As Jed Cartwright is riding Midnight on a deserted road at the edge of town, he is accosted by a desperate gunman determined to steal his horse. A young rancher passing by, Drew Bryant, witnesses the attempted robbery and uses a make-believe "gun" to disarm the bandit and save Jed's horse.
Jed's Pa, a wealthy trader in cattle and railroad stocks, decides to invest heavily in a new venture called the American Transcontinental Railway System. When the company folds and goes out of business, Pa loses his wealth and his home, Meadow Green.
Angry at God and feeling that he has failed his family, Pa plans a quick trip to the Dakota Territory to visit a rancher friend, Hank Higgins, and help with the spring roundup. Jed and Nathan beg to be included in the trip, and Pa reluctantly agrees. After a grueling journey by stagecoach, the Cartwrights finally arrive at Diamondback Ranch only to learn that the ranch has been hit repeatedly by rustlers.
When the Diamondback ranch hands find scores of Diamondback cattle dead in a secluded meadow, they realize that the rustlers want more than just cattle—they are trying to drive the Higgins family from the ranch.
202 pgs | Paperback | Ed Dunlop