The Hard Ride — Thadd Turner

He survived the war, but the real fight was waiting in the West.In the chaos of a lawless frontier, James Butler Wild Bill Hickok walks a deadly line between hero and outlaw. Scarred by years of brutal conflict and the weight of too many graves, he returns to the plains seeking peace only to find more bloodshed.When Hickok meets Agnes Lake, a fiercely independent equestrian performer with a tragic past, their connection runs deep. But love offers no protection in towns like Hays City and Deadwood, where outlaws, rival factions, and hired guns rule the streets. As a newly minted sheriff, Hickok becomes both symbol and target.As rival gunslingers close in and old enemies resurface, Hickok must navigate shifting alliances, violent confrontations, and a town teetering on the edge of chaos. Each decision brings him closer to the justice he swore to uphold-or the grave he's been outrunning for years.With justice fading and vengeance rising, Hickok must confront the truth: redemption carries a price-and not everyone rides away clean.