through the mountain roads of the sage country. When they stop to rest the horses at a roadside inn, they meet Sheriff Jackson and Bob Clews from Santa Inez, who are investigating the theft of cattle. When Rocklin asks about Red Cardell, the owner of the stolen K.C. Ranch cattle, he learns that he is Clara's great uncle and was recently murdered. A drunken Dave insults them and, pretending to be his friends, they take him to the barn for a "short laydown". Later Rocklin discovers him unconscious after being pistol-whipped. Rocklin drives the stage the rest of the way to Santa Inez. After checking into the hotel, Rocklin is invited by the town lawyer Robert Garvey (Ward Bond) to join a poker game, during which Clint Harolday (Russell Wade), the brash stepson of the owner of the Topaz Ranch, tries to play an illegal card and Rocklin stops him and declares himself the winner. Clint pulls a gun on Rocklin, who walks away from the table, goes to his room, and returns with his guns strapped to his hips and takes his winnings. The next day, Clint's fiery sister Arly (Ella Raines) confronts Rocklin in the street, demanding he hand over her brother's winnings. Ignoring her, even as she fires her gun at him, Rocklin calmly walks away from the confrontation. Later when he learns that Garvey was Red Cardell's lawyer, Rocklin visits his office and shows him a letter written by Cardell hiring him as the K.C. Ranch foreman. As they speak, Miss Martin and Clara enter and the bitter Miss Martin announces that the K.C. Ranch is Clara's legacy. Embarrassed by her aunt's rude behavior, Clara urges Rocklin to keep the $150 he received as advance payment from her great uncle, but Rocklin insists on returning the money. Arly storms into the office and informs Rocklin that her stepfather wants to hire him as the Topaz Ranch foreman. Unaware that it is Arly who made the decision to hire him, Rocklin accepts. When he meets Arly's stepfather Harolday (Don Douglas), Rocklin is assigned to the deserted line camp at Tabletop on the edge of the Topaz Ranch to look for a gang of rustlers who Harolday believes killed Red Cardell. At the line camp at Tabletop, Dave delivers a letter to Rocklin from Clara in which she returns his $150 and reveals her distrust of Garvey who