Tarnished Star — Lewis B. Patten

The Big Four ruled a cattle empire. They were men who had fought and killed to win the land from the Comanches and now they weren't going to turn it over to government squatters...not even if the law demanded it. Violence and murder explode on the plains of New Mexico when Martin Kelso returns home after a two-year absence. Cattlemen are ruthlessly driving squatters from their rightful homesteads, and the sheriff, Martin's father, has become a useless, bottle-hugging drunk. The law is dead in Rio de Oro...until the sheriff's son decides to take it into his own hands, to fight them all, to bring back honor to the sheriff's star!