Which eccentric cowboy in Stockton County branded Evan Sting on Shotner Hill, murdering the young man? This is what private eye Joe Boxford asks himself when he's hired by Evan's father Benny to find the murderer. Joe needs some help, and enlists the services of Tal Linear, owner of The Linear Bar. But sparks begin to fly between the two. As romance heats up between them, they attempt to solve the branding crime. As the suspects start to pile up and weird relationships unfold in West Stockton, Joe and Tal begin to unravel a heinous crime. That is, until Tal vanishes and Joe thinks his sleuth buddy is going to be the killer's next victim. Does Joe have the skills needed to be a hero and save Tal from the killer's secret agenda and solve the crime? Or will Joe fall flat on his face and lose his reputation as a private investigator as well as his new lover, Tal Linear?

Stockton County Cowboys Book

Tal pointed to a few of his detailed notes and said, “A branding iron can be used in most branding. An iron brand is heated and placed against an object or livestock with the purpose of leaving a mark. One form of iron branding is fire-heated branding, which is a method that cowboys still use today. Irons require a longer time to heat, but the process is inexpensive. It’s why ranchers use it. The brands are inconsistent though, and become sloppy. Some are even indistinguishable. Fire-heated branding can be used on wood, steak, livestock, plastic, and leather.


“Another, more advanced form of branding is propane branding. Irons are heated with a steady flow of propane. Many irons can be heated at one time. By using this method, the temperature can be controlled at all times, unlike fire-heated branding.” He shuffled through some of the papers between us, collected what he was looking for, and said, “I think Evan Sting was the victim of freeze branding.”


Chapter 16