Ralph Compton the Too-Late Trail
Reeks: The Trail Drive Series
Matthew P. Mayo ; Ralph Compton
- ***Western
- Writers
- of
- America*****2022
- Spur
- Award
- FinalistA
- rancher
- discovers
- just
- how
- many
- times
- a
- man's
- luck
- can
- hold
- out
- in
- this
- thrilling
- novel
- in
- the
- bestselling
- Trail
- Drive
- Series**After
- struggling
- for
- years
- to
- work
- a
- raw-patch
- ranch
- in
- the
- arid
- flatlands
- of
- Texas,
- young
- Mitchell
- Newland
- learns
- that
- his
- herd
- of
- scrubby
- range
- cattle
- will
- fetch
- ten
- times
- their
- local
- price
- if
- they're
- driven
- to
- Montana.He
- strikes
- a
- one-sided
- deal
- with
- the
- devil,
- neighboring
- rancher
- Corliss
- Bilks,
- to
- back
- his
- play
- with
- cattle,
- men,
- and
- horses.
- The
- trail
- brims
- with
- hellish
- hardship:
- prairie
- fire,
- stampede,
- flooded
- rivers,
- hailstorms,
- rattlers,
- sickness,
- long,
- broiling
- days
- and
- frigid
- nights.Halfway
- to
- Montana,
- range
- pirates
- and
- a
- rogue
- Apache
- war
- party
- close
- in.
- Mitch
- and
- the
- boys
- fight,
- grim
- and
- helpless,
- watching
- as
- their
- herd
- is
- driven
- westward
- in
- a
- cloud
- of
- dust
- and
- cackling
- laughter.Cut
- down
- to
- two
- bloodied
- men,
- Mitch
- collapses,
- far
- too
- late,
- and
- admits
- the
- old
- man
- has
- won
- the
- bet.
- But
- salvation
- in
- the
- form
- of
- a
- Basque
- sheepherder
- revives
- Mitch
- and
- his
- pal,
- Drover
- Joe,
- and
- Mitch
- realizes
- he
- isn't
- done.
- Not
- by
- a
- long
- shot.
- And
- now
- he
- has
- nothing
- to lose.
