Gunsmoke and Spies
Author's note: I am beginning to learn that old saw about never saying never is actually a true fact of life. SO, here I go again. I have said before that I love Gunsmoke. Tall stoic Matt, with his clear blue eyes and deep voice and beautiful red headed Kitty with her low sultry voice, are primary with me. But Scarecrow, with his dimpled smile and hazel eyes and Amanda, with her soft raspy voice and warm brown eyes, have moved in next to Matt and Kitty and I just to had to write at least one story that would marry the two shows together. I sure hope this works the way it did in my mind.
And I decided not to make this a crossover story because it essentially begins and ends with Lee and Amanda.
One more thing, if you ever get a chance to go to Dodge City, Kansas, I highly recommend a tour of the Boot Hill Museum and the replica of Front Street. I did that last year and it was wonderful.
Just a reminder: I don't own these characters; I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.
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"Good morning," the pleasantly plump woman behind the souvenir covered counter greeted them. "Welcome to the Boot Hill Museum."
"Good morning." Amanda put on her most genial smile and glanced over at Lee who was continually scanning the interior of the merchandise dense room. "We'd like two tickets for the museum and the show."
"Certainly," the woman smiled at them. "Would you like the dinner as well?"
"Uh, no." Lee spoke up in his best Texas twang. "Me n' the little woman here's got plans for later, if ya know what I mean." He turned wickedly mischievous hazel eyes on Amanda in an appraising fashion, making her want to squirm under his intense scrutiny.
"Oh, Ricky Joe," Amanda, in her best twang gave him a pretend scowl. Turning back to the woman, her smile returned as Lee handed her the money for the tickets. "Thank you, but no dinner."
"You don't know what you're missing." The woman warned. "We have some of the best cowboy food there is. Outside of Delmonico's of course." She chuckled a little at her own joke.
Lee's grin turned wider. "Ah, don't you worry your little old head about us none." He leered down at Amanda, who was steadily turning red. "We'll eat," he wiggled his brow for effect, "eventually."
As the woman arched a brow at his remark, Lee grabbed the tickets from the counter and took Amanda's hand, leading her away towards the beginning of the tour. "Come on, Darlin'." He told her.
Amanda said nothing as she followed Lee into the back of the building and down the hall towards the door leading out onto the grounds of the museum and up to what was left of the original Boot Hill Cemetery. She wanted to protest the suggestiveness of his words but she knew it was part of their disguise, not to mention the fact that a large part of her loved it when he looked at her that way, even if it was only pretend.
"Keep a lookout for a bald man with a red rose in his lapel." Lee told her in a low whisper as he dropped his lips to her neck, sending shivers up and down her spine.
"A… a man… with a… a re… red rose." She managed as she pulled herself away from her partner. Though it was all just a part of his act, Lee's romantic attentions were just a touch too distracting for her to be able to concentrate.
Seemingly unaware of her reaction, Lee took her hand and held it tightly as he led her up the hill and towards the few scattered wooden tombstones. "Oh, look, Ricky Joe." Amanda pointed. "They got a woman planted up here."
Lee glanced at the tombstone, as he surreptitiously scanned the immediate area. Seeing no one fitting the description of his contact, he turned his attention back to Amanda for a moment. "Mandy, honey." He grinned. "It wasn't only men who died back then, you know. I hear Dodge City was a rough town back in the 1870's."
"Oh it was," a man coming to stand beside them, spoke up.
Turning, the undercover couple saw a tall, older man with clear blue eyes standing beside them, his thumbs tucked tightly into his belt and a sad smile on his face. "Back then Dodge was known as the Gomorrah of the Plains. And it earned that reputation honestly. If it wasn't for the marshal they had back then, I doubt there'd be a museum today for you all to visit."
"Oh?" Amanda was intrigued despite herself. "He was that good?"
"Yes, Ma'am." The soft spoken gentleman smiled kindly at her. "He was more than just good. He was the best."
The manner, in which he spoke of the now, long dead marshal, garnered Lee's attention as well. Even as he constantly glanced around for their contact, he couldn't help but be curious about the former Dodge City lawman. "Sounds like you know a lot about this man." He remarked.
"Yes, Sir, I do." The gray haired gentleman stuck out a hand and shook Lee's hand. "My name is Matt Dillon. I was named after my grandfather."
Something about the name struck a chord with Lee and he crinkled his brow as he tried to remember why. Suddenly it came to him and grin lit his face. "Matt Dillon!" He exclaimed. "He was the Marshal back then. The one you're talking about."
"That he was." The man smiled, happy that his grandfather's legend was still alive. "I see you've heard of him."
"I've more than heard of him," Lee had to stop himself from gushing like a teenage girl about her first crush. As a lonely boy growing up in one army base after another, he had often turned to books to while away the time. And one of the books, he had read, was about a man named Matt Dillon. A tall man who had tamed the frontier town called Dodge City and won the heart of the most beautiful woman of the time, as well. "I've read quite a bit about him. I also read about a beautiful red head that he was linked with. She your grandmother?"
The man nodded proudly. "Kitty Russell Dillon. And you're right about her being beautiful. There was none prettier back then. She had men coming from everywhere, wanting her hand, but the only one she wanted was Grandpa. Only he wasn't too willing to get married. He thought a family and the law wouldn't mix so he held off, claiming it was to protect her. That didn't always hold water of course. Just cause he and Grandma didn't do anything openly, didn't mean no one knew about them. More than once Grandma had to deal with spoilers and such who tried to use her to get at Grandpa. Everyone at one time or another told her she should just quit and leave him to it. Especially after…."
He paused and Amanda could see a painful memory had crossed his mind before he squared his shoulders and looked away. "But my grandmother was stubborn, as well as beautiful," he continued, "and she held on and waited. She ended up waiting twenty years but she finally got him."
"Twenty years?" Amanda questioned. "She waited twenty years for him?" Silently she asked herself if she was willing to wait that long for Lee.
The older man nodded. "Yeah, she did. She always said that once you found the person that you were meant to be with, you'd never be happy with anyone else." Looking at Lee and Amanda, his smile broadened. "I guess I don't have to tell you two that though, do I? Looks like you folks have already found the person you were meant to be with."
Amanda blushed and dropped her head. Lee cleared his throat and looked away, suddenly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. Just then, he spotted a man with a bald head and a bright crimson rose, in his lapel, passing by them and heading towards the stairs that would take him down into the replica of Front Street and the main part of the museum grounds.
Gripping Amanda's hand, he nodded in that direction. "Well, sir," Lee grinned back Mr. Dillon, slipping back into his undercover persona. "It sure was nice to talk to ya. But me the little lady here kinda want to look around a bit before we go on to other things. If ya know what I mean."
"Certainly," Dillon shook hands with Lee and Amanda both. "It was a pleasure talking with you. And if you ever want to know anything more about my grandparents, look me up." He pressed a business card into Amanda's hand, before he turned and walked away.
"What a nice man." Amanda remarked as she watched him walk away.
"Yeah," Lee agreed. "But if we don't get a move on, we're gonna miss another nice man that we need to make contact with."
Amanda nodded as she let Lee lead her towards the stairs. Just as they began to descend, she glanced back to see Dillon watching them with an uncertain expression on his face.
TBC