CADE’S QUEST
ISBN: 979-8-9912249-8-7
Epitaph Press
August 2025
Family meant everything to Cade McIntyre—until murderous raiders tore them apart.
The violence that took his parents’ lives also scattered his brothers and sisters to the four winds. Now grown, Cade vows to reunite them. A wanted poster naming his oldest brother as a member of a notorious outlaw gang horrifies him but Cade refuses to believe it.
When he discovers a clue about his older sister, the trail leads him to a quiet Texas town—just in time for a bank robbery. Cade locates his sister there, but before they can leave, a vigilante sheriff learns his name and believes he and his brother made off with the loot. All reasoning falls on deaf ears and Cade is forced to flee with the law hot on his heels.
At his hideout, Cade encounters a young Comanche woman who’s just escaped the cruelty of an Indian boarding school. In the forced solitude they find comfort in each other and unexpected romance.
But with danger closing in and the past refusing to stay buried, their chance at love may be a fleeting as dust in the wind.
Can Cade stay alive long enough to reclaim his family and hold on to love?
EXCERPT
Luther Jones was easy to recognize with his square jaw and scowl. Cade McIntyre ducked down, his heart hammering. The man just wasn’t going to give up and it appeared Maxwell hadn’t had much luck in getting through to him either. Dismounting, the hefty sheriff strode to the door of the dwelling. Cade hurried to a corner of the kitchen and raised a trapdoor. It was difficult to see unless you knew it was there. Their secret room had sheltered them during storms and from attack in the earlier years. It still puzzled him why his parents hadn’t used it when the raiders had come. But maybe they hadn’t viewed them as a threat. Cade made himself small, not making a sound. He was glad he’d hidden Buck. Jones stepped into the house then shuffled into each vacant room.
As the man moved about, Cade huddled in his secret space with gun drawn. If it came down to it, he would shoot. Finally, Jones left, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
The day drew to a close and the sun had sunk below the horizon when Cade returned to the dugout and dismounted. Alarm swept over him at the sound of a child’s cries. Or was it an animal? They sounded similar. But the thin ribbon of smoke coming from the flue on top of the roof said someone had made themselves at home. With his stuff.
Had Sheriff Jones found his hiding place?
He slid his Colt from the holster and advanced slowly. The sound grew louder and came from the dugout. He threw the door wide, his finger tightening on the trigger.
A young native woman grabbed a small child, pulling it behind her. The long, fringed skirt and beaded deerskin blouse said she was probably Comanche. While her wide eyes reflected panic, she didn’t make a sound as she slipped a knife from her cloth belt and held it in front of her in a threatening manner.
“Put down the knife, lady,” Cade barked.
The child began to cry.
“What’s your name?” he asked. “I’m Cade.”
After a long moment, she replied, “Rain.” She lifted her chin in defiance.
He took in her long, shiny braids and slim figure. She was pretty. He judged her to be somewhere around his own age. What was he going to do with her and the kid? Life just got a whole lot more complicated.
“Rain, I won’t hurt you or the child.” Cade put his Colt away.
“I’m supposed to trust you? I’m a savage, you know.” She flung the words at im like they were venom-laced arrows.
“I don’t see any savages here.” He held his hands out. “Where did you come from?”
Rain said nothing, keeping the child who must be around four years behind her.
“You speak excellent English. I am a friend. What are you doing here?”
Again, only silence filled the space.
“I’ve been living out of this dugout for a week. We can share it. I killed some quail and will cook them for supper.” He kept his voice gentle and low. Thus far, she hadn’t moved a muscle. “What is the little one’s name?”
“Ten Bears.” She returned her knife to the sheath attached to her belt and pulled the boy from behind her. Ten Bears shyly buried his face in the woman’s skirt. “He was my sister’s boy, but she and her husband died of the fever a week ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Where will you go?”
The shrug said she hadn’t a clue.
“Well, I can help you figure that out if you’ll let me. A word of warning. There’s a dangerous man nosing around so be careful. He might hurt you. We’re safe enough here I think, but try to keep the boy quiet.”
“I will help you prepare a meal.” Rain stated that as though he had doubts she would cut his throat in his sleep.
Cade nodded and added a smile. “Your help is welcome. How old is Ten Bears?”
“Three years.”
“Ah, the age of curiosity. Are you and the boy hungry?”
“It has been a while since we ate.” She tenderly caressed the boy’s hair. Ten Bears smiled up at her with so much love Cade had to look away.
He knelt to add a piece of wood to the fire. “You speak English well, Rain. Where were you taught?”
“An English school for us poor, heathen Indians.” Bitterness laced her statement. “They tried to civilize us. Mine didn’t take.”
It must’ve been similar to the Carlisle School. He’d heard how they stole the children from their tepees and tried to kill the Indian inside by forbidding the children to speak their native tongue or practice the traditions they’d grown up with. Rain must’ve had to endure all of this, and it seemed to have left her scarred and bitter.
At least he and his siblings hadn’t faced such as this.
Cade stood. “I’m sorry, Rain. I think it’s wrong to change people, any people, and wipe out language, homes, and customs. You have my sympathy.”
