Kitty found it hard to focus on her task at hand, counting whiskey barrels just didn't seem all that important right at the moment, so she slowly made her way up the stairs. Kitty was deep in thoughts of Matt and what she would wear to work tonight, then more thoughts of Matt and what she would wear for him tonight. Oh how she felt as if she were a young girl all so giddy in love for the first time. A broad smile developed across her face because there was no hiding it, she was in fact in love with the man.

Matt made his way about town in search of something to occupy the idle time. Marshal Dillon had not one job duty that he could perform on this day. He had absolutely nothing to do, no warrants to serve, no desperado's to track, not even one bar room brawl to break up. Matt, unsuccessful in turning any thing up, made his way to his familiar easy chair in front of his office, there he would set back and rest up for the nights activities. He began to settled in for a mid day slumber as he tugged his hat down over his eyes Doc moved up beside him surveying the sight before him .

"What in tar nation do you think your doing?" he growled while scratching at his ear.

"Not a thing, Doc ." Matt replied tilting his head back to view the Doctor better from under the brim of his stetson.

"Precisely what I mean…nothing…Government's just wasting it's money on the likes of you." he barked at Matt

"Doc… I tried…couldn't stir up a thing." Matt declared.

"I see… you just plum wore yourself out trying...didn't ya." replied Doc as he fumble with the tooth pick in his mouth.

"Yep...I sure did." Matt chuckled.

"I'm going over to the Long Branch…how about you?" the ole' physician questioned.

"Oh no... Doc, I'm kinda comfortable here." announced Matt.

"Don't ya want to go and see Kitty?" Doc tied to spark some interest into Matt.

"No...I'll see her later tonight." Matt stretched his large frame out half blocking Doc pathway.

"Well suit yourself ole' boy " Doc waved off to Matt as he ambled his way across front street to his favorite watering hole.

"See ya, Doc." Matt called out to him.

The nightfall had finally arrived in town with it's darkness engulfing all of Dodge City. Matt began his evening ritual of making his rounds,all alone tonight for a change, he would make sure that the back alley of the Long Branch was his last stop. He said a silent prayer in hopes that neither Chester nor Festus would catch him out on the street and delay his meeting up with Kitty later. Satisfied that all of Dodge was locked up tight, Matt made his way down the alley behind the saloon. The moons glow illuminated the stairway up to Kitty's back door. There was no sign of her. Matt began to worry that maybe she had changed her mind, but he decided he would give her a little more time, it was still early yet and he could wait a bit. He impatiently played with his revolver, quick drawing the piece and hand spinning it forward and backward back into his holster. Kitty had moved in quietly behind him and watched as he practiced his craft he had so finely tuned to almost near perfection. She admired his fluid movement with his almost thoughtless speed. Holstering his gun and readying for another go around, Matt noticed Kitty's moon lit shadow laying down across his feet.

"Hello Cowboy." she spoke to him with a deep sultry voice.

"How long have you been standing there?" a embarrassed look about his face as he turned in her direction.

"Oh… long enough…why." Kitty gleamed with a smile.

"Well… a man doesn't like to be caught a fool ." bashfully looking down to kick at a rock in the dirt.

"Please, Matt…remember who your talking to… a fool…huh… how about I show you a fool." she moved in closer for him to take her in his arms and she placed a kiss upon his inviting lips.

Matt gathered Kitty up into his strong arms and made his way with her up the stairs to the awaiting bed. A flurry of breath taking kisses over whelmed them . The seductive art of unclothing one another began and the game was played out until there was nothing between their bodies. Matt would slowly take her and she would welcome him into her inner most sanctuary. Kitty had never given herself so freely to such a man, there would be no reserve left in her when Matt had finished. Together their bodies had made the breath taking journey to heaven as it was on earth. A content feeling eased the both of them ,enjoying the feel of the warmth they had created against each others skin. Their lovemaking had taken away all thoughts of the ugly cruel world that so often abounded them, it brought a great comfort with it's end.

Hours had passed and the two still lay wrapped in one another arms. Kitty rested her head against Matt's chest, listening to the rhythmic lullaby of his beating heart. She brushed across a small indention to the left of Matt's ribcage, so small it might have gone unnoticed if she had not known it's location. That small imprefection brought back a flood of memories, of a time she begged her God above for just a little more time with him, more time so she would able to reveal to him all the things she had not had the chance to before that day . After that she would remind herself each day that their time together could be cut short at any moment and to live every day from then on as the possible last one together. She knew that what they had shared tonight would make it ever harder now.

"Matt, do the bullet wounds still hurt?" she quizzed him encircling the divot in his skin.

"I guess you could say it burns mostly...depends on which one we're talking about...Why?" he questioned back with concern.

"Oh...I was just wondering, how you face that everyday of your life...the long and lasting pains of this job of yours... just how many times have you been shot anyway?" she asked tracing the outline of another area she found upon his arm with her fingers.

" Ah...a few times...but hey now... we don't need to be wasting our time on my bullet holes... do we?" he replied passively turning to steal a kiss from her lips.

"Kitty…I'll have to be going soon…you know" he stated as he caressed her sweat dampened red tresses

" Yes…I figured that." with sorrowful replied to him, she rubbed her hand across his chest.

"I'll be leaving sometime shortly before dawn… I need to be back at the jail before…" Kitty cut into Matt's statement.

"…the rest of the town wakes up and catches you here with me. " spoke Kitty with a tone of sarcastic disappointment.

"No…not exactly…what I was going to say was… before Tom Donavon gets into town. We have to ride to Garden City this morning to look at those stolen horses he claims are his." he boldly stated in a scolding way as he pulled his large body up from under Kitty's to rest against the headboard of her bed.

" Do you think for one minute that I'm concerned with what this town and it's people think of me or about us for that matter…. Kitty, it's not like that at all… I just can't jeopardized in any way what we have… If any number of my enemies out there were to ever found out that I have something they can harm or even destroy... then they've won…they've beaten me… Kitty, I'm not hiding us because of shame… It's because I'm scared to death…yea…scared of something happening to you and what that would do to me. I don't want to ever feel that pain…I'm scared of hurting like that. That would be worse than any bullet I've ever taken." Matt's eyes pleaded to her.

"Matt, I understand …I truly do…It's just that I want a promise of what every other woman has … a security of a relationship out in the open…not just what goes on behind closed doors …something to be proud of …people to know we are a part of each other." Kitty replied shameful of her true feelings as she reached to brush her hand against his face .

"Kitty, I know you do…I want you to have everything you want too, but it can't be that way with me…I'm sorry, I just can't make promises that I can't keep. This is exactly why I tried so damn hard not to fall for you." he professed openly unto her .

Matt pulled her up by the shoulders to look her square in her eyes. Her beautiful face pleaded for him to say something else, but only this time say the story book things she so wanted to hear. His silence held her with the fear that he would end it all before he had ever given it a honest chance to begin.

" You know things are complicated with the job I have. My responsibilities will take me away and I won't always be able to be here when you might need me. I can only give you this much right now...maybe ever...can you understand and except that... Kitty, I need to know if you can live your life this way with me." he spoke out a harsh but honest reality.