The Maverick (Bailey Clan Westerns Book 19)

The Maverick

For five years, Moran Bailey has ridden the hard trails of the American West with a single purpose: to find the man known only as the Beast. From Texas through Arkansas, Kansas, New Mexico, and Colorado, his name has become legend among miners, settlers, and drifters. They call him the Maverick—a man without roots, driven by justice and the memory of a family taken too soon.

Now the hunt leads to a booming mining town near Arizona’s Gila Mountains. Word is that the Beast, revealed as Ross Henderson, is gathering hired guns and preparing to seize control of the mines at Cactus Town. Moran rides toward a final reckoning, joined by loyal friends and newfound allies met along the Outlaw Trail.

Among them is a rancher’s family bound for the same uncertain future—and Roxy, the rancher’s spirited daughter. As danger closes in, Moran finds himself torn between the promise of love and the pull of vengeance. But for a man like the Maverick, the past must be settled before any future can begin.

In this fast-paced Western adventure, friendships are tested, alliances are forged, and justice comes at the barrel of a gun. The Maverick is Book 19 in The Bailey Clan Westerns series by Terence Newnes, a gripping frontier tale of loyalty, courage, and a long-awaited showdown in the Arizona Territory.

Continue the Bailey Clan saga and ride into Cactus Town for a story where justice, love, and destiny meet on the dusty streets of the Old West.

Excerpt from the book

The four riders pushed their lathered horses up the gentle slope. Harry Graves asked Ringer Johns, “You sure you saw a fire up there?” Ringer replied, “Yeah, I’m sure. I reckon it was shielded, but I saw it for a moment. Might be we could swap horses with whoever is camping up there.” Tod Roberts said grimly, “It’s either that or we stand and fight. These horses ain’t going to carry us much further.” Sam Foster said, “If it comes to that, then that’s what we’ll do. I don’t want to do it, because most of the men in that posse are men from the town. That tinhorn Marshal brought them along only to make it look legal when he killed us.” Ringer said, “There’s just him and two of the McCreery crew who know what happened, and they lied to those townsfolk.” Sam said, “Well, it didn’t help that he had a wanted poster with your face on it. That’s what convinced those men to ride along.”

They topped the ridge and saw a grove of trees with a fire flickering in the middle. They walked their tired horses, and when they were about fifteen feet away, Sam Foster called out, “Hallo the fire! Can we approach?” A deep voice answered, “Come ahead if you’re friendly — if you’re not, I’ll bury you here.” The four men looked at each other and then walked their horses slowly into the firelight. A man was sitting in the shadows, just out of the reach of the light cast by the fire. They could make out that he was a big man, even though he was sitting down, and they could see the rifle pointed at them. Sam Foster said, “We were hoping to swap horses. You alone, or are there men in those trees?” The man asked, “And if I’m alone? You figure you can take my horse?”

Ringer Johns said, “We ain’t horse thieves, Mister. I’m Ringer Johns, and starting from that end is Sam Foster, Tod Roberts, and Harry Graves. The truth is, there’s a posse chasing us and they’re just about ten or fifteen minutes away.” The man stood up and walked into the light, saying, “Well, you’re honest at least. I’m called Moran. What did you boys do — rob the bank in town?” Harry Graves said, “There’s a range war going on here between Matt McCreery of the Double M and the R Slash C. We ride for Robert Curry of the R Slash C. The McCreery gunmen attacked the ranch house today, but we held them off. Then the four of us slipped out the back, circled around, and caught them in a crossfire. They ran, but we chased them and got a couple more. We were riding back to the ranch when one of the boys found us and said that a posse was after us.”