Calamity, Mark and Belle

Mark Counter had an eye for a beautiful woman-and he was always willing to go to the assistance of a lady in distress. But whilst handling a chore for his boss, Ole Devil Hardin, he met two ladies who came close to making him change his ways. The first's name was Martha Jane Canary. Her problem was comparatively simple-she needed help to raise the wheel of her wagon. The second lady's difficulties were of a more dangerous nature-she was the lady outlaw, Belle Starr. There were ruthless bounty hunters on her trail who aimed to collect the reward for her dead body…Mark wanted to help but thought he would keep the ladies apart. But Belle and Calamity had different ideas. When they met, the fur began to fly-and Mark was caught up in the middle of the battle! J.T. Edson brings to life the fierce and often bloody struggles of untamed West. His colorful characters are linked together by the binding power of the spirit of adventure -- and hard work -- that eventually won the West. With more than 25 million copies of his novels in print, J.T. Edson has proven to be one of the finest craftsmen of Western storytelling in our time. Calamity (Martha Jane Canary) is acknowledged by the author not to be the historical character of that name. As presented in the books, she is a young woman in her late teens or early twenties who fled a convent school to join a freight-driving crew led by Dobe Killem. Initially she made herself useful by stepping in for their drunken cook, but soon learned how to manage a team of heavy horses, fight with a whip, and shoot competently with either a .36-calibre Navy Colt or a Winchester carbine (both chosen to suit her smaller, less muscular frame). She has several adventures of her own in addition to intermittently associating with the Floating Outfit. While enjoying an on-off physical relationship with Mark Counter, it is mutually understood that they are only what a later century would call "Friends with benefits", and she enjoys other male company routinely, including on one occasion the Ysabel Kid (in White Stallion, Red Mare).