When Colton's mom tells him that they're moving from Idaho Falls to northern California, Colt is sad, but he takes it like a man. At least he'll have one friend to keep him company - Smoke, the twenty-pound black Maine coon cat that Colt's dad gave him when he was little. With his dad gone most of the year riding bulls on the rodeo circuit, sometimes it feels like Smoke is their only connection. So when Smoke doesn't come home after Colt lets him out in the middle of the night, nothing else in Colt's world seems to matter anymore. But on the dark and stormy evening when Colt sets off alone to find his missing cat, he's in for more danger than even the son of a fearless bull rider could have dreamed of.

A captivating look at cowboys, courage, and community, this is a tender tale about family and friends pulling together, and what it really means to be a man.

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MAVIS JUKES has written numerous acclaimed books for children, including Blackberries in the Dark and Like Jake and Me, a Newbery Honor Book. She lives in Sonoma County, California.