Best of
Western

2000

The Rancher's Mail-Order Bride


Mindy Neff - 2000
    The old matchmakers had gone too far this time and now it was up to Wyatt to tell Hannah Richmond and her adorable son that they’d been had by four well-meaning old cowpokes. Except that when Hannah looked at him like he was the best thing since sliced bread and made him feel like a complete man, Wyatt began to think that maybe the old fellas were right — and that could be dangerous for the whole town!

Love's Bounty


Rosanne Bittner - 2000
    With Love's Bounty, she continues to delight readers with the passionate tale of a proud woman and the reckless bounty hunter who steals her heart. Life hasn’t been easy on young Callie Hobbs. After her father’s sudden death and her mother’s murder, there isn’t much left for her on the outskirts of Rawlins. Alone with a ranch to run, Callie could sell it all, cut her losses, and find a suitor in town. But Callie knows only one thing will bring her peace: Seeing her mother’s killers hung. To find them, she turns to the most ruthless bounty hunter on this side of the country: Christian Mercy. Distant and brooding, Christian Mercy is far from the ideal travel companion. But as their journey unfolds, Callie finds herself falling for those blue eyes that flicker with something deeper than she could have ever anticipated. He wants redemption. She wants revenge. And as they close in on their targets, Callie and Chris bite back a fear worse than death. Could their love for one another douse the burning rage that keeps them going?

Drifter


William W. Johnstone - 2000
    Johnstone's Last Gunfighter series rank among the most boldly authentic portrayals of the American West and the indomitable men and women who carved out a place there. Now, relive how the legend began with this first chapter in the ground-breaking saga of warriors and outlaws, lawmen and adventurers, and innocents in need of a hero.  The Drifter   Once, Frank Morgan had a wife and a future on the land—until a rich man with a grudge drove him out of Colorado. Since then, Morgan’s taken up the one skill that always came easy—gunfighting—and drifted to a mining town in the New Mexico Territory. But there’s nothing easy about two vicious gangs descending on the town and threatening to wreak havoc. With his reputation preceding him, Morgan is elected to stand in the outlaws’ way. And with nothing left to lose, he’s the last man who will ever back down . . .

Silver Lining


Maggie Osborne - 2000
    Now meet the most irresistible and independent heroine of them all, a woman called Low Down, who never had anything good happen to her until the day she asked for the one thing that only a man could give her. . . .As scruffy and rootless as the other prospectors searching for gold in the Rockies, Low Down wanted nothing in return for nursing a raggedy bunch through the pox. But when pressed to reveal her heart's wish, she admits, "I want a baby." Not a husband, not a forced marriage to the proud man who drew the scratched marble and became honor bound to marry her. To be sure, Max McCord was easy on the eyes, but he loved another woman and dreamed of a different life. Yet they agreed to a temporary marriage that could end only in disaster. But can this strange twist of fate lead to the silver lining that both have been searching for?

The Zane Grey Frontier Trilogy: Betty Zane, The Last Trail, The Spirit of the Border


Zane Grey - 2000
    In The Last Trail, a woman is kidnapped from Fort Henry by a band of renegades and hostile Ohio Valley Indians, and Lewis Wetzel and Jonathan Zane set out in pursuit, with little hope of survival. Finally, in The Spirit of the Border, Lewis Wetzel must single-handedly save Fort Henry, armed only with his long rifle and knife.

Wings of the Hawk


Charles G. West - 2000
    But he was saved by a pair of grizzled old fur trappers, and he learned to fend for himself and live off the land.When Jim finally returns home to St. Louis, he finds that there was more to his father's murder than he'd thought. Though the Indians did the killing, someone else did the planning--someone too close for comfort. Now young Jim must untangle a thick web of lies, and when the dirty dealings come to light he will come face-to-face with a murderer. But if he tastes the vengeance owed him, it won't be as the boy everyone knew as Jim--it will be as a man named Trace McCall...

Lady Winchester


Kirby Jonas - 2000
    Married four times, her first four husbands all died violently. Her fourth now lies wounded and possibly dying, and she has no idea who shot him or why.She must find out before it's too late. But will she be able to recover from the truth?If you want to read a Western, and a mystery, that does not have the typical garbage found in many modern books, this a book for you. The profanity and violence are minimal, the sexual content is non-existant. Yet the book never veers away from being realistic and completely believable.

Hawk's Way Bachelors


Joan Johnston - 2000
    So when they find themselves saddled with three of the most unsuitable women in Texas -- a debutante, a princess and a damsel in distress -- they vow it's gonna take more than a smile from a sexy woman to capture their cowboy hearts!

