Sully Hobbs and some of his cronies come to North Fork with the intention of taking over the town. He knows that to do so he will first have to dispose of Lucas McCain. Rather than take him on himself, he bullies the local barber, Sam Barrows, into calling Lucas out. Barrows isn't a fighter, something that is a disappointment to his son Jeff, one of Mark McCain's classmates. He knows that to refuse to call out Lucas means certain death but the outcome of calling him out will have the same result. Written by garykmcd

The three Malakie boys comes to town and bust up the saloon. Lucas McCain and Marshal Micah Torrance stop them, but in the course of doing so, one of the boys shoots and kills his own brother. That doesn't stop them from blaming Lucas however and when their father Daniel Malakie arrives, he breaks his two surviving sons out of jail intent on getting even. They ambush someone they think is Lucas but get it wrong and Lucas and Micah hunt them down. Written by garykmcd

Al Walker, a notorious gunfighter, has come to North Fork to die. He has an incurable illness and, since he had once been a wealthy and prominent lawyer, believes he owes it to his family to have his death certificate read natural causes instead of killed in gunfight. However, the Porter brothers--a gang of vicious killers and bank robbers--have followed him to town and plan to take their revenge on Walker for killing their brother, and they'll stop at nothing and no one in order to do it. Written by frankfob2@yahoo.com

Newspaperman Byron Claremont wrote a story about Ben Russell, a onetime fast gun who's been ranching for 20 years. All the article does is draw out a young gun looking to make a name for himself, Panama Billings, who calls out Ben, shooting him down in the street. Lucas McCain doesn't think much of Claremont's brand of journalism and lets him know that. When Claremont's wife Eleanor seems to show an interest in Lucas, Claremont writes him up as being faster with a rifle than anyone with a six-shooter and soon enough, another young gun comes to North Fork, this time gunning for Lucas. Written by garykmcd

Sid Halpern is a hard working rancher and a good friend to Lucas McCain. When Clemmie Martin comes along however, he is intent on taking Sid prisoner and returning him to Texas for the reward. Sid admits that he was once went by a different name and was a criminal. Sid and Clemmie kill each other in an exchange of gunfire and Lucas is determined that Sid's wife not learn about his past. It becomes difficult when Clemmie's father and brother show up at Lucas' ranch looking for revenge. Written by garykmcd

Eddie's daughter visits him for the first time since she was taken from him when she was a child. She turns out to have grown into a dance hall girl, and arrives with trouble not far behind her. Two pursuers arrive and seek to compel her to yield a large sum of money that she has inherited from a recently deceased boyfriend who was involved with the pursuers in a bank robbery. Lucas helps the daughter to deal with her pursuers. In so doing, she turns her life around, and finds a new relationship with her father. Written by Charles Delacroix

Town ne'er-do-well Brett Conway finds out that a couple who moved near North Fork and soon fell sick are actually ill with highly contagious and potentially fatal yellow fever. Knowing that Lucas was the person who initially discovered the couple, Conway threatens to spread the news of their condition to the entire town, thereby causing a panic, unless Lucas buys his silence. Written by frankfob2@yahoo.com

Lucas McCain and his son Mark are 60 miles into the desert gathering a new supply of salt when a rattlesnake spooks their horses. They manage to retrieve them but not before their wagon is destroyed. The also have to put down one of the horses with a broken leg. They know they will have a long journey in front of them but when the remaining horse runs off and Lucas is badly injured, it falls to Mark to go on alone and get help. Written by garykmcd

With $20,000 scheduled to be sent out on the next stagecoach, banker John Hamilton accepts Lucas McCain's offer to ride shotgun when the man he's hired to do the job fails to show up. Three men are intent on robbing that stage however and when they learn that Lucas will be riding along, they decide to use Mark as a means of getting the money without ever pulling a gun. When the stage arrives at a rest stop, they tell Lucas that they are holding Mark and he will be killed if the loot isn't handed over. Lucas reluctantly complies and races home to see if his son is safe. Written by garykmcd

