"Hate in His Holster" is the story of Dave Lanning, an orphan rescued by Bert Haney, ramrod of the YT ranch in Sunfisher, Nebraska. But Haney is old and ailing, and the YT is beset by problems, most of them spearheaded by Justin Tucker, who has been gathering homesteaders with the intention of moving onto YT range. Lanning is determined to protect the YT from incursion, but is taken aback when the new owner arrives, a woman who does not understand why the ranch hasn't been making the kind of profit it used to make and is determined to make some changes.