Choices

Chapter 4

Is The Threat Gone?

Matt swished his shaving brush in the water to soften the badger hair bristles. Not that it needed a lot of softening. Like everything else, Kitty had bought him the best. There would be no boar, or horsehair for her husband. The face in the mirror smiled back at him. That woman lived to spoil him; and despite the fuss that he put up—he loved it.

He whipped the soft soap into a creamy foam and dipped in the long, silver-tipped bristles. With a gentle tap, to drop off the white glop hanging on the tips, Matt began to paint his stubbly cheeks and chin. Soon, he resembled that jolly Christmas fella with his white-lather beard.

As he turned to make the first swipe with the razor, he spied curious little blue eyes, following his every move. "Do you think Daddy would look good in a beard?"

"Daddy like Santa Caus." Hadley's speech was riddled with giggling. "Pick me up…here, Daddy..." She pointed to the top of the vanity. "Up here!"

"You wanta watch Daddy shave?" He set the brush back into the soap bowl and picked up his youngest child as ordered. "You can only sit here if you don't touch anything. Just watch."

The little girl stared up, with her Momma's big blue eyes. Her face was as serious as her tone was solemn. "I be good. Pwomise Daddy."

Matt studied the girl for only a moment, wondering how long this promise would last. "Okay. You can watch daddy. But remember—don't touch anything."

"`Kay." The little freckled face tilted from one side to the other, watching her daddy take long swipes through the lather. "Do it huwt?"

He swished the blade in the water to clean it off. "It only hurts if you cut yourself. But Daddy has had a lot of practice, so I'm pretty good at this." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her mimic his facial expressions as he shaved around his nose and upper lip. She leaned forward for a closer look.

"Want to touch the smooth skin?" Matt leaned down letting a pudgy little index finger slide down the freshly shaved strip. "What do you think?"

"Oooh, Daddy, you soff!" She snapped back, full of giggles and laughter again. "Do me, Daddy. Do me." Hadley pulled her lips between her teeth to bare the spot on her upper lip. Matt obligingly smeared the foam mustache across her face with a matching beard. He cleaned off the razor then flipped it over to the dull side of the blade.

"Okay, hold still." That was going to be the hard part. Matt wasn't sure if Calleigh had taught the little girl, or if it was just a case of inheriting bad traits. All he knew was that using terms such as, Keep quiet and hold still, were pointless with either of his daughters, grown or toddler.

His first swipe ended in a fit of giggles, with hands flying over her face, smearing the soap. "Is feel funny, daddy!"

"What is going on in here?" Kitty stood in the doorway of the water closet, arms crossed and sounding every bit the annoyed parent. Unfortunately, the smirk she tried to hide was contradictory to her tone. "Why is my daughter's face covered in soap?"

Before there was time for either an answer or an excuse, a third redhead popped up behind Kitty. "Where's Hadley? We're ready to go." She caught sight of the two foamy faces and broke into laughter. "Who's teaching who to shave here?"

Kitty stepped forward and settled Hadley back on the counter. She dunked a washcloth in the basin of warm water and rinsed the soap from the tiny redhead. "I knew my pretty girl was hiding under all that foam."

The littlest redhead was fickle if nothing else. She had lost her fascination for shaving as soon as she remembered that Calleigh was going to take her to town for some jellybeans. Not just take her, but take her on Belle. She wanted to ride by herself, like Cooper did with Toga, but she just wasn't big enough yet. Small hands reached around Kitty, fingers wiggling, while littering the room with pleading words. "Sissy, I wanna go wif you. Pweese."

"Hey!" Matt stood, his mouth hanging open in a mask of white foam. "What about me? What about helping Daddy shave?"

"We done, Daddy. Wove you." She leaned forward and Calleigh swooped the girl into her arms.3

"Did Doc say you could-"

"It's healed." She shot back before Kitty could finish. "Poppy took the bandages off two days ago."

"Bye-bye." Hadley bounced against her sister's hip to get her to move. "M'on, Sissy."

"All right! Slow down, little miss. Give them a kiss." She leaned over enough for Hadley to dispense kisses. "Can I pick up anything in town for you?"

"No, but thank you. What time will you be back?" Kitty reached out to stroke the cheek of her youngest child—the one squirming anxiously to get to Jonas' store.

"Not 'til later. We'll be back in time for dinner." Small hands reached up, framing Calleigh's face and pulling it down to her own in an effort to relay the urgency of their departure. "Okay, we're out of here."

Kitty turned back around, only to be confronted with a face that was a composite of abandonment and rejection. "Don't look so sad." She stepped closer with a comforting smile. "It's hard to compete with jellybeans." Matt's wife took the place of his daughter, as she leaned against the vanity facing him. With an indignant grunt, the marshal returned to his grooming.

