Josie Blue has been hunting outlaws and predatory aliens for too long. As an agent for the Riders of the Purple Sage?an elite, paranormal division of the Pinkerton Agency?she's seen and done things that would break most people. Haunted by her past, she's become a shadow of herself. Her skewbald mare is lame. Her boots are worn through. Her canteen is dry. Her hat has gone missing. When folks mistake her for a man, she's too whipped to correct them.

And then Josie stumbles into Hellers Hole. Once thriving, the town is now scrabbling to survive. The new rail line offers a glimmer of hope. For Josie, it might be the last chance to escape her past and find something to hold onto.
Only, in carving out a peaceful life, she's forced to confront her demons. Can she find something worth fighting for in a town of outlaws, settlers, and strangers?

Irene Radford has been writing stories ever since she figured out what a pencil was for. A member of an endangered species-a native Oregonian who lives in Oregon-she and her husband make their home in Welches, Oregon where deer, bears, coyotes, hawks, owls, and woodpeckers feed regularly on their back deck. A museum trained historian, Irene has spent many hours prowling pioneer cemeteries deepening her connections to the past. Raised in a military family she grew up all over the US and learned early on that books are friends that don't get left behind with a move. Her interests and reading range from ancient history, to spiritual meditations, to space stations, and a whole lot in between. Mostly Irene writes fantasy and historical fantasy including the best-selling Dragon Nimbus Series. In other lifetimes she writes urban fantasy as P.R. Frost and space opera as C.F. Bentley.