After Marshall Micah Torrance arrests a notorious killer, Brett Stocker, he deputizes Lucas McCain to act for him while he transfers the outlaw to another town. On his way back to North Fork however, Micah is taken prisoner by Stocker's gang and Lucas receives an ultimatum: release Stocker or Micah dies. While Lucas agonizes over his decision, Micah befriends one of the gang, a young man who had once been treated kindly by a lawman. So while Micah plots his escape, Lucas sets Stocker free but also sets a trap to get him back into custody. Written by garykmcd

Pop, the town drunk, nearing death, asks Lucas to use a ruse to gain his long-estranged son's respect and a visit to him before he dies. Lucas agrees, and soon Pop's son, Philip, a Boston attorney, arrives in Northfork. However, their time together is all too short, for Pop dies. Philip is angered by Pop's ruse, and by the discovery that Pop has left him no material legacy. Philip takes legal action against local folk who had upset Pop before his death, charging them in his father's death. The ensuing conflict becomes a means for Luke to help Philip learn about his father, and thereby gain an unexpected legacy. Written by Charles Delacroix

A Bible-quoting mule skinner rides into Northfork looking for his estranged wife. He finds her singing in a saloon, and scornfully demands that she give him their infant baby girl. She refuses, and escapes to her hotel room. She prepares to flee Northfork the next day. In the meantime, Lucas agrees to take her baby home for safekeeping. Lucas must deal with both the baby and her whip-cracking father. Written by Charles Delacroix

George is a young man who is hounded by fear of other people. He moves to the West hoping the experience will toughen him up. Instead, he is mocked and beaten by men in a trail outfit. He loses his job as the trail cook, and leaves in disgrace and humiliation. He finds himself in Northfork. There he meets Lucas and Mark, who help him with encouragement, work, and support against vindictive pursuers from the trail outfit. Lucas helps George, and Mark, learn that there are different kinds of fear. George finds that he is not the coward that he thinks he thought he was. Written by Charles Delacroix

A surveying party camps near North Fork. Mark carries a milk supply to their campsite. No one is there, and Mark falls asleep in a tent while reading a surveying book. Meanwhile, two of the surveyors have murdered a third, and are planning a crime in North Fork. Mark awakens when they return. He hears just a little of their talk; just enough for him to think that something bad is going to happen. He tells Lucas, but Lucas is not convinced. Mark must persist, and Lucas must consider and reconsider, before deciding what to do. Written by Charles Delacroix

A famous mountain man, Cass Callicot, comes to North Fork intent on challenging Lucas McCain to prove who is the best man with a rifle. Lucas has nothing to prove and won't take the bait, even after Callicot calls him a coward. The mountain man suggests they have a hunting contest but again, Lucas refuses. Determined to get his way, Callicot kidnaps Mark and goes off into the mountains awaiting Lucas' arrival. Written by garykmcd

A new mail-order marriage is taking place in North Fork, but this time it's a mail-order groom instead of a bride. However, soon after he arrives and word gets around as to why he's there, he is teased and made fun of by certain elements in town, and it isn't long before matters get out of control and he is beaten. Written by frankfob2@yahoo.com

Aaron Wingate lost his wife and son some 12 years ago in a Mississippi boat fire and while his wife's remains were found those of his baby boy were not. Ever since, Wingate has been looking for the boy even hiring men to do the job for him. When two of those men come to North Fork, they decide that Mark will do nicely as Wingate's long lost son and wire him to come to North Fork. Convinced that Mark is his long lost boy, Wingate tells Lucas that he will take him to court to get custody. Wingate's men, eager to get the reward money they've been promised, have a easier solution - kill Lucas. Written by garykmcd

In order to gain his inheritance, an old man is brutally murdered by his son with the encouragement of his son's wife. Only Ann, the next-in-line for the inheritance, stands in their way. They know that she will be staying at the hotel in North Fork on her way to claim her inheritance. They plan to murder her in her hotel room. Meanwhile, Luke meets Ann as she arrives in town. Luke tells Mark that Ann was best friends with Luke's deceased wife, Mark's mother. He introduces her to Mark, and they quickly become friends. Luke and Ann become attracted to one another, and Luke finds that only he stands between Ann and her death. Written by Charles Delacroix

