Parker celebrates payday with his rough cowboy friends in Cactus Bend, where he gets into a barroom fistfight with crooked marshal Dice McAllister (Frank Campeau) and licks him with his own boot. Dice is in cahoots with the Mexican cattle rustling gang run by Jose Mandero (William Rhino). At a Fourth of July celebration on the Ryan ranch, Mandero’s gang appears to intimidate Texas, but Parker gives them the boot. The next day Mandero’s gang kidnaps Texas and holds her for ransom, but Parker uses his brains (as advised by Texas) and bribes Mandero’s lieutenant to release her (he returns the favor, as Parker previously saved his life during a stampede). Parker gets jealous when Texas is courted by the visiting state senator from El Paso (Charles Gerrard), an upper-class dude who makes him feel he’s not in her same class. At this same time, Parker spots the Mandero gang rustling the Ryan cattle and tracks them down. He gets the cattle back by single-handedly capturing Mandero. But an hour later he escapes from Colonel Ryan’s custody. Parker chases after him to the Mexican border, but the gang captures him and holds him for a $2,000 ransom and threatens to shoot him if the ransom is not paid. Texas realizes she loves Parker, and gets the money there in time. Parker is freed and kisses his new girlfriend.