The cowboy, one of the greatest fictional characters in American literary history, is more than a man or a myth; he is an identity, the soul of a country that started out as the wild and unruly and has risen to the civilized and respected. The Greatest Cowboy Stories Ever Told includes twenty-three exciting stories from a variety of contributors, such as Mark Twain, Karl May, Tom McGuane, Larry McMurtry, Edgar Beecher Bronson, Frederic Remington, Max Brand, and John Graves. The Golden Age of the Cowboy, or what has been called the Kingdom of Cattle, lasted from the close of the Civil War to the turn of the 20th century. Barbed wire and the iron horse put paid to the free range and the long trail drive just as the coming of the law obviated the need for the rough chivalry of the code of the West. Though the days of dueling-every individual was for himself and men were expected to settle their own scores-are over, it is memories of these drastic times and extreme measures and the people who lived them that remain our defining characteristics. This book is filled with some of the most action-filled and exciting stories ever to come out of the American landscape.

Hope is hard to come by in the hard-luck town of Willow Creek. Sam Pickett and five young men are about to change that. Sam Pickett never expected to settle in this dried-up shell of a town on the western edge of the world. He's come here to hide from the violence and madness that have shattered his life, but what he finds is what he least expects. There's a spirit that endures in Willow Creek, Montana. It seems that every inhabitant of this forgotten outpost has a story, a reason for taking a detour to this place--or a reason for staying. As the coach of the hapless high school basketball team (zero wins, ninety-three losses), Sam can't help but be moved by the bravery he witnesses in the everyday lives of people--including his own young players--bearing their sorrows and broken dreams. How do they carry on, believing in a future that seems to be based on the flimsiest of promises? Drawing on the strength of the boys on the team, sharing the hope they display despite insurmountable odds, Sam finally begins to see a future worth living.Author Stanley Gordon West has filled the town of Willow Creek with characters so vividly cast that they become real as relatives, and their stories--so full of humor and passion, loss and determination--illuminate a path into the human heart. "

"Dell takes you on a fun, wild ride!" -B.J. DANIELS, New York Times Bestselling Author He'd step in front of a bull to save a life But even he's no match for a girl this Texas tough Rodeo bullfighter Wyatt Darrington's got it all figured out. The perfect car, the perfect job, the perfect looks-the perfect lie. He may be on the fast track to the Hall of Fame, but he knows he'll always be an outsider to people like Melanie Brookman. Texas-born and bred, with the arena in her blood, Melanie's come to see Wyatt as her personal enemy, and that suits him just fine-this way, she'll never realize the truth. He's been crazy in love with her for years. Melanie's always been a fighter. Fiercely independent and tough as nails, she's stood up to everything that got in her way-including Wyatt. But now her infamous temper's got her on the ropes, and there's nowhere left to run but toward the man she swore she'd never trust...and this time, there's no denying just how hot he makes her burn. Texas Rodeo Series: Reckless in Texas (Book 1) Tangled in Texas (Book 2) Tougher in Texas (Book 3) Fearless in Texas (Book 4) Mistletoe in Texas (Book 5) What People Are Saying about the Texas Rodeo series: "Look out, world! There's a new cowboy in town." -CAROLYN BROWN, New York Times Bestselling Author "An extraordinarily gifted writer."-KAREN TEMPLETON, author of Wed in the West series "Real Ranches. Real Rodeo. Real Romance."-LAURA DRAKE, author of Sweet on a Cowboy series "A sexy, engaging romance set in the captivating world of rodeo."-Kirkus "Illuminating...a standout in western romance."-Publishers Weekly

Nobody was more surprised than Mattie herself when Luke Spenser, considered the great catch of their small Iowa town, asked her to marry him. Less than a month later, they are wed and setting off in a covered wagon to build a home on the Colorado frontier. Mattie's only company, aside from a taciturn and slightly mysterious new husband, is her private journal, where she records the joys and frustrations not just of frontier life, but also of marriage to a handsome but distant stranger. As Mattie and Luke make a life together on the harsh and beautiful prairie, battling the fierce odds imposed by weather, illness, and lawlessness, Mattie learns some bitter truths about her husband and the woman he left behind, and finds love where she least expects it.

