A Story of the West (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780985127916)

Matt Daly and his father, John, arrive in Montana Territory driving a herd of Texas longhorns. It is the 1880s and the value of the vast grasslands of the American West has been discovered. The two are eager start a ranch and make their living on the remote frontier. After finding an ideal spot north of the Yellowstone River, they file a homestead claim and begin running cattle on the D Rocking D. Life is hard, but rewarding, as there is a lot of money to be made selling beef to the exploding population back east.

When the train comes through, it makes life easier. It also brings more people wanting to claim land and help settle the fertile prairie.

Lavina Lavold rides out west with her family and catches Matt's eye as she steps off the train in Miles City. She too wishes adventure rather than the routine of city life. Her dream seems about to be fulfilled when she meets Matt and falls in love with the handsome cowboy.

Conflicts are common as there are rustlers who want the Daly cattle and other ranchers who want the land they've claimed as their own. A neighbor, Bully Buehler, is one such man. He will stop at nothing to run them off, but meets more resistance than he anticipates as the Dalys will do whatever it takes to protect their land.

When a body is found behind their barn, a range war threatens to erupt. Matt barely escapes the gunmen hired by Buehler and flees Montana, leaving behind death, not only of people he loves, but the death of his dream.

Wandering aimlessly as a hunted man, the dark path he finds himself on leads to more bloodshed. Unable to return to the ranch and thinking his family dead, despair overwhelms him. Finally he figures a way out of his situation. It will get the hired guns off his trail and put an end to his misery. The plan nearly kills him and takes a turn he doesn't anticipate, but it does free him. Eventually he makes his way back to Montana and finds unexpected circumstances.

His troubles aren't over though, as before he can rebuild the ranch, he must overcome his own demons, brought about by the nightmare of his life when he became an outlaw. With the help of Gray Eagle, a Sioux medicine man, he is finally able to confront his fears and return to the life he loves, although it will never be the same as before the trouble began.

The late1800s were called The Wild West for good reason. It was a time when people had free rein, with little law, as a large portion of the United States opened to expansion. Federal land was illegally grabbed with no repercussions as the lawmakers in Washington were a long way off. Hostile takeovers weren't uncommon and many times people did as they pleased, even if it meant pushing others out of the way. That often led to conflicts that were settled with a gun or a noose.

Reviewers of this book say they couldn't put it down and that it wasn't at all what they expected of a Western. Sure, there's a dashing cowboy, a lovely lady, an Indian medicine man and Texas longhorns. There's also plenty of action. But that's where the similarities to books about the Wild West end. This is an engaging book of historical fiction that will hold you to the end.