Brand of the Hunted by John Glasby

Neil has been on the move for a long time.  When his parents were killed, he went after the killers.  He avenged them but now he's a wanted man.  As long as he never stays in one place long and never goes home, he's relatively safe.  But leading this wagon train to California is going to lead him back into contact with the man who ordered the killing...

Pioneering Press sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

Neil works hard at keeping the group of pioneers alive and well on the journey.  They have hardships when things go wrong and food runs out but they are making good progress.  Unfortunately, they have arrived at the land that two big cattle barons claim they own.  They've also hired killers to keep everyone else out.  When the killers get killed, the group starts riding hard across the land.

With hired guns after them, stampeding cattle, and a roaring river to cross, there's lots of action and you can't be sure who will be left alive when they reach their destination.  When it looks like Neil has reaching the end of the road, he's saved by unlikely savior.  It's an ironic touch and I liked it a lot.  It looks like Neil might be ready to settle down and quit running...