Western Romance: Shot from the Hip

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Gunslingers, ranchers, cowboys, gamblers, and more make their appearance in this exciting collection of short stories set in the American Old West.

Author Holly Bargo takes an unflinching look at this most romanticized of American eras with bigotry, oppression, and hardship leaving their marks. Resilient and resourceful characters rise above those and other challenges with strength and, oftentimes, humor. Clean, sweet romance weaves its magic through many of the stories.

The 12 stories contained within this book were previously published, six in the collaborative collection titled Six Shots Each Gun published with Amazon bestselling author Russ Towne and six published in Holly Bargo’s own collection titled Satin Boots.

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​Angels High: A woman who makes her living by winning at a man’s game learns to expect trouble, especially when the stakes are high. But when trouble finds her this time, Angelica Durant gets more than she bargained for.

Coming Home: Life is hard. No one knows this better than Dessie Humphrey who’s trying to hold onto the family farm. When aid comes in the form of a wanted gunslinger, she’s in no position to refuse.

The Escort: Buck hires on as an armed escort to accompany a rancher’s haughty daughter and her companion to Boston for her debut into polite society. Both young women are lovely, but the young companion catches Buck’s eye and warms his heart. He thinks he’s too old and jaded for this innocent girl; but, when danger strikes, he’ll risk his life for her.

Hair Trigger: A female gunslinger returns to her hometown to claim her inheritance and get justice for her father’s wrongful death, but crashes into a statute of limitations.

Heart of Gold: A dying man begs an honest cowboy to take a fortune in gold through a lawless territory with Indians on the warpath. He didn’t reckon on becoming responsible for keeping the man’s daughter safe along the way.  

The Lesser of Evils: Cast from the native tribe that adopted her and the only home she’s ever known to make her way in the white man’s world, Sun Gold finds herself faced with a language barrier and a choice she never wanted. 

The Mail Order Bride’s Choice: Looking to improve her circumstances, an indigent woman travels across the country as a mail order bride to meet a fiancé who has plans for her other than marriage. 

Pride and Peace: It’s an open secret on the Lazy Five that Jessie North is a woman, but that doesn’t stop Daniel Harper from reacting badly when he learns about it. Can he overcome his prejudice when the proud half-breed saves his life? 

Resurrection: Undertakers bury the dead; they don’t resurrect bodies left for dead. But that’s exactly what Antonio DiCarlo does when a lovely Swedish immigrant lands on his doorstep. 

The Rancher’s First Love: When a gravely wounded Chinese woman collapses on Clint Cheswick’s front porch, he doesn’t expect to compete with his half-breed foreman for her affection. 

The Saint: A wounded outlaw throws himself upon the mercy of a Mexican priest. His demand for sanctuary gains him more than just temporary safety. 

​Survival of the Fairest: A woman kills her abusive husband and flees, heading west to restart her life under an assumed name. 

Excerpt 

​“So, how’d you find out Jessie was female?” 
“She was wounded that night. I tended her.” 
“So, she owes you her life.” 
The foreman gestured with his empty hand toward the wranglers gathered around the campfire. “Prolly we’d all be dead if it weren’t for Jessie North. Her pa was Luther North and her uncle was Capt. Frank North.” 
“So?” Dan scratched his head at the unfamiliar name. 
“Even Wild Bill Hickock couldn’t match Frank. That girl’s got gun smoke running through her veins.” Since the look of disbelief hadn’t faded from the new man’s expres- sion, Cordell elaborated. “Capt. North and Luther led a troop of Pawnee scouts. It weren’t regulation, but Luther’s daughter tagged along with them. She been raised among Indian warriors and U.S. soldiers, and they taught her ever’thing they knew.” 
Dan scratched his head again, trying to absorb the oddity of a woman who understood soldiering and gun- fighting and resenting that no one had let him in on the secret sooner. “If you say so.” 
Cordell leveled a cold look at the other man. “You got any reason to complain about the job she’s doin’?” 
The wrangler shook his head. He wracked his brain for some valid complaint regarding the woman’s perfor- mance, but he came up with nothing. The foreman nodded.
“You just continue to think of Jessie as one of the boys and you’ll be fine. If anyone in the crew catches you harras- sin’ her, then we’ll miss a good wrangler.” 
Dan’s blood turned cold. “Is that a threat?” 
“Let’s just say that the last hand who thought Jessie was fair game never finished the cattle drive.” 
“Who killed him?” 
“Who d’ya think?”