and Clementine want justice, but the man they’re after is no ...

In the shadowed streets of Blackthorne, Colorado, Marshal Edward Morgan stands at the edge of despair. The town he's sworn to protect is unraveling at the seams, caught in the tumult of a booming gold rush and a chilling spree of murders, the first in decades. With his back against the wall, Edward's battle-worn spirit faces the ultimate test. Can he marshal his fading strength to defend his town one last time? Samuel Marcus is a young deputy with ambitions as vast as the Texas plains he left behind. Summoned by Edward, his old friend and mentor, Samuel envisions a fresh start and a chance ...

Matt Duncan, raised in an orphanage, is a former outlaw trying to live down his past. A botched kidnapping earned him two years on a railroad gang and sent his partners to prison. Now working as a ranch hand in New Mexico, Matt’s trying to start over, but trouble is catching up fast. Rosa Mitchell, daughter of a legendary bounty hunter, has a score to settle. Matt was the one who slipped through her father’s fingers, and she’s determined to finish the job. When fate throws them back together, Rosa, armed with her father’s skills and a deep hatred for outlaws, is ready to bring Matt ...

Roddy Crippman is a seasoned hunter who has chosen a life of solitude after the tragic loss of his wife. Nature is his only companion, offering an escape from the pain of his past. But when he hears a woman’s desperate cries for help, he can’t ignore them. Roddy rescues her, only to discover that her troubles are far from over, and now they’ve become his as well. Can Roddy let someone back into his life, after being a loner for so long? Zadie Smallwood is on the run, having escaped from slave traders who planned to sell her to the highest bidder. Her narrow escape leaves her ...

After years of war and months in a prison camp, Jed Markum returns to Dry Gulch with hope in his heart. But his hometown is dying, the land scorched and the people broken. What was once home now lives in the grip of a ruthless man. Mary Beaumont has lost everything to a villain determined to claim what little she has left. Desperate and alone, she plans to fight, though deep down she knows it is a battle she cannot win. Then Jed walks back into her life, and for the first time in years, she dares to hope. Bound by a common enemy, Jed and Mary join forces against the man who destroyed their ...

In the dusty trails of the Texas frontier, Jason Atlas rides hard from the shadows of his former life. Once a notorious gang member, he's reinvented himself using the proceeds of a daring robbery, now steering a wagon train business across the rugged landscape. But the ghosts of his past are everywhere—old comrades from the gang and the vengeful outlaw Kurt Fallon are on his trail, and the noose of the law tightens with every mile he covers. As he guides homesteaders to new beginnings, one question burns in the arid wind. Will his former life catch up to him and destroy the future he’s ...

John Clark, known to his friends as Trooper, is a Civil War veteran turned drifter, searching for a place to call home while expertly navigating the perils of survival. When he encounters the spirited young widow, Yvonne, he offers to help her claim her late husband's silver mine. However, the town's most powerful miner covets both the mine and Yvonne, and Trooper suspects he's the one who murdered her husband and will stop at nothing to seize his prize... Can he protect Yvonne from a deadly foe? Yvonne Owens Toole has traveled from Houston to Boulder to claim her late husband's mine and ...

Caleb Hart, a seasoned stagecoach driver, roams the vast Arizona desert, his life a journey of relentless change and adventure. Known for his unwavering determination and skill, he's the embodiment of the rugged, restless spirit that defines the Wild West. When tasked to replace a fallen driver after a brutal ambush, Caleb stumbles upon a chance encounter that could anchor his wandering heart. Will he embrace the call to settle, or will the thrill of the untamed land keep him in its grasp? After rebuilding her life in Arizona, Molly Bennett's determination is put to the ultimate test when ...

Thomas Ward is a man haunted by his past. The town he once swore to protect was destroyed by a ruthless gang of outlaws, leaving him with nothing but the bitter taste of failure. Now he earns his keep as a wagon train guide, finding solace only at the bottom of a whiskey bottle. Guiding his final train to Oregon with dreams of retirement, Thomas believes his troubled days are behind him. But the trail ahead forces him to ride once more into danger he never imagined, and he must summon every ounce of courage to survive. Years of weakness and dependence have taken their toll. When the moment ...

