Pt. 4

"Hey, Chester." Doc called from the doorway of the jail. "I see Matt riding in. Ya get your chores done, did ya?"

Chester briefly glared at Doc as he stepped out onto the boardwalk and looked up the street to see him employer slowly loping down the street towards them. "I didn't have no chores, for your information. Mr. Dillon just told me to keep an eye on things."

"Which one?" Doc asked.

Chester's glare turned into a look of irritated puzzlement. "Which one, what?"

"Which eye did you use to watch over things?" Doc asked, scrubbing his mustache to hide a smile. "I know it couldn't be both of them, cause you've kept one of em on that pretty little new girl down at the Long Branch, most of the time."

Chester's expression softened a touch, at the mention of her. "She sure is pretty little ol' thing, ain't she, Doc."

Doc nodded in eager agreement. "Yeah, she sure is, Chester. But she's not interested in either one of us."

Chester's scowl returned as he looked over at Doc. "I know she wouldn't be interested in an old man like you but how do you know she ain't interested in me?"

"Oh, good heavens, Chester." It was Doc's turn to show irritation. "Anybody with eyes could tell that. That little girl is polite and just sweet as she can be, but she doesn't have that lo0k in her eyes, when she looks at you or me, or anyone else for that matter."

"What look?" Doc could sure be confusing at times.

"The one that says she's not only interested, but willing." Doc explained, knowing as he did so, that Chester probably still wouldn't get it.

"Willing to do what?"

Doc turned in exasperation and started to say something sarcastic in reply, when Matt finally rode up to them.

"Hello, Doc, Chester. What are you two up to?" Matt smiled at his friends as he got carefully off of his horse.

"Ah, nothing, Mr. Dillon." Chester answered with an irritated look at Doc.

Doc didn't notice because he was watching the cautious movements the young lawman was making as he dismounted. "Matt, come up to my office, if you would. I want to have a look at you."

"What for?" Matt asked, hoping Doc hadn't noticed anything.

He had. "You're a favoring that left side and I just saw you wince when you got off your horse."

"Gracious, Mr. Dillon." Chester exclaimed. "Are you hurt?"

"No, no." Matt denied. "I'm not hurt. My prisoner and I got into a scuffle is all and I've got a few bruises. It's nothing."

"Yeah, well, I still want you to come up to my office and let me look at that 'nothing'." Doc responded.

"Doc…"

"Now, Matt." Doc said sternly. "I don't want to have to wire the war department on you but I will. Now, I promise it won't take long, so come on."

Matt really didn't want Doc poking and prodding on him, but he was tired and his ribs really were hurting. Besides, by now, he knew Doc well enough to know he'd do what he said. "Alright, Doc. I'm coming."

"Mr. Dillon?" Chester turned concerned eyes on his employer. "Ain't there nothing I can do for ya?"

"Yeah, Chester." Matt answered with a nod towards his horse. "Would you take my horse down to the stable? Tell Moss to give him plenty of grain and a good rub down. He's had a hard ride these last few days."

"I sure will, Mr. Dillon." Chester smiled at his employer and grabbed the horse's reins. "Come on, boy." He coaxed the animal on but stopped a few steps later. " ? After Doc gets through a torturing ya, would you like to have a beer down at the Long Branch? I'll buy." Chester figured his boss being with him, would make the excursion to the saloon more like business and it'd give him another chance to see that new girl down there.

Matt thought that over and decided when Doc got through with him; he'd probably need a beer or something stronger. "Sounds good, Chester." Matt answered. "I'll meet you there in about an hour or so. I'll have to come back here first."

"Alright, Mr. Dillon."

As Chester led Matt's horse off, Matt turned to Doc. "Alright, Doc. Let's get this over with. And while we're at it, maybe you can tell me what's down at the Long Branch that's got Chester willing to buy a round of beers to see."

Doc chuckled as he led the way to his office. "Oh, you'll just have to see for yourself." He grinned.

A little over an hour later, Matt stepped out of his office, ribs wrapped, clean shirt and fresh shave. Doc had finally told him there was a new girl working down there that was just as pretty as a picture. Although Matt had no plan to court the girl, or even show her any interest at all, he didn't want to scare her by looking and smelling like a buffalo, either.

As he was shaving, his mind briefly flickered to the girl he'd seen in the café, the morning he'd left. Doc's description of the new girl fit, but he shook that thought away. The girl in the café was simply that, a girl. And even if she was old enough to work in a saloon, she had looked too refined for that business. No, that girl in the café was class.

Popping his hat on his head and adjusting it, Matt strolled down to the saloon and paused at the doors. He spotted Chester and Doc at the bar talking to a woman, whose back was to him. But there was no mistaking the color of her hair. Idly, he wondered if it was her real hair color. He'd seen plenty of saloon girls dye their hair that color, simply because it was popular.

How he knew their real hair color, he'd never admit, but Matt was a man after all. And just because he was willing to deny himself a wife and family, didn't mean he was willing to deny himself everything. There were times that he'd sought a few hours respite from the pressures of his job there. It was just the way things were.

Finally, he pushed through the doors and made his way over to the bar, remembering it was still a week before his paycheck was due in and he had little in his pockets. So he knew he couldn't stay long.

As he crossed the room, Chester looked up and saw him coming. "Mr. Dillon." Chester waved him over. Looking at the woman beside him, he smiled. "Miss Kitty, this here is Mr. Dillon."

Matt pasted on a smile, but it froze when the woman turned around and he saw the girl from the café. Although, the makeup and suggestive dress, she wore, made her look a little older, he still saw the same young girl whose image had accompanied him on his recent trip. "Uh, Ma'am." He took his hat off and ran his hand through his thick wavy hair, before extending that hand to her. "Nice to meet you."

The girl raised a slender hand to his as she arched a brow in amusement and something else, he wasn't sure of. "Nice to meet you, Cowboy. I'm Kitty Russell."

As Matt shook her hand and tried desperately not to trip over his own tongue, Doc stood to the side watching them. There it was. The look. She had it now, and it was reserved solely for his stoic young friend, the Marshal.

Taking a sip of his beer, Doc grinned.

This was going to be interesting.

TBC