In the rugged New Mexico hills, Bud Ranger is trapped between hunger, pride, and a feud that has split his poor family from the wealthy Lingo clan—and kept him from Sudie May Lingo, the girl he loves. When he and his brother Brother illegally hunt a deer to help feed their family, disaster strikes: Brother's leg is pinned between rocks, and Bud must find a way to save him before the law or the enemy clan discovers them. Desperate, Bud prepares to slip to the Lingo ranch for a tool, only to be caught red-handed by a cool, hard deputy sheriff, a former Texas Ranger whose calm authority disarms Bud as surely as his weapon. Escorted to the ranch, Bud finds himself face-to-face with Mrs. Lingo's hostility, Ben Lingo's stern control, and the bitter history behind the feud. As Sudie May rides away with Slim Thorne and an arrogant Eastern buyer arrives, the conflict sharpens into a tense confrontation over the deer, the game laws, and the wounded loyalties that bind and divide everyone involved. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.
