Matt
Matt took a sip of coffee and blinked hard. "Wow."
Linda nodded earnestly, "I like it strong."
She pushed a plate of biscuits towards him. "What's our best move?"
"Our best move is to not move, stay holed up in the house. I don't know what they're planning but remember they think you're alone and there are just two of them. I should be able to take them both but just in case I want you to be ready with your rifle."
"How do you know I can shoot?"
"That rabbit hanging outside."
"I won't brag. Pride is sinful." Her eyes were shining. "Anyway, if we're staying inside we'll need food. I'll get to skinning the rabbit and pull up some vegetables.
"I'll help."
"Good, but when we're done, you get some sleep in my bedroom. You look real tired and the fresher you are the better off we are. I'll keep watch and wake you if anything happens.
He started to protest but knew she was right. "I won't sleep long."
Dodge That Evening
Clem set beers in front of Kitty, Doc and Dan. Kitty lifted her mug. "Too bad Chester couldn't take me up on the free beer."
Doc took a sip. "Believe me he thinks so too, but he had stay at the jail to watch the two young fellas he has sleeping off their drunks. Kitty between you and me I'm proud of Chester. He did just what Matt would have done by locking up those two drunk teenagers before they could do any real damage."
Dan looked at Doc, "Matt? Who's Matt?"
At first surprised by the question, Doc quickly realized that there was no reason a Boston doctor would know who Matt was. "I meant Matt Dillon, the US Marshal of Kansas territory out of Dodge. He's not in town right now."
Dan shrugged. "Seems like a peaceful enough place to me." He glanced around, "Kitty it's quite an accomplishment for such a young woman to own a place like this."
"Thank you, but I'm just half owner, at least for now. My partner, Bill Pence, spends less and less time here and will likely sell out to me soon. "
"Well that deserves a toast." Dan lifted his glass, "To Kitty Russell, soon to be sole owner of the Long Branch."
Kitty and Doc clinked their glasses against Dan's and Doc added a hearty "Hear, hear." Doc downed his beer quickly. "I know we just got here and I hate to be a party pooper but I have to be up before dawn to visit patients, so I'm calling it a night."
Dan put his hand on Doc's, "Doctor Adams, may I go with you tomorrow?"
"Of course, as long as you start calling me Doc like everyone else."
"All right Doctor, I mean Doc."
"Good, be outside my office by sun-up or I'll have to go without you."
Matt
Matt woke to the pungent smell of rabbit stew. He looked out the window; it was evening. He'd slept longer than he intended. He sat on the side of the bed to pull on his boots and glanced around for the first time. Earlier he'd collapsed to sleep without noticing a thing. The room was stark. A plain wooden cross hung above the bed and a well-worn prayer book entitled, The Book of Private Devotions sat on a nightstand. A small, plain dresser was the only other piece of furniture in the room. A bible sat on top next to a pitcher and bowl. He poured water into the bowl and splashed his face. As he dried himself with his shirtsleeve he noticed there was no mirror.
He went into the front room and saw Linda sitting by the window with her rifle by her side. She continued watching through the curtains as she spoke. "I wondered if the smell of stew would be strong enough to wake you."
"Sorry I slept so long."
"I'm not. We're best off if you're rested, anyway nothing's happened. Go have some stew, I've eaten."
He filled a bowl and ate a forkful. "This sure is good." He took a few more bites. "It's wonderful how you've kept this place up, hunted and everything even though … well even … well you're having a baby and…" He stammered not really knowing what he was trying to say.
He saw her shrug and was relieved to hear laughter in her voice. "Matt, being with child didn't harm my eyesight or slow my trigger finger. My pa always said hunting takes patience and that's one thing a woman in my condition learns. I expect I'll learn it even better when my baby's born. It's funny though, I'll bet if I had a brother, my pa wouldn't have taught me to shoot."
Matt nodded as he swallowed, "A lot of women don't learn to shoot. I started teaching Kitty right after she got to Dodge."
He froze with his fork in mid-air unable to believe what he'd blurted out. He never spoke about Kitty except occasionally to Doc.
"Who's Kitty?" Her voice brimmed with curiosity.
She didn't wait for an answer.
"Matt, they're here and there are more than two."
Dodge
Kitty and Dan talked and drank long after Doc left. Dan recounted how at boarding school he and a friend often raided the kitchen for cookies late at night.
"You mean you never got caught?"
"Once by the headmaster, but he didn't tell. He was raiding the kitchen too."
Kitty burst out laughing. Dan joined in and ordered another round of beers.
The hours flew by. The Long Branch was all but empty when Dan leaned over and smiled, "Kitty, it's obvious you know how to make a man feel good."
She lifted a brow at his choice of words. Dan Sawyer was tipsy. She was about to suggest they call it night when a crash and shots interrupted. Three men with beer-shiny eyes burst in hollering and shooting at the ceiling. The oldest of the three, a toothless old coot, spotted Kitty and yanked her from her chair. He plastered a sloppy, wet kiss on her cheek, "You are pretty and I got money."
Dan jumped to his feet, "Let her go." The old timer shoved Dan down with surprising strength and tightened his grip on Kitty. "Wait your turn youngin."
One of the other men lurched over, "Hey Gramps, you got a pretty one."
"Yep, you keep an eye on fancy pants for me."
The man grinned and pointed a shaky pistol at Dan. Dan watched in helpless horror as the crazy old coot pulled Kitty along. He didn't notice that she was angling towards Clem, standing watchfully behind the bar. Eyes on Kitty, Clem slowly bent down and grasped a wooden mallet. When Kitty got the old geezer close enough, the bartender whacked him on the head. He sank to the floor. Clem quickly slid a derringer across the bar to Kitty and moved to the other end to get a rifle.
The man who'd been guarding Dan suddenly looked confused. He waved his pistol at Kitty. "Put that gun down before you hurt somebody." She could see he was too drunk to aim.
"Take one step mister and I'll put a bullet in you."
"You don't scare me." He made a show of taking a step.
She aimed and hit him squarely in the right shoulder. He howled in pain and dropped his gun. Clem had hold of his rifle and pointed it at the third man. He dropped his gun and lifted his hands. "We didn't mean no harm."
Clem nodded towards the door and somehow the trio managed to stagger out.
Kitty sank into a chair. "Let's lock up Clem. I'm more than ready."
"Me too Miss Kitty, and let's hope the marshal gets back soon. We can handle stuff like this but it's sure a lot easier when he's around."
"Amen Clem, amen."
Dan walked over to Kitty with raw admiration on his face. "That was amazing, especially the way you handled the gun. I'm embarrassed I was so useless."
She smiled tiredly. "Matt's been teaching me to use a gun for a few years now, but he goes back and forth about me carrying it all the time. As far as you feeling useless, don't be silly. I'd feel useless in a Boston hospital. Don't give it another thought."
TBC