Fear of the Gun: A tale set in the New Mexico and Arizona Territories 1849 - 1884 - Paperback

by John K. Gerts (Author)

FEAR OF THE GUN: In February 1849, Lorenzo, a Mexican American war veteran, walks west from Albuquerque toward the Alta California gold fields. Lost in the Ponderosa Pines of the San Francisco Peaks mountain range, Lorenzo is saved from hypothermia and Cholera by Hanna, a Jewish sheep rancher living alone. Hanna and Lorenzo build a supply station for the surveyors and crews of the Beale Wagon Road, while Hanna schools their three children, Jeremiah, Zachary, and Sarah. Tragedy prompts Lorenzo to join the New Mexico Volunteers during The Civil War. He leaves Zachary (eleven) and Hanna to manage the ranch. Zachary, an adult in 1884, moves back to Flagstaff, vowing justice for the wrongs he has witnessed. Awaiting the arrival of the Deputy U.S. Marshal from Phoenix, Zachary and Hanna confront the violent man from their past alone.