After spending 5 days in Topeka, Kitty and Matt were packing to return to Dodge the following morning. Matt looked over at his wife as she carefully folded baby clothes. Over the past two days he had noticed Kitty getting lost in her own thoughts, and knew she had something to say.
Kitty felt her husband's eyes upon her. She knew she had been unusually quiet, but had wanted to formulate a plan before discussing things with Matt. Over the past days she had come to realize not only how much work taking care of twins entailed, but also how much she relished each moment. She loved watching every tiny little development more that she ever imagined was possible. Every day brought something new, and she didn't want to miss a thing.
Deciding it was time to talk, Kitty sat on the side of the bed, "Matt, I've been thinking about something, and I want your opinion. I'm considering taking a partner into the Long Branch. Someone to handle the day-to-day operations. I figure I could do bookkeeping, write orders and such, the things I can do in the office a few mornings a week or even at home, but I feel that Felicity and Grace need me more than the saloon does, and well – I want to be with them. I really, really want to be with them. What do you think?"
Matt had spent 5 days watching the glowing joy emanating from his wife as she spent time with their girls, but he feigned total shock, "Kitty, are you really telling me that you want to give up regular encounters with lewd drunks and crazy cowboys, just to spent time with Felicity and Grace?"
Kitty burst out laughing. "Hard as that may be to believe Cowboy, it is the case. Of course giving up the Saturday night crowd will be a particular hardship."
Matt smiled, "Kitty if that's what you want, I'm all for it. We can put ads in the statewide newspapers tomorrow before we get on the train."
The Next Day - Dodge
The train pulled into Dodge, and Matt and Kitty started down the steps, each holding a baby. Halfway down they froze, surprised and overwhelmed to see a crowd of well- wishers gathered there to welcome them. Many were holding gifts. Doc, Festus, Newly, Sam, Bess Ronniger, Ma Smaley, Mr. Jonas, Burke, Mr. and Mrs. Botkins and many others were there. The sweet, lovable, hopeless town drunk, Louis, was even there holding a small box.
Doc stepped in front of the others with grin as wide as the Mississippi river. After descending the stairs, Matt walked over to him extending his arms, "This one's Felicity Gale. Please hold her while I get the bags."
Grandly extending his arms, Doc nodded, "With pleasure Matt with pleasure."
A few minutes later, Matt set their bags on the sidewalk, and smiled as everyone gathered around Doc and Kitty oohing and aahing over the babies.
"Um Matthew." Matt turned towards the voice. Festus stood there, extending a piece of paper, "Sorry I got to give ya this right when ya got back Matthew, but my understandin is it's important."
Matt took the telegram, Talbert escaped custody. Armed and dangerous, must be apprehended immediately.
"Festus, when did this arrive?"
"Just a bit ago, Matthew."
"Good. Festus I need you to put some supplies together for me and get my horse ready. I'll be back in 20 minutes."
Kitty overheard the exchange with a sinking heart. She wanted to ask Matt not to go, but knew it would be futile, and besides she felt she had no right, he still had a job to do, and marriage and children didn't change that. After all she had been telling him for years that even a US Marshal could have a family.
Quickly thanking everyone, she walked over to Matt, as Newly loaded the baby gifts onto their wagon. Trying to keep the emotion out of her voice, she looked up at him, "Do you have time to get me and the girls home?"
"Yes, Festus is getting things ready for me, but we should go now."
Kitty nodded, and they settled into the wagon with the babies and headed home at a brisk pace.
After helping Kitty and the twins into the house, Matt quickly brought their bags upstairs, and found Kitty standing there ready to say goodbye. He kissed her and gently touched her cheek, "See you later." Then he kissed the foreheads of his girls and left.
As he rode away, Matt tried to put Kitty's worried expression and the images of his tiny daughters out of his head. The last thing he wanted was to lose focus on the matter at hand. The man he was tracking was dangerous, and distraction was an enemy.
Three Days Later
Matt had been gone for three days and Kitty hadn't heard a word. She told herself it was because he hadn't been near a town with a telegraph office, quickly pushing from her mind any thought that he could be lying out there wounded or dead,
Fortunately she hadn't had much time to think. The twins and the saloon kept her busy. She hadn't found a partner yet, so implemented some temporary changes in the Long Branch. She hired an additional bartender, and gave Sam greater managerial responsibilities, assuring him it was temporary. She knew he was uncomfortable being a boss. He was a smart, strong man who easily handled drunks and panhandlers, but just didn't like telling his fellow workers what to do. Aside from that he truly disliked paperwork of any kind. Of course, Sam would never refuse to do anything she asked, and said he'd be happy to help for as long as she needed.
Hoping to relieve Sam of unwanted duties as soon as possible, and wanting to get a permanent situation in place for her own peace of mind, Kitty had been carefully going through responses from potential partners who had seen her ad. Several candidates were coming to Dodge to be interviewed and take a look the Long Branch.
Now with the girls napping and there being no more mail to go through, Kitty's mind turned to Matt, as it always did when she was idle. She looked at the sleeping babies, and realized that her days of motherhood had given her new insight into the man she loved. He had resisted marriage and family because of his parents. He was a boy when his father, a Texas Ranger, was killed in the line of duty, throwing his mother into a deep despair. With no husband, and no means of support, she quickly sold their small ranch, and she and Matt moved into a place that was not much more than a shack. The money from the sale didn't last long, and they found themselves descending into greater, and greater poverty. For the year and half that his mother continued to live, Matt watched her grow more and more ill, as their lives worsened day by day. 18 months after her husband was killed, Matt's mother died a poor and sad woman, who had grown old before her years, leaving her son to the kindness of strangers.
Now, as a mother, Kitty realized how hard raising children alone would be. Oh she could, and would if she had to, and she'd make sure the twins had a good life. She was not like Matt's mother, and Matt knew that. She was sure of it. However, as she pictured her girls growing up, she thought about some terrible things she had gone through as a teenager, and knew she'd move heaven and earth to make sure Felicity and Grace didn't suffer those things. For so long, Matt had avoided having a wife and children, so they didn't suffer the way he and his mother had. She still thought he had been wrong to try to control the future that way, but she more fully understood, and loved him more than ever.
TBC
