Central Kansas Library System

"A landmark feat of innovation is about to change the American West. A new telegraph system will connect the settlers of the Arizona Territory to rest of the country--a dream come true for rancher Chet Byrnes and his family. But stretching four hundred miles of electric cable from the Colorado River to Gallup, New Mexico, can be a deadly task, and Chet has to deal with hired henchmen who would kill to sabotage the project. Then a pair of outlaws from...

"To read a Dusty Richards novel is to journey back into the Old West with a writer who knows the territory." --Jory Sherman

The Land Made Him Hard

The Byrnes family came to Texas and carved out a place on the land. Three generations who paid in blood and treasure. Children carried off by Comanche. A brother lost to war. Lives shattered. Chet Byrnes was trying to hold the ranch together through one more winter for one

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With blood and tears, Chet Byrnes built a life in Texas, only to have it shattered by an ill-fated cattle drive and a deadly family feud. Realizing he and his family need to start over in a new territory, Chet and his young nephew set out for Arizona, hoping to find a new home. Chet and Heck cross over New Mexico and ride into Arizona. Encountering killers, bandits, a punishing climate, and a harsh daunting land, they search for the perfect place...

"During the Civil War, Texas Rangers Harp and Long John O'Malley patrol a vast, unguarded range, protecting the families of soldiers off fighting at the front. At war's end, the Rangers are disbanded, and the O'Malleys sign on with a cattle drive across the most treacherous and deadly stretch of the American frontier from Texas to Sedalia"--

Horse Creek, Montana, is owned by Rupart MacDavis. Herschel Baker's best friend is murdered. The sheriff refuses to investigate. Baker intends to make a stand.

"The oldest and boldest O'Malley brother, Long John takes on the challenge of riding shotgun on a wagon train across the hostile Nebraska Territory. But the real test lies in the journey ahead--to the Rocky Mountains, Sante Fe, and home to Texas--with perils that will either make him a living legend . . . or a dead one"--

When Sheriff Herschel Baker's young cousin, Wulf, turns out to be good with a gun, Baker pins a deputy badge on him. But once the lawmen track down a thief, Wulf finds that he has a score or two to settle back home.

Trouble takes on a whole new meaning for rodeo announcer Brad Turner, a man plagued by a failing bull-breeding business, romantic turmoil, and an ailing back, when he accepts talented newcomer Shoat Krammer as his protege.

In his latest Byrnes family novel, Dusty Richards tells of the blood that was spilled trying to make Arizona Territory a good place to live. Building a ranching empire is one thing, keeping it out of the hands of the no good opportunists crawling through the Arizona desert is a daily grind for Chet Byrnes. But nothing will stop Chet from bringing his ranch into a bold new era.

There's no such thing as safe passage in this western in Ralph Compton's USA Today bestselling series.
Ben McCullough was once an officer in the Confederate Army. Now, he’s a rancher in the Texas hill country, hoping to earn enough money to settle down and marry. With eight hundred head of cattle to drive north, Ben is relying on his ex-sergeant, Hap, to watch over the bunch of greenhorns he’s recruited to help.
 
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