PT.12

Laced by Blood

Kitty and Grace had arrived back in town. Grace had convinced Kitty to go with her to the café for supper, although Kitty barely ate a bite. Her mind was going over and over the conversation she'd had earlier with Mike. It was breaking her heart, and she was trying not to let on to Grace what was upsetting her. She knew Grace Idolized her father and she didn't have the heart to destroy that .

After supper, they returned to the hotel. "Momma, I am so happy to be home with you and Poppa. I know these last few weeks have been well a bit of drama for us all but once we get home it will be all back to normal and we'll be one big happy family. I can't wait to see Grandpa and all the godfather's. Hey, do you think you, me and poppa can have a picnic down by spring creek, like when I was little? Maybe we can do some fishing and swimming. The water will be great. I really miss that. Just you, me and Poppa. Can we Momma?"

Exhaling, Kitty tried to smile. "Oh, Grace, I don't know. Your Poppa…"

"Momma, talk to me. I know something is wrong. Momma, I'm not a little girl anymore. What's going on with you and Poppa? Did he do something to upset you? I saw it at the reservation and again at the Yardner ranch."

"Grace, please! I don't want to talk about your Poppa or the Yardner ranch, not tonight or any night. Ok? And that's final! Now, sweetheart, I love you , but please leave it alone."

"Momma, you're scaring me."

Cupping Grace's face in her hands. "No, Sweetheart. Poppa and I will always love you no matter what. You don't ever have to be scared of anything. Please, now go on and soak in a hot bubble bath then get some rest." Kissing her on the forehead. "I love you, my darling."

"I love you too, Momma." And she walked through to the adjoining room.

Kitty sat in the large chair, by the window, sipping a glass of very strong whiskey, staring into the dark brown liquid and stirring it with the tip of her finger. She heard the sound of large heavy footsteps just outside the door, very familiar footsteps. The same footsteps she had listened for the last forty five years. Then the sound of the door opening. The room was dimly lit by just a small lamp on the table beside the chair where she sat.

Matt wasn't sure if he should take that as a sign, similar to the light she always lit for him whenever he was away from home.

Out of the deafening silence, as he stood wondering what would happen next, her very calm, monotone voice reached him.

"Ten and a half weeks. Seventy four days. One thousand seven hundred and seventy six hours."

Now confused, he responded by saying. "Kit? Honey, what? What does that mean?"

Huffing out a sarcastic laugh. "Oh, of course you wouldn't know. Well, Cowboy, that's how long I, your wife, sat waiting and wondering, with my heart breaking and tearing to pieces. I didn't know if you were dead or alive, or if you were ever coming home to us. I didn't know if Grace was ever going to know her father, if you were lying out there on that prairie or buried in some hole somewhere and we'd never know."

"Kitty… I…"

"Oh, no. But then you did come home and, Matt, I was beside myself. I was thrilled because I wouldn't let anyone make me believe you were gone, just like the first time. I refused to believe you wouldn't come home to us because your heart beat in mine. I knew. And you did. And when you told me that that rancher Mike Yardner in Arizona Territory found you and saved your life, I was so grateful to him. More than you know. And you talked about how grateful you were too."

Matt stepped closer. "Kitty, honey…"

"NO! No, Matt. Good ol' accepting Kitty bought it all the way. You sure were grateful. Grateful right into her arms and into her bed."

Now he knelt beside the chair. "Aw, Kit, no. It wasn't like that at all. If you'll just listen to me." With the glimmer of light reflecting on her face he could see the welling of tears filling her eyes and beginning to trickle down her cheeks. "Honey, please. That wasn't me."

"Um. Wasn't you? Please, Matt…"

"Kit, this is why I didn't…" he cupped her face in both his large hands, "couldn't tell you. Look what this is doing. I couldn't stand to see what this is doing to you. I don't like seeing the pain this is putting in those beautiful eyes and me being the reason it is there. Honey, please. I never wanted to hurt you. That man that was out there, that wasn't me. That man didn't know who he was, where he was from. He didn't know he had a gorgeous wife waiting for him and wondering where he was. He didn't know he had a beautiful baby girl. Do you really think if I knew all that I'd have stayed out there?"

Matt could feel her whole body trembling but he was still cupping her face. He wanted her to look at him and look in his eyes as he talked to her. "Kitty, honey, tell me. Do you really think I'd hurt you that way after everything we've been through together?"

She tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her. "Oh, Matt. It hurts so bad. I've loved you for better then half my life and I know what I was when I met you and so do you when I came to Dodge. That first day I met you. I fell in love that day I first saw you In the café and I swear from that day, Cowboy, you were the only man. The only one. And to this day, and it's been forty five years, I've always been just yours and I've always thought..."

Quickly, he leaned up covering her mouth with his. "And, Kit, the same goes here." He was now pulling her up to hold her close. She still fought him a bit. "Come on, Kit. Please? We can get past this. I know we can. That man out there was someone named Dan, not me."

"Well then, tell me, Matt, what will you tell Elizabeth?"

"What?" He said startled.

"What will you tell your daughter Elizabeth?"

"Kit, you know? But how?"

Shaking her head, "Cowboy, have you looked at her? And you just have to do the simple mathematics."

"Kit, you didn't say anything."

"Cowboy, this is a lot to swallow. Does she know?"

He just nodded. "Yes, we told her tonight."

"Is she alright?"

"I think she will be."

"We're going to have to tell Grace. Cowboy, I don't know what we're going to say to her."

Kitty started to turn away but quickly, he grabbed her, stopping her. "No, Honey." Pulling her in close, enveloping her in his large frame. "Kitty Russell Dillon, you and Grace are my world and I don't want to lose either one of you. Please tell me you're not going to let this let that happen. We've been through too much. Honey, I need to know we're together on this."

"I'm trying, Cowboy. It's going to take time. Please, it's going to take time."

"Ok, okay. I promise, I'll make this up to you." He lifted her chin placing a soft kiss on her lips. He felt good that she didn't pull away. That was a step in the right direction in his book.

TBC