Tate Nolan harbors a bold ambition—to surpass the legendary fame of his outlaw idol, Jesse James. Desperate for both money and a means to assert his place in the annals of history, Tate robs the local telegraph office, drawing the attention of the Blanco Hills’s sheriff.

But when he’s unwittingly blamed for a local priest’s murder—an act he vehemently denies—he decides to hit the road. With a tarnished name and a refusal to be jailed, Tate finds himself in Fredericksburg, Texas, where he locates refuge with an unsuspecting widow.

Yet, with a substantial reward on his head and a reputation to boot, peace is a commodity Tate can’t control. As a confluence of sheriffs and marshals descend on Fredericksburg, each vying for the lucrative reward, Tate must confront a life-altering decision—become Tate Nolan, law-abiding ranch hand…or Tate Nolan, feared outlaw.

Read along as, in the shadowed canyons of the Old West, one man makes a choice that will leave an indelible mark on the wild heart of the untamed frontier. “Melody Groves was not born in the Old West, but it’s fair to say it lives inside her.

” —Albuquerque Journal, on Before Billy the Kid. .