The Thoroughbreds
Chapter 3
It was several days later that Matt and Newly sat in the Marshal's office. Newly couldn't help but notice that the lawman had become very quiet and withdrawn, even more so than usual.
Finally the silence is broken.
" Newly how would you feel about taking on more responsibility here in Dodge?"
"I'd be fine with that, what are you thinking?"
"Maybe I would take some time off, step back a little, leave town for a while, I thought maybe Kitty and I could take a trip somewhere, there are so many places she wants to visit and well.. you know."
"I know Marshal. I'd be happy to do it."
"I'll notify the Attorney Generals office and tell them I recommend you as acting Marshal until I get back. Doc says he can get me medical leave for a month or so if you are willing to go along with that."
" I think Festus and I can manage things here, for a while. You do what you need to, you and Miss Kitty deserve some time together."
So it was that Kitty and Matt were at the train Depot waiting on the train to take them on the first leg of their journey. Kitty was excited at the prospect of visiting New York City, she had read so much about all the famous places there. Doc had somehow managed to convince the Attorney General that Matt needed at least two months away from Dodge to give him the best chance of recovering full use of his arm and Matt had convinced the same people that Newly would be able to manage the day-to-day problems of the town until he returned. Festus was only too pleased to support Newly.
Kitty arranged for an old friend of hers to come to Dodge and take care of the Long Branch. She was hoping that maybe this could end in the eventual sale of the saloon, but did not tell Matt that fact.
The train ride to Wichita should only take about six hours.
They found seats at one end of the car and seating her next to the window, Matt lowered himself into the space next to her. Their luggage was loaded in the baggage car because she had not wanted him to have to carry it. Quietly he took her hand in his. She could tell he was thinking about what the future held for him.
"C'mon Matt, we are going to enjoy this trip to New York. You can forget about Dodge for a while. Newly can manage, he has Festus to help him and if he needs to, he can wire for additional support, they told you that. We need this time together, to decide what we are going to do."
He looked at her, "going to do?"
"Yes Matt, I've watched you trying to get the use back in your arm. I know you were out there practicing till you made it ache. Doc said he didn't know if it would ever get back to what it was. Too many muscles were torn up."
"Yeh he told me the same thing." Matt said quietly hanging his head.
"But you didn't want to accept it, right?"
"Yes." He admitted slowly.
She squeezed his hand tighter and they rode in silence for a long time
Neither of them noticed the man watching them from several seats behind. From time to time his hand would go to his gun. The man had heard about the Marshal's injury, it would make his job so much easier. He had no compunction about drawing against a man with an injured arm.
Matt had been dozing. The noise of the train and the motion of the car on the rails were hypnotic. He woke with cramping in the muscles of his arm. To cover the discomfort he told Kitty they needed to go to the restaurant car and get some lunch. As he stood up he caught a glimpse of the man several seats behind them. He could not place him, but the look on his face was familiar. The way the stranger looked at him and then turned away. Maybe just his imagination – but it was a look he had seen too often. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind.
They finished eating and returned to their seats. The train would arrive in Wichita that evening. He had wired their friend Dr. Edgar Wilkins and told him they would be coming. Hopefully he would meet them at the station. It would be midday tomorrow before their connecting train arrived to take them further east, so they would have to get a hotel room for the night.
They did not hurry to leave the train as it pulled into Wichita and had to wait for their luggage to be taken from the baggage car. He helped Kitty down the steps from the train, vaguely looking round for Edgar. She was obviously excited at the prospect of several weeks away from Dodge with her Cowboy. Smiling and laughing she took his arm as they headed towards the depot building. At this point they were the only passengers still on the small platform.
Then the unthinkable happened, from the corner of the building appeared a man.
"Marshal Dillon, I've been looking for you!"
TBC