Stablehand Colly Vane, while out hunting, gets the drop on notorious wanted gunfighter The Domino Kid, and is forced to shoot him. When Colly brings the Kid's body into town to claim the reward, it's noticed that the Kid had been shot in the back. Instead of being hailed as a hero, Colly becomes the object of the townspeoples' derision for having shot the Kid in the back, is fired from his job and evicted from his house. To make matters worse, three gunfighters who were the Kid's friends come to town looking for him, and when they find out he's dead, set out to find and kill the man who did it. Written by frankfob2@yahoo.com

Kansas Sawyer, A friend of Luke's, tell him and Mark that one Colonel Bourbon is bringing his horse-trading business to town for a day. Kansas and his wife buy a horse from the trader. The trader causes an injury to the horse, hoping Kansas will bring the horse back and sell him back for half-price. Meanwhile, Luke and Mark, having looked at Col Bourbon's stock, buy the lamed horse from Kansas. Luke discovers not only the horse-trader's ruse, but also finds that the horse is stolen, and being sought by two outlaws interested in the reward for the stolen horse. Luke must deal with the situation and in so doing he helps Mark to learn something about horse-trading. Written by Charles Delacroix

Mark's young friend is murdered by Brud, an escaped convict. Brud shows up at the home of his father and mother, Mr and Mrs Avery, seeking shelter. The elderly couple had settled in North Fork and changed their names to escape the notorious reputation of their son. Mark discovers that Joey's murderer is being sheltered by Mr and Mrs Avery, and Brud convinces him to stay quiet in order to protect the Avery's. Mark does so, but Lucas knows Mark is worried about the Avery's, so he rides to the Avery's. Lucas is taken prisoner by Brud. The Avery's must somehow help him if he is to live. Written by Charles Delacroix

Everyone is a bit surprised when the thief they corner in Hattie's store in the middle of the night turns out to be teenager Heller Chase who says she had broken in to steal a ribbon for her hair. She and her brother David and their mother Muriel have had a hard time since Muriel married Andrew Bechtel after the death of the children's father. He's a brute and a drunk and life has been hard for all of them. Heller and David however have decided to put an end to it and Lucas has to intervene. Written by garykmcd

Luke and Mark take a train trip to visit relatives in another town. On board the train, Luke encounters Walt, a murderer in handcuffs who is being taken by Marshal Dixon to his hanging. Walt and Luke recognize each other: Walt had once tried to kill Luke in the past, and Luke warily settles into the train seats a short distance from his old adversary. Meanwhile, Mark is fast making friends with another passenger, Nathaniel, an old man of many tales that capture Mark's rapt attention. Suddenly, the train is forced to halt: clouds of swarming grasshoppers have made the tracks impassable. While Luke investigates the stopped train, two men kill the Marshal, and free Walt, who is seriously wounded during the process. However, they take everyone in the passenger car hostage, including Mark. Luke gains access to the train compartment when Walt finds out that only Luke can apply a tourniquet to his bleeding leg. However, it's old Nathaniel who must help Luke if Walt is to be stopped and Mark ... Written by Charles Delacroix

North Fork's new preacher and his wife are murdered by a gang of outlaws. Two of them pose as the new reverend and wife in order to help the gang gain unsuspected entrance to the town. The preacher uses his first meeting as an occasion to set up a distraction for the others while they rob the bank. Meanwhile, Mark has learned of the ruse, and is taken captive to keep him silent. Lucas and Micah must find Mark and stop the outlaws if they are not to carry out their designs against the bank. Written by Charles Delacroix

A desperate soldier turns up at Lucas' ranch seeking to get a horse at gunpoint. He has been wounded during an escape from his cavalry unit, and in a quick turn of events, Lucas finds himself caring for the soldier. A cavalry detail turns up, and Lucas learns that the soldier is wanted for desertion. Lucas discovers that the commanding officer is placing all of his men in jeopardy with his brutally excessive views of discipline. Lucas finds he has to take aggressive action to save the life of the soldier for whom he was caring from the firing squad. Written by Charles Delacroix

