The Legend of Tornado Tess

Amy Cole wants to do more than write a story: she wants to live one. Her chance comes when one of her fans, who is trying to clear a doctor of murder, writes to her for help. Investigating the murder means entering the fortress called Little Babylon, a bandit stronghold in the middle of the New Mexico wasteland.
Whitney Scott is on the trail of a band of killers, a trail which leads to Little Babylon. When he meets Amy, he is caught up in her story -- both figuratively and literally. They agree to work together but an unknown assassin is out to kill Whitney.
In the end, Amy realizes that solving the murder mystery is not nearly so important and staying alive!