Prologue

Prescott, Arizona, 1880

Laura Sawyer set the cleaned pot down in the cupboard where it belonged. As she straightened her spine, she took a deep breath and reached up to tuck a strand of her wavy brown hair behind her ear.

Her eyes darted around the room, checking for anything out of place. Even though she didn’t see anything, she kept looking, nervous at the thought of missing anything. She knew that Will would spot anything she failed to notice, and he wouldn’t be pleased.

Then again, her husband wasn’t pleased with anything these days, especially not her or Daniel. Thoughts of Daniel had her looking around for their son. Not seeing him in the kitchen or dining room, she went to see if he was in his room, casting a glance out of the window as she passed to see if Will was home yet.

For perhaps the millionth time, Laura wished that she could give Daniel a better life. However, there was nothing she could do about it. She’d already spent many hours and tears trying to come up with something that would help. There was no point in dwelling on it more.

A moment later, she spotted him in a corner of his room, the four-year-old playing quietly with the stuffed animals she’d made with scraps of fabric for him. His brown hair that matched hers was all askew, and the nightclothes he had already put on looked just as worn and patched as the toys he was playing with.

Still, she smiled slightly at the way he moved them around through the air, especially since she was pretty sure he was pretending the cat was flying and having some sort of argument with the bird about it.

Her smile was tinged with sadness, though. As usual, he wasn’t making a sound. On the one hand, it was a relief that he wasn’t a noisy child, as it would have undoubtedly drawn Will’s ire toward him.

On the other hand, she felt horrible at her own relief. She knew it wasn’t a good thing that he was four and had yet to say a single word.

When Daniel finally noticed her standing in his room, he looked up with surprise, the brown eyes that were identical to his father’s meeting hers. His expression quickly turned into a smile once he saw it was just her.

Setting down his toys, he came over and hugged her legs. As she bent over and hugged him back, the sight of him glancing nervously around her legs to see if Will was there had her heart squeezing in her chest.

“I think it is time for you to go to bed now,” she told him with a final pat as she straightened herself once more. “It is already a little past your bedtime.”

He looked up at her and pushed out his lower lip in a pout.

Her first thought was to warn him that his father might arrive at any minute and would not appreciate him still being awake. However, Laura hated using his own father as a threat, regardless of how legitimate a threat he was, so she refrained.

Instead, she went with a more playful approach, poking out her own lower lip right back at him. “Pretty please?”

His lips pursed and eyes narrowed as he seemed to reconsider. Then, he grinned and shook his head, gripping her legs tighter.

Laura let out a dramatic sigh. “All right, if that’s how you are going to be about it… I guess I’ll just have to steal your bed myself. It does look awfully comfy.”

She managed to move toward the bed, partially dragging Daniel along when he didn’t release her. This didn’t get a reaction for a moment, but then Daniel let go of her legs, rushed over to his bed, and started climbing up the side of it before she could reach it.

By the time she stood beside the bed, he had plopped himself down in the middle and was grinning triumphantly up at her, his shoulders shaking with silent giggles. Keeping up the fun, she put her hands on her hips and gasped.

“But I was going to lie down in that nice spot!” she exclaimed, sounding affronted. As the shaking of his shoulders intensified, she sat on the edge of the bed. “Well, if you’re going to take that spot, the least you can do is get into it properly.”

He helpfully moved off the blanket to allow her to pull it down, starting to frown once more as she lifted it to cover him with it. He was fully back to pouting when the blanket settled on top of him.

“Would you like me to tell you a story or something before you go to sleep like a good little boy?” she asked him, ignoring his pout, which turned into a scowl.

Leaning over, she pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I love you, Daniel, but it is time for you to sleep.”

He sighed as he begrudgingly settled back and got comfortable. She smiled at him as she tucked him in nice and tight. Then, she cast a glance toward the front door, wondering how much time she had left before Will was home.

Deciding that she had enough time to dawdle just a bit, she scooched further up onto the bed and asked, “Now, do you want me to tell you a story?”

When he nodded, she began telling him a short one she recalled from her childhood book of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. She’d had to sell the book long ago for things for Daniel—just as she’d needed to sell everything that wasn’t absolutely necessary, one thing at a time—but she still recalled the stories.

She did her best to make the story short without making it feel rushed, so she could quickly give Daniel one last goodnight kiss before leaving his room. Once his door was closed behind her, she breathed out a sigh of relief. That was one less thing for Will to be angry about.

As it wouldn’t do at all for her husband to come home to her doing nothing, nor was it advisable for her to hide away, she grabbed her mending bag. Looking out the window once more to check for Will, she sat down in the living room to start mending a hole in the heel.

Though her hazel eyes and fingers were busy with her task, her ears and the whole rest of her being strained to listen for the sounds of his arrival, she hated this part. She hated him.

Bitterness swelled in her chest and, for now, she let it. If it weren’t for Daniel, she would have already left. It wasn’t as though she’d ever loved Will in the first place.

Though there had been a time when they’d first gotten married that she’d felt hopeful, she had been pressured into it by her slowly dying father, who left her with no other option in his will.

