My Flint Hills

Between the Nebraska border and Osage County, Oklahoma, are the Flint Hills of Kansas, and growing on those hills the last of the tallgrass prairie that once ranged from Canada to Texas, and on those fields of bluestem, cattle graze—and tending the cattle, someone like Jim Hoy, whose people have ranched there from, well, not quite time immemorial, but pretty darn close. Hoy has always called the Flint Hills home and over the decades he has made a study of them—their tough terrain and quiet beauty, their distinctive folk life and cattle culture—and marshaled his observations to bring the Flint Hills home to readers in a singular way. These essays are Hoy’s Flint Hills, combining family lore and anecdotes of ranching life with reflections on the region’s rich history and nature. Whether it’s weaning calves or shoeing horses, checking in on a local legend or a night of high school basketball in nearby Cassoday, encountering a coyote or a badger or surveying what’s happened to the tallgrass prairie over time, summoning cowboy traditions or parsing the place’s plant life or rock formations, he has something to say—and you can bet it’s well worth hearing. With his keen eye, understated wit, and store of knowledge, Hoy makes his Flint Hills come alive, and in the telling, live on.

The Flint Hills are America's last tallgrass prairie, a green enclave set in the midst of the farmland of eastern Kansas. Known as the home of the Big Beef Steer, these rugged hills have produced exemplary cowboys-both the ranch and rodeo varieties-whose hard work has given them plenty of material for equally good stories. Jim Hoy grew up in the Flint Hills on a ranch at Cassoday that's been in his family for five generations and boasts roots "as deep as those of bluestem grass in black-soil bottomland." He now draws on this area's rich cowboy lore-as well as on his own experience working cattle, breaking horses, and rodeoing-to write a folk history of the Flint Hills spanning a century and a half. Hoy blends history, folklore, and memoir to conjure for readers the tallgrass prairies of his boyhood in a book that richly recalls the ranching life and the people who lived it. Here are cowboys and outlaws, rodeo stars and runaway horses, ordinary folks and the stuff of legends. Hoy introduces readers to the likes of Lou Hart, a top hand with the Crocker Brothers from 1906 to1910, whose poetic paean to ranch life circulated orally for fifty years before seeing print. And he tracks down the legend of Bud Gillette, considered by his neighbors the world's fastest man until he fell in with an unscrupulous promoter. He even unravels the mystery of a lone grave supposed to be that of the first cowboy in the Flint Hills. Hoy also explains why a good horse makes up for having to work with exasperating cattle-and why not all horses are created (or trained) equal. And he traces Flint Hills cattle culture from the days of the trail drive through the railroad years to today's trucking era, with most railroad stockyards torn down and only one section house left standing. Writes Hoy, "I feed on the stories of the Hills and the characters who tell them as the cattle feed on the grasses." His love of the land shines throughout a book so real that readers will swear they hear the click of horseshoes on flint rock with every turn of the page.

In this conclusion to the Flint Hills trilogy, the quirky Thaddeus York goes from investigator to investigatee. Vincent Cowan, ace reporter for the Kansas City Star, recovering from a gunshot wound a month earlier on the Lawler campus, sets his sites on uncovering the mystery that is Thaddeus York. Intrigued by stories of legendary treasure hidden somewhere on the campus of Lawler College by its founder, Cowan returns to Bettis in search of answers. Battling personal demons, including alcoholism and marital infidelity, Cowan enlists the assistance of two young woman, Amber and Erika, the cantankerous Ira Ballenger, and his fellow reporter Jade Durant, as he seeks to unearth the mysteries of Thaddeus York and the hidden Lawler treasure. In his path are unknown forces that intend to thwart his efforts. Will Cowan overcome his demons to unearth the long held secrets of the Flints Hills?

Will an Alpha Cowboy earn a second chance at love in this sexy, small-town western? He’s a down-home rancher… Axel Hansen is Prairie’s fickle Casanova and resident prankster. Ten years ago, he wanted nothing more than to settle down on the family ranch with his college sweetheart. But his adrenaline junkie girlfriend, Haley, chose her profession over love. She’s the thrill seeker who broke his heart… Meteorologist Haley Cooper has devoted her career to facing down tornadoes and saving lives. She’s finally offered the promotion of a lifetime, but it means boarding at the last place on Earth she thought she’d see again and facing down her biggest regret. Will lightning strike twice for love? Axel jumps at the chance to help Haley with her research, and before they know it, they’re caught in the crosswinds of love and obligation. But as devastating tornadoes rip through the area, they’ll have to confront their feelings for each other and decide if their love can weather any storm.

