Matt wasted little time in returning to Dodge. He'd thought long and hard about Tilly and Jeff and the similarities of their situation to his own. Though the situations weren't exactly the same, he did see correlations. He too had fought marriage. Not just because of his badge and the danger to anyone he married but because he thought he was ensuring his continued freedom to live the life he loved.
But he kept remembering Jeff's words. "I thought I was free, Marshal. But I wasn't. The only time I was really free was when I was with her. I was free to be me and free to love and… I lost that when I lost her."
Matt realized that unless he personally made some changes, he would feel like Jeff. He would be free and yet tied down to a way of life that offered him nothing but pain and eventually a violent end. By the time he reached the edge of town, Matt already had those changes planned.
As soon as he dropped his horse off at the stable, Matt quickly went down to the jail. No one was there which suited him just fine. Quickly opening the safe, Matt pulled a couple of items from it and then locked it back up. After that, Matt then headed to his room where he cleaned up and changed clothes.
When he walked into the Long Branch, Kitty was thrilled to see him and to see that he was unhurt. But she noticed something different about the way he carried himself when he entered.
"Matt!" She smiled warmly and happily. "How was your trip? Did you find the men you went after?"
"Yeah, I sure did." Matt answered.
"They over in the jail?"
"That's a long story, Kitty." Matt answered. "Uh, could I talk to you in your office?"
"Sure." She answered, wondering about his demeanor. Leading him to the back, she walked to her desk and waited for him to close the door and tell her what it was on his mind. But he did something else instead.
After closing and locking the door, Matt walked over and pulled her into his arms, laying claim to what he considered his, putting all the love and longing he felt into the gesture. When their lips parted he pulled back just far enough to see her face.
"Wow." She smiled. "That was quite a kiss. What's the special occasion?"
"You." Matt answered simply. "I've thought about nothing but doing that since I left town."
Kitty smiled and reached up, kissing him again. "I have too. But I have a feeling there's more, isn't there?"
Matt nodded. "I found those two men, Kitty. They were dead, shot by a farmer for no more reason than the fact that he wanted their horses. But he didn't get them. He got a bullet from one of the men and I buried all three when I got there."
"Oh, that's awful, Matt." Kitty shook her head.
"Yes, it was in a way, but something good came out of it. Two somethings as a matter of fact." He smiled.
"What do you mean?" She tilted her head in confusion.
"That farmer had a wife, Kitty." Matt settled himself on the edge of her desk and told her everything that had transpired. When he finished, he stood, took her hand and pulled her up to him. "I saw myself in that cowboy, Kitty. I realized that I've never really been free except when I was with you."
Kitty grinned. "I've been trying to tell you that for some time, Matt."
"I know." Matt sighed. "But it wasn't until I saw the fates of both of them that it sank in. She wasn't in any better shape than he was. She might've gotten married, but she wasn't married to the right man and she was miserable."
"I would be too." Kitty told him. "I don't think anyone could be happy in a situation like that."
"They can't." Matt got up off the desk and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small velvet bag and opening it. Reaching in, he pulled out a simple gold band and extended it to her. "It's not much, but it's all I could afford."
Kitty took the ring with a frown, not understanding why he was giving it to her. "Matt, I don't…"
"Marry me, Kitty." Matt said quickly. "Please."
Kitty sat in stunned silence. She didn't expect such a turn in Matt's feelings towards marriage and a family. Finally, swallowing hard, she looked up at him. "Are you serious?"
"I've never been more serious. I want to marry you and what's more, I plan on quitting my job. I've been a Marshal long enough that I can retire with full retirement pay before too long. It still won't be much, but I'll get a job and make it up. That is, if you'll have me."
Matt's answer came in the form of Kitty jumping to her feet and throwing herself into his arms. "Yes, oh, yes."
The wedding was held on a sunny June day with most of Dodge in attendance. Doc proudly escorted Kitty down the aisle to Matt's waiting arms while Festus stood at his side, a wide grin lighting his whiskered features. As soon as the wedding was over, the two of them embarked on a quick honeymoon to a small cabin out in the country.
Matt had sent in his retirement papers but they hadn't heard back from Washington by the time the wedding rolled around so they decided not to go too far from Dodge until his superiors did respond. When they returned to town, they settled into Kitty's rooms above the Long Branch until they could get the time to find a real home for the both of them.
Though the life of a US Marshal and a busy saloon owner was anything but normal, they did settle into a sort of routine and neither one of them had ever been happier. That was why in October, when Kitty seemed to catch some sort of bug that she couldn't quite get rid of, Matt wasted no time in taking her to see Doc, despite her protests.
The information, Doc delivered to them, was unexpected yet welcomed and further seemed to convince the two that theirs was a charmed life and they'd turned the corner away from all the bad that had happened in their past.
TBC
