I don't own these wonderful characters, but it's been a great pleasure imagining what might have happened after she "noticed him so much I decided to stay." My first young Matt and Kitty story. Enjoy.
The Box Supper
The First Annual Dodge City Box Supper to benefit the new school was underway, and Kitty Russell looked around anxiously for her friend Bessie Collins. She hated to admit it even to herself, but she was nervous. She could handle herself in a saloon full of drunken cowboys just fine, but this was her first social event in Dodge among respectable society, such as it was in that dusty cowtown, and she just knew disaster was going to strike. Something awful was bound to happen-to her or because of her, it didn't really matter which; either way it would give everyone in attendance an excuse to shake their heads and whisper that a saloon girl had no business trying to mix with decent people. She couldn't imagine how she'd let Bessie talk her into this.
Except she knew exactly why she'd let herself get roped into this embarrassment waiting to happen. It was all because of that big marshal whose eye she'd been trying to catch ever since she got to town. Only to hear Bessie talk, she'd already caught his eye, and then some….
"I mean it, Kitty, that man is crazy about you!" Bessie told her once Mr. Jonas was out of earshot.
"You could have fooled me! He comes into the Long Branch every night on his rounds and barely says two words to me. He hasn't bought me a drink since my first night there."
"Well, does he buy any of the other girls a drink?"
"No, and that doesn't mean a thing! Maybe he's-" Kitty stopped herself before uttering a word no polite young lady was supposed to even know, much less use. She didn't want to shock Bessie. "-not interested in girls," she finished.
"Nonsense! I heard he had a girl last year, but she took off before we got here." Bessie had only been in Dodge a little while longer than Kitty, but working at Jonas' store, she heard most of the town gossip. "He's plenty interested in you, I can tell you that! He's just shy."
"Oh, really?" Kitty raised one brow skeptically.
"Yes, really! I don't see him looking at any other girls the way he looks at you when you're both in here."
"Bessie, he barely looks at me at all, here or anywhere else. And why should he? Why would he want to admit to anyone in town that he knows a saloon girl? Not that he does. Not really."
Bessie gave a hearty chuckle. "Oh, Kitty, that's just not true! He looks at you all the time when you aren't looking at him. Just like the way you look at him when he's not looking. It's kind of cute"
Kitty had to admit that what Bessie was saying might be true. Plenty of times she had looked up from the dress goods she was contemplating to see Marshal Dillon's head turning away, suddenly fascinated by whatever merchandise he was standing nearest. And she had done the same thing on a number of occasions.
"Not only that," Bessie continued, "You're the only girl he makes a point of coming in to look at whenever you're here, whether he needs anything or not. Land sakes, he bought a pound of coffee every week last month with his own money, on top of the supplies Chester charges to the jail!"
"So he looks at me, Bessie. Doesn't mean a thing if he's not gonna do anything about it."
"Things could change. Maybe sooner than you think." She motioned her head slightly in the direction of the door. As if to prove Bessie's assertion that Matt went out of his way to come into the store whenever Kitty was there, the door opened and the man himself stepped in, all six and a half feet of him, looking every bit as handsome as he had the first day she'd seen him in Delmonico's. Kitty, who had with this one exception stuck by her vow never to let another man turn her head after Cole Yankton had abandoned her three years before, felt her heart flop around in her chest like a fish on land and thought she might faint. That is, if she didn't lose her breakfast first.
The marshal nodded at the two women and sauntered around the store looking at things they knew he had no intention of buying. Bessie smiled at Kitty sweetly before calling out to him. "Morning, Marshal! Is there something I can get for you?"
"What are you doing?" Kitty whispered frantically.
"Morning, Bessie. I'll...uh...let you know when I see it," he stammered.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Bessie whispered back. "Oh, Kitty," she raised her voice for Marshal Dillon's benefit. "Have you met the marshal yet?"
Kitty looked at Bessie like a rabbit in a trap before answering. "Why, yes, I believe we've met," she purred, marveling that she could get the words out without her voice shaking. "It's Marshal Dillon, isn't it?" As if she didn't know.
The young marshal approached the counter where they stood, holding his hat nervously in both hands. "Ladies." He nodded at them.
"Marshal, you know Miss Kitty Russell, don't you?"
