Blood Debt — S.J. Stewart

Shad Wakefield is charged with finding Toby Granger and fetching him home to his dying father. He goes to the gold camps of Northern New Mexico where Toby has gotten into trouble with a band out outlaws. As Shad and his friend, Abe Featherstone, struggle to get the boy away from danger, they learn of a plan to rob a huge gold shipment. Before they can intervene, the shipment is stolen and guards are murdered. Shad and his friends follow the trail of the thieves to the town of Cimarron, where it mysteriously disappears.

With a little detective work, Shad gets a lead on where the gold has been taken to, and bravely sets out to make things right. In the densely wooded Sangre de Cristo Mountains, he must confront the outlaws and retrieve the gold so he can bring Toby home.