As he so aptly demonstrated in his novel "Open Range," which was made into a movie starring Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall, Lauran Paine is one of the West's most powerful storytellers. In the title novella of this collection, Burt Crownover causes quite a stir when he steals into Rain Valley in the middle of the night. It's no surprise the ranchers are suspicious. They've got a herd of highly valuable cattle and any stranger could be a thief. But is Burt a rustler out to con them, or just the man they need to help protect their stock?
