The Devil's Canyon — Paul Lederer

On a tortuous cattle drive, a cowboy battles weather, Comanches, and his own men 

The land is lush -- but bare of cattle. Colonel Tremaine never expected his ranch's grass to come in so thick, and with his health failing, the old soldier lacks the strength to assemble the kind of herd that could take advantage of nature's bounty. He reaches out to Kirby McBride, an old recruit from his army days, and begs him for a favor. Once, the colonel saved Kirby's life. Now Kirby will save his.

He sends Kirby to Mexico to collect a thousand-head herd from the drought-ravaged ranch of Don Trujillo-Lopez. Drive the cattle north, fatten them on Tremaine's grass, and he and the don can split the profits. But when jealousy overwhelms the drive and some of Kirby's own men prove treacherous, death threatens the operation. As Kirby McBride drives into Devil's Canyon, a fortune hangs in the balance -- and so does his life.