"Spanning the 20th century, the story of Roses takes place in a small East Texas town against the backdrop of the powerful timber and cotton industries, industries controlled by the scions of the town's founding families" --Publisher.

Comanche Indian captive Eli McCullough must carve a place for himself in a world in which he does not fully belong -- a journey of adventure, tragedy, hardship, grit, and luck that reverberates in the lives of his progeny.

Hank the Cowdog, Head of Ranch Security, almost loses his job after two fiasco-filled rides in Slim's pickup truck.

The Civil War has ended, and Union soldiers and federal officials have taken control of Texas as Rusty Shannon rides to his home on the Colorado River. As a child, he was a captive of the Comanche, as a young man a proud member of a ranging company protecting settlers from Indian raids. Shannon's fate is intertwined with the young man accompanying him: Andy Pickard, himself but recently rescued from Comanche captivity and known by his captors as Badger...

With his two young daughters in tow, ex-rancher Rance McKettrick, swearing off women, returns home to Indian Rock where a free-spirited bookstore owner writes a passionate new chapter in his life.

"Special Agent Tara Rushing arrives at a grisly murder scene and quickly discovers she's got a serial killer on her hands. The killer is meticulous, making sure to wipe up even the smallest traces of evidence...but the Delphi Center experts are on the case. The local sheriff has a suspect all picked out--ex-Marine and current security expert Liam Wolfe. Despite all her digging, Tara knows very little about Liam when she shows up at his sprawling Texas...

When Hank the Cowdog hears reports that coyotes are planning to go after the chickens, he manages to resist the temptation to join them and instead thwarts their attack, earning Sally May's forgiveness, and persuading Loper to stop feeding him Cheapo brand dog food.

Holt, the eldest McKettrick son, returns to his family home in Texas to make peace with his past and save the man who raised him, but his involvement with Lorelei Fellows complicates Holt's efforts to keep his trip short and remain unattached to his family home.