Bitter is the Dust by Scott A Gese
When Sarah McKinney finally escapes the clutches of her abusive husband, she and her adopted son Jason begin a perilous new life on the run. But Sarah is resourceful and Jason is a born survivor, and over the coming weeks their lives settle down as Sarah finds work as a doctors assistant, and Jason is reunited with his real father and takes a job as a ranch hand. But Jasons quick temper soon gets him into trouble with his employer, and their future hangs in the balance as their unhappy past threatens to catch up with them.