Lucas and Mark have painful discussion about Mark's deceased mother. A short time later, Mark drinks tainted water from a barrel and contracts typhoid fever. Lucas is forced to seek help from an eccentric old doctor. While they labor together to help Mark survive his illness, Mark, during intense bouts of fever, has a vision of his mother. She helps him to come to terms with her absence from his and his father's day-to-day lives, and encourages him to struggle his way back to life. Written by Charles Delacroix

Lucas McCain is thrilled to see that his oldest and best friend Lariat Jones has come North Fork and may settle there permanently. Lariat is a professional gambler, thoroughly honest and principled. He's gotten mixed up with a couple crooks however who have convinced him to become a partner in a new gambling hall for the town. Despite their assurances to the contrary, Lariat's new partners have no intention of running an honest gaming house which leads to an inevitable confrontation. Written by garykmcd

Marge Crandell is a headstrong young girl who doesn't like to be told what to do, not by her father or by Doug Carter, the man who loves her. Doug is hot tempered and ready to fight any man who gets too close to Marge. He has just such a fight with Fred Tate who had been bothering Marge. Instead of being grateful Marge walks off with the drummer Rodney Quentin. Later when Lucas discovers her body both Quentin and Tate emerge as possible suspects. Written by tomtrekp

An ex-convict with a grudge against Lucas comes to town determined to kill him.

A man and his young son fleeing danger are taken in by Lucas. What Lucas doesn't know is that the man hasn't told him the real reason they're on the run.

Billy is a bank robber who deceives the rest of his outlaw gang and comes to North Fork so that he can see his mother as she passes through on the stage. He has been deceiving his mother into thinking that he is legitimate and has a son who is Mark's age. In order to maintain his story, he holds Lucas and Mark at gunpoint so that Mark will pose as his son. His mother arrives, but turns out to be dying. To make matters worse, Billy's outlaw associates surround him and the others at Lucas's ranch house. Lucas helps Billy to make the most difficult decision of his life. Written by Charles Delacroix

Gabe Fenway, a sharecropper for local landlord Preston, plans to run his quarterhorse Sapphire in a local horse race. Mark also plans to race his horse, Blueboy, in the race. Preston, who wants to keep all of Fenway's crops, believes Mark's horse can beat Fenway's and tricks Fenway into betting his crop against Preston's $1000 that Mark will win. And to make sure that Mark wins, Preston has a plan to make sure that Fenway doesn't make it to the race. Written by frankfob2@yahoo.com

Lucas hires a new ranch hand, then learns that the man had just been released from prison for manslaughter. He believes the man has turned over a new leaf and wants to start a new life, but his--and the townspeoples'--suspicions are aroused when a local rancher is murdered during a robbery. Written by frankfob2@yahoo.com

While in town one day, Lucas runs into Tom Benton, an old friend from his days in the army. Benton seems to have fallen on hard times, though, as he's drinking heavily and winds up shooting up the saloon and getting arrested by Micah. Lucas bails him out, against Benton's protests, but it turns out that Benton has his own reasons for wanting to stay in jail. Written by frankfob2@yahoo.com

Nora Sanford, an old flame of Lucas' who came from a wealthy family, arrives in town, ill and penniless. When Lucas hears of her condition, he goes to see her and help nurse her back to health. It turns out that her recently deceased husband had spent all her money, and she had heard that Lucas had also been recently widowed, and in desperation decided to come to North Fork to see him. What Lucas doesn't know, however, is that she didn't come to town alone, and her plans for Lucas aren't quite what he thinks they are. Written by frankfob2@yahoo.com

When Lucas rides over to Eban Muchen's ranch to deliver some supplies, he finds Muchen shot to death in his living room and his hired hand, Volney Adams, sitting near him, seemingly dazed. Adams claimed that he heard gunshots from the house and ran in to find Muchen dead and an intruder running away. However, since Adams is an ex-convict, no one in town believes him, and soon people are talking about hanging him, spurred on by a traveling medicine man and the local hangman. Written by frankfob2@yahoo.com