The Russian Billionaire’s Secret(152)

First, it was the now Mrs. Ruth Parker who was in his sights. Mrs. Parker had been sent for from Charleston, South Carolina for a wealthy and powerful rancher in Coleman County, a Mr. Robert Parker Jr. Junior was the son and sole heir of Lt. Robert Parker, Sr.’s estate to the east of Camp Colorado, which was originally the impetus that led to permanent settlement of the area. Junior moved more cattle in a year than every rancher for six counties…less one man in McCulloch County to the south.

This couple was likely the strangest of the matches because of the vast age difference between Junior and Ruth, who was only nineteen while Junior was nearing forty if he had not already passed it.

This match had also caused the least fuss in the county, because shortly after they were married, Junior sold his entire estate to the bank, and they left the state, ending quite a few jobs in the process.

This had had the benefit, though, of clearing Tyson’s field to purify the county, because with Junior out of the picture, there was no one who could prevent Tyson from doing exactly what he wanted. Junior had fired Tyson some time ago, but neither one of them had divulged the secret to anyone. Junior had made it plain, though, that he would not tolerate Tyson’s insulting Ruth.

The next match that had been made was that of Coleman S. “Dandy” Darby, a local gunfighter turned lawman whose uncle had ridden with Frank and Jesse James in the early days of the James-Younger Gang. Dandy was one of the cowboys who had been put out of a job when Junior left Coleman, but he didn’t stay down for long, as the matchmaker had set him up with Sarah Anne Tarter from eastern Kentucky.

The day that Sarah Anne arrived on the G, C, & SF railroad at the Coleman Station, though, Dandy’s best friend, David “Big Dave” Butler, who had been the second largest cattle rancher in the county until Junior left, was brutally murdered by the outlaw gunslinger, “Doc” Dawson.

Dandy had gone out to meet Doc, and after taking the feared gunslinger out, had collected the over $9,500 reward that had been on Doc’s head. He had then been named a deputy sheriff and impregnated his new wife, Sarah Anne. They now own Junior’s old ranch, because Dandy purchased it with the reward money.

Finally, several months after Doc had been taken out, Pauline Murphy had arrived on the train, looking for one Dwight Butler, whose wife died from pneumonia contracted during Big Dave’s funeral…and he had been Dwight’s older brother. This had been the final straw for Tyson, and he had formed a mob to run Sarah Anne and Pauline out of town, only for the mob to be thwarted by the influence of Dwight, who was smart and knew enough of the bible to prevent what Tyson was trying to accomplish.

Dwight had quoted scripture, and the mob fell apart, straightaway. Sure, Tyson could easily find the people to create the mob once more, but Tyson is questioning his position in the county, and has been ever since Dwight had stood between him and those whores.

Speaking of whores, Tyson thought to himself. I need to be getting to the Hanged Man pretty soon. The Hanged Man was the local watering hole and saloon in Atoka, and he has business there this evening. He stands up, and proceeds to lock up the Atoka Lockup, and walks out for the day.

Yes, he still doesn’t know how he can force Sandra to stop matching, but meeting with Sally will certainly help set the pieces in motion.

Chapter 2

A Letter From Dandy

Many miles north in the plains of Nebraska, Robert Parker Jr. stands in the garden patch outside the home he had built for himself and Ruth. He leans back, and wipes his brow with a handkerchief that he has started to carry with him at all times. You would not know by looking at him that he is a man worth multiple millions of dollars, as he has remained humble through his entire life, despite making himself into what he is through hard work, blood, sweat, and tears. His father, Robert Sr. had been killed during his service as an officer in the Confederate Infantry at Lookout Mountain in Tennessee.

Junior’s wife, Ruth, was also born to a man who served in the War for Southern Independence, although he survived the war and fathered Ruth at an old age, resulting in the nearly twenty years age difference between the two.

As he leans against his hoe, wiping his forehead with his handkerchief, Junior notices a dust cloud that is approaching them from the east. He stands there, still as a statue until a horseback man with a letter arrived.

Five minutes later, Junior is entering the house, calling for his wife.

“Ruth!”

“Yes, Junior!” she called back.

“Where are you? We need to talk.”

“What’s going on?” she asked, exiting the bedroom with a pair of Junior’s denim pants and a roll of sewing thread and needle.

“We have a letter.”

“Who would be sending us mail?”

“The letter says…” Junior began, scanning the letter to see who sent it. “It says that it’s from Dandy Darby! From Coleman! Why would he be mailing us?”

“I don’t know, baby,” Ruth answers, “You don’t think it has anything to do with our house back there, do you?”

“Such as?”

“I’m not sure. Why don’t you read it aloud?”

“Okay,” Junior answered before clearing his throat and reading:

Dear Junior,

First of all, I hope that my letter finds you and your new wife well. Things in Coleman County have changed rather dramatically in the time that you have been gone from the area.