The Cherokee Strip, Paperback

Norman Thompson doesn't seek out trouble, but it always seems to have a way of finding him, anyway. All he really wants is a job as a ranch foreman. He'd tried in Montana, but ended up in a gunfight with a pair of ugly-looking brothers over a horse. Leaving one dead and the other swearing revenge, Norm figures it'd be wise to make himself scarce. He heads south, making his way to Nebraska. Instead of work, though, he finds something he never expected-a partner. Edith is a beautiful young woman seeking to escape the clutches of her own sordid past. Together they buy a decrepit old cattle ranch-the legendary Rocking Chair- and start driving herds up to the lush grass of the newly-opened Cherokee Strip. With Norm's brawn and Edith's brains, it's a winning combination.

The sins of yesteryear, though, are not so easily left behind. While Norm settles into a new life as a ranch owner and family man, forces are at work to take it all away. Will he and Edith find the happiness they've been searching for? Or will the ghosts of the past burn it all to bitter ashes?