PT.10
4th of July Surprise
Conclusion

Just before dawn, Kitty was still walking around but staying close to bushes so that she could hide if she saw Trevor or Jay. She was now exhausted. She was just coming up and over another hill, when she spotted what looked like three riders. At first she was going to hide, but she wasn't sure if it was her own imagination or wishful think but she thought she recognized Matt and Festus.

To herself she mumbled, "Kitty, ol' girl, you've been out here much too long. How would you recognize anyone from this distance?" Then the closer they came she realized, they were real.

Now she tried to run, but barely had the strength. She was trying to yell out his name. "Matt! Matt!"

When Matt got close enough, he flew off Buck and ran over to her. "Kitty. Kit, Honey. I'm here!"

Kitty grabbed on to him and began to cry. "Cowboy, I thought... I thought…"

"It's ok, Kit, I got ya. Are you ok?"

"I am now. I am now. Oh, Cowboy, just hold me, please."

Matt just sat there for a few minutes and held her tight. Then he looked at her and brushed her hair from her face. "Let's go home."

As they got up, Festus and Lily/Amelia were standing by the horses.

Kitty looked at Festus and touched his face. "Yur gonna be ok, Miz Kitty. We're gonna make things ok fur ya. I garontee it. Don't you be a worrin' bout nuttin'."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and smiled. Then she looked at Lily/Amelia. Stared her right in the eye with a dead stare and without any warning, backhanded her, knocking her to the ground. "We'll settle this later." She said in a deep angry voice.

Matt pulled her up onto Buck with him and they rode back to town. She rested her head on his shoulder the whole ride. Lily/Amelia didn't utter a word the entire time; she just kept rubbing her face.

When they made it to town, Matt had Festus take Lily/Amelia to the jail while he took Kitty up to Doc's office.

Doc was surprised to see Matt carrying Kitty in. "Matt, is she ok?"

"She says she is, Doc, but you know Kitty."

Doc chuckled, then said, "Yeah, I know. Well, young lady, let's have a look."

"Doc, I'm fine, it's just my leg. I have a cut that's all."

"How in thunder did you get that?"

"You don't want to know."

"Well, if that were so I wouldn't have asked."

"Oh, alright, I fell down a hill. Satisfied?"

He rubbed his mustache. "Aren't you a bit old for…"

"Stop right there, Curly. That's why I didn't want to tell you. You have to make jokes. You're as bad as Matt."

Doc made a face, "Now, I'm insulted. Don't put me in that big lug's category."

Now she cracked up laughing. "You both are like children."

Doc fixed up her leg and again asked, "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Just tired. Nothing a good hot bath and a nice comfortable bed won't take care of. Really, Curly, I'm fine. Thank you."

"I want to see this leg in a day or two."

"Ok. I will. I promise you." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Now, I really need that hot bath." And she gave him a big smile.

Matt was waiting to help Kitty down the stairs. "Kit, there's something I need to tell you."

"Sure, Cowboy. What is it?"

"It's about Lily."

"Oh, I see." She said.

"Now, Kit…"

"So you two did know each another?"

"Yeah, we did thirty years ago in Texas."

"And?"

"But the woman in the jail isn't Lily."

Now Kitty furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? Who is she?"

"Well, she is Amelia Thompson. She also is someone I knew from Texas. She and her two friends murdered Lily Donnelly and her family. Kit, Honey, I'll fill you in on the rest later, before the trial. I just wanted you to know. And, Kit."

"Yeah, Cowboy?"

"I am so sorry."

She cupped his face with both hands. "Don't be. You didn't do this."

"Kit, are you sure you're alright?"

"I am now."

"Where are you going?" Matt asked her as she headed down the stairs.

"There's a hot bath waiting, with my name all over it, Cowboy, and hopefully a bed too. I'm exhausted."

"Need help?"

"Is that an offer?"

"Anytime."

She smiled. "Cowboy, you know I love you. But I really am exhausted."

"I know, Honey. Let me help you down the stairs."

"Matt, I can do it."

"I insist, Kit." He picked her up and carried her down.

"Matt, your back."

"I'm fine." They walked to the Long Branch. "Kit, you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, really. Cowboy, can we talk later, please?"

"Sure, Kitty. I'll come by and check on you."

"Sure ok." She said with a smile.

Kitty entered the saloon. Sam came over to her. "Miss Kitty."

"Hi, Sam."

"Miss Kitty, are you…?"

"Sam, I'm fine. Really, I am. I just need a hot bath and some sleep."

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll get you some hot water right away."

"Thanks, Sam."

Flo looked at Kitty. "Miss Kitty, I'm so sorry this happened to you."

"Flo, it's ok. You have nothing to be sorry for. Let me have a whiskey, please?"

"Yes, sure. Can I get you anything else? Help you with anything?"

"No, sweetheart. Thank you."

"Miss Kitty, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Is it true that Lily had something to do with what happen to you?"

"Yes, Flo, it is. But the Marshal is handling it, so I would appreciate it, if the less we talk about it the better."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Tell Sam I'll be in my room, ok?"

"Sure, Miss Kitty."

Later Kitty walked over to Matt's office. Matt had gone to have supper with Doc at Delmonico's so the office was empty.

"Perfect." Kitty thought to herself. "Just the way I want it."

She saw the keys on the hook, picked them up and opened the door.

As it opened, Amelia thought it was Matt. "Matt, you did come back."