The marshal's face turned pink and he seemed to be desperately trying to suppress a smile. "Sure I do," he said as soon as he managed to regain his composure. "Morning, Miss Russell."
Miss Russell? "Marshal." Kitty extended her hand and he took it. Even through her glove, she felt the warmth of his touch and reacted immediately, feeling her entire body flush and her face burn. Then, as she came to the realization that she was blushing for the first time in her life, she turned cold, and then her legs threatened to give out beneath her. You stop that right now! she told herself. This man was making her weak and nauseated, giving her fever and chills, and if she wasn't careful she was going to faint right in front of him. If that happened, she had no doubt he'd carry her up to Doc Adams' office himself, and as tempting as the thought was, she was mortified by the thought of embarrassing herself that way. Besides that, if she ever found herself in his arms, she intended to be conscious when it happened. She forced herself to remain standing and her hand trembled with the effort. Marshal Dillon immediately dropped his hat and put his other hand on top of hers as if to steady her, his face full of concern as he looked at her intently. Oddly enough, that gesture did have the effect of calming her, and she gave him her most dazzling smile as she looked up at him. He looked back at her as though she had just given him a wonderful gift and cleared his throat several times before finding his voice.
"My friends call me Matt."
For the first time in her life, Kitty opened her mouth to speak and not a word came out. She wanted to repeat his name, but her voice simply wouldn't cooperate.
As if realizing her predicament, and then tactfully ignoring it, Matt asked, "Is it all right if I call you Kitty?"
Kitty nodded. "Ye-es," she managed.
Bessie looked on, enthralled by the naked adoration she saw on Kitty's face as she looked at Matt. The marshal was better at hiding it, but Bessie was sure she could see longing in his eyes as he looked down at her.
"Bessie, did you take that inventory on canned goods like I asked you to?" Mr. Jonas' abrupt return from the back room jarred all three of them back to reality and Matt let go of Kitty's hand, though they continued to face each other.
"I sure did, Mr. Jonas." Bessie handed him a clipboard, and as he took it he finally noticed the couple standing a few feet from the counter.
"Miss Kitty, I didn't realize you were still here," he said, practically dismissing her. "Marshal, what can I do for you today?"
"Well, Mr. Jonas, I came in because Chester just finished the last of the horehound candy, but I changed my mind. It can wait until the next time he comes in for supplies." He bent down to retrieve his hat from the floor and then looked back at Kitty. "I better go finish my morning rounds. I'll see you later, Kitty." Matt settled his hat back on his head, and as she watched him walk away, Kitty wasn't sure if this was about to be the best thing to ever happen to her or the worst mistake she'd ever make in her life.
Kitty stood alone, wondering what was keeping Bessie and feigning the confidence that came to her naturally in a saloon environment. The livery stable was almost unrecognizable, so festively was it decorated. Most of the girls and younger women who would be in attendance had been nowhere in sight earlier that day when Kitty showed up offering to help with preparations, but the old maid schoolteacher in charge wasn't picky about accepting volunteers, and despite some disapproving glances from the other women, no one complained about her presence. The actual party, she was afraid, was going to be another matter. A few of the older women she'd worked with earlier nodded at her grudgingly and the rest pretended not to notice her, but the daughters and young wives of ranchers and merchants as well as ladies who worked in more respectable jobs were openly snubbing her.
"Oh, don't worry about them!" said a cheerful voice behind her. "They're all just jealous because you're so much prettier than they are."
"Bessie!" Kitty turned with a sigh of relief. She appreciated her friend's attempt to put her at ease, but she was well aware that it went far beyond her physical appearance, for if that was all there was to it, Bessie would have more reason than most of them to dislike her. The only respectable girl close to her age who had been friendly to her since she'd arrived in Dodge, Bessie was, well, large, and if it weren't for the near-constant smile she wore that could light up a room, she would have been considered plain.
"I don't know about that, Bessie! Besides, you know what they say. Pretty is as pretty does."
"Well, then, you'd still be prettier than any of them."
"And that makes you the prettiest of us all, Bessie," Kitty responded, but her friend didn't notice. She was busy scanning the faces in the crowd. "I haven't seen either one of them yet." Bessie had assured Kitty Marshal Dillon was planning to attend if nothing called him away, and as far as they knew, he had been in town all day. Bessie's intended, Will Roniger, had spent all day working on the house he was building them, but had promised to be on time. Sure enough, there was Will walking in the door, and not a moment too soon.
