What She Deserves - ATC to Buffalo Man, S3
I don't own these characters. I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.
AN: I've had several people ask me for a new story but try as I might, I've not been able to come up with one. (Real Life is kinda whipping up on me right now.) But I did come up with an old story, written a long while back and tucked away in a closet because I wasn't happy with it. I still have reservations but here it is anyway.
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"Kitty?" Abby called as she came into the saloon and approached the table where Kitty was sitting as she worked on her books.
"Well, hello, Abby." Kitty gave her a gracious smile. "How are you today?"
"Oh, I'm fine." Abby returned the smile. "The bruise Ben gave me is all cleared up. See?" She jutted out her chin to show Kitty that indeed the outward signs of what Ben had done to her, a week prior, were gone.
"I see that." Kitty nodded. "Uh, did you need something?" She asked noticing the girl fidgeting nervously.
"Oh, yeah." Abby answered. "Well… I… I was wondering, if I could maybe borrow a dress of yours and you could show me how to put on makeup?" She said in a rush.
Kitty looked at her curiously. "Why?" She asked. "I mean, I don't mind loaning you the clothes and all. But why do you want makeup?"
"Well…" She hesitated, unsure of whether she should tell Kitty or not. She knew that the saloon owner and the Marshal were good friends and she didn't want Kitty to tell the Marshal her plans before she could enact them. But then she could probably trust Kitty. "Well, I'm planning on inviting the Marshal out to dinner and I want to look nice is all."
Kitty arched a brow as she looked at the young girl beside her. She'd known for some time now that Abby had a crush on Matt. It was plain every time she was around him. But as Matt had done nothing to encourage her, Kitty hadn't given it much thought. But now... "Uh, you're inviting him to dinner?"
"Yes, I am." Abby smiled happily. "I got my first real paycheck from Mr. Jonas's store and I want to show the Marshal how grateful I am to him for all he's done for me."
"Well, I think that's fine." Kitty smiled. "But I still don't see why you think you need makeup. Abby, you're a pretty girl without makeup."
Abby blushed slightly at the compliment but she was not about to be deterred. "Well, I appreciate that, Kitty. But I want Marshal Dillon to see me as a woman, not a girl. I mean after all he did for me, fighting for me like he did, I don't want him to think that a girl is all he's getting. See?"
Kitty took a deep breath. Yes, she did see. But she didn't think Abby did. "Abby, I know you're grateful to Marshal Dillon for what he did for you, but I think you've got the wrong idea about him."
"What do you mean?" Abby's voice took on a petulant tone that worried the savvy saloon owner.
"What I mean is, I think you're misunderstanding the Marshal's intentions. Abby, he's a good man and he cannot stand to see innocent people hurt. What he did for you, he would've done for anyone. It's part of his job, its part of how he is."
"Well, sure." Abby nodded. "But I know with me it was more than that. I saw the way he looked at me out on the street the day he beat Ben down. He wanted me to know that he did it for me because he wants me."
Kitty softly groaned and dropped her head. "Abby, I'm positive Matt likes you but that's really all it is. Please, don't get any ideas of his wanting to marry you or anything. That's just not him. He cares about you as a friend but nothing more. He's not the marrying kind. Do you understand what I mean?"
Abby stood up from the chair, suddenly, a scowl on her face meant solely for Kitty. "Oh, I understand." She snapped at her. "You think you have first claim on him because you've known him longer." Her scowl deepened. "Well, I'll have you know, you're wrong. Matt Dillon fought for me because he wants me, not you. And you can forget helping me. I'll get what I need somewhere else." Angrily, she turned and tromped out of the saloon, practically running Doc down as he was coming in.
"Hello, Abby." He greeted her but she ignored him and kept going. "Well, what was that all about?" Doc asked as he reached Kitty's side.
"That's about a young girl with a big crush and a huge misunderstanding." Kitty answered with a shake of her head as Doc took a seat beside her. "Care for some coffee, Doc?"
"Sure." Doc answered. "And then you can tell me what you mean. Whose Abby got a crush on?"
"Matt." Kitty answered as she poured the coffee. "She thinks the reason Matt beat Ben Stiple is because he likes her."
"Well, he does." Doc furrowed his brow. "He thinks highly of that young lady. He thinks she deserves a great deal more than she's ever gotten and he wants to see her happy."
"Um, hum." Kitty sighed. "But not like she believes. She thinks he wants her, Doc. That he wants to marry her."
