for the sake of family
Family Saga, Historical Fiction, Native American
Date Published: 12-01-2025
Based on a true story.
Set in the late 1890’s, The Brothers Brown – a family saga, Part 2 – For
the Sake of Family is a sweeping frontier saga of love, guilt, and redemption
– an unflinching portrait of a man’s descent into madness amid the
unforgiving wilds of Indian Territory.
When Matt Brown boards a northbound train, he carries more than a pistol. He
carries the weight of his brother’s death, a marriage strained to its
breaking point, and a conscience at war with itself. A doctor’s brown
vial of medicine offers fleeting relief but soon draws him into a darker world
where pain and guilt blur into something far more dangerous.
His wife, Milla, proud and rooted in her Choctaw heritage, stands as both his
anchor and his judge as the world around them shifts under the weight of
change and loss.
From Fort Smith, Arkansas, to the wooded banks of Bokchito Creek, two families
are bound by tragedy and love, vengeance and mercy. A celebration meant to
heal ignites old resentments. A family gathering ends in bloodshed. And a
winter dance turns deadly, forcing each to face the cost of survival,
forgiveness, and the ties that bind them.
Steeped in the spirit of the Choctaw Nation and the rough mercy of the Old
West, For the Sake of Family is a haunting tale of madness, murder, and the
fragile hope that redemption can be found on the far side of ruin.
EXCERPT
In his mind, Matt watched the pain in his young wife’s eyes drain straight down to her soul.
It’s my fault that she doesn’t trust me, he realized. And she had a point. A secret is the same as a lie. And the truth is, I tried to hide my past from her. For a seventeen-year-old woman, she sure is wise. I guess that’s the Choctaw blood in her. And she stayed with me. That must be from her upbringing, too.
Milla’s strength ran deep, drawn from her heritage and her grandmother, Granny Sukey, a woman who carried herself with the quiet authority of someone who never needed to raise her voice.
Granny Sukey was the most traditional Choctaw woman he had ever met; completely unshaken by stares and whispers of the white settlers who thought themselves more civilized. Her long dark hair with streaks of silver fell loosely around her small face and almond-shaped eyes with the same grace as a horse’s flowing mane. Barely five feet tall, she walked lightly in beaded rawhide boots and buckskin dresses, always wrapped in a brightly colored shawl.
She came from the Folsom clan, strong and fierce, said to be of ancient blood and revered in the old Choctaw Nation in Mississippi. It was no secret that she had advised Milla to stay in the marriage because of the pregnancy.
Milla had said to him one night, “Granny Sukey reminded me that Choctaw women were the head of the home. We’re warriors and loyal. My strength will lead our family into the future.”
From that day forward, Milla did as she saw fit, seldom seeking Matt’s approval for anything.
She’s a good wife, Matt reminded himself. And I love her truly. One day she’ll trust me again.
As the train pulled away from the depot, Matt couldn’t help but draw the small curtain away from the window and peek out, just to see if she was there. She was not.
With his back against the wall, legs outstretched on the bed, and ankles crossed, Matt shifted his holster a quarter inch forward to allow for better access while seated. He sat quietly for a moment then fished a silver pocket watch from his vest pocket, cradling it firmly in one palm. Its chain, looped through a buttonhole of his vest, swung gently as he held it.
Matt hesitated. As if counting the sorrows of Milla wasn’t enough, the watch brought something darker. Staring at it, he debated whether this was a conversation he wanted to have with himself, again.
A long breath followed, then a sigh. His thumb pressed the button on top, and the cover sprang open with a snap. Instinctively, his thumb glided softly over Milla’s image inside the lid. Then he looked at the time.
“Ten-thirty-two,” he said aloud.
In the quiet of his mind, the count resumed.
Two hundred twenty-three days, nine hours and twenty-six – no, twenty-seven minutes.
Since I murdered my brother.
300 Words
The sun was just rising through the thick leafy branches, offering deep shadows to hide in. This is what she was looking for. Milla dropped her bucket and pushed Matt against a tree.
Letting his bucket clatter to the ground, Matt took Milla by the waist, pulling her against his chest. His hand cradled the back of her head as he kissed her with a slow, passionate intensity.
Her soft moans rose over the sound of the flowing creek. “Not here,” she whispered breathlessly. “Closer to the creek.”
She led him deeper into the woods. Finally, the flow of water drowned out the sound of her passion; a hidden place where she could see the bridge and know if anyone was crossing.
Milla rested her back against a rough-barked tree. “This is better,” she sighed as he lifted her skirt.
“Are you sure?”
Her lips brushed his neck in a breathy reply. “Yes.”
With one arm around Matt’s shoulder, Milla held her skirt up while Matt fumbled with his britches. He lifted her thigh against his waist, her body yielding… until she stiffened, inhaled deeply… then screamed, pushing him away. Her frightened eyes met Matt’s confused stare and then locked onto something beyond him.
“Granny!” Milla screamed, running down the edge of the creek, fighting the thorn vines snagging her skirt.
Matt yanked up his britches and tore after her.
“Granny!” she screamed again, racing toward the bridge.
“Milla! Milla, wait!” Matt gave chase, tripping as he buttoned his pants.
Her footsteps pounded across the wooden bridge, echoing through the trees, and she cried even louder, “Granny! I think it’s Granny!”
On the other side of the creek, where the path met the blueberry bushes, a body lay in a heap beside the footpath of the cemetery. As Matt got closer, dread seized him. The buckskin dress was unmistakable. Granny Sukey. She lay motionless on her side, facing the bushes.
About the Author
Raised on the beaches of South Texas, R.G. Stanford has always been
drawn to stories that transcend time. That passion was ignited in 1976 with
the discovery of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, and deepened
with The Feast of All Saints just a few years later. Though historical fiction
wasn’t an immediate calling, a personal journey into genealogy changed
everything.
With no close relatives nearby, R.G. Stanford turned to online resources in
search of extended family. That search became a twenty-year journey through
genealogy websites, Federal Census records, the National Archives, and old
newspapers. Along the way, R.G. Stanford uncovered incredible stories about
her family and the people who once lived in the Choctaw Nation, Indian
Territory.
Compelled to record the truth of her family in the lore, sprinkled with
imagination, R.G. Stanford is a history lover, a research buff, and a
passionate genealogy enthusiast. She is also a mother, a grandmother, and a
teller of stories, now living near Orlando.
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