Her only two options had either been to marry Will Sawyer and stay in the home that she’d known all her life, or she could refuse and be on her own, as her father had liked Will enough—on top of feeling that only a man could own and run a ranch—to have left this place to Will and not her.

She hoped that her father was rolling over in his grave at the state Will had let the place fall into. Laura was sure she would have been able to do better if she’d inherited the place and had been able to hire a hand.

Still, at the time, Will had treated her nicely, though she didn’t think he loved her any more than she loved him. She also hadn’t wanted to leave her home, and she had no way to support herself, so she’d agreed.

Laura certainly regretted it now. However, she still had nowhere else to go, and a roof over Daniel’s head was surely better than none at all, right? He was the one and only good thing to have come from her marriage.

She froze when she heard the clomping of a horse’s hooves approaching the house. Her anxiety shot up into her throat. Fortunately, she had plenty of practice keeping her hands steady. The fact that she didn’t hear any cursing as the sound of boots soon moved toward the front door was a good thing.

As caught up as she was in holding in her dread, it completely missed her notice at first when there was a knock at the door rather than Will barging in. Blinking a couple of times at the sudden shift in her expectations, Laura dropped the mending and raced toward the door to see who it could be.

A guest was a good thing, as it meant that Will would rein in his temper for at least a while. The only downside was the embarrassment she felt at the state of her worn clothes and equally worn-down appearance.

She avoided looking in the mirror these days, as all she saw was tired eyes, dull hair that was full of split ends from lack of care, and a defeated expression, all wrapped up in whatever threadbare clothes she could find.

Pushing those thoughts aside as she opened the door, she gave Earnest Bennett, her husband’s cousin, a tight but welcoming smile. She knew that Will wouldn’t be pleased to see him, being jealous of his more successful cousin, so she mentally braced herself to deal with that later as she stepped aside to let him in.

Though she’d never particularly liked Earnest, he had always been nice to her, and he seemed to be concerned about her safety, which was why Will disliked him. If Earnest also happened to be a little pushy at times, in her opinion, well, it was still nice to have someone who cared.

“What brings you here this late in the evening?” she pleasantly asked him, her brows furrowing slightly as she noticed how agitated he was.

His blond hair, just a few shades lighter than Will’s and usually kept neatly combed back, was now in disarray. His usually steady hands kept fidgeting as well, and he glanced around the room with his dark brown eyes rather than looking at her.

Fortifying herself with a deep breath, Laura inquired, “What’s wrong?” She knew something was wrong for Earnest to act this way.

“Well, I… I mean, I know that…” He exhaled sharply, a determined frown coming onto his face. His shoulders straightened as he finally looked her directly in the eye. “I’m sorry for being so blunt, but… Will is dead.”

Laura blinked, unable to process the words. Her voice caught in her throat. “What?”

Earnest nodded. “He, uh… Well, you know about his gambling and drinking habits, I’m sure.” His expression turned sour for a moment as though he’d bitten into a lemon. “Well, anyway, it would seem like that finally caught up to him. He was shot. I’m sure the sheriff will be around shortly to tell you more about it, but, well, I thought I’d come and tell you first so you could hear it from someone you know.”

Though Laura heard the words, they were still having trouble sinking in. Suddenly, she felt the need to sit down, but there wasn’t a chair behind her. She flailed an arm around and turned her head to look for the nearest one as she rasped out, “I… I need to… I need a minute.”

“Oh! Of course!” her in-law exclaimed as he hastily stepped toward her and put a hand on her upper arm to help guide her to the kitchen and a seat.

As soon as the cogs of her mind started turning again, they slowly picked up speed. Will was dead. She didn’t have to worry about him losing his temper at her. She didn’t have to tiptoe around her own home. What’s more, none of the money they got now would be spent on alcohol or gambling.

Her growing sense of relief was dampened by new concerns. Though Laura’s tanned skin was evidence enough of all she did for the barely functioning ranch while Will was sleeping off his hangovers, there was a lot that she couldn’t do, and there was no money to pay someone else to do the work.

As she started spiraling down into worry about what she and Daniel would live off of, she was only vaguely aware of Earnest awkwardly saying, “Um, so… I’ll just… I’ll be back tomorrow to check on you.”

She nodded absentmindedly to acknowledge his words while she began mentally planning. Will was dead, and she didn’t have it in her to feel any grief at all, but it would still be quite a struggle for her and Daniel.

However, even knowing that, she still felt a sense of hope. There had been no hope that anything would change while Will had been alive. Now? Now, everything could actually change for the better!

Though she didn’t want to let herself become too optimistic, she was certain this was a turning point for the better.

Chapter One

Prescott, Arizona, 1881

One year later…

Nothing had been working for the better. Not one single thing.

Laura’s faint optimism had evaporated when she’d learned just how extensive Will’s debts were. Sure, she knew he’d gambled and that they barely had enough for food and other necessities. However, she had no idea just how bad it was.

They’d taken the ranch. There had been enough debt that the bank had taken the ranch to pay them off. Her pleading that she could turn the ranch around and slowly pay off the debt had fallen on deaf ears.

