His pa died from snakebite when he was four. It was just him and his ma until Ike Sanders came to Deep Water. Most riders drifted away after a day or two but Ike stayed on. He invested in the town, started a newspaper and took an interest in Johnny. When Johnny was fifteen Ike hired him on as an apprentice, and ma stopped working at the Lucky 7 Saloon each time a cattle drive came through. Life was pleasant. Then The Kid came to town and everything changed. A long-ago secret connected Ike and The Kid, a secret the feared gunfighter wasn't about to let go.