Short Westerns

On April 3, 1961, 38-year-old former vocalist Ella Mae Cooley was beaten to death in her home in Willow Springs, an unincorporated area located in Kern County, California. The cruelty of the crime was shocking to local residents in the normally idyllic community. A greater shock was that the murder was committed by the victim's 50-year-old husband, Donnell Clyde Cooley, a well-known big-band leader, musician, actor, host of a television variety show, and businessman. See how this tragic story of celebrity, suspicion, and homicidal rage unfolds in the historical crime of passion.

Frank Chess didn’t care for much in this world. Especially himself. So taking a job for local big shot Rhino Hulst was an easy choice. Each day drifted into the next: running Rhino’s crooked errands and blowing his meager pay on poker and the saloon. All because Rhino killed a man in cold blood, pinned it on Frank, and now holds the hangman’s rope over him. And who would give a damn? Frank came into town a drifter - a fiddlefoot. And when he finally remembers what it’s like to care about something, the town has no idea how much hell he’s about to bring down on them all.

Ward Kinsman has done all he can to escape civilization, spending the summer in a desert mountain range, deep in Apache territory, sifting for gold and praying he never sees another settler again. After a month of backbreaking work, he sees a trail of dust in the distance and knows a white man has come to find him...which means the Apache are right behind.

Andrea Clementine has a wonderful vacation planned. Nine whole days away from work, from home, from everything but fun. Right up until her car conks out, not even halfway to her destination. Her vacation is ruined, and she’s stranded on the side of the road.

Discover these tales of frontier justice and life and death struggles by transporting yourself to a bygone era of adventure and excitement. Originally published in 1907, Bat Masterson's gripping collection of short biographies introduces you some of the most famous lawmen and notorious outlaws of the Wild West, including cattle rustlers, sharpshooters, and gunslingers.

Lazarus County has yet to be tamed. There’s drought, bandits, and natives to contend with. People have moved out there hoping to better themselves, have a chance at the kind of life they could never hope for back East. Of course plenty of the settlers are lonely and willing to take a chance on love, even with someone that they’ve never met. This boxed set includes She Has to Stop Running Sometime, Western Redemption, Western Freedom, and The Sheriff Needs a Bride.

These three short stories give listeners a dog’s-eye view of the action and adventure associated with the American West. From an award-winning poet, these stories provide a window into the sometimes fickle relationship between man and dog. Barbara Nelson Blinn used writing as a way to escape her abusive marriage, and these stories are indeed an escape, as listeners will have the opportunity to befriend three different canines, each with their own story filled with mystery, adventure, and the underlying message that controlling the pet population is of utmost importance.

Published in 2000 to critical acclaim, The American West: A New Interpretive History quickly became the standard in college history courses. Now Robert V. Hine and John Mack Faragher offer a concise edition of their classic, freshly updated. Lauded for their lively and elegant writing, the authors provide a grand survey of the colorful history of the American West, from the first contacts between Native Americans and Europeans to the beginning of the 21st century.

When Jim Ashwood and his fellow outlaws ride into the sleepy town of Prospect on a cold autumn morning, they're just looking for somewhere to hide out - But Prospect hides a deadly secret of its own! Bringing together the first three stories in the High Moon Rising serial, High Moon Rising: Volume One is a gun-slinging weird West werewolf fantasy adventure!

Inspired by these action-packed spaghetti westerns, writer Rick Lai has created a terrific new hero in Major Sabbath. A veteran of the Civil War, he now roams the Wild West as the most efficient manhunter of them all. Lai, along with Erik Franklin and Frank Schildiner, offer up a trio of gun-blasting tales featuring this man with the penetrating angel eyes and lightning fast draw. Once you meet Major Sabbath, you'll never forget him.

Our American West, Volume 3 is filled with western frontier stories you’ll find entertaining. "The Roadrunner – Our Sagebrush Clowns" reflects on the speedy and often comical bird of our southwestern deserts. Wild and wicked Calamity Jane lived up to her reputation as the West’s most infamous outlaw woman. “The Donner Party – Frozen Horror” describes the horror that led to cannibalism. The 49er Gold Rush ruined the lives of two ambitious and well-intentioned men, John Augustus Sutter and John Marshal...

The third in a series of American Western short stories compiled by Jon Tuska, and preformed by celebrity readers.

These holiday stories are about various kinds of Christmas love - the romance between a man and a woman, the devotion of a husband to his wife's memory, and the love of a child for her goose. You'll hear about familiar characters from Sweetwater Springs and come to know new ones - many of whom you'll see again in future Montana Sky Series books and novellas.

Life at Paradise Plantation is full of hazards in 1886, just as expected on any working ranch. This is why Tilley decided to move to Charleston and study medicine, thus following in the footsteps of her uncle Grayson Clark. Then, just when it seems her life is charmed, she breaks her leg riding a stubborn stallion, so her plans are suddenly out of reach. That is, unless her twin, Faith, can be persuaded to go with her. Then Faith agrees to take classes for Tilley, who is bucking authority in her classes.

Millie Reed is trying to do it all. She is a mother, the local schoolteacher, and trying to keep her husband's horse ranch going. She knows her husband is never coming home after he died in the blizzard that killed so many men. She needs help, so why is she so hesitant about the letter she mailed to a stranger? What she doesn't expect is to find a man hiding in her barn, or his outrageous story of innocence.

When her husband dies, she has a choice to make: Go home, and face the family who made her stay with the beast, or head to Belle Fourche to the only friend she has left. Conrad Oleson can't read, and it's shamed him for longer than he can remember. When another teacher shows up on his front step, he's sure his brother is meddling, again. But when Izzy reveals her painful past, he can't stay away. And if learning to read brings him closer to her, he'll do about anything for her including teaching her how to love.

Angela French blames herself for her daughter's lack of voice. Determined to do anything to correct the situation, she seeks out Jake Kyncade, the owner of the Heartsong Ranch. Jake Kyncade hides his own sorrows behind his no-nonsense demeanor. Helping children becomes one way to correct his past. Using equine therapy, he sets out to make a difference. Can Jake help Angela's dreams come true, or will Jake's past bring more heartache? Will love save them all?

In "McQueen of the Tumbling K", a man, left for dead, seeks revenge. A prospector finds gold - and hostile Apaches - in "Big Medicine". And in "Dutchman's Flat", a posse tracking a killer runs into far more trouble than they bargained for.

This collection of short stories has several stories and only one of the stories is not about the old west. A woman searching for some substance in her life ventures into the Devil's own canyon. A huge crippled grizzly turns man eater in "The Brute".

God, this man is perfect. He looks like a god. Working for him is going to be difficult. Well, the work part will be easy. I love working on a ranch, and I know I can make a difference here. But I don’t think I can keep from desiring him. Will he desire me?