Brandiron Series by Dusty Richards

Gil Slatter’s quick on the draw and has a head for running a ranch, but he’s also a lonely man with nothing more than a cot in the bunkhouse at the TXY Ranch to call home. But when the foreman drops dead of a heart attack and the owner picks Gil to take his place, his world turns upside down. One day life is simple. The next he’s running the outfit and married to a woman who has never known affection... moreGil Slatter’s quick on the draw and has a head for running a ranch, but he’s also a lonely man with nothing more than a cot in the bunkhouse at the TXY Ranch to call home. But when the foreman drops dead of a heart attack and the owner picks Gil to take his place, his world turns upside down. One day life is simple. The next he’s running the outfit and married to a woman who has never known affection. Between wild horses, outlaws, rustlers, an ambitious young landowner with a mean streak, and the flirtatious wife of the ranch owner, it’s no easy task Gil faces. But with his new bride beside him, he’ll take the TXY to new heights of success… or die trying! less

Vince was a mustanger with a solitary camp high in the Hondo Mountains, where he worked his operation alone. He liked it that way. Then, on a trip back from selling some mustangs, he came across Julie, a saloon girl on the run from some pretty bad hombres. Before he knew it, her fight was his fight, and he was looking forward to a life with her. They just had to survive a small war first.

Norman Thompson doesn't seek out trouble, but it has a way of finding him, anyhow. All he wants is a job as a ranch foreman. He'd tried in Montana, but ended up in a gunfight with a pair of ugly-looking brothers over a horse. Leaving one dead and the other swearing revenge, Norm figures it'd be wise to make himself scarce. He heads south, making his way to Nebraska. Instead of work, though, he finds something he never expected—a partner... moreNorman Thompson doesn't seek out trouble, but it has a way of finding him, anyhow. All he wants is a job as a ranch foreman. He'd tried in Montana, but ended up in a gunfight with a pair of ugly-looking brothers over a horse. Leaving one dead and the other swearing revenge, Norm figures it'd be wise to make himself scarce. He heads south, making his way to Nebraska. Instead of work, though, he finds something he never expected—a partner. Edith is a beautiful young woman with a sordid past of her own. Together, they start a cattle ranch, driving herds up in the summer to the lush grass of the newly-opened Cherokee Strip. With his brawn and her brains, it’s a winning combination. The sins of yesteryear, though, are not so easily left behind. Norm’s reputation as a gunfighter and bounty hunter won’t die. While he settles into a new life as a ranch owner and family man, forces are at work to take it all away. Will he and Edith find the happiness they’ve been searching for? Or will the ghosts of the past burn it all to bitter ashes? less