CHAPTER TEN

"Kit, it's perfect. Really, it's perfect," he said as they made their second trip through the house. "Can't believe I forgot about this. But it's been locked up and deserted for so long, it just hasn't been on my mind."

"I put money on it to hold it. Bodkin Bank owns it for loans to Percy for the lumber and Jonas for hardware and such. Wouldn't take much at all to clean it up and decorate it. It's a thousand dollars, Matt."

He pursed his lips and blew out a breath. "There goes half my savings account! I've got two thousand saved up, and we'll need even more to build a barn with a bunkhouse."

"Matt, we have seven thousand in the Long Branch account. And don't forget the Pickaxe mine, that's bringing in good money every month too. We can swing it!"

"That's your money, Kit. I want to provide."

"We share now, Matt. I put your name on every account and on the Long Branch, too, the day you left for Hays City. It's all ours, and that's just how life's going to be for us."

"Needs a decent staircase to upstairs." Matt pointed to the ladder. "I can build that. Even in bad weather, that's easy. Festus and I can rough in the second bedroom right over here off the parlor, then finish that this winter." Charlie's words were echoing in his ears. "Get it while you can, Matt." He was picturing himself in the house, with a fire in the stove, and supper on the table. Even needing the second bedroom. "Let's buy it, Kitty. It's exactly where we want to be, and it's a great house. Come outside and show me where Quint was talking about the barn."

They stepped outside the kitchen door to the yard and they both heard it instantly.

"DILLON!" The man called hard and loud from over the fence. "I'm callin' you out!" Instinctively, Matt pushed Kitty forcefully back through the door into the house. He took two steps away from the door for extra measure. The fingers on his right hand twitched. He waited.

"DILLON!" He called again. "You killed my brother! Now I'm gonna' kill YOU!"

Matt was never one to back down but was always one to try to diffuse a bad situation. "I don't even know who your brother is, Mister!"

"Jack Barens."

Matt paused a moment, not believing what he was hearing. "Mace Gore killed your brother."

"YOU killed my brother!" And almost before the last word was completed, he drew. Matt drew a split second after him, but he was faster and his aim was deadly. Barens collapsed slowly to the ground. Matt took a deep breath and blew it out. He leaped over the decorative fence in one stride, made sure his victim wasn't moving, then picked up his gun. Matt's bullet had struck Barens in the center of the chest, killing him instantly. "Your brother ravaged my wife," he whispered to the dead man. "I'd have killed him if I'd had the chance. But Mace Gore had the pleasure." He holstered his forty-five and stood quietly for a minute. He took another deep breath, and it dawned on him. He wasn't trembling. Not at all. It had all happened in the blink of an eye. "Instincts, Charlie," he whispered. "I trusted my instincts."

The house was on Walnut Street, only two blocks from the Long Branch and the rest of Front Street. Festus had heard the shot and was by Matt's side quickly.

"He came ta getcha', dint he Matthew? That there's that fella what . . ."

"Yeah, Festus. He called me out. Said he was Barens' brother, gonna kill me for killing Barens."

"Waaal, that don't make no sense on account a' Gore killed Barens."

"Festus, get a wagon to carry him to Percy's, will you? I've got to go see about Kitty. She's in the house, but I knocked her down pretty good."

"Knocked her down! Is she all right? Whatcha . . ."

"Festus! I'll explain later."

Matt went back across the fence as quickly as he had before, and hit the back door at a jog. Kitty was fine, standing in the doorway. He took her in his arms.

"I'm fine, Matt. By the time I got up I heard the shot. When I saw you standing over him, I stopped shaking. It was that guy, Matt. The one that's been hanging around all the while you were gone."

"I know, Kit. Festus confirmed that. Said he was Jack Barens brother, come to kill me to avenge Barens."

Kitty pulled away from Matt's embrace and stared out over the fence at the dead man.

"Matt, all I want to know is when is the whole Gore thing going to be over with? We've got to be done with Gore soon. I never want Gore in my mind again!"

XOXOXO

Matt and Kitty were sitting quietly next to each other on the front porch steps of the house when Festus pulled up with the wagon. He had Quint with him.

"Matt, I'm sure sorry it had to come to this," Quint said. "I was afraid it would. Glad you were here to handle it. Hated for that guy to show up here while you were in Hays."