Hawken Fury


David Robbins - 2000
    The brave swung his tomahawk at Nate’s face. Ducking, Nate pointed his flintlock and fired.“Struck in his left shoulder, the Blackfoot jerked with the impact. Spurting blood like a fountain, he grimaced, but otherwise ignored the wound. Nothing would stop him from sending the hated white man into the spirit realm.“Crimson drops sprinkled Nate’s cheeks and chin as he lunged to one side and tried to stab the Blackfoot in the ribs. Even though wounded, the brave was able to dodge nimbly out of harm’s way. For a heartbeat they faced one another, the Blackfoot crouched, ready to strike.“Growling like an animal, the Blackfoot sprang forward, his tomahawk aimed straight for Nate’s head …”Although he frequently had to battle savage Indians, wild beasts, and hostile elements, Nate felt the freedom he’d gained was worth it. But when an old love arrives, Nate learns that the deadliest foe can come in the guise of a trusted friend, and his hard-won freedom can be traded away for a few pieces of gold.ABOUT THE AUTHORDavid L. Robbins was born on Independence Day 1950. He has written more than three hundred books under his own name and many pen names, among them: David Thompson, Jake McMasters, Jon Sharpe, Don Pendleton, Franklin W. Dixon, Ralph Compton, Dean L. McElwain, J.D. Cameron and John Killdeer. Robbins was raised in Pennsylvania. When he was seventeen he enlisted in the United States Air Force and eventually rose to the rank of sergeant. After his honorable discharge he attended college and went into broadcasting, working as an announcer and engineer (and later as a program director) at various radio stations. Later still he entered law enforcement and then took to writing full-time. At one time or another Robbins has lived in Pennsylvania, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Montana, Colorado and the Pacific Northwest. He spent a year and a half in Europe, traveling through France, Italy, Greece and Germany. He lived for more than a year in Turkey. Today he is best known for two current long-running series – Wilderness, the generational saga of a Mountain Man and his Shoshone wife – and Endworld is a science fiction series under his own name started in 1986. Among his many other books, Piccadilly Publishing is pleased to be reissuing ebook editions of Wilderness, Davy Crockett and, of course, White Apache. Check us out at www.piccadillypublishing.org

Jenny


Bobbi Smith - 2000
    Two years later, devastated by her father's death, Jenny returned to the Lazy S for good. No longer the blushing bride, but a woman who knew her mind, she vowed to return her family's spread to its former glory. Only one problem stood in the way: Cole Randall.As executor of her father's estate, he oversaw the running of the ranch. With his commanding presence and dark eyes, he set her heart racing. And while Jenny worked to keep their relationship strictly business, there was nothing business-like about her feelings. As they rounded up the cattle, she longed to rope the handsome rancher and walk down the aisle once more. Except this time when she left the altar, she planned to head home with the man of her dreams.

Servant of the Law


Dusty Richards - 2000
    From New Mexico to Indian Territory, Budd became one of a rootless army of half-crazed, half-drunk killers for hire--building an ugly legend as the Coyote Kid. Honest men paid the Kid to rid themselves of rustlers. Along the way, the innocent died, too.Now former Apache campaigner Major Gerald Bowen is bringing law to the land, hiring a few good frontier marshals and putting them on the bloody trail of the territory's worst outlaws. John wesley Michaels is one of those lawmen--and the Coyote Kid is his quarry. But when Michaels gets to Arizona, he finds out he won't be working alone. A stubborn woman insists on riding Michaels' side. Because she's met the Coyote Kid face-to-face--and she wants to be the one to gun him down...

The Lonesome Chisholm Trail


Johnny D. Boggs - 2000
    On the way, he runs afoul of a gambler and is robbed of his money and his horse, and shows up at Cliff's ranch a mighty sorry sight...but not as sorry as Cliff himself, who's been neglecting pretty much everything lately—except his whiskey bottle. Cliff had built up quite a reputation years before as a trail boss, and that's good enough for a neighboring rancher, who asks Cliff to boss a trail drive for him and get his cattle to market. Even as he accepts the job, Cliff knows he'll face more than the usual dangers and hardships of the trail—he'll have to tend to young Tyrell along the way...and he'll have to give up drinking if he wants to stay alive.

