nDeputy sheriff Tom Lord knows by now that far-west Texas is the place hell always call home. Hes spent too much time in the regions small towns to adapt to another place. And thats all right with him. Whats not all right is being a deputy sheriff, where if it werent for family misfortune, he might have been a doctor instead. n Lords got one ace-in-the-hole -- the land deed that makes him the biggest landowner in the county, just as the oil companies have started to move in. n n When Toms approached by Aaron McBride of Highlands Oil and Gas with a contract to set up pipelines on his property, hes more than happy to sign on the dotted line with barely more than a cursory glance at the paperwork -- it just might be Lords way out of a life he never wanted in the first place. But when Lord finds out just what that contract entailed, things start to go sour for Aaron McBride -- and fast. Because in this Texas town, Lords the law -- and theres nothing more dangerous than a cop with nothing left to lose.n