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

The doctor’s warning ran through his head on a constant loop, and he watched Steel intently for any signs of life, but the night dragged into the next morning, and then Riley blinked and the sun was gone once again, closing out the seventh day since Steel took a bullet. What if he never woke up?


The answer to that one seemed obvious. If he didn’t wake up, Riley would find a way to continue to care for him and continue to pray for him until he did wake up. There was no other choice. No option worth considering that might take him away from Steel, even if he ended up playing nursemaid to an unconscious man for the rest of his life.


Surviving the first night might have been a “goddamned miracle” but Riley knew the truly miraculous event occurred eight days later when Steel’s eyes opened and trained on Riley, as sharp as ever.


Chapter 17