"Ladies." Bessie's slender young fiancé tipped his hat as he walked past them to join the group of men waiting to bid on the box suppers made by the ladies of the community.
"It's about to start." Kitty pouted just a little, trying to hide her disappointment.
"He'll be here!" Bessie put an arm around Kitty's shoulders. "And don't worry, I told Doc which one was yours and he won't auction it until the marshal gets here."
"You did what?" Kitty looked at her friend, horrified. The day after her auspicious encounter with Matt in Jonas' store, Bessie had come into the Long Branch looking for her. Thankfully there were only a few men in the place at the time, and Kitty grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into the office before they had the chance to say anything rude to her. Bessie told Kitty all about the box supper and dance coming up the following week, casually mentioning that she had just been to the marshal's office to invite him personally, with a very strong hint that a young lady who had his eye would be there too.
"Bessie, there's just one problem with that. No, two. The first one being, I can't cook!"
Bessie brushed aside her concerns. "Of course you can cook; you just don't know it yet. You come over to Ma Smalley's the morning of the supper and we'll take care of that. What's the other problem?"
"Getting a Saturday night off. It's our busiest night!"
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, either, if I were you." Bessie looked at her coyly.
"Bessie...what did you do?"
"Don't you think a word from the marshal would convince your boss to give you the night off?"
"Oh, Bessie, how could you? That is not the way I do things!" Kitty was not about to take advantage of whatever influence she might have with the marshal to get special treatment from anyone. She had been used by more than one employer to gain favor with local law enforcement, and she was determined not to get into that sort of arrangement here in Dodge City.
"You didn't do anything. You do want to go, don't you? And don't go telling me you can't dance, because I won't believe it!"
"Oh, all right...yes! I do want to go, and of course I know how to dance. Does he?"
Bessie shrugged. "He didn't say. All I know is he looked mighty interested when I told him I thought you'd be there."
Despite her disappointment that Matt had yet to appear at the box supper, Kitty found herself caught up in the excitement of the bidding as one beautifully decorated box after another was auctioned off. When only one box remained and there was still no sign of Matt, Doc stretched out the auction for as long as he could, extolling the beauty of the silk-covered box trimmed in lace and blue ribbons and speculating on the number of people it might feed, for that particular box was the biggest one there. Kitty had seen how much Matt could eat the first time she saw him and prepared the supper with that in mind. She was careful to appear completely disinterested in what Doc said, not wanting to alert anyone else that the box was hers. Finally, she saw Doc look toward the doorway of the livery, and he began to wind up his description. She didn't dare look to see if the marshal had arrived. Doc called for bids, starting at ten cents as he had with all the other suppers. Every unattached young man who hadn't already won an auction joined the bidding, including Chester. As he had done the whole evening, Chester dropped out when the bidding reached twenty five cents.
As the bidding went on, the number of bidders decreased and Kitty decided Matt must not have arrived after all, or worse, that he had but didn't realize this was the box he was meant to bid on. The bidding approached five dollars, more than any of the other suppers, and only two young men were bidding. Kitty's heart sank. One of the men bidding was Leroy Jennings, a spoiled, arrogant rancher's son who had paid for her time on a number of occasions. He seemed to think that had given him exclusive rights to her, and he hadn't taken kindly toward it when she started turning him down. One night he caused so much trouble Bill Pence had sent for Matt, who put him in jail overnight and then told him to stay out of town until he learned how to respect women. Whether he had somehow figured out which supper was Kitty's, or was merely bidding on the biggest and fanciest one Kitty didn't know, but the last thing she wanted was for him to win it. And he had enough money to outbid anyone else.
Leroy bid five dollars and smirked as his opponent declined to go any higher. Kitty refused to look his direction or react in any way, but inside she was shaking. Leroy was swaggering to the auction table in anticipation of claiming his prize when another voice called out a bid from somewhere in the crowd behind her.
"Six dollars!"
