When a US marshal showed up at the Branston ranch with a prison wagon, a very serious altercation occurred, leaving Valera, the only person (against her will) capable of taking charge of the seven dangerous prisoners and delivering them to Fort Yuma, some seven hundred miles away. Despite putting her life at risk, she was sworn in by US marshal Tremaine as a deputy US marshal. On their way to Fort Yuma, Valera meets different people, some good and some bad, and faces the daily challenge of traveling with the prisoners, who are always looking for ways to escape, even if it meant killing her. There were days when she thought about letting them all go and she would go back to the ranch and take care of her husband. Read this exciting novel about one woman's struggle against the elements and the men determined to kill her for their escape.