Hey Leep,
As I was starting to read your post and saw that it was a western, I couldn't help but smile. Westerns are my favorite genre. I think that I have read every one of Louis Lamour's books. And I am sure that you were excited when the other writer was going to read your story and help you. And I hate to hear the result of that and the struggles you have experienced with the publishing. But there is another possibility. Have you ever thought about self publishing. There are a lot of company's out there that are set up to help you do that. You would need someone that is not only willing to edit it, but understand all of the grammar rules. (Thats where I struggle. LOL) Once you did that, all you would have left was the publishing. Now I am not sure of the cost, but I believe there are some companies that would be flexible in the requirements concerning the number of books printed.
Now as far as the story goes. I like how you started it. You left no time for sitting back and getting comfortable. It was intense from the beginning. WHich is exactly what you want to do. And after you have the reader interested, you were able to tell the back story as to why he was in the situation that he was in; all the while building up suspense, making the reader join him in wanting more than anything, for him to find his father.
Nice work again Leep. Look forward to finding out what happens next.