Barry Ray

Forbidden Valley Barry Ray

Jonas Ward was over six feet tall,extremely powerful and ruggedly handsome. He was quick and deadly with any formof weapon, and even had more than a passable knowledge of swordplay. He had bynecessity grown up hard and mean. His only soft spots were for children, horsesand beautiful women. Jonas had crossed hostile deserts and fought with thefierce Mojave Indians before his sixteenth birthday, and since, had foundlittle in this world to make a man happy. Years before he had left his youngerbrother in California to be raisedby an arrogant but wealthy grandfather. After stealing ten of this patriarch'sblooded horses, Jonas went out into the world to make his fortune. He wasreturning now to meet with his kid brother at a place they had agreed upon severalyears earlier; as to whether or not the boy would remember, he could onlyspeculate. But while riding a train, Jonas met up with a band of potentialtrain robbers with a near idiot in charge, and after thrashing one of their group for molesting a young woman, he had been chosen astheir new leader. He accepted reluctantly, but only after seeing the gangs'young and beautiful sister, along with a magnificent stallion that was a giftto him from the man he had beaten. Although Jonas was now willing to takecharge, still nothing would keep him from the rendezvous with his now grownyounger brother. The eventual meeting with the youngerWard was fraught with calamity, as Jonas was forced to shoot off a man's ear,making of him a deadly enemy; an enemy that pursues them relentlessly, and issoon to become a murderer and a rapist, while gathering a gang of outlaws asmurderous as himself. They were forced to fight Apache as well as Yaqui Indians. They had friendly as well as unfriendlyencounters with the Mexican Army, and were ultimately astonished by theappearance of those that resided in the forbidden valley...