Heart of the West is a collection of 19 short stories highlighting the complicated relationship between men and women, law and order, honor and obligation. These compelling tales are filled with memorable characters and fascinating conflicts. In Heart of the West, O. Henry explores the illustrious region featuring cowboys, outlaws, rangers and sheepherders. It consists of 19 short stories celebrating the unique culture and happenings in the Old West....

"Shirley Benson was owner now of the beautiful Valle de los Reyes, mistress of the old Spanish ranch house and its faithful Mexican servants. On the night that her father was killed in a rustler's raid, she made the unpleasant discovery that the Box B ranch was heavily mortgaged and that most of her cattle had disappeared, stolen by the men who had murdered her father. With courage inherited from her pioneer forebears, she refuses to sign the quit-claim...

"In two Western stories, 'The Courage Builder' and 'Valley of the 99', small time ranchers that the wealthy are trying to force them off their land. Violence erupts when they allow others to use that fear to manipulate them"--Provided by publisher.

Some say bad luck comes in threes. And if you're a bandit, bank robber, or bloodthirsty killer, that bad luck comes in the form of three hard justice-seekers known as the Jackals. Each of the Jackals has his own path to follow: Former Texas Ranger Matt McCulloch is trying to protect a young Commanche from scalphunters. Retired cavalry sergeant Sean Keegan is dodging bullets in a prison breakout planned by the notorious Benteen brothers. And bounty...

"When the Ridgeway family staked their claim on more than 40,000 acres of land in northwest Texas, they knew they had their work cut out for them. Located on a sharp bend of the treacherous Red River, their new home - the Rocking R Ranch - was just a stone's throw away from Indian territory. It was as lawless and wild as the West itself, crawling with unsavory characters, cattle rustlers, horse thieves, outlaws, robbers, and worse. But still, the...

"In his mountain-man days, Elwood "Firestick" McQueen was practically a living legend. His hunting, tracking, and trapping skills were known far and wide. But it was his deadly accuracy with a rifle that earned him the Indian name "Firestick." His two best buddies are Malachi "Beartooth" Skinner -- whose knife was as fatal as a grizzly's chompers -- and Jim "Moosejaw" Hendricks, who once wielded the jawbone of a moose to crush his enemies in the heat...

Grief-stricken over the death of his wife and son, Ronan Chantry rides West without purpose, until he joins some trappers. When they meet a beautiful girl looking for a treasure and then are threatened by hostile Indians, Chantry discovers how much he wants to stay alive.

When a calf is murdered, Hank pursues a gang of wild dogs and a clan of coyotes to find the killer.

"In 1853, Abigail Scott was a 19-year-old school teacher in Oregon Territory when she married Ben Duniway. Marriage meant giving up on teaching, but Abigail always believed she was meant to be more than a good wife and mother. When financial mistakes and an injury force Ben to stop working, Abigail becomes the primary breadwinner for her growing family. What she sees as a working woman appalls her, and she devotes her life to fighting for the rights...

"They say that home is where the heart is. And no one knows that better than Perley Gates. After helping the lovely Miss Emma Slocum reunite with her sister's family in Bison Gap, Perley can't wait to rejoin his own kin at the Triple-G Ranch. No sooner does Perley settle in when he receives an alarming telegram from Bison Gap. Emma's brother-in-law has been murdered. Her sister wants justice. And Perley is their only hope to get it ... Perley can't...