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Western Short Stories
Scott Gese
When Sarah McKinney finally turns on her abusive husband and beats him unconscious, she and her adopted son Jason are forced to flee and begin a perilous new life on the run. But Sarah is resourceful and Jason is a born survivor, and over the coming weeks their lives settle down as Sarah finds work as a doctor's assistant, and Jason is reunited with his real father and takes a job as a ranch hand. But Jason's quick temper soon gets him into trouble with his employer, and their future hangs in the balance as their unhappy past threatens to catch up with them.
Jason McKinney feels the need to explore and decides to head out on his own to see the country beyond Kansas. When his offer of help is declined by a couple of bounty hunters he tried to hook up with in Wichita, Jason makes the decision to head south. Upon his return from a eye-opening, but short-lived, venture into Texas, he finds his father Mac Shepard is now a wanted man. With Mac on the run, Jason is reluctantly forced to take charge of the ranch, while his nearest neighbor schemes to take full possession.
Western short stories Bio. of Scott Gese
Scott Gese aka Christopher Scott
Scott was forced to start writing seriously at age fifty. Up until that point, a grocery list was his biggest writing achievement.
In 2006 he started this website to promote western authors and their work. It's currently enjoyed by over 160 countries worldwide.
It was his need to add content to the new site that forced him to start writing short stories.
Since those early days, Scott has written books, blog posts, magazine articles and hundreds of short stories. He even wrote a newspaper column for awhile.
You can find many of Scott's short stories and western articles scattered throughout the pages of this site.
Scott also enjoys Photography.
Western Short Stories by Scott Gese/Christopher Scott
Too Close For Comfort
Scott Gese
“Get him up here on the table boys,” ordered Doc Colby
The two young cowboys carefully lifted their friend onto the table.
“How is he doc? How bad is it? Will he be alright?”
Out of all the hands working for the ‘Bar Zero Ranch’, it could be said that Eldon was the most excitable. A highly strung kid, who, when nervous or found himself in a tight fix, would run off at the mouth till someone would threaten to plug it up with a fistful of knuckles, which only added fuel to his already vigorous anxiety. >>
The Whiskey Dilemma
Scott A. Gese
Hank Maynard stood at the bars. His bony fingers and gaunt cheeks pressed up against the cold steel as he called out to the sheriff.
“Can I get my clothes back now?” >>
The Strange Disappearance of Grady O'Doul
Scott A. Gese
Grady O’Doul couldn’t believe he had taken the advice of a so-called friend and turned onto the trail called “The Narrow”. He had never been on this trail before. If it hadn’t been recommended by someone he trusted, he would have never tried it.
The Death of El Diablo
Scott A. Gese
The perky young teller took time to make small talk with all the customers who came to her window, and the bank’s manager couldn’t have been happier.
He took full credit for the highly unusual and somewhat controversial decision to put a young woman in this position, which had proven to be very successful at bringing new customers into the bank. >>
The Final Clue
Scott A. Gese
Lucas Mayfield, owner and sole reporter for the Haleyville Gazette, sat at a small table next to the sunlit window. His second pencil was already beginning to dull as he feverishly wrote without stopping. >>
The Lone Stranger
Scott A. Gese
Great white plumes of dense steam shot out from beneath the train’s engine as it released pressure from its huge boiler. Behind the engine, weary passengers stepped from the railcars onto the old wooden platform, grateful for the chance to stretch their legs. >>
Dark Night of the Soul
Scott A. Gese
It was a dark and stormy night. Dell Perry sat easy in his saddle on the far edge of town. The clouds had come out of nowhere at the end of a hot Summer day.
It’s not letting up, he thought. Better get this done with.
The storm didn’t really matter to Dell. Nothing mattered these days. The world no longer made sense. Life had lost its meaning. >>
The Decision
Scott A. Gese
Neal Brackett is my top hand. A foreman like no other. He has an easy way about him as long as you stay on his good side. Cross him and you’d swear the devil himself was coming down on you. >>
Soul Search
Scott A. Gese
I had some time to myself and some things to think about.
My wife of twenty-five years boarded a train this morning bound for Denver. She was off to visit her sister who she hadn’t seen in a couple of years. She felt it was time to do some catching up. That may have been true to some degree, but my intuition, such as it is, thought better. My guess is she needed a break from me. Hell, truth be known, I probably needed a break from her as well.
The Vagabond
Scott A. Gese
At the far end of Main Street a donkey entered town. It bore the weight of a rather rotund man wearing a colorful suit in shades of blue, green and gold.
He rode his donkey up to two men who were sitting on the boardwalk. He spoke up in a rather pompous tone.
Jacobs Ladder
Scott A. Gese
Two figures shadowed by the old boarding house, stared intently in the direction of the young preacher. They weren’t contemplating Jesus and they certainly weren’t interested in the heavenly realm.
They’d come to town for a more carnal reason. They’d come for retribution.
Dry Well Reunion
Scott A. Gese
Frank Canby sat upon his horse at what was called The Crossroads. The horse nickered and scuffed at the dirt. The animal had better sense than Frank as it tried to shy away from the trail to the west. It wanted to head in the opposite direction, toward the safe and friendly town of Prairie View. But the horse wasn’t making the decisions and that was not the way Frank intended to go.
