Winston Bernich

The Last Ride Winston Bernich

When a wealthy Englishman and his valet are stranded in Galveston, Texas in the year 1868, various members of the city's upper class become entangled in their mission. It's important that these two gentlemen get to San Francisco as soon as possible. They abandon their original plan to sail to the Isthmus of Panama and cross the continent there. Then against the advice of several of Galveston's leading citizens, they decide to ride north overland to intercept the transcontinental railroad and travel west to California. At the suggestion of an ex-Confederate major, they hire three former Confederate soldiers known for their gun fighting and scouting skills to guide them across the Indian Territory to Abilene, Kansas. The group encounters a cross section of 1868 Americana that includes Texas Rangers, outlaws, an honest marshal, a dishonest sheriff, gunfighters, cattlemen, gamblers, bounty hunters, soldiers, cowboys, a blacksmith, a beautiful prostitute, a banker, a vicious carpetbagger, an old Indian scout, and lots of Indians on the warpath. It's a funny story. It's a sad story. There's love and hate, and there's more than one surprise. I think you will enjoy this ride.