Nick Rackham knew only poverty and pain growing up in the heart of Appalachia. The lashings from his father’s whip left deep scars and inspired Nick’s resolve to break free. At sixteen, his feet wrapped in cowhide, wearing rags for clothes, and carrying only a meager supply of food, he escapes the hardship and abuse, determined to someday succeed as a rancher in the untamed west.
The Civil War is over. Territorial expansion of the west is exploding. The railroad system spiders across the nation while its builders ruthlessly drive out the people who made the plains, hills and deserts home for centuries. Law and order clashes with emboldened gangs of criminals. Gunmen, rustlers and thieves prey upon those helpless to resist. It’s treacherous country, but one that offers opportunity for a better life for those with the grit, courage and strength to survive.
Traveling through the mountains of Kentucky, across the mighty Mississippi, the Ozarks, the great plains, and the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona, Nick confronts swindlers, war parties, outlaws and killers, making his quest for a new life a challenge that must be met The Hard Way.