Black Cowboys of Texas


Sara R. Massey - 2000
    The story of the Anglo cowboys who worked the ranches of Texas is well known, but much more remains to be discovered about the African American cowhands who worked side-by-side with the vaqueros and Anglo cowboys.The cowboy learned his craft from the vaqueros of New Spain and Texas when it was the northern territory of Mexico, as well as from the stock raisers of the south. Such a life was hardly glamorous. Poorly fed, underpaid, overworked, deprived of sleep, and prone to boredom and loneliness, cowboys choked in the dust, were cold at night, and suffered broken bones in falls and spills from horses spooked by snakes or tripped by prairie dog holes. Work centered on the fall and spring roundups, when scattered cattle were collected and driven to a place for branding, sorting for market, castrating, and in later years, dipping in vats to prevent tick fever. African American cowboys, however, also had to survive discrimination, bigotry, and prejudice. The lives of these cowhands tell a story of skill and grit, as they did what was necessary to gain the trust and respect of those who controlled their destiny. That meant being the best—at roping, bronc busting, taming mustangs, calling the brands, controlling the remuda, or topping off horses.From scattered courthouse records, writings, and interviews with a few of the African American cowhands who were part of the history of Texas, Sara Massey and a host of writers have retrieved the stories of a more diverse cattle industry than has been previously recorded.Twenty-five writers here recount tales of African Americans such as Peter Martin, who hauled freight and assisted insurgents in a rebellion against the Mexican government while building a herd of cattle that allowed him to own (through a proxy) rental houses in town. Bose Ikard, a friend of Charles Goodnight, went on Goodnight’s first cattle drive opening the Goodnight-Loving Trail. Johanna July, a Black Seminole woman, had her own method of taming horses in the Rio Grande for the soldiers at Fort Duncan.These cowhands, along with others across the state, had an important role that too long has been omitted from most history books. By telling their stories, Black Cowboys of Texas provides an important contribution to Texas, Western, and African American history.

Utah Atlas & Gazetteer


DeLorme Mapping Company - 2000
    Contains topographic maps with unbeatable detail, plus gazetteer information on great places to go and things to do. Each atlas is a quality paperback; size 11" x 15-1/2". / Publisher: DeLorme / ISBN: 0899332552

Dakota Kill


Peter Brandvold - 2000
    But peace isnt' what he finds: Greedy landholder King Magnussen of the Double-X ranch wants sole reign of the Bench, a fertile and prosperous region in the Dakota Territory. And Magnussen always gets what he wants. So when Talbot meets beautiful young Suzanne, King's beloved daughter, he learns quickly that Suzanne always gets what she wants, too. And she wants Talbot. Then there's Jacy Kincaid, the little-girl-next-door, who has grown into a stunning strong-willed woman, fighting against King and his thugs for turning the Dakota Territory into Dakota Kill. Before Talbot can rest his tired bones, he finds himself not only confronted with a land war, but a love war too. . . .

Lawless Land


Dusty Richards - 2000
    The gunmen rode hard along the border, pillaging and murdering their way to plunder and wealth. Guided by a powerful landowner and his vicious outlaw captain, the Border Gang was organized, mean, and armed to the teeth. In Prescott, the governor knew Arizona's sheriffs couldn't stop the chaos--and statehood was in peril. Then a military man named Bowen stepped in with a plan: find a few good men, call them marshals, and send them after the Border Gang.Then the law struck back with a man named Mayes. Sam T. Mayes, a soldier turned Denver detective, is Bowen's first and only choice. Now Mayes--accompanied by an alcoholic army scout, a wanted man, and a fierce native woman--must ride against the cutthroat gang. Maye's job is to put the killers behind bars--or put them in the ground. His reward: The first-ever badge to be worn by a U.S. Territorial Marshal…

The Witness


Richard S. Wheeler - 2000
    Wheeler comes a rich and realistic novel of the Old West...Truman Jackson and his family are a pillar of the frontier town of Cottonwood, Utah. But no one knows much about the Jacksons. No one is able to find out where they came from, or what they did.Because Truman Jackson and his wife Gracie have been hiding their outlaw roots -- and their criminal deeds -- for the past seventeen years. To become whole once again, Truman is ready to confess his sins -- even if it turns his family, friends, and an entire town against him....

Wildwood Boys


James Carlos Blake - 2000
    Here is the brutally honest story of free-spirit William Anderson, who is pulled into a savage conflict of state against state in the years leading up to the Civil War. When Bill suffers a catastrophic loss, a fury is unleashed in his anguished soul. He becomes the most fearsome guerrilla captain and earns a name that becomes whispered with reverence and terror: "Bloody Bill."

A Cowful of Cowboy Poetry


Baxter Black - 2000
    Regardless, they remain true to his western heritage, his agricultural upbringing, and those stubborn, dedicated, honorable folks who make a living off the land and give him purpose.To truly appreciate his perspective it helps to understand the cowboy mentality. It can best be demonstrated by the joke wherein the cowboy holds his hand up in front of his face, palm to his nose, looks out over his fingers, and says, "Bet you can't hit my hand before I move it."The illustrations in this book are cleverly, colorfully done by a card table full of ink wielding cowboy cartoonists charged with the responsibility of making Baxter look good. They try.

Trapper's Blood / Mountain Cat


David Robbins - 2000
    And when trappers started turning up dead, their bodies horribly mutilated, Nate King and his friends vowed to hunt down the ruthless killers. But taking the law into their own hands, they soon found out that a hasty decision could make them as guilty as the murderers they wanted to stop.

The Outlaws


Wayne D. Overholser - 2000