Anthony Manns, Tombstone's lawyer, asked Matt to meet him in his office. Matt was not quite sure what the meeting was about, but figured it probably had something to do with Mike's death. Fever touched Mike, and she succumbed to it a week ago. He grieved her death and wished Beth would do the same. As far as he knew, Beth still had not shed a tear for her mother's passing. Matt sat in the hallway outside of Mr. Mann's office.
"Mr Dillon," Anthony Manns greeted as he opened the door to his office. "Please, come in."
Matt rose from his chair and followed Manns into his office. "Thank you. I would've been here yesterday, but…"
"No need to explain," Anthony interrupted. "I understand. The reason I asked you to come to my office is in regards to Mike Yardner's death." Matt's suspicions were correct. "She asked me to give you this key to a safety deposit box in your name at the bank."
Matt took the key. "My name?"
"Yes," Manns replied. "She says there are some important papers for you in there."
"What kind of papers?" Matt inquired, twisting the key between his thumb and forefinger.
"That I can't answer," Anthony replied. "Ms. Yardner didn't disclose that information."
Matt stood up and extended his hand. "I thank you for your time, Mr. Manns."
Anthony Manns took the extended hand. "No problem, Mr. Dillon. I am sorry for your loss."
Matt walked out of the lawyer's office and headed straight for the bank. Anthony Manns told him there were important papers for him from Mike in a safety deposit box. More than likely they were deeds to her land and ranch. She probably wanted to make sure that Beth got what was coming to her. Matt reached the door of the bank, opened it, and walked up to the teller.
The teller recognized Matt. "Hello, Mr. Dillon. I am sorry for your loss. What can I do for you?"
"I was told I have a safety deposit box in my name," Matt replied. "I'm here to look at its contents."
"Ah yes," said the teller. "Ms Yardner set one up for you about a month ago. Let me go and get it." The teller returned a short time later. "Here ya go." He gave Matt the box.
"Thank you," said Matt as he took the box.
With the box in his hand, Matt walked over to an empty table in the bank. He took his key out of his pocket, and unlocked the box. Matt was expecting to see multiple papers in the box, but inside was a single envelope with his name written on the front. Matt's curiosity was really piqued now. He opened the envelope and took out the pieces of paper inside. As Matt began to look at the papers, he realized it was a letter.
Not wanting to read the letter at the bank, Matt put the letter back in the envelope and put the envelope in his pocket. He would read the letter at home. Matt returned the box to the teller and left the bank. He unhitched his horse from the hitching post and rode home.
After arriving home, Matt went to his bedroom and closed the door. He did not know why, but Matt thought it was best to read the letter in private. He sat down on his bed and took the envelope out of his pocket. Opening the envelope, he removed the letter and began reading it.
Dear Matt,
If you are reading this letter, it means I am no longer alive. I am not sure how you are handling my death, but I do hope there is some grieving over my death. I doubt you are grieving as much as you probably did over her death. She was your beloved, your soulmate. I know I will never be any of those to you. But like I said in the letter I sent asking you here, I believe you had some measure of affection for me. After all, you would not be here if you didn't. I also know you wouldn't be here if she was still alive. But you are here, and that is why I wrote this letter.
Matt put down the letter and pondered over Mike's words so far. Mike was correct. He did grieve her death, but it did not compare to his grief over his beloved Kitty's death. Kitty was always on his mind and in his heart. He was not sure if he could allow his heart to grieve for another woman, the way it grieved for Kitty. Mike had written that he had a measure of affection for her. Maybe he did or maybe it was gratitude for saving his life. Mike saving his life brought back memories of another woman that had saved his life, Sarah Drew.
Sarah Drew was a woman from out east that wanted to get to Fort Wallace to see her fiance. She wanted him to take her, but Matt refused. Matt shook his head at the memory of her sitting on the wagon seat waiting for him. Feeling he had no choice, Matt decided to escort her to Fort Wallace.
The trip was anything but easy. At one point, a group of Indians shot him in the shoulder with an arrow. He had to rely on Sarah to save him. She did, but at the cost of her life. Before she died, Sarah told him that she loved him and that he would love her, if she had more time. He knew that was not true. His heart belonged to one woman.
