Cold as the Clay — Rod Miller

Orphaned, homeless, and on the verge of manhood, Wilson Hayes finds refuge in the employ of powerful rancher Jesse Longmore. Cowboy skills, tenacity, and grit propel the young man's rise to a powerful position on the Fishhook Ranch and membership in the family-but Longmore's belief that he has become a threat results in his driving Hayes away and into the uncomfortable company of an outlaw band and a rival rancher. Follow Wilson Hayes in an empire-building quest of biblical proportions as he seeks a way home to the Fishhook.