Everyone except Heath (who has met the stranger and knows some of his exploits firsthand) extends a warm welcome to the aging cowboy who killed the murderer of patriarch Tom Barkley during the Barkley-Railroad War. The man, as it turns out, is a friend to no one. He's a sociopath and mercenary who enjoys range wars and will sell his sanguinary services to either side. And he's looking for work.
—Anonymous