Forsaken Trails

by Bonnie R. Paulson

  Behind her, Cameron’s voice broke through the rushing in her ears. “Who was that lady, Mom? She was nice.” Ruby would play his voice saying mom in her head for months and years to come. She’d never forget that sound.

  Maggie’s answer made the hurt fade in Ruby’s heart to a more manageable level. “She’s our new friend. Hopefully, we get to see more of her. We need her.”

  Chapter 16

  Sloan

  Sloan rested his finger across his lip while he leaned his elbow on the window of his car. Procedure demanded that he call the police. He broke about thirteen different protocols just by sitting there and doing nothing. He’d followed Ruby when she’d left the night before, watching as Catherine had snuck from the facility and then Ruby had followed.

  He couldn’t figure out what Catherine had to do with any of it, until he decided to ignore that part. For some reason, he wanted to think Ruby wasn’t working alone. That she wasn’t alone in everything she did. But she was and that softened him more toward her plight.

  Rather than call her out on her actions, he followed her. She would make the right decision. She was a good person. She just needed the chance to choose. He wouldn’t take that from her. Not this time.

  Sloan wasn’t close enough to the park to hear what was happening. He’d positioned his car across the street from the parking lot, with a clear view of the El Camino and the two women. Even the boy and his erratic running around with the dog were easy to see at all times.

  Even if he were closer, he didn’t know that he wanted to hear the exchange. Judging by the body language between the adoptive mother, Margaret, and Ruby, Sloan’s heart wouldn’t be able to withstand the pain Ruby was going through. He’d want to protect her from any pain and he’d rush to her aid by giving her what she most wanted rather than what was the best for all of them.

  He wanted to be there for her. He wanted to hold her and comfort her. Instead, he held back, and let her choose. What would she do?

  Sloan had been certain she was going to tell the boy when she’d talked to him. If nothing else, the encounter would make it even more difficult for her to choose in favor of a positive future.

  Throughout the moments of tension as the women spoke, Sloan squeezed the vinyl-wrapped steering wheel and twisted. The squeaks as he did so were enough to bring him out of his stressed trance.

  Would it hurt for Ruby to have her son? Sloan would have given anything to be wanted by his mother. And there Cameron or Camden was with two women who wanted him more than anything. Sloan didn’t know what that felt like, but he could imagine.

  The way he felt about Ruby meant he wanted her to keep the boy, if only to make her happy. He wanted her happy. He needed her to be happy. If he couldn’t do that himself, then he wanted whatever would do it for her.

  Ruby turned, holding her shoulders rigid and her chin high. What was she going to do? Would she try to take the child? Her determination was strong, but what had she decided. She didn’t look angry. She didn’t look vengeful, but that didn’t mean anything.

  Everything was supposed to go through legal channels. Everything was supposed to be on the up and up. Sloan had no pamphlet to tell him how to proceed other than the procedures he’d implemented when he’d opened Parker’s Place.

  But procedure didn’t cover what he was supposed to do when he trusted someone. Sloan knew Ruby loved her son. Even though she continually said how much she was going to claim him and keep him, about how much she wanted him, Sloan knew she loved him too much to take her son away from what he knew.

  No, Sloan wasn’t worried about Ruby making the right choice. She was his mom. She was unlike any woman he’d ever met. She was different and Sloan couldn’t figure out what else to do for her besides letting her choose on her own.

  But what if she chose wrong?

  She reached her El Camino in a matter of moments with a calm that covered her face in an icy mask. Standing beside the brown car, she held herself rigid as if she couldn’t relax, even for a second.

  After another minute, Ruby braced her hands on the bed rails of the back of the truck and car hybrid. She looked down; her sloppy bun swung side to side as she shook her head back and forth.

  She’d be okay. He wasn’t sure what she’d decided but —

  In less than a second, Ruby turned around and disappeared from sight. Worried she had passed out; Sloan jumped from his car and ran the twenty yards across the street to where she’d disappeared.

  Breathing quicker, Sloan halted fast as he came upon Ruby slumped to the ground, leaning on the tire with her knees drawn up. He knelt beside her, his chest tight as he searched her for signs of injury.

  As if his being there was perfectly normal, Ruby glanced up, searching his face. Her eyes were red and wet. She shook her head. “I couldn’t do it. Not to him. Not to her. You’re right. I had to have his best interest at heart. I can’t help him how I am.”

  Without thinking, Sloan sat on the ground beside her and pulled her onto his lap, tucking her face into the crook of his neck. Her sobs ripped through her and each jagged sound hurt Sloan as well.

  He stroked her hair, holding her tight in his arms. “It’s okay, we’ll figure this out. Everything is going to be okay.”

  Ruby pulled herself away from him, looking up into his eyes. “You’re not the problem, Sloan. Your mom doesn’t deserve you. I can’t believe she could leave you, if she felt anything like this. You’re so much more than that. It’s all her. She has the problems, not you.” She glanced over at the departing small family where Maggie held Cameron a little tighter. The dog danced around the boy.

