Skeleton Canyon
by
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The man rode up to them and stopped his horse close to Ann's roan. He was a heavy-set cowboy with a barrel chest and a beefy, weather-beaten face.
"Where do you folks think you are going?" he asked in a flat, matter-of-fact way.
"Why do you ask?" Ann replied. "We're on Fifteenmile Ranch land."
"Lady, that ain't what I asked. I want to know where you are a-going." Suddenly he turned away and spewed a stream of tobacco juice onto a juniper bush, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before he turned to face them again. His eyes were squinted and cold looking, and he looked at both of them in disdain.
His voice was sharp, biting, and weighted with sarcasm.
"Now wait a minute," Lance cut in. "Don't use that tone of voice with her."
"You stay out of it, dude," the man replied. "I asked the lady a question, and I expect an answer."
Lance started to dismount, but Ann signaled with her hand for him to remain where he was.
"I'm Ann Lacey, and I run the office at Fifteenmile Ranch. This man is my guest, and I'm taking him to the head of Skeleton Canyon."
"No you ain't," the man said quickly. "The boss sez nobody---but nobody---gets close to that place."
"The boss. Who is your boss? Do you work for Fifteenmile Ranch?"
The man shook his head, then proceeded to take a cigarette from the pack in his shirt pocket and light it. His lighter flickered in the breeze but on the third try he was successful. He pulled on the cigarette a couple of times and blew out a cloud of smoke before he replied.
"I don't work for no ranch," he finally said. "I work for Bart Temple, and he sez that nobody goes in that canyon."
"Well, Mr. Temple is foreman at Fifteenmile Ranch. We work together."
"No difference to me, Lady. You don't go close to that place."
Ann started to reply, but before she could, the man spoke again.
"I'll tell you what you can do, though. I've been camped at that old line shack so long that I have plumb forgot what a woman looks like.
"You are a good lookin' gal. Why don't you just come and spend the night with old Jake. I could show you things that---."
Lance kicked the sides of the appaloosa hard, and the startled horse leaped forward, ramming into the side of the unsuspecting man's mount, knocking it backwards. Lance leaped from his saddle, grabbed the man by the shoulders, and they tumbled to the ground in a writhing mass.
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About the Book
This book has all the elements of a good western, but is set during the mid-l990 period. Instead of fighting the wealthy landowner who is trying to steal the ranch, which is the theme of so many westerns, Lance Fuller, a private eye, goes into action. His old friend, Bill Farlow, calls on him to find out why his guest ranch in Wyoming has suddenly stopped making money.
Fuller signs in as a guest at the ranch. In the process he becomes involved with beautiful Ann Lacey, the office manager of the ranch. Together they start solving the mystery of Skeleton Canyon. Farlow, the owner, thought gold was being secretly mined at the ranch, but Fuller and Lacey find the stakes are alot higher. Bart Temple, the ranch foreman, has found a T. Rex skeleton in the Canyon. He slips in some wealthy men from Saudi Arabia to excavate and buy the skeleton. What follows is murder, narrow escapes, a final run-in with a grizzly bear, and plenty of romance.
Skeleton Canyon is a must for all true readers of the wild west.
About the Author
Bud Jones is the author of ten western novels and one book about his home town of Tallapoosa, Georgia. He is a taxidermist by profession, and has a BS degree in Biology. His firm yearly mounts trophies from allover the world.
In 1957-58, Bud and his wife Jackie, lived in Casper, Wyoming, where he trained in a large Taxidermy shop. While there he had his own television program on KSPR -TV, where he sang folk songs. He also sang on television in Atlanta, Georgia. At one time he had his own radio program on WWCC in Bremen, Georgia. While serving in the army, he served in Special Services as an entertainer.
Bud Jones is a deacon at New Canaan Baptist Church in Haralson County, Georgia, where he teaches an adult Sunday School class and sings in the choir. His wife, Jackie, plays the organ at the church. They have three children, Holly, who is a professional artist, Robin, a physical therapist, and Cherry, who works in the family Taxidermy business.
Bud and his daughter Holly are currently working on a series of children's books about nature study.