Silver Creek

Silver Creek, A.H. Holt, Avalon Books, 2003

Several years ago, John Garrett left his father's Arizona cattle ranch, vowing never to return. Now, a neighboring ranch owner, Tim Hostetter, has been murdered, and Garrett cattle have taken over the ranch. An employee of another neighboring ranch, owned by Russ Blaine, is found murdered, and some Blaine cattle are missing. Garrett's father, Mason, has made no secret of his desire for Blaine's land, but murder and cattle rustling bring things to a whole new level.

On his way back home, a bully in an extremely poor town picks a fight with John. He kills the bully, and is shot and injured in the getaway. He is found on Blaine land, unconscious, by Andy Blaine, who brings him to an isolated cabin, and nurses him back to health. John doesn't think to ask, and Andy takes a while to tell him that "Andy" is short for "Andrea."

John and Russ have a long talk about recent events; John offers to ask around town to see if he can find out what's going on. The general consensus is that Mason Garrett will certainly push hard to get what he wants, but he is not capable of murder and cattle rustling. However, Garrett's new foreman, Rafe Willis, is certainly capable of such things. John sneaks on to his father's ranch, and finds the bunkhouse full of the Old West equivalent of street punks. Soon after, the long-expected attack is made against the Blaine ranch. Willis aims to take over Blaine's land any way he can, including forcing Andrea into marriage.

The author, a grandmother and graduate student in Florida, does a fine job from start to finish. It fells like she has spent time on a ranch and knows her way around the world of cowboys. This easy to read novel is not just for lovers of westerns.