  Her reassurances at a time when she was burning inside from her own loss, cemented Sloan’s feelings. He would need time for them to grow, but he could see himself with her for as long as she’d let him stay.

  After a moment, Ruby hiccupped and looked at Sloan again, her gaze imploring. “What do I do? What would you do?”

  “We’ll figure it out. For the meantime, though, I think you should let me love you.” Sloan said it because it needed to be said. He declared it before he even realized that he really did love her. He’d been looking for her for how long? He’d been looking for someone who loved people unconditionally. Loved others for who they were and not what they were perceived to be. Sloan reached up and tucked a swath of hair behind her ear. “We have all the time in the world for you to adjust and decide, if I’m the right one for you.”

  She blinked sparkling green eyes and hiccupped again. “You’re the only man I’ve ever trusted. I can’t say that I love you yet, but I can say that I care. More than I ever have before. It’s hard to understand how I’m feeling with this aching hole in my chest. You make it hurt less, though.” She stared at him, softly nodding her head and then tilting toward him with a question in her eyes. “Is that going to be enough for you?”

  Taking her face in his hands, Sloan murmured as he studied her face. “Anything with you is enough.” He leaned forward until their foreheads touched. “As long as we’re together.”

  “Together?” She glanced over at the back of her son, tears welling in her eyes. “Are you sure?”

  “We’ll figure it out. Together.” Sloan pulled her into his arms and squeezed her tight. She might not know if she loved him yet, but she would love him. They had the potential to have a love beyond anything imaginable.

  He’d never forsake her and that sometimes was the most important thing. All she had to do was choose.

  Chapter 17

  Ruby

  Taking a deep breath, Ruby leaned closer to Sloan by the kitchen table at Bella Acres. She whispered as she lifted her hand to point at some of the other occupants in the room. “That one is my brother, Jareth, the one that just walked in. That’s Ryland, he’s a cousin. Oh, sorry, not that one that came in with Jareth is Ryland. The one I accidentally pointed to is Drake.” She was getting them confused and she’d grown up with the people in the room.

  The Montana Trails discussed R
uby and the things they wanted to do to get Nate back.

  Jareth twisted to the side, looking at his wife. “I know Ryland said he didn’t want to come back. But that doesn’t mean that he really doesn’t want to. All it means is that the right person hasn’t connected with him yet.” He turned to take in the rest of the group. “Maybe he doesn’t know what he wants.”

  “Who’s to say that the only person who could convince Nate to do anything didn’t die? Maybe that’s all there is to it. There’s nothing left for Nate. Or, maybe he really just doesn’t want to be here. It isn’t easy to be around family when you don’t feel like you fit in.” Ruby broke the silence that had fallen around the group, sticking up for her cousin she hadn’t seen in a long time. She wouldn’t recognize him on the street, if they passed.

  “And that’s fair. I just feel like if someone is going to leave their family, then that person should give the rest of the family a chance to understand why.” Kyle tapped the table and glanced over at Ruby. “We’re glad you’re back. If you had it to do over again, would you choose to stay or would you choose to leave again?”

  Did she finally have a choice? She’d never really considered what she would’ve done, had she had a choice. She’d been too busy trying to fix the consequences of the decisions made for her. She drew her eyebrows together and thought hard. “If I had the choice back then, I never would’ve left. But I didn’t have that choice. Until recently, I haven’t had very many choices. Nate doesn’t have anyone to report to. This is what he’s chosen. Why can’t any of you understand that? You need to give him space.”

  Everyone looked around at each uncomfortably. What she said must have struck a chord, but it didn’t make it any easier to say.

  “I agree with Ruby. Some people want choices made for them. Look at my brother.” Rachiah shook her head, her long, silky, black hair swayed around her shoulders as she took in the room of cousins. “He’s had an arranged marriage since he was little planned for him. When you’re full-blooded Salish, you do what you can to protect the blood line. There aren’t enough of us left. Maverick is confirmed full-blooded and he prefers to let the elders make that choice for him, because his own choice decided to go a different route.”

  Sherri and Rachiah shot knowing glances at each other. Whatever the story was there, Ruby hoped she learned it soon.

  Ruby barely knew everyone in the room. Keeping track of all the names would be impossible until she’d spent more time with them. The enormity of the family and what they’d become to each other overwhelmed her. She grabbed Sloan’s hand in hers, glancing at him as the group continued talking.

  No matter what happened, at least she had time with him. She’d decided to stay at the facility a little longer and she'd fixed things with Jessica Bland. While Jessica had been right about the best choices for Cameron, she hadn’t given in and said I told you so. Instead, Jessica had welcomed Ruby back like nothing had happened. She was mediating the introduction of Ruby to Cameron in just a couple weeks.

  Sloan stood by Ruby’s side every step of the way.

