
A municipal feud
In a sun‑bleached desert town that seems to cling to the horizon like a cracked gopher hole, two unlikely companions ride side by side. Joe Breedlove is a bronzed, quick‑witted gunslinger with a calm smile, while Indigo Bowers is a wiry, nervous veteran of countless skirmishes who can’t stay out of a quarrel. Their partnership, forged in a chance rescue and a reciprocal favor, is as strange as it is sturdy, each balancing the other's habit of daring and caution.
When they spot the distant lights of Big Elk, an old rivalry between that town and a neighboring metropolis flickers into view, promising theft, gunfire, and a test of civic pride. Joe feels a pull to finish unfinished business in his hometown, while Indigo hesitates, haunted by a past encounter that still burns. Together they set out toward the looming showdown, aware that the desert’s beauty hides a simmering conflict that could drag them both into a fight they never intended to start.
Language
en
Duration
~42 minutes (41K characters)
Release date
Mar 2, 2026
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1899–1950
A major voice in the American Western, this Oregon-born writer helped shape the genre with fast-moving stories, strong sense of place, and a feel for frontier history. His fiction reached millions through magazines and novels, and several works were adapted for film.
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by Ernest Haycox

by Ernest Haycox

by Ernest Haycox

by Ernest Haycox

by Ernest Haycox

by Ernest Haycox

by Ernest Haycox

by Ernest Haycox