"What do you think, Doc?" Kitty asked the next day as they sat at a back table at the Long Branch and talked.
"I think you're putting yourself to a whole lot of trouble." Doc told her. "First of all, Christmas is only a few days away, you know. And secondly, what you're talking about is not going to be cheap. And then there's all the work involved and…"
"I know all of that." Kitty waved him off. "And I've already got most of that figured out. I just need to get the word out and I was hoping you would help me. Well, you and Chester and Matt. Just tell anyone, who has no one to spend Christmas with, to come here. I'll make sure there's plenty of food and drink and we'll have a wonderful time." Kitty smiled. "So will you do it, Doc? Will you help me?"
Doc took a scrub of his mustache as he shook his head. "Well, I still think you're crazy for wanting to do this on such short notice but I guess I'm just as bad. I'll help you and what's more, I'll get others to help me too. Now what do you think about that?"
"I think you're wonderful." She grinned.
The next few days were a whirlwind of activity for the happy red head. She'd put as many friends and employees to work on the project as she could. She'd spent hours at Jonas' store, purchasing supplies needed for the meal as well as picking out just the right presents for Matt, Doc, Chester and Sam, as well as gifts for the girls that worked for her. The Long Branch was decorated and a large tree was located, cut and brought in for the festivities.
With Ma Smalley's help as well as Kitty's own cooking talents, a veritable Christmas feast was either already cooked or soon to be cooked for the big day.
Kitty was thrilled at how well her plans were going and even more thrilled that so far, Matt hadn't had to rush out of town to chase some outlaw and Doc hadn't been called out to tend some sick person miles out on the prairie. They, along with Chester as well as the many others, she was sure would attend, were going to make this Christmas the best for all of them.
But as good as things looked the morning of December 25th, they quickly began to look a whole lot worse by late that morning.
About ten o'clock it began to snow. At first it appeared to be just a light dusting but as the hours of the day progressed, the snow got heavier. Still, Kitty wasn't too worried. It meant that some of the cowboys and farmers outside of Dodge proper might not get to come but she was certain there would still be plenty of people to come to the Long Branch, including her friends.
But around noon, two young men, looking to take advantage of the snow and the holiday, made a bold attempt to rob the freight office. Matt shot one of them off his horse as he tried to ride off with the stolen money. But the other boy, sans the money bags, did manage to get away.
While Chester went for their horses, Matt offered a quick apology to Kitty for the apparent fact that he and Chester might miss her party if they couldn't apprehend the man quickly. Kitty accepted it with a saddened sigh, but consoled herself in the knowledge that even though she might not have the man she loved beside her, she'd still have Doc's company and would proudly be able to say she had helped so many lonely people on this Christmas day.
Shortly after that, Keith, the young man that sometimes worked for Moss Grimmick, stopped in with an apology from Moss, explaining he was feeling a bit under the weather and wouldn't be at the party. Kitty accepted the apology and made the boy take some food back to Moss before he left to go back to his own family.
About an hour after that, a rider came into Dodge, yelling loudly for Doc. The rider lived in a tiny settlement, several miles out of Dodge. It seemed several people there were down sick and desperately needed a doctor's care.
"You'd better go, Doc." Kitty smiled bravely at him. "Looks like they really need you."
Doc nodded, collected his bag and followed the man out.
"Sure doesn't look good for your party, does it, Miss Kitty?" Evie, one of girls slid up beside her as she stood at the bat wing doors and watched Doc drive out into the increasingly heavy snow.
"No, I guess it doesn't." Kitty shook her head and closed the double doors against the cold, retreating to her office.
TBC