Did he feel something for Sarah? If anything, he felt gratitude for her. As Matt sat on his bed, he realized what he felt for Sarah was similar to what he felt for Mike. Both women were responsible for saving his life. He was grateful to both Sarah and Mike for giving him more time with Kitty. Mike. His thoughts were brought back to her letter.
I need to ask for your forgiveness. I know. It must seem strange for a person that has passed away to ask for forgiveness, but I need yours. This is very hard for me to say, but I need to say it. Elizabeth is not your biological daughter. I'll give you some time.
Matt read that line multiple times. Elizabeth wasn't his daughter. His mind was reeling. Why would Mike send him a letter asking him to come to Arizona and say that he was Elizabeth's father, only to write in a different letter that Elizabeth was not his? He continued reading, hoping to find the answer.
I know you have questions and I will try to answer them. First, Elizabeth's father is a drifter that was on his way to California. He arrived a few weeks after you left. He needed money and I hired him as a hired hand on the ranch. I had lost Johnny and then you and was hoping that he would be the one that would remain in my life. I didn't invite him into my bed right away. He was on the ranch for a couple of weeks before that happened. We ended up sharing my bed more than one time. I was a fool to think he would stay. Six weeks after he arrived, he left. Eight months after he left, Elizabeth was born. I wanted so badly for her to be yours, but you had been gone too long for that to be possible. I must admit I was surprised that you never questioned if Beth was yours. You just accepted it.
Matt thought about that. He did not know why he didn't question Mike about being Beth's father. They were together one time, one time he would always regret. He was with Kitty for a lifetime, and during that time they never made a baby. How he wished they would have. How he wished he had a part of her with him right now. He figured he didn't question Mike because at the time his focus was on saving Beth from the Apache brave, Wolf. Mike had saved his life years ago. The least he could do was save Beth's life. Matt continued to read the letter.
Why wouldn't I contact her father? The answer to that question is difficult to explain, but I am going to try. I wouldn't even know where to contact Beth's father. California is a pretty big place. I knew you were from Dodge City and returned there over twenty years ago, so I took the chance you were still there. You obviously weren't, but my first letter reached you.
I fell in love with you while you were here. After you left, that did not change. Chalk Brighton entered my life a few years ago. I grew very fond of him. He asked me to marry him at least a dozen times. I believe I was starting to fall in love with him, but I had to be sure that I was. I had to be sure that I had gotten over you before I gave him an answer. I figured that if you returned, it was a sign that you and I should be together. But if you did return, I had to have a reason to make you stay. Saying that you were Beth's father seemed like a solid way to do that.
After Chalk's death, for some reason I felt guilty for what I did. I knew you deserved to know the truth. But truth be told, I was too much of a coward to tell you what I did. I guess I still am a coward. I waited until after my death to admit this to you.
I know I have no right to ask this of you, but please don't take my decisions out on Beth. She had nothing to do with this. As far as she knows, you are her father. I hope you continue to be in her life. I don't want her to be alone. I want her to have someone in her life that she can love and trust. Matt, I know she can learn to love and trust you, and I hope you can return that love and trust. One final thing, please do not let Beth see this letter. Like I said, she had nothing to do with my decisions.
Mike Yardner
Matt took the letter and put it back into its envelope. He left his bedroom and walked out to the parlor. With one final glance at the envelope, he tossed it into the fireplace. The roaring fire engulfed it, destroying it. Beth's eyes would never see the letter.
Beth. Matt thought about the young woman who had abruptly and unexpectedly come into his life. The last thing he ever expected was to be told he had a daughter and then be told that she wasn't his daughter. Deep down, he was relieved that she wasn't his by blood. Giving to Mike what he didn't give to Kitty would have consumed him with guilt. That would not have been fair to Beth.
Matt had a decision to make, but it wasn't a difficult one. Matt wasn't sure if deserved to have a daughter like Beth, but she deserved to have a father. Not only did Beth lose her mother, she lost Tomas and Chalk, two men who were without a doubt father figures in her life. With determination, Matt decided would be the father figure in Beth's life. More than being a father figure, he would stay and be a father to Beth. It was a responsibility he would not take lightly.
The End
