Jack Latimer has been sheriff since he stopped off at Beaver Creek, keen to put the horrors of the War behind him. For ten years he's been content to collect taxes, chase truants back to the schoolroom, and throw drunken cowboys out of the saloon on a Saturday night. He's drawn his Navy Colt only to win the annual shooting contest.Then the bridge on the trail to Fort Laramie is put out of action. Beaver Creek explodes. Hired killers arrive in the town. A strong-minded woman prompts the wrath of an all powerful rancher. There are gunfights and murder, and Latimer finds himself the target of ruthless men. If he's to survive he'll need to think fast and shoot straight.