He might just as well have said "Hold it!" With the same authority and confidence in his voice he had when breaking up a gunfight, Matt Dillon had just challenged Leroy Jennings for Kitty. The two men continued to outbid each other and Kitty felt as if all eyes in the room were on her. Leroy's demeanor, at first full of smug assurance that he could outbid the marshal, changed to desperate agitation when he saw the other man wasn't backing down. Matt strode up to the auction table to stand opposite his opponent, arms crossed over his chest, his face expressionless save the icy glare in his eyes. He topped Leroy's latest bid and the other man moved his jacket away from his holster and held his right hand over his gun.
"Don't be a fool, Jennings," Matt growled. "This is no place for gunplay, not with all these women and children here."
"Just keep out of this, Marshal."
"No, I won't, Jennings. I told you to stay out of town until you learned how to behave. Now are you gonna bid, or are you gonna leave?"
Leroy looked Matt up and down, gauging his chances of defeating Matt in either a gunfight or a fistfight. "I can buy her any night of the week for less than that, Dillon. You can have her," he sneered. A collective gasp went through the room. Kitty pressed her lips together, refusing to allow any expression on her face. She looked straight ahead at both men.
Matt clenched his fists, resisting the impulse to backhand the insolent young pup across the room for fear of embarrassing Kitty any further. "Get out," he ordered, jerking his head toward the door. Leroy gave Matt a scathing look and turned to leave. As he walked past Kitty his eyes lingered over her contemptuously. She refused to look at him, keeping her eyes on Matt. Matt eyed Jennings warily until he was gone and only then did he look in Kitty's direction. His expression softened when he saw her.
It's all right, Kitty.
Kitty looked at Matt, stunned. She was sure he hadn't spoken, but somehow, he had. Only Matt saw the slight change in her face as she acknowledged in return, I know, Matt. Doc banged the judge's gavel, borrowed for the occasion, on the table, breaking their connection
"Sold! To Marshal Dillon for the record-breaking sum of nine dollars and twenty five cents!"
There was much clapping and cheering, and Matt reached into his pocket for his money. Bessie put her arm around Kitty and whispered into her ear, "I'm so sorry, Kitty! If I thought anything like that would happen I wouldn't have pushed you to come."
"Forget it, Bessie." Kitty's voice sounded miles away to her own ears as she patted Bessie's hand. "It's not your fault."
Bessie saw Kitty still watching Matt intently and smiled knowingly. "Here comes Will. Kitty, I'll see you in a little while."
"Fine, Bessie," she said distractedly. Kitty watched as Matt lifted the top of the box and with exaggerated surprise, read "Miss Kitty Russell." He approached her, grinning like a little boy.
"Well, Miss Russell, it looks like I have the honor of your company for supper." Kitty smiled up at him and took his arm. Matt led her to a table, oblivious to the jealous looks cast their way from young women and men both. They were only halfway through their meal of fried chicken and biscuits when Ned, a bartender at one of the other saloons in town, rushed in with a panicked expression.
"Marshal!" he exclaimed when he spotted Matt. "That Jennings boy just started a fight with another fella over a girl down to the Lady Gay!"
"Well, that didn't take him long," Matt exclaimed, throwing down his napkin in disgust as he got up. "I'm sorry, Kitty. I'll try to get back, but if I can't, I'll ask Doc to see you get home all right."
"Sure, Matt." Kitty tried to hide her disappointment. She might have known Leroy would find another way to spoil things. "I'll see you later."
"You need some help, Mister Dillon?" Chester had been lurking nearby in hopes that he would be invited to join them.
"No thanks, Chester, I can manage. Why don't you stay here and look out for Kitty? There's plenty of food left."
"Sure thing, Mister Dillon." Chester grinned and sat down opposite Kitty, who smiled at him half-heartedly. She liked Chester; in fact she enjoyed his company over a beer at the Long Branch, but he was not whom she had been hoping to spend the evening with. After listening to Chester's joking and gossiping for what felt like forever, she was somewhat relieved to see Doc approaching them.
"Good evening, Miss Kitty," the middle-aged doctor said with a wink. "The marshal tells me you've got some of the best fried chicken he's ever had."
"The marshal said that?" Kitty asked in surprise. "Well, I declare!"
""Of course he did. And he's a real connoisseur of it, so he oughta know."
"He's a what?" Chester asked, a bit befuddled as usual at one of Doc's long words.
