That's What Friends Are For

I don't own these characters; I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.

Author's Note: There really was a town called Trail City, Colorado. It sat right next to the border of Kansas. I think it was actually founded in the 1880's but it works well enough for this story.

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A warm spring breeze was in the evening air as two riders made their way down the rutted path. The rain from the previous week had pretty much wrecked the road. But, as it was the only road leading to their destination, the riders endured it.

"I can't wait to see Ann and Jeff and the kids," Kitty smiled up at Matt. "I bet those kids have grown a foot. Well, all except Georgie maybe. He was always so tiny."

Matt chuckled as he deftly directed his horse and pack mule around a large hole in the middle of the road. "You know, I doubt they've grown that much."

"Kids grow quickly, Matt." Kitty protested. "They could be even bigger than that."

"What makes you the expert?" He teased. "You have a passel of kids somewhere I don't know about?"

Kitty gave him a good natured glare. "Oh, you. If I did have a passel of kids somewhere, I'd be with them and you know it."

Matt nodded, his face turning serious for a moment. "I know, and I'd be with you."

Kitty beamed over at him. "You'd better be." She grinned.

Though the question of kids didn't come up often, it had been discussed between the two of them. And Matt had made it clear to her, why he didn't want to marry or have kids. But knowing that didn't stop a small part of her from wanting those things. She just figured it was going to take a little longer than usual. "Someday," she would often remind herself.

"There's a spot up ahead, close to the river," Matt interrupted her thoughts. "We can camp there for the night. We get an early start in the morning and we can be there by tomorrow evening."

Kitty looked at him a little suspiciously. "How early, Cowboy?"

Matt grinned. "Not early enough for me but too early for you, I suspect."

Kitty returned the grin ruefully. She, in fact, hating getting up early, but if it meant spending more time with Matt, she was willing.

When she had found out that Matt was riding to Jeff and Ann Henderson's ranch, she was determined to go along. Matt had tried to talk her out of it, citing the length and difficulty of the trip. But Kitty kept up her campaign. She hadn't been out of Dodge in quite a while and she wanted very badly to spend time with Matt, away from the scrutiny of the Dodge City citizens.

Though Matt still had some had misgivings, he finally relented. In his letter asking Matt to come, Jeff had said nothing about trouble and Matt knew of no problems in the direction they would be going so, in the end, she left with him on the four day trip to the Henderson's farm near Trail City, Colorado.

"I'll be glad to get there." Matt said thoughtfully. "I don't know what Jeff wants but maybe this will help me pay him back the favor I owe him."

"Are you ever gonna tell me what that favor is?" Kitty looked up at him. "I mean it must be something awful big for you to take time away from your badge and ride all this way."

Matt looked down at her seriously. "Nope and yes it is." He answered mysteriously.

Kitty studied his face for a moment before smiling. "Alright, Cowboy." She said. "I won't ask again. Tonight anyway."

Finding a suitable spot for the night, the duo stopped and set up camp. While Matt took care of the horses and gathered firewood, Kitty laid out their blankets and pulled out the things needed for supper.

"Hmmm," Kitty sighed contentedly as she leaned back against Matt after supper. "This is nice."

Matt looked down at her with an amused expression. "Nice? Sitting on a hard pallet in the middle of nowhere is nice?"

Kitty reached up and pulled his head down for a kiss. "No, this is nice," she said when their lips parted. "Us being alone together, out in the middle of nowhere, is very nice indeed."

Matt returned the kiss with interest. "I can't disagree with that." He said.

Just then, they heard the sound of riders approaching.

Matt immediately stood and pulled Kitty up with him. "Get over to those bushes," he told her. "Get on the other side and stay out of sight until I tell you otherwise."

"What's wrong?" Kitty asked, noticing his intense gaze as he stared out into the darkness where the sound of horses got louder as they neared.

"I don't know that anything's wrong," he said forcing calm, he did not feel, into his voice, "but I'm not taking any chances. Now go on and don't come out till I tell you its safe."

As Kitty quickly ran to the hedges and hid behind them, Matt stood facing the direction of the coming riders. He wasn't sure why, but he had a prickly feeling of something not right. Whatever it was he didn't want Kitty in the middle of it.

Two men came into view in a matter of minutes and reined in on the other side of the fire. "Evening," one of them greeted him.

"Evening," Matt returned, guardedly watching the two men. Though basically non-descript in their clothing and manner, Matt saw the low hanging holsters and the scrutinizing way they stared at him. These were gunmen. "Something, I can do for you gentlemen?"

"Smelled your coffee," one of them replied as he looked past Matt to the two pallets laid out and the two empty plates sitting by the fire. "Wondering if you could spare some?"

Without taking his eyes off of the men, Matt reached down and quickly filled two cups with coffee and stepped over to the horses, handing the cups up to the men. They noticed he did not ask them to get down.

"You.. ah.. alone out here?" One of them, a squat looking man with a heavy growth of beard and a scar on his forehead, asked.

"Nope," Matt replied easily. "My partner's down by the river somewhere. Said he had some business to attend to, if you know what I mean."

The other man, a mustachioed, thin man, laughed. "Well, if'n ya ain't got no female around, ya just have to make do I guess."

Matt did not join in the laughter. "Was there anything else you men wanted?" he asked, not hiding the edge in his voice.

"You ain't real friendly, are ya?" Scar face asked.

"Nope," Matt answered simply.

Scar face gave mustache a glance then tossed the rest of his coffee and threw the cup to ground near Matt's feet. Mustache followed suit. "Thanks for the coffee," Scar face told him, as they turned their horses and left.

Matt stood watching them for several minutes before calling to Kitty. "You can come out now."

Kitty walked out from behind the shrubbery and quickly crossed to Matt's side. "There was something wrong with those two men, wasn't there?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not sure what. They're gunmen, I can tell you that, but what else, I don't know."

"You think they'll come back?" Kitty asked, watching the trail as though she expected to see them do just that.

Matt pulled her close. "No," he reassured her. "They were just checking us out. Come on, let's get some rest. We've got a long day tomorrow."

The next morning, Matt wearily saddled the horses while Kitty prepared a quick breakfast.

"You didn't get any rest at all last night, did you?" she asked seeing the fatigue written so clearly on his face.

"Ah, I'm alright, Kitty." He shrugged it off. "I never really do sleep well while I'm on the trail. But I'll make up for it when we get to Jeff and Ann's place."

Kitty let the matter drop, as she knew he wanted it to. But it didn't stop her from worrying.

Matt, for the most part, kept quiet about the two men and his concerns. But he wasted no time that morning, in getting them out of their camp site and on the road. Although he had nothing to go on, something about them bothered him and he had feeling, last night wouldn't be the last time he saw them.

Turned out, he was right.

TBC