William Colt MacDonald Bücher

He was Peaceful all right. He didn't have to lift a finger -- trouble just came to him as though drawn by a magnet. And when he and Applejack rode along the trail to Spanish Wells, trouble came to meet them, halfway.

Duncan Talbot has escaped from the hell of the State prison to settle with Vedder, the man who drove him off his land and caused him to be sent to prison on a false robbery charge. But Duncan has little time. Vedder owns the country, and in addition Duncan is hounded by Mike Attick, a killer who makes his living by collecting reward money.

Gregory Quist, man-hunter extraordinaire, was in Masquerade City to investigate a train wreck and a robbery, when two young wildcats — Ramon and Chris — sidetrack him with a tale of murder. Their boss, Reed Haldane, had been found dead in his bed the day Quist arrived. The sheriff said it was suicide, but Ramon, Chris, and Haldane's lovely daughter thought differently. There was a man in town who had been threatening to get Haldane for twenty years.

Jeff Deming returned to the Rocking-D Ranch after four years of college, hoping for the chance to implement some of the ideas he was sure would improve the ranch. But John Deming felt a man should prove himself first and had Jeff working like a hired hand. Jeff was quickly getting back in shape, but was still receiving a lot of “kidding” and the worst came from the foreman, Quinn Barker. Jeff had to admit he didn’t like Barker, but his father swore by Barker as a “dang good man with cows.” At the same time, John Deming was inclined to underestimate his son’s ability and had considered Jeff’s college education a waste of years and effort.