"Connoisseur. It means he's a...oh, never mind!"
"It means he eats a lot of fried chicken." Kitty interpreted for Chester.
"Thank you, Kitty. I came back here because I was hoping you'd offer me some."
"Help yourself, Doc. There's plenty here."
Doc sat in the seat Matt had recently vacated. Kitty slid the rest of the food toward Doc and watched as he and Chester finished the rest of the meal and started on the apple pie. She tried not to feel sorry for herself, but listening to Doc and Chester banter while they ate the supper meant for Matt was almost too much to take. She forced a smile every time one of them looked her way. She was about to ask Doc to go ahead and walk her home when the musicians started tuning up. She had nearly forgotten there was to be a dance, and she felt her spirits lift a little. She loved to dance. She decided to stay after all in case Matt came back.
"I'm sorry Matt didn't get back, Kitty." Doc was walking her home after the dance, though with the amount of punch he'd consumed, she thought it might be the other way around. "He should know better than to leave a pretty girl alone all night. Say, how about you and I run away together?"
Kitty smiled. "Well, we'd sure show him, wouldn't we?" The man was old enough to be her father, but she didn't want to hurt his feelings and thought it might be better not to answer him directly. He'd been flirting with her shamelessly most of the evening and she hoped this was just more of the same. She was sure it was perfectly safe to walk home with him; after all, Matt trusted him.
They had to pass the jail in order to get to the Long Branch and she wondered if Matt was there. He'd certainly had a busy evening. After breaking up the fight at the Lady Gay and depositing Leroy Jennings in a cell, he had several more fights to break up, along with assorted other mischief, and had sent for Chester midway through the dance. Before she had a chance to say anything to Doc about stopping, the door opened and Matt stepped out.
"Hello, Kitty. I was just coming to look for you." He tipped his hat toward her. "Doc."
"Well, it's a good thing you were, Matt. I was just about to run off with your girl."
"Oh, is that a fact?" Matt looked at Kitty with raised brows.
"That's right! Doctor Adams here is quite the ladies' man."
"I guess I found you just in time." Matt was smiling, but he put his hand at the small of her back possessively. Once again, Kitty felt faint at the slightest touch of his hand, and without thinking, she reached out and wrapped her arm around his waist to steady herself. "You all right, Kitty?" He pulled her closer, which had the opposite effect than what he'd intended.
"I'm terribly sorry!" Kitty gasped. She felt a little steadier, but was afraid to let go of Matt.
Doc chuckled. "Looks like I'm not the only one who had a little too much punch."
Kitty gave Doc a dirty look, but laughed. "I guess that must be it."
Matt looked down at her with concern. "You sure you're all right?"
"I'm just fine," she said, finally letting go of Matt's waist.
"Well, since we're all just fine, I'll see you both later," Doc said, nodding at both of them. The three of them said their good nights, and Doc left Matt and Kitty standing alone on the boardwalk in front of the jail. Matt looked down at her sternly.
"Well, now, Miss Russell, are you aware there's an ordinance in this town against public drunkenness?"
Kitty thought her heart would stop. Matt still had his hand on her back. Was he about to escort her inside the jail? She looked back at him uncertainly until she thought she saw his eyes twinkling. Or maybe it was just the light from the street lamps. "Is there?" she managed to whisper.
"Oh, there is, and what's more, it's not safe for a young lady to be out on the street at this time of night. We'd better have the marshal walk you home so you don't get taken advantage of in your intoxicated state."
She caught on quickly. "Well, do you think the marshal might make an exception if we explained to him that the young lady usually finds a walk in the night air clears her head?"
"He might."
"Well, then, it might interest the marshal to know that it's not the punch that has the lady so lightheaded."
"That a fact?"
"That's a fact."
"By golly, Miss Russell, I think the marshal might need to investigate the matter a little more closely."
"If he needs to question me, I'll be glad to cooperate in any way I can."
Matt finally cracked a smile. "How about that walk, Miss Russell?"
"I thought you were going to call me Kitty."
Matt kept his arm around her protectively as they walked, with his hand resting lightly at her waist. Kitty wondered if every young lady the marshal walked home got this kind of attention or was so affected by his touch. Then again, he wasn't exactly walking her home yet. They started off walking in the opposite direction from the Long Branch. They walked to the end of Front Street, until there was almost no town left, then turned and walked to the other end of town. She knew he must have rounds to do, but to her surprise Matt didn't check a single door or window as they walked.
