Second Reunion

Waco left Dodge that afternoon keeping to a measured canter, two hours later he heard hoof beats, he stopped and turned seeing Festus coming on Ruth. "I gots to thinking after you left got to figuring that Matthew might be in trouble. Sos I left Newly in charge of the jail and headed on after you."

"I didn't inquire as to your name, when we talked earlier, but I got figure that you're Festus Haggens," Festus nodded, "Matt Dillon, he told me a lot about you, Newly, Doc and Miss Kitty. I got to figure from the way he talked about Miss Kitty, that he has some strong feelings about her," they now rode side by side.

"You're right there, not that he'll flat out tell you, keeps his feelings to hisself mostly," Waco nodded.

"I know the type, my Pa was like that, come to think so was my Ma. Oh I knew well enough that they loved me, never heard them say it out, never heard them," they rode on stopping only to spell their mounts and take a drink of water.

Matt, Scout and Nate Cade took turns on look out during the night. It was the latter part of the morning when Matt spotted the men coming. "You girls get to the cellar, it's starting," the women went down into the cellar taking little Dillon with them, one of the men rode forward.

"Come out here, Marshal, so I know who I'm going to kill," Matt slipped out of the door, his rifle in his left hand freeing his right hand to pull his forty-five if necessary.

"Your boy called it pointing a gun at me is never a good idea," Matt went back indoors.

Armstrong and his men started into shooting straightway, they kept it up for four hours then a lucky bullet hit through a broken pane of glass and caught Matt in the left shoulder. "Ah!"

"You alright, Marshal?" Nate Cade asked.

"Sure, it's just a scratch, not worth mentioning really just stung me is all," Matt was understating it slightly, Scout saw the blood seeping through the cloth of Matt's shirt and removed his bandana he wrapped it round the wound.

"You know what Doc would say if you returned to Dodge more dead than alive," Matt just grinned.

"I have a suspicion," more shots and a bullet took Matt in the left leg a mite more serious than his shoulder, Matt cursed then and shot back. A horse squealed nervously as bullets whizzed past the riders' heads. "Looks like we got help, now," Matt said, two riders galloped side by side and one of them was riding a mule.

"Matt, I only know one man who rides a mule," Scout said.

"Festus," Matt said. "Nate you recognize the other rider? Can't be two like him anywhere."

"Yeah, Waco Thompson," Nate said smiling.

"I heard he was due for release," out of the corner of his eye Matt saw Silas Armstrong charge in, his bullet took Armstrong in the chest, as soon as they saw their boss fall dead, the men lost heart and ran. "Nate, I don't think you'll have any trouble from the Armstrongs' anymore," Festus and Waco came through the door.

"Well, if I live to be three hundred ain't you a sight for sore eyes, Marshal?"

"You too, Waco, you too," the girls came up from the cellar with little Dillon.

"Mr Dillon," Polly said, "you best sit before you fall down," Matt nodded and sat on a chair while she doctored his leg and arm.

"Waco, remember the boy?" Waco looked at little Dillon and smiled.

"Well, if I live to be three hundred, he sure is well fashioned."

"One Moon named him Dillon Waco Two Moons," Dillon showed Waco his horses.

"Grandpa Cade made them."

"They're real nice," Waco went back out to tend his horse and Ruth, Festus's mule. He returned shortly after.

"Waco that's a real fine horse you rode in on," Waco explained about catching the herd of fifteen and selling to the army.

"I kept him and five mares, going to buy some land near here, start breeding horses."

"You going to be able to ride ol Buck, Matthew with that leg?" Festus asked.

"Depends on how much it stiffens up overnight," Matt said, the girls called them all to the meal table. Little Dillon sat between Waco and Matt.

"Well, now that was the best Pork dinner I've had in a long long time," Waco said. Nate Cade told Waco of some land north of his place that was still free range. "That sounds just right, I can bring my mares up from Dodge when I've got a cabin and a couple of corrals built."

"You need any help you let me know, y' hear?"

"Sounds good to me," they bedded down for the night and the next morning set off back to Dodge arriving a day and a half later. Doc frowned seeing Matt's leg and arm; he rubbed a finger over his upper lip.

"Matt I want you up in my office right now so I can take look at you," Doc groused.

"Sure, Doc, soon as I get Buck…"

"No, Matt, now, Festus will look after Buck, won't you?"

"You bet ya, Doc, Matthew you take heed to Doc you know'd he won't take no fer and answer the old quack quack," Matt dismounted stiffly and followed Doc up the stairs for once resigning himself to his fate.

"Who took care of your leg and arm? The wounds are good and clean."

"Mrs Cade," the door opened and Kitty sailed in.

"She did a pretty good job," Matt grinned at Kitty over Doc's head.

"Howdy, Kitty, I'll be over later for a beer."

"No you won't, you're going straight to bed in my backroom for a couple days, I don't you putting too much weight on it and undoing Mrs Cade's good work," Kitty smiled at him.

"I'll send you over a bucket of beer, Cowboy," Matt smiled resigned at least for now to staying at Doc's, Festus came up to the office with Scout.

"Festus, you make sure he stays here, he moves out of that bed and it's your hide," Festus raised his eyes skyward he'd heard all of this before from Doc. Everything was fer blame sure back to normal in Dodge, and that was the way it should be, Festus thought.