Redwood

By Amado Olivera

Mr. Richard Miller is intent on purchasing Mr. John Roswell's farm, the Redwood Farm. However, Mr. John refuses to sell. But their bitter rivalry is not merely about the farm. And their children will get embroiled in their feud despite that they have fallen in love. How the tale of two once close friends will end will determine the future of both families.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amado Olivera
• Release date: Feb 13, 2025
• ISBN: 9798231297962

Amado Olivera

Amado Olivera always dreamt of being a writer. Though he pursued a career in Finance and Accounting, he always had the desire to write stories.  Amado studied at Montana State University for his bachelor's degree in Accounting and obtained his Master's in Finance and Accounting from Regis University in Denver, Colorado. After traveling to many countries, he finally decided to pursue his passion for writing. He hopes that his stories will make the reader smile,  cry, and reflect on the wonders and mysteries of life. He hopes to inspire others to follow their dreams.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Redwood farm is not for sale, said Mr. John to Josh and Peter Miller. Tell your father as many times as he sends you I will repeat what I said. And there is no force or man in the state of Wyoming that will get me to move.

It was not the first, the second, or third time Mr. John Anderson told Mr. Richard Miller’s sons his farm was not for sale. He had done so more than a dozen times. And he had no intention of selling it, and there was no power in hell that would make him sell what he inherited from his father. But this was the first time he had to let them know he was fed up. At first, he ignored the requests and offers to buy his farm. He thought ignoring it would make it go away. But his wife was wiser and told him, it would certainly not keep Mr. Richard from insisting. And insistence or stubbornness was Mr. Richard’s middle name. When he wanted something he always got his way. Most never bothered resist when he came knocking at their doors. They raised a sign with their price which he often met. He would pay above market value. Money was not a problem. As the wealthiest landowner in Wyoming he was intent on getting the Redwood Farm. Mr. Richard, however, did not care about any of the other farms he bought at exorbitant prices. All he wanted was to get Mr. John Anderson out of the state of Wyoming. More precisely, out of Cheyenne.  And if he had to buy the entire state to get his way, well, that was what he would do. And no one dared object to him buying their property for ridiculous prices, except Mr. John Anderson, the one man he hated more than he loved himself or his dear wife.

Their feud was old, as old as the state of Wyoming some would say. In their past someone fell in love with the daughter of the other family. It went something like this. Old man Theodore Frederick Anderson was a poor farmer when everyone was poor in the 1800s except for the great grandfather of Mr. Richard Miller, Mr. Albert Miller. Mr. Albert was born to a wealthy family in Europe. Some said he was of the aristocracy. And he came to the US with all his wealth to expand his empire. The new world and vast territories of the West was a promising prospect. Not to make a long story of the tale, Mr. Albert had only one daughter Catherine Miller whom he named after his mother. And his precious daughter was his pride and joy. And he had great plans for her future. One day she would marry the son of a wealthy landowner. And his family legacy would continue. But to his great dismay, his only daughter fell in love with his farmhand, Theodore Frederick Anderson. It was the biggest disgrace of his life, or so he thought. He discovered his daughter got pregnant, and she ran off. Mr. Albert did everything to destroy Mr. Theodore.  But his bitter feud with Mr. Theodore for dishonoring his family estranged him with his daughter. After that day, the Miller family wanted nothing better than to get the Anderson family out of Wyoming. But they were a stubborn lot, most of them.

And that brings us to the present. Mr. John Anderson and Mr. Richard Miller had historical beef. But others said the real reason for their animosity had nothing to do with a dispute hardly anyone remembered as most involved were long dead. No, some claimed their dispute was the result of Mr. John Anderson marrying Mrs. Virginia. Mr. Richard and Mr. John were friends, and, unfortunately, their friendship did not survive the arrival of Mrs. Virginia from Kansas.  The moment her foot touched ground, they both lay their sight on her. And Mr. Richard won her affection and was about to marry her.  But the Vietnam War sent the country into a tailspin and them to fight the Vietnamese. At the time, Mr. Richard was going out with Mrs. Virginia and engaged to marry her. But his friend Mr. John returned home before he did. And he did what any loyal friend would not do. He married Mrs. Virginia. Obviously, upon his return from the war, Mr. Richard was enraged and tried to kill Mr. John as he now considered him a traitorous bastard worse than the Vietnamese he killed in combat. But what happened and how Mr. John convinced Mrs. Virginia to marry him instead, when she was previously engaged to Mr. John, was a mystery. No one knew the truth but them. That was the most guarded secret three people could ever keep. 

From that day, Mr. Richard wanted Mr. John Anderson and Mrs. Virginia, the woman he once adored, gone.  And to his bitter frustration, he had acquired all the farms surrounding the Redwood farm, and at a high price. Yet, despite this, Mr. John Anderson refused to give him the pleasure of leaving Cheyenne, Wyoming. On the contrary, he paraded his relationship with Mrs. Virginia in front of Mr. Richard. For Twenty-five years, Mr. Richard had been trying to kick Mr. John out of the state that was not big enough for both of them. And all his efforts had met fierce resistance.

