When a drought parched the land and a rival outfit, the "Blackthorn Rustlers," began stealing livestock under cover of night, Callie’s resolve solidified. Her grandfather’s last words to her— "A Hayes doesn’t yield to cowards, not even in a dry land." —echoed in her heart. Armed with her .45 Colt, a well-worn copy of The Joy of Computing (she’d picked it up at a tech fair in Flagstaff), and a crack team of loyal ranch hands (including a tech-savvy Navajo teenager named Jake), Callie set out to reclaim her family’s heritage.