Doc choked on the coffee he'd just swallowed and looked over at Kitty to make sure she wasn't teasing. "Matt?"
Kitty nodded. "Yes. Matt."
"She tell you that?" Doc just couldn't imagine her getting the idea that Matt had romantic intentions in anyone besides Kitty.
"She did." Kitty answered with a nod. "She said Matt wants her."
Doc chuckled until he saw the look on the red head's face and realized she didn't see it as a joking matter. "Well, didn't you tell her…"
Kitty arched a brow at him. "I told her that Matt would do that for anyone because that's the kind of person he was and that she shouldn't see it as anything more. But she got mad and took that to mean that I'm trying to come between her and Matt."
Doc chuckled again, he couldn't help it. "Well, aren't you?"
Kitty gave him a reproving look just as Matt came in and made his way over to their table.
"Kitty?" He looked thoroughly confused. "What'd you do to Abby?"
"What do mean, what did I do to Abby?" Kitty replied indignantly.
"Well, I just met her on the street out there and she looked as mad as an old wet hen. When I asked her what was wrong, she said to go ask you. What happened?"
"That'll be enough out of you, Doc." Kitty glowered at him as he started to laugh again.
Seeing how irritated Kitty truly was, Doc decided it was time he took his leave. Getting up, he patted Matt on the arm. "Good luck," he chortled as he shuffled quickly out of the saloon.
Matt was now completely baffled but he could tell by the look on Kitty's face that whatever it was that he'd missed, it wasn't anything good. "What was that about?"
Kitty got up from her chair and grabbed her books. "Come on, Cowboy." She shook her head. "Let's go to my office and talk."
A half hour later, Matt sat on the corner of Kitty's desk, shock and dismay clearly written on his features. "She thinks I want her?"
"Um hum." Kitty answered. "I tried to make her understand that you were just doing for her what you'd do for anybody, but she refused to believe me. She thinks I have designs on you myself." She looked at him as she said that, studying his expression.
"Well, you do, don't you?" Matt smirked.
"That's the same thing Doc said." She shook her head with exasperation. "Matt, you've got to talk to that girl. Make her understand the truth."
Matt took a deep breath and nodded as he rose, pulling Kitty up with him. Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled her up for a kiss. "I will talk to her." He said. "I'm having supper with her tonight and I'll make sure she understands that I don't feel like that towards her."
"Thank you." Kitty kissed him again. "Because I do have designs on you and I really don't want to share you."
Matt chuckled. "You don't have to worry about that, Honey." Giving her one more kiss, he grabbed his hat and left her office, already dreading supper. "See ya later, Kitty."
Later that evening, Matt sat pensively across the table from Abby as she prattled on about Mrs. Bodkin and the huge order she had made that day and then how nice Mr. Jonas was and Matt couldn't have cared less. But he saw no way to bring up what he did care about, until finally, she stopped for a moment and then brought it up for him.
"Matt," she batted her eye lashes at him. "I want you to know how much I appreciate all you've done for me. You've shown me what a real man does for the woman he loves and it means…"
"Abby," Matt reached over and took her hand. "Abby, please don't go any further." He sighed and dropped her hand, realizing how she might misconstrue the gesture. Ducking his head, he took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts as she sat quietly beside him, waiting for him to speak.
Finally he raised his eyes to hers again. "Abby," he began carefully. "I think you have the wrong idea about me. I do think you're a wonderful girl and you deserve the best and I… I like you but…"
Abby smiled happily. "And I like you too." She sighed. "That's what makes this so wonderful. I mean in all the world, we should find each other out on the prairie, well… well, it's just too perfect. Don't you think?"
"No, Abby, that's not what I meant. I meant…"
"Mr. Dillon!" Chester's strident cry could suddenly be heard as he practically hopped into the café. "Mr. Dillon, you'd best come quick. There's trouble over to the Long Branch."
Without wasting a moment, Matt tossed his napkin on the table and grabbed his hat. "Chester, see Abby home." His tone and manner was suddenly all business as he ran from the restaurant.
Chester looked down at the girl in the bright pink dress with too much makeup on and gave her a conciliatory smile. "Miss Abby." He offered his hand.
But Abby ignored him as she rose from the table, took her reticule and left the café, following Matt over to the saloon.
"Uh, Miss Abby." Chester hurried after her. "Mr. Dillon said I was to take you back to Ma's."
