Old Bill Rainey rode the Owl Hoot Trail until he met up with Elizabeth Jane. She turned his life around, married him and bore him, Jori Lee, their beautiful daughter. On Christmas Day, a discovery was made. Bill found a small boy, cold and crying in the snow by the barn. His parents were slain by Indians. At Bill's sudden, tragic death, Rance, now a young teenager, must assume the mantle of protector for his adoptive family. An abusive school teacher, angry at Jori Lee's mother for spurning his advances, chose to beat Jori Lee. Rance's anger resulted in a death that sent Rance on the run to escape the wrath of the school teacher's brother, the sheriff. Now Rance rides the Owl Hoot Trail. He must put all the lessons taught him by his adopted father to the test! Is he fast enough with Old Bill's Navy, Colt? Will he be caught by the sheriff and hung, or will the Indians get to him first? What about his beloved Jori Lee? Will he ever see her or his adopted family again? "Rance Rainey: The Christmas Kid," is an award winning western novel, by Jim Wade Smith, author of the post Civil War novel, "Call of the Dove."
About the Author: Jim Wade Smith, was born and raised in the Appalachian, mountains of North Carolina. Growing up under Mount Mitchell and near Grandfather Mountain, the family was poor and lived in a shack built of sawmill planks. A Diphtheria survivor, at the age of four, he miraculously survived the old country doctor's, "Kill or Cure shot." This was actual words that the doctor used for the description of the medicine that he administered. At the time there was no cure for the illness and the medicine was a long shot whether it would help him recover. He played minor league baseball so well that he garnered a contract offer for the Brooklyn Dodgers but being only 19, he was too young to sign the contract His father refused to sign, stating, "I need you here, boy." His father was illiterate and could not read the contract himself. Jim has written occasionally over his life time. This western novel, Rance Rainey was originally written in the 80's, and entered into a Louis L'amour book competition under the name "Honor Trail." It placed second but Jim had not been able to publish it until now. At the young age of 74, Jim is a retired brick mason and still is a dead eye deer hunter. You can find him studying his King James Bible, writing his mountain short stories and excerpts. His other novel, "Call of the Dove,"was just recently published and its sequel is soon to be released An ordained minister, married to his wife, Trina McKinney Smith, of over 50 years, Jim is a grandfather and now a great granddad! Someone once asked him what did he pray for the most? With tear-filled, gentle eyes he answered, "The safety and care of the little children of the world!"