The sun hung low over the Sierra Nevada, casting long shadows across the cracked earth of Gold Hill. Sarah Mercer adjusted her hat, squinting against the glare as she stepped off the wagon, her boots crunching over gravel. The air…
The sun hung low over the mesa, casting long shadows across the cracked earth as Jace traced the faded trail through the sagebrush. His boots crunched over gravel, each step a reminder of the miles behind him and the ones…
## The Weight of Lilacs The desert wind tasted like sand and regret. Elias traced the lines on his calloused hand, watching dust devils dance across the cracked earth of Redemption Gulch. It was a town clinging to existence, its…