"Later, Chester." She dismissed him with a wave of her hand as she hastened her steps, practically running by the time she reached the doors of the Long Branch. There she paused and hesitantly looked inside to see Matt in a face off with a grungy looking man in dirty, tattered clothes, a knife in his right hand and his left arm tightly around Kitty's throat.
"Ya'd better back off lawman." The ragged cowboy threatened. "Lessin' ya'd like to see this pretty little thing hurt. I'll gut her you come no closer."
Kitty was bucking madly, trying to get away, but he was cutting off her wind and she soon ceased her struggles, realizing the harder she fought, the harder it was to breath.
"I said to let her go." Matt demanded. "Let her go and drop the knife and you can walk out of here."
"And what if I don't?" The ogre sneered.
"You hurt her," Matt warned him in a low, non-sense voice. "And I will kill you, Mister. Make no mistake. You won't walk out of here or anywhere else, ever again."
Abby turned pale as she watched the scene unfold in front of her and heard the way Matt spoke. Though she told herself that he was simply doing his job, there was something in his voice that betrayed that thought. Something she hadn't heard when he'd warned Ben to leave her alone.
"Let her go." Matt demanded of the man again. "I won't tell you again."
For several long moments, the two men, with the red head between them were at a standoff. Neither one was willing to give ground to the other.
Kitty, still with the dirty stranger's arm around her neck, was getting close to passing out and her strength was waning but she had to give it one more try. Raising her right arm as far as she could, she suddenly brought her elbow back and jabbed her captor in the ribs and then kicked his shin with the last of her strength.
With a sharp intake of air, he released his grip and staggered backwards a little. But he'd been holding the knife too closely to Kitty and as he fell back, he brought it down, deeply slashing her forearm.
Kitty gasped and instantly grabbed her arm as she pulled away from the man and struggled forward, towards Matt. Rivulets of blood seeped through her fingers and ran down her dress as she held her wounded limb close to her side.
The sight of her blood, infuriated Matt. Seeing that she was in the clear, he instantly took aim and fired, hitting the man in the shoulder, then holstered his gun and sprung over to Kitty's side. "Someone take care of him. Get him to the jail." He ordered as he moved over to the injured red head.
"Hey!" The grubby attacker yelled as three men surrounded him. "You cain't take me to jail. I'm shot!"
Matt glared at him. "You're lucky you're not dead." Sparing him no further attention, Matt turned back to Kitty. "Kitty? You alright?" His voice was full of love and worry.
Watching him closely, Abby began to understand what Matt was trying to say earlier as she saw him wrap a towel around Kitty's injured arm, pull her into his side and hurry her towards the doors, down the street and up the stairs to the doctor's office.
"Doc!" Matt called as he approached the top of the landing. Instantly the door opened and Doc ushered them in, shutting the door after they entered.
Chester, who'd stood by as Abby had, and witnessed not only the events inside but the girl's reaction to them, stepped up beside her. "Miss Abby?" He asked gently. "Would ya like me to take ya home now?"
Abby studied the closed door of the doctor's office for a moment before looking up at Chester. "No, Chester." She answered softly. "I don't have a home here."
One week later, Matt stood outside of the stage office beside Abby and lifted her bags up to the driver. "You sure about this?" He asked her.
Abby nodded. "I'm sure, Marshal." She looked up at him. "All my life I've been somebody's punching bag. First my daddy and then Ben's and well… I just think it's time I figure out who I am and then maybe I can find someone who cares about me the way you care about Kitty."
"You will." Matt smiled down at her. "You deserve the best, Abby. Don't forget that."
"Anybody goin' on this stage, better get on board." The driver yelled just then.
Abby started towards the door of the coach but hesitated for a moment and then turned and hugged Matt. "Goodbye, Marshal." She put on as a cheerful a smile as she could. "Take care of yourself and take care of Kitty. She deserves it."
"I will." He answered. "You take care of yourself." He helped her up into the stage and stood back; waving to her as the driver whipped the horses and the carriage took off.
Later that evening, as Matt and Kitty lay beside each other; Matt reached over and pulled her tightly against him, kissing her soundly. "She's right." He muttered, more to himself than Kitty as the kiss ended.
Kitty looked up at him curiously. "Who's right about what?"
"Abby's right." Matt answered simply. "About you."
Kitty smiled uncertainly. "What about me?"
Matt tucked an errant strand of crimson hair behind her ear. "When Abby got on the stage, she told me I should take care of you because you deserve it and she's right. I should, you do and I will."
Kitty pulled his lips down to hers and kissed him. "You always do."
The End