Well, cowpokes and dogies, gather round the campfire for something new from Baxter Black, former large-animal veterinarian, now best known as a cowboy poet.

His previous foray into the world of novels was Hey Cowboy, Wanna Get Lucky?, which introduced our hero, Lincoln Delgado Davis (Lick, to his friends). Hey Cowgirl, Need a Ride? continues the saga.

This go-round finds Lick two years after his triumph at the Las Vegas National Rodeo Finals. Sticking on the unbroken Kamikaze for a whole eight seconds did not assure happiness or riches. Lick has gone bust with his woman and is drawing small pay, working as a ranch cowboy in Nevada with an old coot named Al Bean, a former rodeo star himself.

But the cowboy is about to get lucky. Teddie Arizona crash-lands in their pasture, with half a million in her boot, a shady past and a heart yearning for true love. This girl has the coloring of a palomino horse, and she's called "TA" for a reason. Don't you think it's just a matter of time until Lick and Teddie fall into one another's arms?

Not in the first 20 pages. First, Teddie is pursuing a cause that burns a hole in her soul. Her so-called "husband," F. Rank Pantaker, is in the business of guiding big-game hunts. It would be OK, if his tours focused on legal prey. But F. Rank and his partner, Ponce de Crayon, guarantee you will bag the endangered animal of your choice, for the small sum of $1 million.

Hunters who can afford that price are a small client base, and they want their money's worth. F. Rank has to assure the Great White Hunters' success by delivering the endangered goods on a closed range.

Teddie figures it just ain't sportin' to corner the prey, particularly if there ain't but so many left. Besides, she knows how it feels to be cornered. Her marriage to F. Rank is strictly a pretense. It seems that she had been living with some drug dealers, though not involved in illegal activity herself, when F. Rank took a shine to her. He threatened to turn his district attorney friend on her - unless she agree to his demand. Marry me, he tells her, or run the risk of getting hauled in.

And then this "soulmate" up and cheats on her. Her ethics are compromised;her pride hurt.

Is it any wonder TA aims to spoil F. Rank Pantaker's party? Wouldn't you take $5 million from his safe, put half a million in your boot and the rest in an undisclosed location and fly your plane off to parts unknown?

F. Rank isn't partial to any part of this. In fact, he would like his money back, if she would be so kind as to return it to the goons he sent to persuade her. She will not, thank you anyway. She will elude him and the goons for a few more pages, so the goons can face off with Lick's best friend Cody, Al and his rodeo buddies and other folks with silly names and good hearts. This chase involves gunshots, horse thieving, duct tape and even a rival for Lick's affections.

But the outcome is never in doubt: The good guys win. TA speechifies about self-respect, the bald eagle lives and the cowgirl gets her cowboy. It is a Western, after all.

None of this gives anything away, as it's the gettin' there that's the most entertaining. In Hey Cowgirl, Black shows himself from time to time, to share the important stuff. His observations are set off in bold print, and some are obvious enough if you've been reading, but Black's easy voice makes it like talking with your neighbor. The end gives Black the chance to wax philosophical, something a cowboy poet does pretty well and pretty briefly.

In all:

Literature it ain't, but that's not what we need

When a cowboy is looking for something to read.

He wants a book that's relaxing, a book that's fun,

A book that don't tax his cranium none.

And that's our "Cowgirl." Give her a ride,

She'll be good company by the fireside.

Christine Jacques is a freelance writer living in Golden.