The last encounter between Mr. Richard’s two boys, Josh and Peter Miller and Mr. John’s son, Roger, turned violent. Actually, they always spun violent. But this one in particular required Mr. John’s intervention to ward off the Miller boys. Mr. Richard fired two shots in the air warning them to get off his property and stop trying to restructure his son’s face. But his son fought valiantly and was able to defend himself for a short while. But as the Miller boys were not about fighting fair, they had a bat to break Roger’s arms and legs. And they would have succeeded if Mr. John had not intervened in time. But the argument got more intense, and Mr. John was not convinced it had anything to do with the Redwood farm and his dispute with Mr. Richard.

You better tell me why Josh and Peter came here with a club wanting to break your arms and legs. What were they upset about?

Nothing! You know dad. They hate us for something you did to their dad. But as you refuse to tell anyone what that is all about, I am forced to defend our family from insults.

Don’t turn this around. Josh and Peter have not bothered with you in a long time. When they come around to bring messages from their father, they do so respectfully. Those boys are not like their father. But like any good sons they must obey, and they do so to a point.

I don’t know what to say dad.

You better not be looking to cause unnecessary trouble with them. Things are difficult as is, and I am struggling to keep the farm going. You know we owe money to the bank and guess who bought the damn bank? It will be a matter of time before Mr. Richard discovers he has me in the palm of his hands. And if I fail to make a single payment to the bank, he will plow us out of this farm. That is why he bought the bank. So don’t give me any stress or get me into any trouble.

Yes, Dad.

And in case you think I am stupid or blind. Stay away from Emily. You forget Cheyenne is not a big town. I know you and her have had run-ins. Every time I turn you disappear. Well, I have been playing the fool long enough. I saw her by the river on our side of the property. And what was Emily doing in our property with Misty?

Her horse must have wandered off.

And her horse conveniently met with your horse with you on top of it. Listen, son. I like Emily. She is a lovely young lady. But you are forbidden from dating her. In fact, you will not live long if you insist in this foolish notion of seeing that girl. And I don’t know why she met with you. But what I saw by the river tells me son you two are heading in the wrong direction.

What wrong direction? I like her, and she feels the same for me.

And what does that have to do with the price of butter? Get this true your thick skull. Emily is off-limits. Do not go there. You are forbidden from seeing her. You get me. You will get her hurt. This will not end well. I am sure Mr. Richard has not been told about this yet. Her brothers must not want him to hurt her. But eventually he will discover what is going on and all hell will break loose. Stay away from Emily. If you don’t, you will regret it. Don’t do it for me son. I can take anything. But do it for your mom. You don’t want your mom to suffer. It would be difficult for her to bear finding you in a ditch somewhere with a bullet hole to the head.

Dad. Your feud with Mr. Richard is your problem. Emily and I have discussed it. And we both agree we will not continue with this nonsense.

It will make no difference when Mr. Richard pays someone to get you out of his way.

How come he hasn’t shot you? How long has it been?

Don’t compare your situation to mine. Our situation is different?

How? You don’t tell us anything? What is Mr. Richard pissed off about? Twenty-five years of hate? Did you steal from him? Did you try to kill him? What the hell are you two fighting over for so damn long? And don’t tell me it is over the Redwood farm because that is not true. I don’t want to disrespect you, Dad. But this farm is not worth what he is offering you for it. He has bought all the other properties around us. He wants you gone. But for some bizarre reason he limits himself to making your life a living hell. It’s as if he gets pleasure in irritating you. If he wanted you dead he’d kill you a long time ago. What is this feud about Dad?

Listen, I don’t want to talk about it.

I hear the same response every time. That is the reason Melody went to New York to study. She wanted to get away from all the madness. I wish I had gone as well.

Yeah, now that you mention it; why didn’t you? I told you to go. Aw! There is my answer. Emily. She is the reason you stayed.  How did I not see it? I would have forced you to leave. But now, it will be harder to get you out of Cheyenne. No wonder you refuse to go anywhere out of town. And you are always willing to drive to town for any errand no matter how many times I ask for the same thing. You go with the biggest smile on your face. But now that I know what is going on, you will stay on the farm, and I will go to town to do my errands.

Dad. You can’t keep me locked up. That will not work.

Let’s see what your mom has to say about your romantic encounters with Emily.

Wait. Don’t. That’s not cool. Do you want to upset her?

Me. I have an obligation to tell her everything. My loyalty is to her, first and foremost. You have an obligation to honor your mother and father. Like I keep repeating, I have a thick skin. But if you fall off track with your mom you will see a different side from me, and trust me you don’t want to make her cry. Nothing will anger me more than to have her shed a tear.  Am I clear?

Yes, sir.

Your time in the military was a damn waste. You are a disobedient and stubborn son.

Like my father, sir.

Mr. Richard frowned at him and left.