She’d been able to sell some things herself, such as Will’s gun, which had been enough for food for a little while, but that small amount of money was long gone. Even trying to stretch it by foraging for roots and berries hadn’t been enough.

As for where they were living? Well, the only recourse Laura had found so she and Daniel could have a roof over their heads was a small old cabin far outside of town that her father had taken her to once when she was younger.

The roof leaked, there were a couple of holes in the walls, and she had no idea whose land this even was. However, the layers of dust and cobwebs, plus the fact that vines were growing along the outside that partially covered the door when they’d first arrived, were all signs that no one had been here for quite some time.

Therefore, she felt fairly secure in staying here until she could come up with something better. First, though, she actually had to find a source of income. She hadn’t been successful at doing so.

This is why she was currently busy pacing. It was only about ten steps in either direction before she had to make a turn, which felt quite cramped. There was nothing more than a rickety table in one corner next to the small fireplace and one lumpy bed on the ground in another, so there was no worry about tripping over something.

She had tried to find a job in town, asking shops to keep an ear out for anyone hiring who she might be a good fit for. Nothing had come up. She wished she knew why. Was it because her clothes were ragged and patched so much?

She supposed it could be in part because of the many people who disliked Will, but she really didn’t want to think about that option. If it were true, it would truly be hopeless for her.

With a sigh, she stopped pacing. If it was the latter, there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She would have to leave Prescott and try her luck in some other town. Would that be any better, though?

It was Daniel’s small hands tugging on the skirt of her dress that pulled her out of her depressing thoughts. Realizing she was scowling, she swiftly turned her expression into a smile as she looked down at him.

“What is it, Daniel?” she asked him.

As expected, he didn’t respond verbally. He looked up at her with a small, furrowed brow and a frown. Once he saw he had her full attention, he took a step back and rubbed his tummy to signify that he was hungry.

It was enough to put tears in her eyes. There wasn’t any food at all for her to give him.

Forcing a smile, she crouched down next to him. “Oh, I see. You are hungry, right?”

He nodded. She made herself smile bigger, blinking away her tears to ensure they didn’t fall. “I have a great idea! Why don’t we find some berries to eat?” she suggested, hoping to make a game out of it.

His head tilted to one side. Laura nodded, rising and leading him toward the door. “I seem to recall some lovely-looking blackberries just a little distance away. I bet there are some ready for picking. Let’s go see who can find the most! You’ll have to remind me where they are, though, as I’m not sure I know the way.”

At this, Daniel was smiling as he nodded, taking her hand and quickly moving ahead of her to the blackberry vines they had been to several times by now. She knew it would only be another week or two before there wouldn’t be any more left, and she dreaded it.

Though she did, in fact, know the way, she let him lead her, occasionally pretending like she didn’t know where she was going by making small attempts to playfully pull him in a different direction.

The way he would grin back at her and pull on her hand more determinedly, clearly enjoying the fun, was nice. Clearly, the many ways she tried to make this an adventure for him were working to keep him happy.

As they reached the right spot, Laura pretended to need to catch her breath while she looked worriedly at the sky. Dark clouds were rolling in, and a gentle breeze was blowing through the trees.

She was sure that there would soon be an outright storm, but the lack of rain at the moment let her hope that it would at least wait until they got back to the cabin.

While Daniel happily ran around, grabbing and eating whatever berries he could find, Laura did so at a much slower pace. She was careful to only eat a few while her son was watching, so that he would see her eating more than she actually was.

When she had eaten three small blackberries from one area, she announced, “I can’t find any more berries over here! You should come and check that I didn’t miss any, just to be sure.”

She smiled as he eagerly came over like she suggested, and she knew he would find a few more where she was. Laura decided to go over to where he had just been to find one or two more to eat.

While Daniel found what food he could, she let her thoughts drift to Earnest’s offer to live with him. The idea made her cringe. As usual, he had been slightly pushy about her living by herself with just Daniel for company.

This was why she’d chosen to come here without saying a word as to where she was going. It also made her hyper aware anytime she was in town, as she didn’t want to run into him there while she was looking for work.

Though the details were different, she already had experience choosing to live with someone in order to have a place to stay, and look how that had ended. It was true that Earnest hadn’t ever hurt her, but he was still related to Will.

Although he didn’t get drunk often—as far as she knew anyway—she knew he did drink, and while his business might be a successful one, this did not change the fact that it revolved around running his own saloon and that he lived near it.

She didn’t want Daniel to be anywhere around that.

Still, there was no food for the next day, and she knew that berries and whatever thin soup she could make from roots and edible plants just weren’t enough. While she was planning to go into town and look for work again, it wouldn’t provide her son with the food he needed now, even if she got hired.

There was no other option: She would have to steal something to eat. Again. Tonight was a good night to do so since the stormy weather would help to cover any noise she made.

That decided, she waited until Daniel had gathered all the berries he could and then took them back to the cabin, encouraging him to gather flowers to brighten the space so that he would be worn out enough to sleep deeply, allowing her to leave him and steal.

Laura hated it. Each time, she promised herself that it would be the last time and that she would find a way to pay them back someday. She could still recall the first time she’d stolen food…