The Thirty Six Hundreds — Tony Masero

Most of it is hellish country out there. Hot, dry, dusty and known to be deadly.
When five ruthless men ride in on a terror raid they find a surprisingly fertile valley, a plantation garden blossoming in the desert.
It has taken Jacob Marney years of toil and heartbreak. He lost his wife in the making of this oasis but the place warrants his suffering, it is both productive and remunerative even though he cares little for the financial reward it allows, unlike the five invaders.
Jacob has one thing he cherishes above all others and when the five lay an edge on his treasure it cuts like a knife and demands desperate measures. But Jacob is a man of the soil, a peaceful man, ill equipped for violence and he is left with only one alternative.
Sometimes events compel a man to do something he would much rather not.
Needs must when the devil drives…. and the devil just arrived in The Thirty Six Hundreds.