A Montana Rivalry is a sweeping story of Rusty Blackstone and Warren Weston, two young men who become bitter rivals the first time they meet. It is a complex tale with many interacting characters. Set on modern day ranches in Montana and rodeos all over the West, the story is told by an author who grew up on a Montana ranch and competed in rodeos at all levels. Whether it is ranch work, saddle bronc riding or steer wrestling, the details that only an insider would know create a slightly exotic world that is completely authentic.
Warren Weston is an only child. His parents own one of the best ranches in the state. His father is from back east and has a trust fund. His mother is the fifth-generation descendant of the hardy man who founded the ranch and made it prosper. His mother thinks of herself as Montana aristocracy. Although she can be a demanding woman, as far as she is concerned, Warren can do no wrong. On the other hand, nothing that Warren can do pleases his father. Although his family is wealthy, Warren grows up arrogant and emotionally destitute.
Rusty Blackstone has two sisters. His father works on various ranches and often switches jobs and moves his family. His is a former professional saddle bronc rider and starts teaching Rusty to ride broncs at an early age. When he takes a job in New Mexico working for a large rodeo company, Rusty's mother refuses to go. She keeps the kids in Montana and works whatever low paying job she can find to support them. Rusty finds a job on a nearby ranch and spends all his free time working. He loves the work, and the older couple who own the ranch take him in as if he were their own. Even though his father only shows up a couple of his is supportive. With a loving mother and two younger sisters, Rusty grows up in a stable environment and has no idea that they are poor.
Because Warren's parents sent him away to boarding school, the rivalry between the boys isn't a constant burden for either of them. At their hometown rodeo, on Labor Day just before their senior year in high school Rusty enters the saddle bronc riding and is astounded to see Warren steer wrestle with modest success. He decides right then that if Warren can do it, he can do it better.
They both compete successfully in college rodeo, often trying their best to outdo each other. When Rusty ultimately partners with a professional steer wrestler to go down the rodeo road, Warren has to stay home on the ranch. He does manage to steal Rusty's girlfriend and marry her. Later, when he watches Rusty on television competing at the National Finals Rodeo, he figures that if Rusty can qualify for the Finals, he can too. He decides to buy a new horse and become a full-time professional steer wrestler himself. This has all kinds of negative effects on his personal life and makes Warren a pariah on the rodeo circuit. His encounters with Rusty are fraught with tension. It takes a couple of years before Warren can come to terms with all the unfair things in his life and find a way to be happy.
In the end, Warren and Rusty go head-to-head for the World Championship in steer wrestling at the National Finals Rodeo.