"Sorry to disappoint you."

Amelia's face dropped. "Oh, Kitty, I thought…"

"Yes, I know what you thought." Kitty unlocked the cell and entered. "We're gonna have us a talk. Better yet, I'm gonna talk and you're gonna listen. Honey, I don't know where you crawled out from under, or what your story is, but I don't really care either."

"Kitty, I…"

'Shut up!" Kitty said, now giving her a colder than ice stare. "I don't want to hear anything you have to say. See, I'm going to your trial and I'm going to see to it that you go away for a very long time. Honey, you messed with the wrong woman, when you messed with me or my man. Nobody does that. I love that man and I will do anything, anything to protect him. And as you can well see, the feeling is mutual. We have a bond that no one, I mean no one, will break. No matter what it takes…"

Amelia went to take a step towards Kitty and Kitty slapped her back down, so hard, it knocked her back against the wall. "You don't want to buck me, Honey. I'm a lot tougher then you will ever be. I've dealt with too many of your kind. I'll bury you. You are finished!"

Amelia sat there just stunned.

Later, Matt stopped in the Long Branch. "Sam."

"Hello, Marshal."

"How's Kitty?"

"I took her up some supper a little while ago. She was resting. Marshal, is she really alright?"

"Yeah, Sam, I think so. I'm gonna go check on her." Matt made his way up to her room, tapped lightly on the door. "Kitty, you awake?" Then he opened the door.

She was stirring. "Hello, Cowboy. What time is it?"

"I'm sorry, Kit, I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't. I was just lying here."

"It's about eleven o'clock." He said.

"Finished rounds?"

"Yeah, it's quiet." He sat on the side of the bed. Matt sat and was just staring at her.

"What is it, Matt?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"You're staring."

"You're beautiful."

"Ummmm…, Marshal."

"Kitty, in all the years I've known you, you are still the most beautiful woman in my whole world. And it amazes me that you want to be with me. With everything that you've been through…"

"Oh, Cowboy, I love you. Nothing or no one will ever change that. No matter what."

"Kit, I'm sorry about all this. Sorry this happened again."

"Cowboy, this wasn't your fault. You can't be responsible for how other people conduct their own lives. Even if they were from your past. Matt, men just don't see trouble coming."

"Wait. What that mean?"

"Did you know what happened with Lily? I mean, Amelia?" Matt asked. "The night of the dance?"

"Well, I thought so before, but was sure that night when you came to pick me up and the two of you were down in the saloon and she tried to kiss you. I overheard you both."

"Kit, you didn't say anything. That's not like you."

"I hoped you'd tell me yourself."

"Kit, Lily was a long time ago. I barely remember her. It was over thirty years ago and besides this isn't Lily
She, and those two that had you, killed Lily and her family, remember? Look we don't need to talk about this tonight do we?"

"No, I guess not. There is one thing you do need to do, though."

"Sure, Kitty, anything."

"Kiss me, Cowboy!"

"Well now, that, Ma'am, I can do."

Kitty began to laugh. She pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around his neck into a very long overdue, passionate kiss, which stirred an arousing reaction in him.

Breaking away briefly, he said, "Now look what you did."

"What's that, Cowboy?"

"You've gone and got me all excited."

"Is that a fact, Marshal?"

"Yes, Ma'am, Miss Kitty. That is a fact."

"Well then, let's see what we can do about that." She pushed away his vest and ripped apart his shirt.

"Whoa, easy."

"I need you, Cowboy, and I can't wait."

"Yes, Ma'am." He quickly rid himself of the remainder of his clothes and covered her with his large frame. The heat of their two bodies made for a night of unbridled passion, tapping into one another's sensational pleasures, over and over, throughout the night. Two bodies melting into one, entwined, not knowing where one begins and the other ends.

Matt, Kitty and Festus returned from Hayes after the trial.

Lily/Amelia Thompson was found guilty of the murder of the Donnelly family and accomplice to the robbery of the freight office and bank in Dodge City, plus the kidnapping of Kitty. Since they didn't usually hang women, she was sentenced to life in prison, with no possibility of ever getting out.

It turned out that Amelia knew Matt and Lily Donnelly when they were all in San Antonio and Lily's parent's had money. Amelia spent time at their ranch, a lot. Then when she was older and had gone away for a bit, she met up with Trevor and Jay and strayed. They needed money and went to rob the Donnelly's and Mr. Donnelly caught them. So that's when they killed them all and set the fire to cover it all up. But someone put out the fire and realized they were all shot. And some people saw these three running from the ranch.

Matt, Kitty, Festus and Newly were in the Long Branch when Doc came in. They told him the whole story.

Then Festus and Newly left and Doc asked Matt, "What did Amelia have to say?"

"Doc, at first she tried to blame Clark and Kelly. But then she fessed up. But now she'll spend the rest of her life in prison."

"Matt, why was she so gun ho to hook on to you, if she really wasn't Lily?"

Kitty looked at Doc. "Curly?"

"Well, she kept hanging on the story of the past."

"Well, Doc, we did know one another, like she said."

"Finally, Kitty looked at Matt and said, "I just have one question, Cowboy."

"Kitty, what's that?"

She took a deep breath. 'Do you have any more outlaw girlfriends, you haven't told me about?" She asked with a smirk on her face.

The three looked around the table at each other, then Kitty busted out laughing.

"Sam, can we have another round here, please?"

Fini