Chapter 2

It was Midnight. Roger knocked at Emily’s window. This was the first time he dared. He knew if they caught him they’d shoot him on the spot. That would be the perfect excuse for Mr. Richard or her brothers to get rid of him. And Emily trembled when he knocked at her window. She refused to open and kept urging him to leave. But Roger wanted a kiss as she usually gave him. But because of his fight with her brothers and his father staying up to ensure he did not leave, he did not show up to their meeting place by the river. Now that their cover was blown wide open, he and she needed to decide what they would do. But coming to her window at such a late time was not what she had in mind. Though she kept thinking about him and why he didn’t show up, she’d prefer him calling or texting her, or sending her a note with her friend instead. But Roger was not afraid. She, however, was terrified. And the chattering caught the ear of her father who turned on the lights. And Emily pulled Roger into her room and shoved him under her bed. He refused to go under the bed but when her father knocked at her door informing her he wanted to check if she was okay, he hurriedly obeyed. She quickly told her dad she was not dressed but was fine. Her dad acknowledged and told her to have a goodnight sleep. But the old man opened the front door with his rifle in his hand and glanced to see if a coyote had wandered onto his property.

Roger slept the night in Emily’s room. Actually, he did not sleep. He watched her sleep while he waited for the right time to bolt out of her room. She rewarded him with a few kisses but let him know she wanted a serious relationship. And it meant he would respect her despite the fact he was in her bedroom. And Roger smiled. He knew she was the one. And he was prepared to face the hell he knew was coming.

Roger snuck into the bedroom through the window he left unlocked.  But the moment he set his first foot inside, he knew he was in trouble. He glanced and both his mother and father stood at the door. They knew he never slept in his bed and were expecting him. His dad stood guard the entire night. As a retired Lieutenant, it was one thing he was good at. But having to do so for a grown ass son was not something he was happy to do. When Roger was young, he had lots of trouble with Roger who always disobeyed. And Roger got into constant fights with not only the Miller boys but with most boys. He was not bullied. He was the bully. And Mr. John scolded him severely for fighting with the Miller boys. He said he must always treat them with respect no matter what they did. And Roger never understood why his dad always told him to turn the other cheek when dealing with the Miller boys. Was his dad scared? No, he didn’t think so. His dad was as tough as they came. But there was their simmering feud, and perhaps his dad worried for his safety. What also bothered him was his mother always insisted in him becoming friends with Josh and Peter. But neither could he stomach them as they could swallow him.

What made everything so ironic, however, was his relationship with Emily. It threw everything into the wind. At first she was the ugliest girl in Cheyenne. And she made it her business to step on him when they were growing up. But as she was a girl he could not fight with her as he did them. And on a number of occasions she hit him and pretended he did too. Not only did her brothers wait for him after classes, but his dad got a call informing him as well. And he got a lashing from his mom which was another thing he found odd. His dad never lifted a finger on him. No matter how angry he got. The one who always disciplined him was his mother. Most boys got a whipping from their dads, not him. In a way, he rebelled as he wanted to get lashed by his dad. But all his father ever did was talk to him and always in front of his mother. Only when he was all grown up did his dad have private discussions with him to advise him. And that was the big surprise; his dad forbade him from seeing Emily. It was the first stern reprimand he got entirely from his father. Most were done with his mother at his side.

Roger smiled. His mother frowned and crossed her hands. His dad walked behind her and let her speak. Roger hated when his dad did that. Why couldn’t he yell and tell him what he had in mind and get it over with. Why would he always defer to his mom as if he had no will of his own?

Where were you all night?

Mom, out.

His dad glared at him. That meant he was not amused. And being a smartass with his mom was not ingratiating him to anyone.

Sorry, Mom. I went out and...forgot the time.

Where did you sleep?

Sleep, I haven’t slept. I am looking forward to sleeping.

This is not a hotel. You want to disrespect my house, Roger, you are free to go. You are old enough and there is nothing to stop you from leaving. But so long as you live in my house, our house, you will respect our rules. And the rule is you always sleep in your bed by yourself.  And you are only allowed to bring decent women to our house through the front door.

I have never brought any woman to our house mom.

And Emily is out of the question. Stay away from that girl. If you think I am not aware, you are sadly mistaken.

Roger stared at his dad. He knew he told her as she hardly left the house.

I suspect you are lying to me and your father. You went to see her. Do you realize the gravity of what you are getting into? Mr. Richard is not going to like finding out you and Emily are going out behind his back. We are not happy either.

But why?

Because we and their family do not get along.

And whose fault is that? Why must I pay for your sins?

Roger, do not disrespect your mother.

I am sorry. I didn’t mean to. I love her.

What did you say? said his mom.

I do. I didn’t want to but it happened. And she feels the same way. Why must we fight against our love? If you and Mr. Richard have a feud you should sit down and iron it out. Why must we be punished for something we had nothing to do with?

There are plenty of girls out there. Why must you set your eyes on her of all the girls you could have chosen? said his mother.

I didn’t choose to fall for her. I did.

Well you can get over her. Perhaps you should go back to college.

And do what? Run away like Melody did. I will go nowhere. Besides, I finished my college degree.

You can always get another, said his father.

This will not end well, Roger. You are ruining that girl’s future. Her father will explode the moment he finds out. Do you think he will keep her in Cheyenne? said his mother.

"Those days of fathers telling their kids whom to love or not is long gone. I respect and love you both, but this is my life