Cattle King for a Day / Western Short Stories Collection (PDF)

Forged in the hot sun and sand of the Arizona desert, Chinook Shannon is as tough as they come-as steely-eyed and tall in the saddle as Randolph Scott. But Chinook is far from home-in the north country of Montana-and facing a challenge as big as the territory itself.

Following his grandfather's suspicious death, he's come to Montana to claim his inheritance-the family's cattle ranch. But the territory's crawling with bandits and bankers, and they all want a piece of Chinook's land.

With foreclosure hanging over the ranch, Chinook's got exactly twenty-four hours to find out who killed his grandfather and become the Cattle King. He'll follow a trail of forgery, cattle rustling and murder to find the truth, knowing he has only one ally-his Colt Peacemaker.

L. Ron Hubbard's detailed knowledge of ranch life and mining techniques-as well as the economics and legal issues surrounding mining and water rights-informs Cattle King for a Day. He wrote: "I became thoroughly acclimated to Montana ranch life and the very rough and tough atmosphere.... It was also a mining area, and I used to pan in these streams for pocket money." It's no wonder, then, that these stories are pure gold.

Also includes the Western adventure "Come and Get It," the story of an Easterner who comes to Wyoming to find out who killed his father-but discovers that the only way to get justice is to cook up a new identity for himself.

* An International Book Awards Finalist.