The Adventures of Nathan T. Riggins Books
Nathan Riggins headed out west to the Nevada desert to search for his parents after his grandmother died. He faced one danger after another: hostile Indiands, a masked gunman, a blinding sandstorm, a rattlesnake. Now he frantically hurried from one empty building to the next. Where was everyone? How could everybody in town just disappear? In the deserted Post Office, bags of unopened mail lay everywhere. With increasing dread, he looked through the stacks of letters. He found his own letter to his parents telling them he was coming. No wonder they hadn't waited for him here in Willow Creek. What should he do? Then a strange dog seems to adopt him and come to his rescue.
Nathan couldn't believe it. He, his dad, and his friend Colin were going on a cattle drive. But as they set out, the trip took unexpected turns. Nathan's dad had to leave them to hunt down an escaped crook. Then Colin's friend Leah finagled her way along. When Pepper the cook hurt his foot and had to return to camp, the three kids were on their own. How would they round up cattle when they had never done it before? And how should they deal with the coyote family living beneath their cabin? Soon their situation turned ugly. Hungry coyotes try to take a newborn calf. And the escapee found their camp and threatened to kill Nathan, ambush Nathan's dad, and hold Colin and Leah for ransom.
For only a dollar, Thunder is a terrific bargain. But what does a boy do with a dangerous 2,500-pound buffalo that can break out of any corral ever built? Nathan Riggins has to find some way to keep Thunder from killing someone or being killed. He finally decides to donate his buffalo to the Carson City Zoo. But getting him there will be a problem. Thunder has already destroyed one rail car and damaged the train's engine. The railroad refuses to ship him again. The answer comes in a surprising way.
Onepenny is the kind of horse Nathan always wanted. He's smart, loyal and easy to handle. Plus, this unusual horse with the spotted rump can do tricks. So Nathan is delighted when he makes a trade with Onepenny's owner. But soon after, Nathan encounters a posse looking for a stagecoach robber who had ridden a spotted horse. Seems the former owner wasn't the drifter he claimed to be. And when Nathan discovers Onepenny can lead him to the outlaw's home, he wonders what he'll do if he faces him again.
Nathan's got a real job for the summer. He'll be helping Push-Bill Horn freight supplies to the booming, brawling mining town of 10, Nevada. However, his dog Tona's disastrous fight with a bobcat on the second trip out thrusts Nathan into a dilemma. He wants revenge. And he desperately wants to save Tona's life. Will he take Push-Bill's advice to do the kind thing and put Tona out of his misery? Then, later in a chilling face-off at gunpoint, Nathan confronts two bushwhackers intent on stealing his gold. He also meets new friends: the six Rialto sisters who are trying to made a go of a ranch by themselves. This complicates his relationship with his good friend, Leah.
It's summer in Galena, Nevada. Everyone is leaving town for good! After the harshest winter on record and the shutdown of the Shiloh Gold mine, Nathan and his friends watch as businesses board up and houses empty. Rumor has it that even their school may close. Who will be the next to move away? When the bank is robbed, Nathan and Leah get their answer. It's not one they'd have chosen. In facing the loss of his friends, Nathan discovers what makes a town feel like home. Finally, in a deserted hotel, Nathan and Leah come face-to-face with the bank robbers. They encounter the most frightening showdown of their lives.