Molly has spent years enduring a brutal marriage to wealthy cattle rancher Garrett. When he raises his hand against her, she fights back—plunging a knife into his chest. Now a fugitive, she flees, boarding a train bound for New Orleans, desperate to disappear before his men catch up to her. Branded a murderess, she knows one thing for certain: if they find her, she won’t live long enough to plead her case. Determined to reclaim what he sees as his property, Garrett’s family hires Cole, a relentless bounty hunter with a reputation for finding what’s lost and erasing what’s ...

In the gritty heart of the Old West, Katherine "Kit" Carson, a fiery redhead known for her unyielding spirit and masculine garb, faces the greatest trial of her life. Following the merciless killing of her beloved brother Amos by cattle rustlers, Kit is driven by a relentless quest for justice. Raised in the shadow of men on a rugged cattle ranch, she has become as tough and capable as any cowboy, yet her path is fraught with danger… Can she navigate the perilous journey that lies ahead? Alongside Kit stands Lee, a rugged Texas Ranger, driven by his vendetta against the same gang that ...

Sophia Randolph never imagined her life would fall apart so quickly. After her husband Edward was tragically killed in a case of mistaken identity, she was left to raise their twins and run the family ranch. Her brother Kent’s return from the war brings more heartbreak than comfort, as he struggles with a prosthetic leg and the mental scars of battle. With danger looming and no one to turn to, can Sophia hold her family together in the face of relentless hardship? Ben Morgan has spent years haunted by a single, fatal mistake—the accidental shooting that took Edward’s life. Once a ...

One fateful day, Barrett Shaw's career as a lawman came to an end. Haunted by the ghosts of his past, he’s spent fifteen years drowning his regrets at the bottom of a bottle. When a letter from an old friend arrives, pleading for help, Barrett knows he has nothing left to lose—and no choice but to answer the call. Sadie Caldwell is on a dangerous hunt for a legendary treasure she believes is cursed. The Devil’s Bounty has claimed countless lives, including those of her family. When her husband vanishes without a trace, Sadie vows to stop at nothing to uncover the truth, even if it ...

Carter is running for his life. Three men are hunting him, and the only thing they want is the key hanging from his neck. Injured and alone, Carter releases his horse and disappears into the desert. With no supplies and the sun rising fast, he makes it as far as the side of the road before everything goes black. Mabel Dawson is used to standing her ground. When the mayor's spoiled son storms into her father's store with a marriage proposal, she shuts him down—and runs him off with a pistol. Wanting space from the fallout, she joins her father on a supply run. But when they find a wounded ...

Sheriff Vance Tanner of Rattler Ridge, Montana Territory, is jolted awake one morning by pounding on his door. His Deputy brings dire news: a vicious gang is wreaking havoc in the town saloon. Vance rides into town, facing a deadly confrontation that leaves several innocents dead and his deputy gravely wounded. Now, believing he has failed both his son and his town, he sets out to hunt down the outlaws who have devastated his community. Can a guilt-ridden sheriff find redemption through revenge? Samantha Thomas has lost everything to the same outlaws that ravaged Vance's town. When he ...

Wes Callahan leads the Frontier Express stagecoach, a hard and dangerous job he does well. But behind the reins, he wrestles with the bottle and doubts his own worth. Only Carla Monroe, a resilient widow, makes him believe there might be more to life. On his final run for the company, Wes carries a ring in his pocket and a proposal on his mind. Riding alongside him is Greg, the boss’s son and Wes’s childhood friend. But what starts as a routine journey soon turns into an onslaught neither man is ready for. When dangerous outlaws target the stagecoach and kidnap Greg, Wes takes it upon ...

Michael Hilburn, a former newspaper writer, is hunting the Baltimore Butcher, the man who killed his sister. In the trail of revenge, he disguises himself as a priest. As he works to outwit his deadly opponent, innocent victims continue to die one after the other... Can he uncover the killer's identity before time runs out? Clara Daniels came to Chicago with her father to build a church, but his death and a harsh winter slowed her progress. Desperate for help, she wired for a pastor and received a priest instead. This mysterious newcomer, skilled in both the pulpit and in a fight, stirs ...

Jacob Butler is living his dream as the beloved doctor in Pine Bluff, bringing hope to his community. But his world is turned upside down when outlaws arrive with a gravely injured man. Despite his best efforts, Jacob is unable to save the man and finds himself becoming the target of his vengeful brother. To make matters worse, the outlaw doesn’t just want Jacob dead. He wants to burn down the entire town as well... He never knew that a single day could unravel his entire life… Sam Greyrock is a woman who doesn’t need anyone. After being torn from her life after her tribe was brutally...