Gunsmoke

Nineteen Years, Seven Months and Fourteen Days

Chapter 10

I know. I know, my muse is totally evil. I cannot control the evil little thing. But at least she is working for you all. I hope that you all continue to read. If you think that it is too boring or moving too slowly, please let me know.

KR

I Never Knew Such Pain

Two days later, Doc had just about had enough of this. Kitty had been walking around barely talking to Doc at all. Festus was always moody because Matt was grumpy even though he was seeing Tilda and Doc just couldn't take it anymore. He tried to talked to Kitty, but she had told him it wasn't important and would head into her office: locking herself in the room alone. Going to Matt was useless because Matt would just grumble at him how it was Kitty's idea to break up in the first place and he was just trying to go on with his life. That was a line that Doc did not believe.

"Oh, for pete sake, what are you trying to prove by courting that girl Tilda for anyway she isn't your type. She likes to keep her head in a book all the time anyway?" Doc asked Matt.

"What's your point, Doc? Tilda may not be Kitty Russell, but she's a good, honest woman. And I like seeing her." He said half heartedly.

"Why don't you try that again, this time with a little more feeling." He said sarcastically.

"Doc, I don't know what you're trying to do, but I have work to do and what's between Kitty and I, or I should say, what was between Kitty and I is none of your business or anyone elses for that matter." He said returning to the paperwork in front of him.

Not liking his tone anymore, Doc headed for the door. Before he opened the door, Tilda came into the jail. "Oh, Hi Doc Adams." She said. Doc looked up at her and grumbled as he headed out the door. "What's wrong with him?" She asked Matt as he looked up.

"He's just being a busy body is all." Matt said walking over to her. "Come on in, sit down." He said pulling a chair up to the front of his desk so she could sit across from him while he worked and they talked.

"He was talking to you about Kitty, wasn't he?" She said as she took a seat and he took his seat behind the desk. Matt sat down and did not answer. "Well, what did he have to say?"

"Tilda, it's not important. Doc is just being a pest is all." He said lifting a piece of paper and looking it over. "He wants me to stop courting you and go back to Kitty." He said looking up at Tilda.

"So maybe you should do as he tells you. He is your oldest and dearest friend, and he is the town Doctor so he does know what's best for you." She said laughing at him. Matt laughed at her. Suddenly the door opened and Kitty stepped inside.

"Matt, I, oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you had….." She didn't know what to say. Matt realized he had made a big mistake, the look of hurt on her face had told him everything. She felt the walls closing in on her and she needed to get out before she suffocated. Quickly she turns and heads out the door. Matt rushes over to the door to see her lifting her skirt slightly and quickly running across the street to the Long Branch.

"Go after her!" Tilda told him as she stood there by him.

"No. I can't. She wouldn't listen to a word I said. She needs time to calm down and I need time to think how I'm gonna explain this to her." He said heading back to his desk. Tilda watched as her friend sat down and desperately tried to keep his nerves from fraying anymore.

Kitty headed towards the Long Branch. Once inside, she rushed through the saloon and headed into her office without saying a word. She threw her packages down on the table and went over to the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and poured herself a glass and drank it down. She then threw the glass and it shattered on the wall. Within a few minutes, Sam came rushing into the room.

"Miss Kitty, are you alright?" He said opening the door. Kitty looked up at him and he saw a great deal of anger in her eyes.