All for the Money
Scott A. Gese
A thick blanket of damp fog draped the somber funeral procession. Two stately white horses were in the lead They strained as they pulled a heavy black carriage toward the top of the grassy knoll. The road was narrow and winding. It led to the local cemetery known as Kings Hill.
The Man From Piney Woods
Scott A. Gese
His roots were well established in the deep South, Louisiana bayou country. Some considered East Texas an extension of that area. He had made his way into Texas five years ago. Now he was heading further west, looking for adventure.
He found more than he expected.
Silas Penny and the Righteous Hand of Judgement
Scott A. Gese
The floor dropped out from under Corbin Jeffries feet. The trap door swung free. Like the gaping mouth of hell, it opened fast and wide for Corbin Jeffries, and he obliged it without a moment’s hesitation.
Piano Man
Scott A. Gese
Seth Freeman was a drifter. He had been most of his adult life.
His wanderings were limited to the territory west of the Rockies. He knew it well. It was the Sierra Nevada area that held his highest interest.
Specifically, the saloon in the town of Madera. It was his watering hole of choice.
The Revenge of Jacob Willis
Scott A. Gese
A deal had been made. The two men stood and shook hands across the desk.
As they did so, Daniel Davis, the towns’ banker, wondered to himself just how the deed to the Willis place had made its way into the hands of a stranger named Frank Palmer.
Chester's Last Chance
Scott A. Gese
... Just as he was about to doze off, the front door unexpectedly swung open giving him a start that about broke his neck as he jerked his head upright and instinctively grabbed at his gun as he jumped from his chair...
The Arizona Kid
Scott A. Gese
The great horse lunged ever forward as its thundering hooves pounded the earth beneath its rider. The high-desert brush whipped at its forelegs as the surefooted beast raced with dangerous abandon through unfamiliar territory. Its massive chest heaved as it gasped for air. Its mouth was thick with froth and its hair glistened heavy with sweat.
Hellfire
Scott A. Gese
“Yahoo, come on Sam, you can do it.”
The men of the Circle B lined the corral fence to watch the spectacle. They were all hooting, hollering and waiving their hats in approval as young Sam Perry rode upon the back of the meanest, orneriest and rankest horse ever to leave its mark on Circle B soil.
There was no doubt among the men lining the fence. Sam Perry was just the man to take the wild out of this beast.
Gold Fever
Scott A. Gese
In the mid 1800's, establishing a presence in the Western territory was of prime interest to the U.S. Government and the discovery of gold in California was a perfect “opportunity” to entice people to head west.
The Eastern press seized upon the gold topic. Sensational articles and headlines about the rush for gold in California and the ease at which one could become a wealthy man not only sold a lot of papers, it also convinced a lot of people to go West.
Freedom Fighter
Scott A. Gese
It was 1854, seven years before the Civil War officially began, the Kansas-Nebraska act had been signed. This act repealed the Missouri compromise and reopened the issue of extending slavery further north allowing the Kansas and Missouri territories to decide the matter for themselves.
The volatile issue of slavery between abolitionists and pro slavery factions continued to grow and would soon reach the boiling point. 1854 marked the beginning of the Kansas/Missouri Border War.
The Lone Oak
Christopher Scott
The old red oak tree was majestic. That went without saying. It had had over two hundred years to perfect itself. Its mighty branches covered most of the quarter acre lot assigned to it. The massive trunk was an impressive chunk of timber. The lone tree stood atop a small rise, next to an old dilapidated barn in the middle of what was once a forty-acre horse pasture. Two men, land developers, stood at its base, contemplating its fate...>>>>
The Hunter Creek Incident
Christopher Scott
Justin Bradley and his younger brother, Bill, were heading into town bright and early one Saturday morning. They were on their way to the Winfield General Store to pick up their good friend, Ellis Pratt. The three boys had planned to spend the day at their favorite fishing hole. The morning air was crisp and cool, but the cloudless sky would soon prove itself to be a beautiful, warm and sunny summer day...>>>>
The Bounty Hunter
Christopher Scott
The Callaway brothers had always worked alone. They were a callous duo, ruthless and underhanded, never trusting anyone and never hesitating to shoot a man in the back if they thought it would be to their advantage. That’s why it was such a surprise to those who knew the men, to hear they had teamed up with another notorious outlaw named Johnny Bad...>>>>
The Drovers
Christopher Scott
The Redeye saloon was as quiet as a church on Monday morning. Necks were craned forward, heads were slightly cocked, and all ears were straining to hear the young drover’s response. If this had been a Sunday morning sermon, the towns preacher would have been in seventh heaven to receive the same rapt attention these men were paying to this stranger in their midst’s.
The question put to the drover was nothing new. It had been asked of men much older, wiser and meaner than this young man...>>>>
Picks' Folly
Christopher Scott
Sheriff John Stone stepped out from the cool shade of his office into the heat of the noonday sun. Reaching his fingers into the small watch pocket of his vest he deftly fished out a wooden match. With the flick of his wrist he scratched the match on a nearby post and it instantly burst into flame. He held it to the tip of the smoke he had just rolled and inhaled deeply. As easily as he had lit the match, he flicked it to the ground, smothering the flame in the dust of the street...>>>>
