Heart of the Frontier

Brothers of the Mountain: Heart of the Frontier follows the lives of mountain men and brothers Henry and Lucas McCarty. The stories within not only portray extreme action and adventure but also represent the special breed of men who were willing to risk their lives in the adverse and hostile conditions of America's western frontier in the 1820s and 30s. 
Come along as the brothers travel from eastern Kentucky to America's untamed western frontier where they seek a life of freedom and exploration as mountain men and fur trappers. The stories in this book have been arranged in chronological order. 

Featured stories:

Pride of the Shawnee - Lucas McCarty has his sight set on America's western frontier. He wants to be a trapper and explorer while his brother, Henry, rides along to escape a tragedy that has changed his life forever. However, a blood-thirsty stranger is on their trail and getting out of the mountains of Eastern Kentucky alive will be a feat all its own for the McCarty brothers. 

River Pirates - Henry and Lucas cross the Mississippi River with hopes of catching up to William Ashley's trapping brigade and to reunite Little Otter, a young Shawnee boy, with his mother and father. But first, they must deal with a couple of no-good river pirates whose dirty and reckless means to making a quick dollar places them directly on the fighting side of the McCarty brothers. 

Two Buffaloes - Life is getting tough on the frontier for the McCarty brothers. Dealing with starvation, sickness, and now the vicious murder of an innocent family are more than they can handle. It seems their only hope of survival is to take up with the Shoshone chief, Two Buffaloes - but first, they must prove themselves worthy to the old Shoshone leader by taking on the ruthless Blackfoot warrior, Mighty Wind. 

Grizzly Rendezvous - An ornery grizzly is on the prowl and making life tough for a few settlers that happen to get in its way. Lucas, who's also had a run-in with the mighty beast, has had enough. It's up to him and an old trapper named Jude to track down the bear and set matters straight. 

Blood on the Prairie - When Henry and Lucas encounter a severely beaten Indian maiden matters become personal, especially for younger brother Lucas. With a band of cutthroat Indians wreaking havoc across the frontier, the brothers set out to stop the renegades and try to prevent what could become a bloody massacre of an unwary Shoshone village. 

Justice in the Valley - Henry and Lucas McCarty are heading to the port of the Missouri River to cash in their bounty of beaver pelts. Along the way, they stop at the frontier town of Fog Valley for a much-needed rest and drink. They meet a few interesting characters and their visit quickly goes from bad to worse when they discover their pelts are stolen. With their livelihoods at stake, they must track down and teach the no-good, thieving culprit a valuable lesson ... and you can bet it won't be a pretty one. 

Savagery of the Blackfeet - The McCarty brothers have experienced many troubling and even gruesome events ever since first stepping into the uncompromising American West. This time their hopes, dreams, and ultimately their lives hang in the balance when they come face to face with members of the bloodthirsty Blackfeet tribe.