It was surprising how easy it was for them to talk to each other; both in how much Matt talked compared to their lack of conversation in the Long Branch, and in how much he drew from her despite not asking personal questions. Like most girls in the saloon trade, Kitty usually preferred to reveal very little about herself to anyone concerning her life before Dodge City. Unlike most of the men who passed through the Long Branch, Matt was happy to listen to whatever she had to say without prying into things she would rather not talk about.
They walked back into town again and stopped in front of the Long Branch. They were still open, and she didn't want whatever patrons might be there to see her and think she was available. "I'll go up the back stairs," she told Matt. He seemed to understand and walked her past the swinging doors quickly. The alley and the stairs leading to the second floor were black as ink and she soon realized he meant to walk her all the way inside. The thought made Kitty nervous. After all his gentlemanly behavior, would Matt expect something from her? She wasn't ashamed to be a saloon girl, but she didn't want Matt to treat her like one.
Kitty stopped at the door and turned to face Matt, trying to read him. Once again he seemed to understand her concerns without having to be told. "I guess we'll say goodnight here," he said, resting his hands on her shoulders gently. Neither could look away nor let go of the other.
"Good night...Matt," she said finally. She wondered if he would kiss her. She hoped he would. As if she'd spoken the words out loud, Matt slowly reached for her cheek and cupped the side of her face in his big hand. Nothing in Kitty's experience, either with Cole or with any of the men who had paid to be with her, had prepared her for the way she felt when Matt captured her mouth with his. She was falling, and she felt his arms around her, pulling her close to him. Before she realized what she was doing, her arms were around his neck, her hands buried in his dark curls. She breathed his male scent in deeply as she returned his kiss, claiming his lips with the same eagerness with which he took hers. Overwhelmed, she pulled away slightly.
"Matt, I…." She stopped, looking up at him longingly. How could she explain that a girl with her experience had never known what it was like to be loved? Would he even believe her?
"What is it, Kitty?"
"Nothing. Kiss me some more?"
"Sure." Matt pulled her closer. She felt just right in his arms, as if she had been made just for him. Before he had a chance to remind himself that he was a lawman and no woman had been made for him, he had a vision. Kitty, her red hair curling loosely around her shoulders, smiled down at a baby with dark hair cradled in her arms. A freckle-faced little girl with red braids tugged at her skirts and Kitty took her by the hand. It was a pleasant picture, and he wanted to savor it for a moment before he had to put it away. He waited too long. He saw Doc walk up to her. He put his arm around her as he said something, and the smile disappeared from her face. She looked up at Doc with pleading eyes, then put her head on his shoulder and cried. The little girl clung to Kitty and cried, too. His arms tightened around her and he cradled the back of her head with one hand. He wouldn't do that to Kitty, or to the children who could never be. He kissed her softly once more and reluctantly eased her back away from him.
Kitty looked at him, breathless and bewildered. "Somethin' wrong, Matt?" The question hung between them for a moment as she waited for him to tell her he couldn't court a saloon girl.
Matt knew he had to tell her what he'd told every other girl. They could never be anything more than friends. A man couldn't have both a badge and a family. She should forget him and find someone who could give her what she needed. He couldn't get the words out. The first part of his vision wouldn't leave his mind. He was already starting to think of Kitty as his. He realized he hadn't answered her question yet.
"No, nothing's wrong. I just remembered I have rounds to do." He took both her hands and looked down at them. "I...uh...I was hoping you'd have breakfast with me in the morning."
Kitty laughed, a rich, throaty laugh that sounded like music to him. "Thanks for the offer, Matt, but I usually sleep through breakfast. But if you were to come by for coffee around ten o'clock, I'd probably be downstairs by then."
"Sure, I'd like that." He caressed her shoulders gently before letting go and holding out his hand. "Here, I'll unlock the door for you."
Kitty produced the key and Matt unlocked the door and opened it for her. He took her hand and placed the key back in it. Kitty stepped through the door, and Matt leaned down so they could share one more kiss goodnight before the door closed between them.
END