Steel Coleman sinned in his heart the day he saw fifteen-year-old Riley Spencer. Driven by lust he couldn't acknowledge or control, he encourages his mother to marry Riley's father, joining the two families and creating a living hell for Steel in the process. In an attempt to spare his sanity, he goes for long rides from the family ranch, and he's not home to protect the family when bandits strike. Riley survives but their parents are murdered. Haunted by grief and guilt, Steel flees to catch the men responsible, promising his younger stepbrother he would return. He never does. When they meet again ten years later, Riley is a far cry from the boy Steel left behind. And he needs his former stepbrother to pay for the very real sin of abandoning him when he needed Steel the most. But their fateful meeting sends Riley running. Leaving Steel is the hardest thing he's ever done, but Riley understands what Steel knew all along -- it's too dangerous to stay. Will he be prepared to face the consequences when Steel inevitably catches up with him? Can forgiveness be possible?

Steel's Redemption

Steel swallowed. Please understand.“Yes. And there was nobody left to watch over you. Nobody but me. So I had to do my best. I thought…how was I to know the cattle would take sick?”


“Because that’s life,” Riley said tightly. “Cattle die on the trail and storms wipe out crops and people get shot and maybe if you’re lucky you’ll survive to see the next year of catastrophe. That’s how you were to know. I can’t believe your…arrogance.”


“Arrogance? My mother didn’t raise me to be a proud man.”


“No, I’m sure she didn’t, but you are one. You’re so proud, you think you could be worse than God’s own plan. I promise you, sleeping in the barn with you was far, far better than sleeping there alone.”


“How could you say that?” Maybe he didn’t understand, after all.


“See? There’s that arrogance again. Who do you think you are?”


Chapter 6