Jesse McCray ekes out a hard living cutting cattle from the local beef baron of Defiance, Texas. He's known for his quick draw and his steady aim; no one outguns him. Whenever he and his ragtag group of friends known as the Rustlers ride into town, the local cowboys hold their breaths, waiting for the men to ride through. But one evening, while playing faro at Billy's Saloon, Jesse's attention is drawn to a new face in the crowd.<br><br>Ethan Phillips is an idealistic tenderfoot from back East, passing through Defiance on his way to the California coast. He's heard tales of the gold that enriches the west coast, and he's looking for a way to make his dreams come true. When his horse pulls up lame, he offers to sing for the cowboys of Billy's Saloon to earn a few coins, but the men jeer at his song until a man in black quiets them. With one look into Jesse's dark eyes, Ethan finds himself falling for the man.<br><br>Ethan's horse heals but he stays in Defiance, enamored by his outlaw lover. But the cattle baron has a grudge against one of Jesse's outlaw friends, and a gunfight in Billy's Saloon puts a price on the Rustlers' heads. Can Jesse protect Ethan from the lawmen gunning for him and his friends?

Wanted

With a sigh, he turned from Ethan and sat back, gazing out over the town below them and the flat land that stretched to the horizon beyond. “It’s a lonely life out here in the plains,” he admitted, his low voice intimate between them. Ethan’s eyes opened slowly, as if unwilling to concede that the kiss he awaited had never come. “Restless nights in cold blankets, a saddle your only pillow, one ear always open for an ambush. You don’t want an outlaw, Ethan. There’s too much promise ahead of you to get involved with me and my friends and our petty war with Shelton.” 


Ethan took Jesse’s hand in both of his and kissed the battered knuckles, his gaze never leaving Jesse’s face. Something in Jesse’s eyes must have emboldened him, because he dared to say, “Since I came to Defiance, all I can think of is you.” 


“You’re a dreamer, Ethan,” Jesse said, that half-smile on his lips again. “Dreaming of a city in the west with streets of gold. Weaving your songs for others to dream, too.” 


Chapter 3