Two Hearts: The Tale of Cole Younger's Sweetheart: A Barton Family Saga (The Barton Family Saga)

The Old West comes alive in this epic tale of lawless desperadoes and a man seeking redemption through the love of a good woman. Things become increasingly dangerous for Bill Barton as his cattle rustling buddies in Missouri, including Frank and Jesse James, turn to the ways of gunslinging outlaws. Living a double life as a southerner named Leroy Thompson, Bill works to guard his real identity when south of the Mason-Dixon Line. He knows the promise of his new life would come to a violent end if his Confederate partners ever found out he had been a Union spy during the war.
While on a cattle rustling foray into Missouri, Bill's life becomes even more complicated when he accidentally runs into the love of his life, Cole Younger's sweetheart, Lucy Breeden. Lucy feels as deeply for Bill as he does for her, which puts the couple on a collision course with the bloodthirsty Cole Younger, who believes that if he can't have Lucy, no one will.


""Every good yarn has a little action, a little romance, memorable characters, and a soupcon of truth. Bill Bishop's Two Hearts has all of that and more. The fate of Cole Younger, Bill Barton, and their love for Lucy is the story of the West, and the history of a family come to life.""
--Bruce Stronach, Dean, Temple University, Japan Campus

""A master storyteller in command of his craft brings the outlaws of the Old West to life in a cunning tale of revenge and romance.""
--Randall Barton, Development Writer, Reed College

""Bill Bishop has returned to his Western roots to pen a frontier adventure that grabs your full attention from beginning to end. Two Hearts is a story too real to be fiction.""
--P. Reed Maurer, President, International Alliances Limited



Born and raised in the Dakota Badlands, ""Wild Bill"" Bishop has been driven by a pioneer spirit and an unquenchable curiosity in what lies beyond the distant horizon. His wanderlust has taken him to the far corners of the world, where he has come to appreciate the true value of his beloved Black Hills of South Dakota and his western roots.