With the embers of the Lincoln County War still burning, rancher Wes Bracken must rebuild his life amid the white-hot animosities lingering from the deadly feud. His vengeful brother-in-law vows to kill him, the county’s economic kingpin seeks revenge, and the despicable outlaw Jesse Evans, who violated Bracken’s wife, intends to murder Bracken and his young family. Two promises complicate Bracken’s survival chances: a pledge not to kill his wife’s brother and a commitment to help William H. Bonney earn a governor’s pardon for his crimes.

1. Lincoln County Courthouse: Originally the Murphy-Dolan Store, this building was purchased by Lincoln County for a courthouse and became famous as the building from which Billy the Kid made his final escape.

2. Billy Shadow: To this day Billy the Kid casts a long shadow over the Lincoln County War and Western fiction as represented by this specter over an exhibit in the state museum in Lincoln.

3. Billy Window: From this window Billy the Kid dispatched Robert Ollinger with the deputy’s own shotgun. Ollinger died at the spot of the white marker.

4. Billy Floor: During some of Billy the Kid’s troubles with the law in Lincoln County, he is said to have hidden in this compartment beneath the floor in a back bedroom of the Tunstall Store.

5. Billy Exterior: Billy the Kid waited to ambush Deputy RobertOllinger from the far window on the second floor of the Lincoln County Courthouse. Ollinger fell at the stone marker beneath the window.

6. Billy Stairs: From the top of these stairs, Billy the Kid shot Deputy J.W. Bell. The hole in the wall at the bottom of the stairs is said to be from the bullet that killed Bell, who staggered outside and died.

7. Billy Doorway: An enlarged image of the famous Billy the Kid photo greets visitors from a doorway in the Lincoln County Courthouse.

Preston Lewis is the Spur-Award-winning author of over forty westerns, historical novels, juvenile books, and memoirs. He has received national awards for his novels, articles, short stories, and humor. In 2021 he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for his literary accomplishments. Lewis is past president of Western Writers of America and the West Texas Historical Association.

His historical novel Blood of Texas earned a Spur Award as did his True West article on the Battle of Yellow House Canyon. He developed the Memoirs of H.H. Lomax series, which includes two Spur finalists and three Will Rogers Medallion Awards (WRMA) for western humor. Lewis has received two Will Rogers Gold Medallion Awards for his short stories. The Fleecing of Fort Griffin and two of his YA novels have won Elmer Kelton Awards for best creative work on West Texas from the West Texas Historical Association.

Lewis began his writing career working for Texas daily newspapers in Abilene, Waco, Orange, and Lubbock before going into university administration. During his thirty-five-year career in higher education, he directed communications and marketing offices at Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and Angelo State University.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Baylor University and master’s degrees from Ohio State in journalism and from Angelo State in history. He lives in San Angelo, Texas, with his wife, Harriet.

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