Growing Old With Kitty 2

by Lilyjack

Chapter 2

"Gifts from the Heart"

"Holy mackerel, that's the one, Kitty! That dress looks perfect on you! Matt Dillon will sure be proud to have you on his arm as his bride in that!" Celia ignored the pinched look the shopkeeper gave her at her unladylike swear words. She just poked her wire-rimmed spectacles back up on her nose, her cheek dimpling in pleasure as she whirled her index finger in a circle. "Turn around so I can get a good look at ya'. Not that my opinion matters or anything. You know I haven't got a lick of sense when it comes to fashionable clothing. But golly, you sure are pretty in that!"

Reluctantly, Kitty obliged her young friend by turning around in front of the dressing room mirror of Miss Leggett's Ladies' Clothing Shoppe in the bustling little town of Beaver Township. Kitty insisted in a rather hushed tone, "Celia, I can't buy this dress." She looked down longingly at the lovely yellow silk gown. It had wide hoop skirts and an elongated V-shaped waist with wide-set shoulders showing off her creamy décolleté without being too daring. "It's way too extravagant. Why, you know I can't afford something like this! Mrs. Leggett," she said to the store owner standing admiring Kitty in the fancy party dress. "I'll take that sensible green-sprigged cotton dress I tried on earlier. It's very pretty and I'll be able to wear it for something other than..."

"Mrs. Leggett," Celia interrupted Kitty firmly yet sweetly, holding up a palm. "Kitty will take this yellow dress, plus the sensible green cotton and that nice blue one as well for everyday wear. Wrap up the petticoats, hoopskirts..." Celia began ticking the items off on her fingers one at a time. "...bloomers, corset covers and, of course, corset. Make sure it's that fancy one with the pink ribbons. You will have to alter the yellow silk a bit, of course, so we'll be leaving that one here. Please remember the wedding is very soon, so we'll need it back promptly."

Kitty stood dumbfounded with her lower jaw hanging open, hands planted on her yellow silken hips.

Celia turned her attention to the store owner, who'd known her since she was a mere tot, "Please, Mrs. Leggett, could you leave us for a moment so that I can have a word with my dear friend?"

Mrs. Leggett opened her thin lips to speak, but then thought better of it. She scooped up the abandoned frilly clothing from around the room and scurried away to begin wrapping up the purchases in brown paper packages. In all the years she'd known Miss Celia, or Mrs. Fiore, she corrected herself, she'd never seen her quite so insistent. That girl had gotten a little too big for her britches since marrying that Easterner, if you asked her.

Both girls waited until Mrs. Leggett had safely closed the door behind her swishing, staid brown skirts before beginning their whispered conversation.

"Are you out of your mind, Celia Fiore? You know I can't afford all these things! I'm just a cook for a ranch-"

"Now hold your horses, Kitty Russell, and let me explain, will ya'?" She took both Kitty's hands and the two sat side by side on a fancy carved bench upholstered in green striped material, turning to face each other.

Celia quietly explained, "Mr. Blessing is paying for all this." Celia nodded firmly at the stunned reaction she got from Kitty. "I'm not stringin' a whizzer, honest to Pete! Mr. Blessing took me aside a few days ago when I first met him, and he handed me a whole bunch of cash money and said I was to buy you the prettiest dress in the whole store for your wedding and extra dresses, too." She waited a beat and her gray-green eyes widened dramatically. "And ladies' unmentionables." She wrinkled her nose, covering her mouth with her hand, trying not to laugh. "He did call it that. 'Ladies' unmentionables.' But I was too stunned to laugh then, of course. Not to mention it would've been terribly rude of me."

"I don't know what to say..." Kitty couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I guess it's kinda' like your wedding trousseau, Kitty." Celia enthusiastically squeezed both of Kitty's hands.

Kitty shook her head, her face still dazed. "Oh no, Celia, it's too extravagant. I...I just couldn't accept!"

Celia arched a dark brow at her friend. "Oh yes, you can, Kitty. It's his wedding gift to you."

"But it's too much. I couldn't let Mr. Blessing..."

Celia interrupted with a finger pointed at her friend. "Yes, you can, Kitty. Do you not realize how much that old gentleman cares about you?"

Kitty cocked her head thoughtfully, her eyes unfocused. "Well, sure, he likes me, but..."

Celia placed her hands on her hips in exasperation. "Oh, you're so blind. Mr. Blessing looks on you like a daughter. Didn't you tell me that he lost his family in a terrible fire?"

"Yes, I..."

"Well, Freddie didn't know that. I asked him. He hadn't ever heard that story and neither had any of the other boys. You're the one he told, Kitty. He loves you and he trusts you."

"But, Celia..." Kitty held her hands out, palms up. "...do you know how much money all those pretty things cost?"

Celia placed a hand on Kitty's cheek and looked straight into her eyes. "Listen to me. The money is not important to him. Who on earth does he have to spend it on?" She reiterated, "Who?"

Kitty was silent as she let that thought sink in.

"He wants to spend a little bit of his money on you, and you should let him. I could tell by the look in his eyes that it would make him very happy. He really does look on you like family, Kitty."

"I hadn't thought of it like that," Kitty said as she looked down at her hands lying on the luxurious, billowing yellow material of her beautiful skirt.

Celia's voice was adamant. "You will hurt his feelings if you turn him down."

"I don't want to do that, honestly." Kitty's brow wrinkled.

Celia squared her shoulders and lifted her head high. "Then graciously accept his gift, young lady."

Kitty's tone turned incredulous. "Who are you callin' 'young lady'?" She pursed her lips at Celia, but her eyes sparkled merrily.