  “Ruby, we need to know what your plans are. What can we do to help you? How much of the Montana Trails are you interested in being a part of?” Drake leaned against the stair post. He obviously didn’t want to dwell on Nate any longer.

  Glancing around her family, Ruby anchored herself to the man she touched. He’d become her everything in the couple of months they’d been together. She wasn’t willing to give that up to be a part of a family she didn’t know. However, she was willing to get to know her family better, just like Maggie had agreed to let her get to know Cameron. After some discussions with Jessica, Ruby realized she had to stop thinking of him as her son. She wasn’t raising him. She and Cameron would learn to define their relationship together.

  All in all, she was very happy and her peace was growing.

  “You’re welcome to come here. We have the room. It’s just further away from Missoula and your son than I think you want to be.” Stefanie smiled softly at Ruby. She’d been just a teenager when Ruby had been swept away.

  Sloan looked at Ruby, his eyes narrowed worriedly. She smiled softly, and then looked to her family. Trying to take them all in was daunting, so she glanced at each one in turn before she answered. “Thank you, so much.” She jerked her thumb toward Sloan and offered with a shrug. “He doesn’t know it yet, but we’re getting married.” She winked and smiled at Sloan with a small giggle.

  Instead of shocked like she expected, Sloan sighed and reached into his pant pocket. He pulled out a black box and opened it to show her a ring with a bright red ruby surrounded by small diamonds in a white gold setting. His eyes twinkled as he teased. “Have you been snooping again?”

  Her laughter was cut short at the brilliance of the ring and the question it implied. “I don’t always snoop. I... I can’t believe you got that. It’s gorgeous.”

  “I told you. Together.” He leaned over and kissed her, his lips grazing hers with the promise of more lately. “I’m not sure if I’m supposed to ask you now, or if I am supposed to assume you’re asking me. If the latter is the case, where’s my ring?” Sloan chuckled and looked around at the cousins looking on with grins on their faces. “Does anybody know what to do in a situation like this?”

  Jareth rolled his eyes and draped his arm across Cyan’s chair. “With Ruby, no one knows. Just roll with it.”

  The family laughed. Ruby’s heart was full. No longer was she a forsaken woman. She was wanted, she was needed.

  She was loved.

  ***With Ruby’s happiness secured in Forsaken Trails, you can run and grab Lonesome Trails where Maverick gives up on love and turns his fate over to the tribe. ***

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  Copyright © 2017 Bonnie R. Paulson

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any place, events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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  Cover design by Kristin Bryant, contact her through kristindesign100@gmail.com

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  Did you love Forsaken Trails? Then you should read Lonesome Trails by Bonnie R. Paulson!

  An arranged marriage to save their people…

  A tribesman who loves another…

  A spurned woman without a home…

  Two people determined to do their duty – one out of desperation, the other out of indifference.

  When Maverick loses the woman he’s loved forever, he gives in to his family and tribe’s expectations and agrees to marry a woman from a coastal tribe. His bachelor party puts him in the path of someone with fiery eyes that draws a spark. Will he be able to leave her the next day to marry another?

  Morgan has no home to go back because of shame from her past mistakes and a broken heart. Marrying is the only way to restore honor – a lost notion. But she feels something for the man at the bar and can’t leave in the night.

  Will desperation and
honor push Morgan and Maverick to make choices they don’t want to make? Or will they lose the very hearts they promised to protect no matter what?

  This sweet romance is a page turner and you don’t want to miss out!

  Read more at Bonnie R. Paulson’s site.

  Also by Bonnie R. Paulson

  Bride Texas

  Bride and Prejudice (Coming Soon)

  Clearwater County, Lonely Lace series

  Spurs and Lace

  Secrets and Lace

  Sorrows and Lace

  Lonely Lace Box Set, Books 1 - 3

  Clearwater County, Redemption series

  Romancing Redemption

  Riding for Redemption

  Resisting Redemption

  Regretting Redemption

  Redemption Complete Series, Books 1 - 5

  Rewarding Redemption

  Clearwater County, The Montana Trails series

  Broken Trails (Coming Soon)

  Forbidden Trails (Coming Soon)

  Unbridled Trails (Coming Soon)

  Hidden Trails (Coming Soon)

  Forgotten Trails (Coming Soon)

  Endless Trails (Coming Soon)

  Forsaken Trails (Coming Soon)

  Click and Wed.com Series

  With This Click, I Thee Wed

  IDo.com

  DIY Vows

  eHoneymoon

  Keyword: I Do

  ClickAndWed.com books 1 - 3 Boxset

  Downshift Series

  Downshift

  Full Throttle

  Odds and Evens

  Odd Man Out

  Watch for more at Bonnie R. Paulson’s site.

  About the Author

  Real people, real loss, real love.

  This USA Today Bestselling author, Bonnie focuses on the emotional thrill of the romance, the discovery of self and the dynamic forces at play to both pull and push love growth.