Matt wiped the damp cloth over his freshly shaved face. Before he had a chance to look in the mirror, a pretty redhead stepped between him and the looking glass. "You missed a spot." One lone finger reached out to touch a tiny patch of white foam and wiped it clean. Once she finished, he reached for the bottle of Bay rum balm and patted down both cheeks and under his chin.

Kitty closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. "I love that smell on you."

That was enough of an invitation for him. With minimal finesse, but an overabundance of lust, Matt pulled Kitty into his arms. His mouth came down on hers as if it had been years since he had sampled the sweet taste of her mouth, instead of only a couple of hours. His hands continued to roam down her body in a firm but loving touch as he began to walk her backward into the bedroom.

"What are you doing?" She stumbled as his large frame pushed faster than her steps could move.

Large hands slid into place to steady her. "I just want to give you a chance to really smell this balm." His words came slower as he edged her closer to the bed. "Not just a little whiff…but a long…deep…breath." The last word brought them close enough to the bed that all it took was a gentle shove. The two toppled onto the feather mattress with a plop and a laugh.

"Marshal Dillon, you do realize its broad daylight! What will people think?" She tried to squirm out from under him, but he had left no wiggle room.

"They will think what a lucky man that Matt Dillon is." Once again his mouth came in search of hers.

Kitty tried to reason with him, but her body was betraying her. "Matt, honey, the kids-"

"You heard Calleigh," His lips nestled along her cheek, his warm breath in her ear. "They won't be back until late." The man was a wizard with finding his way through layers of cotton and lace. Kitty's body ached for his touch, but it still took her breath away when his long, powerful fingers slipped through the copper curls into her moist center.

The soft, sweet sound of her sighs and moans in his ear only spurred him to move faster. To reach deeper. As he found the center of her needs, she surrendered everything to him. His hands tantalized and teased. His fingers massaged and stroked, until she cried out his name as the exquisite climax flooded through her body. Matt covered her face in kisses, whispering, "I love you Kitten."

Their eyes locked as her gaze burned into his soul. Kitty reached down, releasing the buttons on his canvas pants one pop at a time. When the last button was released, she reached in to caress the throbbing hardness waiting for her. "Are you going to make me ask?"

"Never." He was her prisoner now. Matt pulled himself away from her long enough to rid himself of useless garments. Kitty melted into his arms, as though God had made her for that sole purpose. She stretched beneath him, their blue eyes shutting out the rest of the world, seeing only each other, feeling only each other. Her sweet hushed sighs were lost in his groaning gasp for air as their bodies merged. For a moment, they held fast, savoring the exquisite sensation of the coupling. When he felt those long, slender legs wrap tightly around his waist, it propelled him to find his way in deeper. The rhythm was set, as the two lovers began their dance, leading to the ultimate climax.

Matt raised up with her still cradled in his arms. Remnants of a wicked smile still lingered on his lips, as he leaned down to kiss her again. "Don't you just love mornings?"

"I love mornings—with you." She purred softly. A gentle, slender hand, stroked lovingly along his cheek. "You've been as tense as a long tailed cat in a room full of rockers, these last couple of days. What's changed?"

He propped himself up on one elbow, tucking her still naked body closer to his. "I checked with Howie. Sycksea checked out of the Dodge House and Moss said he hasn't returned with his horse."

"You're still worried about Calleigh though, aren't you?" Kitty knew that Matt had been trying to keep his concerns to himself. Undoubtedly, he was sharing them with Newly and Festus, but it would be Matt Dillon's way to shelter his girls.

"Let's just say, I feel better with him out of town." Another feathery kiss touched her lips.

"We need to get dressed." Her comment was met with yet another kiss and hands that began to fondle and caress. Kitty laughed as she pushed his hands away. "Matt, we have to get up. I thought you were supposed to meet with Judge Brooker this afternoon?"

"That's this afternoon..." He nuzzled the soft flesh below her ear. "It's still early yet."

Kitty managed to wiggle out of his hold. She wrapped herself in the sheet and stepped away from the bed. "If we don't stop, we'll be in this bed all day. You'll miss your meeting and there won't be any supper ready when the family gets home. Now, get."

The mighty Marshal grumbled as he retrieved the clothes he had so eagerly discarded "I'll go, but I won't like it." He shoved his foot into the first size sixteen boot, before stomping into its mate. "You sure?"

Just before disappearing into the water closet, she turned to address his question. He was hard to turn down. For just a moment, Kitty was caught up in those blue eyes and that wicked smile, that promised so much pleasure. She took a step back into the bedroom. "I love you, Cowboy."

Matt retreated; she had said just the right thing to make him back down. Those four words confirmed three things: the obvious—that she loved him; second, she wanted to, but they both had obligations at the moment; and third, she would be waiting for him tonight.

TBC