"You won't want to miss this fast-paced, sexy ride." - NYT Bestseller, Cora Seton The complete Cowboys of the Flint Hills series bundled for your pleasure! Each novel ends with a guaranteed happily ever after. From fake engagements, to secret crushes, second chances and enemies to lovers - you'll fall in love with the sexy alpha males of the Flint Hills and the strong, sassy women that bring them to their knees. Including: Heart of a Cowboy Heart of a Rebel Heart of a Wrangler Heart of a Daredevil Heart of a Bachelor Cowboy, Family Feud, Opposites Attract, Family Secrets, Workplace, Enemies to Lovers, Second Chance, Star Crossed Lovers Friends to Lovers, PTSD, Military Veteran, Firefighter, Rodeo Cowboy, Fake Engagement, Doctor, Secret Baby, Doctor-Patient, Politics

"You won't want to miss this fast-paced, sexy ride!" Cora Seton - New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Meet the Alpha Cowboys we wish were real. They're tough, they're tender, and they're not afraid to put it all on the line for the women they love. Now, TWO second-chance romances in ONE boxed-set - Books 4-5 in the Cowboys of the Flint Hills Series – The Hansens Heart of a Daredevil –After leaving Axel Hansen under cover of darkness ten years ago, Haley Cooper is back in town, and forced to stay at the Hansen ranch because of her job. In spite of the years and the hurt, the pull between them is undeniable and Axel is determined to win Haley for good this time. But will a devastating tornado jeopardize all they’ve fought for? Heart of a Bachelor – Suzannah Winslow knows all too well the heartbreak of a sweet-talking cowboy and the humiliation of being left at the altar. But when she agrees to become Prairie’s only doctor, she runs smack into the one man she can never forget, Gunnar Hansen. And when Gunnar discovers that not everything in Vegas “stays in Vegas,” he makes a full court press for the woman who won his heart years ago, and the family he’s always longed for.

The Flint Hills are America's last tallgrass prairie, a green enclave set in the midst of the farmland of eastern Kansas. Known as the home of the Big Beef Steer, these rugged hills have produced exemplary cowboys—both the ranch and rodeo varieties—whose hard work has given them plenty of material for equally good stories. Jim Hoy grew up in the Flint Hills on a ranch at Cassoday that's been in his family for five generations and boasts roots "as deep as those of bluestem grass in black-soil bottomland." He now draws on this area's rich cowboy lore—as well as on his own experience working cattle, breaking horses, and rodeoing—to write a folk history of the Flint Hills spanning a century and a half. Hoy blends history, folklore, and memoir to conjure for readers the tallgrass prairies of his boyhood in a book that richly recalls the ranching life and the people who lived it. Here are cowboys and outlaws, rodeo stars and runaway horses, ordinary folks and the stuff of legends. Hoy introduces readers to the likes of Lou Hart, a top hand with the Crocker Brothers from 1906 to1910, whose poetic paean to ranch life circulated orally for fifty years before seeing print. And he tracks down the legend of Bud Gillette, considered by his neighbors the world's fastest man until he fell in with an unscrupulous promoter. He even unravels the mystery of a lone grave supposed to be that of the first cowboy in the Flint Hills. Hoy also explains why a good horse makes up for having to work with exasperating cattle—and why not all horses are created (or trained) equal. And he traces Flint Hills cattle culture from the days of the trail drive through the railroad years to today's trucking era, with most railroad stockyards torn down and only one section house left standing. Writes Hoy, "I feed on the stories of the Hills and the characters who tell them as the cattle feed on the grasses." His love of the land shines throughout a book so real that readers will swear they hear the click of horseshoes on flint rock with every turn of the page.

Evan Garrett found the transition from orphanages, foster homes, and life on the streets to the hallowed halls of Lawler College a difficult journey. That journey is worsened when his roommate and new best friend suddenly disappears. Fortunately, Evan can turn to his mentor, Thaddeus York, for assistance as they seek to uncover the mystery: Where is Kyle Sullivan? Assisted by Kyle’s girlfriend Jade, the missing student’s sister Allison, and the always cantankerous Ira Ballenger, the team must escape threats from government agents, both domestic and foreign, as well as York’s very own boss, Julie Newton, in this thrilling follow-up to Surfing the Flint Hills. Along the way Evan uncovers a great deal more than the mystery of Kyle Sullivan.