“I’m the forgotten son. No one even knows I’m here. Even Deacon and Grady—he’s not even our blood—are respected in this house. Vi is Papa’s favorite. Sam is Mama’s. Me? Who am I?” —Preston Colter, The Roaming Adventurer
Preston Colter was the fifth and youngest Colter Son. He struggled with his position in the family and found it difficult to live up to them.
“I was always the sensitive one. Boone decided it was his job to toughen me up. Instead, it made me feel broken.” —Preston Colter, The Restless Wrangler
The relationship between Preston and Boone hurt Preston’s sensitive heart. He couldn’t see Boone’s teasing for what it was: brothers being brothers. Boone never intended to hurt Preston.
“I was jealous of my older brothers. Everything they did was successful, and my parents loved them more than me.” —Preston Colter, The Restless Wrangler
By the time he turned eighteen, he slipped into a mercurial mood. Much of his thought life revolved around comparing himself to his brothers and always feeling like he came up short. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see how much his parents truly loved him, and his brooding led to a years-long downward spiral.
“Inside of that kid, there was some storm raging. Someday it was gonna come out, and I didn’t want to be there when it did.” —Sam Colter, The Reluctant Cattleman
Preston gave up trying to be a dutiful son. He began lying, drinking, and carousing to medicate his pain with one purpose: to gain attention.
“I embraced my role in the family—the moody, rebellious son. It was the only role that garnered me attention, albeit negative attention. It didn’t matter to me. They finally saw me.” —Preston Colter, The Restless Wrangler
The more he gave into his rebellion, the worse his life became. He couldn’t hold a steady job. Despite his family’s desire to help him, he drifted from place to place until he lost his job and moved on to the next.
“Preston is the drifter of the family, and no one knows what he’s up to.” —Deacon Colter, The Resourceful Stockman
Then, during one pivotal night changed Preston made deal with God to save his life, only he didn’t know what God would require of him. He had to face the pain of his past, his mistakes with Hetty Clark, and he had to learn to turn his heart to God.
Will Preston be able to repair the damage he’d done to so many relationships?
If you haven’t read his story, you can check out Preston Colter’s prodigal-son-returns story in The Restless Wrangler (Colter Sons Book 5). Enjoy!
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