Showing results by author "Ralph Cotton" in All Categories

In a chaotic blast of gunfire, the James Gang fled a posse's attack—and the infamous Jesse threw his cousin Jeston Nash a hoard of stolen cash. But dodging the law with thirty thousand dollars in a dusty carpetbag is a risky proposition. Hoping to lie low in the mountains of the Northwest, Jeston and his partner, Quiet Jack, find themselves on a journey into the dark heart of human nature—and deadly animal instinct....

In Fighting Men by Pulitzer Prize nominee Ralph Cotton, Civil War veteran and former schoolmaster Sherman Dahl rides the Southwest as a gun for hire. Known by both the lawful and the lawless as “The Teacher,” Dahl sells his services to those seeking justice - and is relentless in his pursuit of wanted men.

The Traybo brothers have a reputation for being gentleman outlaws - the kind who will make polite chatter as they take your life savings. But Ranger Samuel Burrack has no sympathy for those who show poor manners when it comes to obeying the law. He's traveled as far as the Mexican Badlands to pick up the Traybo brothers' ex-cohort, Fatch Hardaway, to lead him to his prey. Burrack isn't alone in his pursuit.

Some time ago, Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack caught a bullet in the back. After a winter spent healing, he's now traveling to meet Memphis Beck, leader of the notorious Hole-in-the-Wall gang and the man who saved his life. But another player explodes on the scene - an assassin known as the Dutchman. And as these three men's destinies intertwine, it becomes clear at least one of them will not survive the encounter.

Sheriff Cray Dawson's quick-draw reputation keeps most criminals away from his Texas town of Somos Santos. But it doesn't keep the motley Walker Gang away for long. Although they temporarily divert their bankrobbing plans to a neighboring town, they soon stumble upon a way to weaken him. But will a strategic kidnapping and an unexpected ally undermine Dawson's resolve to do what he must?

In this thrilling tale, former hired gun Larry Shaw tries to help a prostitute determine the father of her unborn child. Of the three candidates, one stands out - the notorious William H. Bonney. And as a cattle war brews, Bonney has a proposal for Shaw: lend your iron to our side and help us blast our way to victory.

When Texas Bob Krey gets a hot hand in cards, his good luck sparks a gunfight. Once the smoke clears, two men are dead, including the brother of Judge Henry Bass. Now Texas Bob is an outlaw, and only Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack has the firepower to save him.

Ralph Cotton casts a long shadow as one of the finest practitioners of Western fiction to ever set pen to paper. Burnished with the unmistakable character of the Old West, Escape from Fire River showcases Cotton at the height of his form. There’s not a man alive who can outdraw Lawrence Shaw, but that doesn’t mean he’s invulnerable. Garris “The Cat” Cantro and his band of miscreants are hellbent on securing a fortune in gold.

Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack is headed for Yuma, escorting Harvey "Cisco" Lang to prison and Adele Simpson to safety. He knows full well of their shared romantic history, and even though Adele swears she's done with Cisco, Burrack is keeping a hard eye on her as well as on the outlaw. But his companions are the least of his worries. A ruthless cattle baron has put a five-thousand-dollar price on Burrack's head - and every low-life bounty hunter and bandit across the Painted Desert is looking to claim it…

Pulitzer Prize-nominee and USA Today best-selling author Ralph Cotton pens stories that follow in the sacred code of the Old West. In Incident at Gunn Point, horse trader Will Summers dons a sheriff’s badge after the town lawman is grievously injured during a shootout. But when the band of cutthroats rides back into town, guns blazing, Will knows that he needs to outshoot - and outwit - these vicious adversaries or the next place he goes will be the Great Beyond.

Will Summers is a horse trader with a reputation that intimidates the most lawless of men. When the coldblooded Bendigo Brothers make off with his horses, they don't know what they're in for. Summers has a history of tracking down animals, and when he finds them he'll be sure to give them his own special brand, and let them live long enough to feel the burn....

As Julie Wilder races to greet her father, she sees his ashen face and fixed stare too late to escape the hooded nightriders who suddenly surround her. When bounty hunter Baines Meredith discovers her the next day - battered, bleeding, and barely alive - he covers her nakedness and gently cares for her. But can Baines help Julie develop the strength, courage, and skill she needs to administer her own brand of frontier justice?

They gunned down his father in cold blood. They are his most elusive enemies, the outlaws known as Los Pistoleros. And they're still at large. But Federal Deputy Hart will not give up the chase...until they hang.

USA Today best-selling author and Pulitzer nominee Ralph Cotton writes thundering westerns. In Guns of Wolf Valley, CCEllis is a long rider—a cool-headed gunslinger with a reputation known far and wide. When he’s ambushed by a group of four trappers, he manages to blast two before being severely wounded and left for dead. Still alive, he’s found by a boy whose mother will need his help fighting-off the malicious advances of a corruptand sadistic preacher named Jessup.

When wanted men don't want to be found, they hole up in Agua FrIa, Mexico. Nestled in the twisted hills of the Blood Mountain Range just across the border from Arizona, the town is divided by two ruthless gangs of thieves and killers. On one side stands Texas Red Madson, and on the other is Raymond Segert. Between them stands Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack. He rides into Agua FrIa in the guise of a vicious gunslinger with a plan to ingratiate himself with both gangs - and stir up the bad blood between them into a war that will leave Burrack the last man standing .

The Western tradition of Ralph Cotton lives on in Fast Guns Out of Texas. After Cray Dawson sets out to stake his claim in Black’s Cut, Montana, he learns his old friend Fast Larry Shaw faked his death to escape his notoriety as a gunfighter. But as Dawson soon discovers, his own prowess with a six-shooter could come back to haunt him as well.

Federal Deputy Sullivan Hart thinks he has broken up the outlaw organization Los Pistoleros after he arrests its leader, J.T. Priest - the man who killed his father. But Priest escapes from jail and he's determined to rebuild his criminal empire. Only Quick Charlie Sims knows where Priest is headed. And Hart is none too sure he can trust the wily gambler, who has his own debt to settle with Los Pistoleros.

USA Today best-selling author Ralph Cotton’s gritty tales effortlessly capture the glory days of the Old West. Hanging in Wild Wind finds Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack crossing the Badlands, hot on the trail of Silva “The Snake” Ceran and his gang. But this time the ranger may have bitten off more than he can chew - especially when he comes across Ceran’s girlfriend, wildcat Kitty Dellaros, who has a deadly reputation of her own.

Old ways and new clash in head-on confrontation: When journeyman hit man Ray Dylan agrees to look in on Sami Bloom, former mistress of a deceased Canadian crime financier, he realizes he must keep his profession a secret. What he doesn’t realize is how difficult that is now that he has fallen for this warm-hearted beauty. While he struggles with the idea of confiding to her about his secret past, Dylan learns that Sami Bloom has some secrets of her own—and her secrets reach into the upper echelons of the very organization he works for.

Seems like every time Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack turns over a rock a Black Valley Rider jumps out. So when two bounty hunters arrive in Minton Hill trailing the same outlaws, Sam agrees to ride with them. Trouble is, only a drunken gambler knows where the gang is holed up.