A deadly disease Months after Inara leaves Serenity, Mal and the crew finally learn the reason for her sudden departure: she is dying of a terminal illness. It is Kiehl s Myeloma, a form of cancer that s supposedly incurable, and Inara has very little time left. A disreputable scientist Through their shock and despair, rumors of a cure reach the crew. Expert Esau Weng is said to have developed a means to treat Inara s condition, but he has been disgraced and incarcerated for life on a notorious Alliance prison planet. An infamous prison On the planet of Atata, inmates are abandoned with no guards and left to survive as best they can. What s more, terraforming the planet did not take properly, so the world is a frozen wasteland. To save Inara, the Serenity crew must infiltrate the prison .

All lovers of westerns know these four great stories. The Western Writer's Association of America ranked them as four the best short stories of the 20th century, but these classic tales have never been collected in one book until now. This edition is destined to earn a place in every western library. In 2005, Dorothy Johnson will receive a star in the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans at the Montana State Capitol.

"Kaki Warner's newest novel in the series about unlikely brides who make their way west--and find love where they least expect it... "
Margaret Hamilton escaped the Irish slums of Five Points as the ward of a wealthy Manhattan widow, but only marriage can make her future secure. Railroad mogul Doyle Kerrigan needs a well-connected wife. It seems a perfect match...until a shocking revelation sends her fleeing from the wedding reception.
Desperate to make a fresh start, Margaret takes on a new identity and heads West, finally stopping in Heartbreak Creek, Colorado, a dying mining town of little interest to anyone. Here, she finds new purpose, beloved friends to replace the family she's lost, and a home at last.
But two men from Margaret's past are on her trail. One is seeking vengeance, the other truth. When they both arrive in Heartbreak Creek, she must choose between the town she has come to love, and the man who might finally capture her heart....

She reluctantly lets her trusted stable assistant join her in a journey across the wilds of Northern California in the hopes of catching Silas for one final showdown. Stansel follows the chase and shares the story of the brothers' rise from hardscrabble childhood to their reign as the region's preeminent horse trainers, tracking the tense sibling rivalry that ultimately leads to the elder's death. A fully realised tale that challenges notions of the modern West, The Last Cowboys of San Geronimo will satisfy fans of Kent Haruf, Charles Portis, Molly Gloss, and Smith Henderson, and establish Stansel as a new voice in this grand tradition.

In a lonely valley, deep in the mountains, a ranger watches over the last surviving grizzly bear. With the natural world exhausted and in tatters, Ben has dedicated himself to protecting this single fragment of the wild. One night, he hears voices in the valley - poachers, come to hunt his bear. A heart-pounding chase begins, crossing forests and mountainsides, passing centuries of human ruins. Sometimes hunter, sometimes prey - Ben must choose the bear's fate and his own. Is he willing to lay down his life for a dying breed? Is he willing to kill for it?

In Leaving Cheyenne (1963), which anticipates Lonesome Dove more than any other early novel, the stark realities of the American West play out in a mesmerizing love triangle. Stubborn rancher Gideon Fry, resilient Molly Taylor, and awkward ranch hand Johnny McCloud struggle with love and jealousy as the years pass.

Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara hit it off in prison, where they were both doing time for grand theft auto. Now that they're out, they're joining forces for one big score. The plan is to kidnap the wife of a wealthy Detroit developer and hold her for ransom. Looks good until they learn the lowlife husband doesn't want his wife back. So it's time for Plan B and the opportunity to make a real killing--with the unlikely help of a beautiful, ticked-off housewife who's hungry for a large helping of sweet revenge.