The Ballad of Crow & Sparrow by V.L. Locey

The outlaws grab the sickly heir in hopes of ransoming him off. Instead of gold-filled coffers, the gang finds Spencer Haughton, son of cattle baron and railroad tycoon Woodford Haughton, cowering in the family's opulent private car. But can two such opposite souls find the love they're both seeking in each other's arms? Delicate, refined, well-educated, and possessed of a singing voice to rival the songs of the birds in the trees, Crow slowly finds himself falling for the winsome rich boy. The pretty young man is nothing at all like anyone Crow has ever met before. Things then go from bad to worse for them when the law rides down on the Wittington hideout and Crow is given Spencer to hide until the ransom is paid. It doesn't take long for the scheme to go horribly astray. When the gang decides to rob a train, Crow has no choice but to go along to keep a tight rein on the more bloodthirsty members. He may be considered an outlaw, but his father's morals are warring loudly with the lifestyle of his adopted family.

Crow is now a man, as well as a member of the Wittington Gang. Starved for human interaction and a father figure, Crow leaves the mountains behind for what he assumes will be a brighter future. He takes the wanted man in, heals him, and in return for saving his life, the smooth-talking criminal invites Crow to join his family. He stumbles across the outlaw Jack Wittington lying half dead in the wilds. It's a lonely existence, until one morning, while checking his trap line, Crow finds more than a rabbit in a snare. Orphaned at fourteen, Crow Poulin now has to hunt and trap the White Mountains of Arizona, as his father had taught him, all alone.

Sometimes a man's biggest blunder can turn into his greatest triumph.

The Ballad of Crow & Sparrow by V.L. Locey