Joe Pardee was hardheaded, trigger-quick, and the closest thing to a father Will Beeson ever had. When Joe was gunned down defending the Box P Ranch against land-hungry settlers, Will stepped in and tried to fill Joe's shoes. But Will hadn't bargained with the women in Joe's life. Sarah, Joe's widow, had lost the use of her legs in a riding accident, but she was ready to take back control of her life, starting with making Will the new foreman of the Box P. But with his dying breath, Joe had asked Will to take care of Kathy Morgan, the woman Joe had turned to after Sarah's accident. And Will hadn't reckoned on the greenhorns who rode into his valley looking to set up fenes and put down roots. Pardee had given his life fighting for open range. Now Will had to use his head to make peace -- or he could follow in Joe's footsteps, pick up his guns, and risk going down in a deadly hail of lead.