No man walks away. . . For years, there have been none better at the trade than buffalo-skin hunter Kerry Barran. But he's taken part in too much killing — of beast and man alike — and now he wants to lay down his gun for good. But the hunter's got powerful enemies in Otley Creek — and a "partner" who's unhappy about Kerry's refusal to finish one more job. If teaching the stubborn loner a lesson means breaking his bones, then so be it. In a town owned by his adversaries — with a ruthless gang of toughs on his tail — Kerry Barran's going to need all the help he can muster. And he's found it in the most unlikely quarters: with a dapper English dude and his sister...with a Texas gunslinger .. and with a whip-wielding hellcat who goes by the name "Calamity."

They came from the East—well-heeled city men with money in their wallets and greed and hate in their hearts.Texas was their destination—in particular the cattle country of the Rio Hondo, which they thought to take over with the aid of their hired gunmen.But when they chose the Rio Hondo country, they chose wrong, for this Rio Hondo country meant an outfit called the OD Connected, and that meant a man called Dusty Fog.

While underneath for the third time, Hack gripped the lash of the whip in both hands and on surfacing gave it a savage jerk which shot the girl towards him. As he saw her coming, Hack's mind worked with its usual speed. Once he laid hands on her, he would half drown her, maybe give her a damned good licking to boot as an added lesson not to resist the honorable intentions of Milo Hack in future.At that point his day-dreams ended. Using a trick taught her by whip-fighting freighters, the girl permitted Hack to believe he was dragging her helplessly forward into his clutches, then when she came into range brought up a kick under his jaw to show him the error of his ways.Milo Hack reckoned to be a smart man, but he never made a worse mistake than when he tried to rough-handle Martha Jane Canary. Not that anybody in the West would know her by that name. They called her Calamity Jane.

Mark Counter had an eye for a beautiful woman—and he was always willing to go to the assistance of a lady in distress. But whilst handling a chore for his boss, Ole Devil Hardin, he met two ladies who came close to making him change his ways. The first's name was Martha Jane Canary. Her problem was comparatively simple—she needed help to raise the wheel of her wagon. The second lady's difficulties were of a more dangerous nature—she was the lady outlaw, Belle Starr. There were ruthless bounty hunters on her trail who aimed to collect the reward for her dead body...Mark wanted to help but thought he would keep the ladies apart. But Belle and Calamity had different ideas. When they met, the fur began to fly—and Mark was caught up in the middle of the battle!

When Dusty Fog was ambushed and nearly killed by a band of hired killers, only the intervention of a friendly stranger saved his life. From then on, Dusty knew he had to obey the Texan code of honor and repay his debt to Raymond Sangster without hesitation.However, the small Texan did not envisage the cost of settling his debt of gratitude—for the price was the building of a railroad across the land of a good friend—and a threat to the unity of Ole Devil Hardin's floating outfit.

Things looked bad for the KH. They were the only outfit in the Azul Rio basin that hadn't joined Lanton's cattle syndicate, and the ruthless boss of the S Star was bent on making things difficult for the rival spread. And Lanton wasn't particular about how he achieved his ends. The S Star hired killers were having things all their own way until three Texans rode into town. Their leader's name was Dusty Fog ...