"I'm fine, Sam, thank you." She crossed her arms over her breast waiting for him to leave. Sam shook his head and slowly backed out of the office. Kitty sat down at the table and cried. How could he do that to her? After all this time, he'd throw everything away on some old spinster. Breathing deeply, she decided she wasn't wasting anymore tears. She was going to go upstairs and change and get ready for work. Taking her packages, she headed up the backstairs to her room. Once in her room, she set the packages on the bed and went over to her dress closet and began to look at what she had. The dark blue dress in the back caught her eye and she carefully pulled it from the back. She hadn't warn it in a very long time. Then she saw that it was a low cut-off the shoulder type dress. Thinking about it for a moment, she decided it was definitely something she should try on. Stepping behind the divider, Kitty undressed. She took her day clothing off and replaced the dress with the dark blue dress. Stepping out from behind the divider, she stepped in front of the full length mirror. As she looked in the mirror, she smiled as she realized that the dress fit her perfectly. Just the right amount of breast was uncovered and she always did like her shoulders even with the slight spread of freckles. Sitting down at her vanity, she looked at her face and her hair, and decided she looked good enough for the saloon. She started to get up, then decided to put a little lipstick on. Taking the brush, she dipped it into the red lipstick and carefully painted her lips. Smiling, she liked the work she had done. She then got up and headed for her door but not before taking one more look at herself and her figure in the mirror. She was very proud of her figure. She realized that Tilda Lynne could not hold a candle to her. She wasn't a particularly conceded person, but she knew she was attractive and men liked that. Smiling, she thought, tonight was her night.

Doc caught up with Matt as he stepped out of the jail, leaving Festus inside the jail, taking a nap. "You headin' over to the Long Branch, Matt?" Doc said as he stepped up onto the boardwalk. Matt looked over at the Long Branch. It certainly was jumping for a Thursday night and he noticed the music and crowds coming and going.

"Looks like the Long Branch is pretty busy tonight, I wonder what the big attraction is?" He said as he and Doc headed over to the Long Branch. Matt looked over the batwing doors to see the room jumping with commotion and laughter. There was a rather large crowd gathered about a table and Matt figured there was a poker game going on. Two men moved from the front of the table, giving Matt a view of the center of the table and of Kitty who was laughing as she pulled the pile of chips towards her. She knew that the men were there because of the dress and she didn't mind it at all. She would let them all look until she decided it was enough. Matt swallowed hard, he noticed the dress she was wearing and she hadn't warn it for a while, because he had asked her to only wear it when they had dinner dates in her room. He loved the dress and he loved the way it came off of her. Her hair was pulled up in a soft bun with ringlets framing her beautiful face. She hadn't looked up at him and he noticed that she was too busy, shuffling the cards and the men found it fascinating to watch her. Doc was watching Matt's reaction, because he too had not seen that dress on her before. She was beautiful. Doc smiled as he saw the jealousy in Matt's eyes. Matt looked over at Sam who had been watching him and he headed over to the bar. It was then that Kitty saw Matt and Doc heading over to the bar.

"Gentlemen, if you will excuse me, I'm going to sit this hand out." She said getting up and looking at her stack of chips. One of the cowboys smiled then grabbed the empty pitcher from one of the tables and shoveled them into to the pitcher for her.

"Here ya go, Miss Kitty." She said handing her the pitcher. Kitty laughed heartily and took the pitcher from him.

"Thank you, Jimmy." He said heading over to the bar and stepping behind it. "Howdy Doc, Matt!" She said smiling and placing her winning on a towel on the counter. "Sam, I think these may need to be cleaned." She smiles and he just laughs. "Would you just take my winnings from the box and we can clean these up later?" She said placing the pitcher into the sink. "Can I get you a beer Doc, Matt?" She asked them.

"Sounds good, Kitty. Might I say you look quite lovely tonight." HE said as she began to pour two beers for them.

"Well, thank you, Doc." She said sitting his beer on the counter.

"Don't you think Kitty looks beautiful tonight, Matt?" Doc goaded him.

"Yes, just lovely." He said staring intensely at her. Matt moved over towards her and leaned down to speak with her. "I thought we agreed that that dress was a little too much for public gatherings." He said quietly so only she could hear him. Kitty lifted the tray holding four beers on it and looked up to see him gazing at her bare chest.

"You asked me not to wear it, but I figure, since you are now seeing Tilda, I was free to wear what I want and do as I please." She said taking the tray and heading over to a table where she set the tray down. Matt watched as the men handed her money and stared at what he felt was only his to gaze upon. One of the men gently placed his hand on her waist and Kitty took him by the wrist and removed his hand. "You need to keep your hands on the table, otherwise you might just lose it." She said smiling down at the young drunk cowboy.

TBC