Free The Promise of Forgiveness by Marin Thomas

crotchety personality and the crow baits in the corral had influenced Mia in a way Ruby hadn’t or couldn’t. It had been weeks since she’d seen her daughter excited about anything. When Mia was with the horses, her eyes sparkled, and for that reason alone, Ruby would cut Hank some slack.
    â€œI’ll help you turn the upstairs nursery into a proper guest bedroom.” She hated that she felt like she had to do something nice for him before she and Mia left. She had no reason to feel guilty about leaving him so soon after they met.
    He leaned forward in the chair. “We got company.”
    A dust cloud moved in their direction. “You’re not going to shoot out the deputy’s tires, are you?”
    â€œNot unless he gives me a reason to.”
    The lawman parked, then stepped from his vehicle. “’Morning, Hank.” He removed his mirrored sunglasses and dropped them into his shirt pocket. “Hello, Ruby.”
    â€œPaul.”
    â€œDidn’t know you had a daughter, Hank.” The deputy approached the porch.
    â€œWe’re catching up after a separation,” Ruby said. “Have you figured out who stole the Devil’s Wind cattle?”
    If the deputy was surprised she knew about the missing livestock, he didn’t let it show. “’Fraid not. No witnesses have come forward.” He propped a boot on the bottom step, then rested his forearms on his bent thigh. “Any chance Dawson is rustling your cows?”
    â€œJoe didn’t steal my cattle.”
    â€œYou made up your mind yet about selling?” Randall picked at a piece of lint on his pant leg. “The buyer I mentioned is still interested in the property.”
    â€œYou’re selling the Devil’s Wind?” Ruby asked Hank.
    â€œWas thinking about it, if you didn’t show up.”
    â€œWhat does Ruby have to do with deciding whether or not to put your ranch on the market?”
    â€œShe’s my next of kin. When I kick the bucket, this place’ll be hers.”
    â€œWhat’s your daughter going to do with these badlands?”
    â€œWhat do I care? I’ll be dead.”
    Ruby grappled with the knowledge that her inheritance was the Devil’s Wind and not a trinket Cora had left behind for her. Never in a million years would she have believed she’d own a ranch.
    Randall tapped his finger against the brim of his hat. “Nice to see you again, Ruby.”
    â€œWait.” She set her mug on the porch floor and stood. “How do you plan to catch the thieves who took Hank’s cows? Have you contacted the authorities in other counties to see if they—”
    â€œCases like this take time.” His smile slipped. “If we come up with a promising lead, I’ll be in touch.” The deputy drove off.
    What the heck had gotten into Ruby—she’d acted like a mama bear protecting her cub. So what if Hank had lost a few bovines? “Were you kidding about leaving me the ranch?”
    â€œNope.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œIt’s all I’ve got to make up for the past.”
    Damn Hank McArthur. Ruby didn’t want his stupid ranch. She’d answered his summons because she’d needed to know more about her birth parents and their medical histories. Accepting the house and property would mean that she forgave him for not raising her. And she didn’t want to forgive him.
    Not yet.
    Maybe not ever.

Chapter 8

    J oe spotted the patrol car speeding away as he pulled up to the barn and got out of his pickup. As soon as he finished mucking the stalls he’d find Hank and ask if Randall had any new information on the missing cattle.
    â€œWhere were you?”
    He stopped midstride and glanced to his left, where Mia stood, holding a pitchfork. The fact that he’d walked into the barn and hadn’t felt a presence proved Ruby and her daughter were interfering with his concentration. “What are you