"Oh, don't you know? I'm an old married lady now! Hey! Kitty Russell, you and me's gotta have a long talk." She pointed an urgent finger at Kitty's face. "Soon. But not here. We need privacy." Celia held a hand next to her mouth to hoarsely whisper, "There's a whole lot about this marriage business I didn't find out until after the wedding." Celia nodded her head archly.

Kitty's eyes widened considerably and she pretended to be busy picking nonexistent lint from her skirt. She stumbled out, "Why...uh...what do you mean, Celia?"

Celia hissed in a low voice, "I don't know what you've been told, but our housekeeper Mrs. Rubottom's little talk with me about the birds and the bees didn't quite set things straight in my mind."

"Birds?" Kitty placed a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. "Why, Celia!"

"So I just wanna make sure you know what you're getting yourself into, Kitty, with this marriage business."

Kitty bit her lip and raised a brow. "So, does that mean you liked it? Or not?"

A sly smile spread across Celia's lips. "Oh, I liked it all right!" She leaned back and quirked a dark brow. "But it was just a little shocking at first, I'll tell you. Marriage is a lot trickier than anyone let on." She folded her arms thoughtfully. "You and me can have us a little pow-wow in private sometime, okay? I don't want you to be as unprepared for the shenanigans of men as I was!"

"Oh, Celia, I'm not sure that..."

"You mean you already know?" Celia looked a little disappointed and disbelieving. "Who told ya'?"

"I...uh... Well, Celia, let's have our little talk soon. You can teach me everything you know, okay?' She didn't want to let on to her wonderful new friend that she was actually an old soul in a young body, quite experienced in the shenanigans of men. And mighty interested in the shenanigans of one tall, tousle-haired young cowboy in particular.

"It's a deal!" Celia stuck out her hand and Kitty shook it firmly. Celia held a finger conspiratorially to her lips and went to open the door a crack. "Oh, Mrs. Leggett! We're ready for you to mark this dress for alterations whenever you are!" She gave a silent smirk and tugged on Kitty's hand to pull her out of her seat. Celia urged Kitty in front of the mirror and stood behind her, easily looking over Kitty's shoulder as Celia was a tall, lanky girl. Celia's eyes sparkled at Kitty's reflection as she wrapped her arms loosely around Kitty's waist. "Matt's gonna love this dress. I just know it!"

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Kitty sat in the buggy next to Henry Small after dropping off Celia at her home with Freddie over the Brushy Heap Bugle. The young Sweetwater ranch hand been their escort on their shopping excursion to Beaver Township for Kitty's new dress that she'd wear for her wedding to Matt Dillon. Henry hadn't ventured inside Mrs. Leggett's with them, and Kitty hadn't blamed him. The sight of all those "ladies' unmentionables" as Mr. Blessing had phrased it, would have proven shy Henry's utter undoing.

There'd barely been room for the three of them on the ride back to Brushy Heap what with all the pretty things they'd bought tied up in brown paper packages, courtesy of Mr. Blessing, truly her fairy godfather now, Kitty thought. She couldn't get over the kindness and generosity he'd shown to her in the relatively short time since she'd known him. Mr. Blessing had truly proved a blessing in her life.

She was wool gathering, counting those many blessings, when she felt the buggy pull up in the shade of a grove of trees growing alongside a small creek. Henry climbed out to lead the horses over to get a drink of water as it was a considerably hot day. Kitty pulled a cotton handkerchief out of her sleeve and dabbed at her damp face as Henry approached.

"W-want to get down and rest a spell?" he asked, holding up his hands.

"Don't mind if I do, Henry. It'd do me good to stretch my legs." She smiled as he held her waist and easily supported her while she hopped down. "Thank you kindly, young sir!" she declared brightly.

Henry grinned back, a sight she was seeing more and more these days as he became easier around her. "Y-you're welcome, Miss Kitty." He shuffled his feet nervously for a moment and then suddenly dug in his pocket. "I-I got s-somethin' for ya' while we was in town." He pulled out a very small brown paper tied with string and shyly handed it to her.

The boy's bashfulness and sincerity tugged at her heart. "For me, Henry? You shouldn't have!"

"Open it," he said eagerly.

"Alright," she smiled as she untied the string and folded back the paper. Inside was a length of beautiful blue satin ribbon. "Oh, Henry..." she said quietly, overcome at his gesture. "It's so beautiful."

"It's the s-s-same color as your eyes, Miss K-kitty. It's soft and it sh-shines, like your eyes when you l-l-look at people." He stuffed his hands timidly in his pockets and blushed.

"Thank you, Henry. That's just about the prettiest thing anyone has ever given me." She put her arms around the boy's shoulders and hugged him tight and could almost feel his cheeks getting redder by the second.

A voice sounded from the trees, deep and menacing, making the bile rise in Kitty's throat. Buford Hicks taunted, "Ain't this somethin', Simon? That little red-headed whore is givin' it away to everbody over to the Sweetwater Ranch. She won't give us the time a' day. You think that's right?"

Junk Kelley snarled, "I think it's our turn, Buford, what you say?"

Simon Dooley stepped forward, "I got to agree with ya' on that, boys. It's pay-up time, little gal."

Henry pushed Kitty in back of him. He demanded of the three men, "Y-y-you st-stay back, you hear?"

Buford laughed, and Kitty's stomach turned at the sound of him popping his beefy knuckles. "I owe you, too, boy. Don't think I don't remember."

Kitty spat out, "Just leave us alone, Hicks. I'll scratch your eyes out if you come near me."

Buford laughed, a cunning, mirthless sound. "Looks to me like the odds is in our favor. Three men against a girl and a kid. So why don't you just shut up and hike yer skirts, bitch?"

Kitty sucked in a terrified breath and slipped a shaking hand into Henry's as the three Lazy J ranch hands took another step towards them.

tbc

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