Just that quickly, Doc pulled up in his buggy. Festus gave him a hand getting out, and he went immediately to Kitty.

"Festus said this big galoot knocked you down. Are you all right?"

Kitty smiled softly at Doc, then put her head on Matt's chest. "Never been more all right. We're going to buy this house, Curly!"

Quint jumped in. "Hey, Matt, seriously? I'd like to talk to you about that, if it's true, that is."

"Well of course it's true, Quint. The boss here says it's so. She's the boss."

"You've got all this to deal with, and I've got to get back to work. How 'bout we talk at the party Saturday night?"

"Party?" Matt looked at Quint. He was glad he'd survived the gunfight. Didn't exactly have a party on his mind.

"Hogwash!" Doc grumbled. "How in tarnation can you be so thick-headed and still be so respected in this town? Did you forget your promise that you'd be here by Saturday for your wedding reception? You sure are here, and you're sure not leaving town. We've got enough people coming to fill up the Grange Hall, so you just better be there with this pretty woman seated next to you! Now c'mon, Mrs. Dillon, I'll drop you off at the Long Branch."

XOXOXO

It was after three by the time Matt had all his reports wrapped up at the jail. He hightailed it over to the Long Branch and stole Kitty away from her ledgers so they could head to Bodkin's Bank.

"Well, congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Dillon!" Bodkin was just beaming. "You've got a real nice house, and the bank has its loan paid off. So nice to be able to congratulate you two! Here, Marshal, if you'd like to sign the paperwork. Mrs. Dillon put five hundred dollars down to hold it, so make the draft out for five hundred dollars. And if I might add, on a personal note, it sure is good to see you looking so well! We thought we'd lost you, Marshal." He handed the draft and a pen to Matt.

"I want to add Kitty's name to this account," Matt said as he wrote out the draft. "Doesn't look quite as good now, but I'll get it built back up over time."

"We'll just convert it to a joint account, Marshal. You can both do anything you want with it. Kitty already has your name on her account and on the Long Branch account. Lots of changes for you two, eh?" He was still smiling broadly.

"Well, if anything would ever happen to either one of us . . ." Matt offered.

"Sure, Marshal, sure." He handed the deed to Kitty. "Plenty of time yet today to get to the Land Office to file this, Mrs. Dillon." He'd called her "Miss Russell" for twelve years, and surprised himself that he didn't slip.

"Well, we'll see you at the reception on Saturday, eh? Oh my goodness," he caught himself. "It wasn't supposed to be a surprise, was it?"

Kitty laughed. "Worst kept secret in Dodge, Mr. Bodkin."

"Let's get Doc and Festus and Quint invited to supper, Kitty," Matt said as they left the Land Office. This calls for a celebration! Just want to make one quick stop at the jail first. Want you to meet somebody."

"At the jail?"

"Yep. Come with me, Mrs. Dillon!"

Festus was sitting out front when they walked up. He stood immediately and tipped his hat to Kitty.

"Supper's at seven at Delmonico's, okay?" Matt told him. "Kitty and I bought a house today. We're going to celebrate! Get Pete to watch the jail while you're gone. I brought Kitty over to meet Dooley, Festus."

"Dooley?"

"Yep. Bring him out here, will you?"

"You a-wantin' handcuffs on him, Matthew?"

"Nope. Just Dooley. He needs to see some sunshine."

Festus led the raggedy young man out onto the boardwalk, puzzled by Matt's request. Dooley immediately took his hat off to Kitty, and just stood there facing the marshal, just as puzzled looking as Festus was. He thought he'd never seen a woman as beautiful as the one standing next to the big lawman. She was just tall enough to fit the picture with him perfectly. He knew for sure he'd never seen a woman with the color and shine of her red hair.

"Tip Dooley, this is Mrs. Dillon. Kathleen, this is Tip Dooley."

The young man nodded his head deeply to Kitty. He twirled his hat nervously in his hand. When he looked up at her, he was even further taken with her warm smile and her sparkling blue eyes. Bluer than a Colorado sky in January.

"Hello Mister Dooley," she smiled. That was all she said. Matt had surprised her with this.

"Oh please just call me Dooley, everyone calls me Dooley. I'm the only Dooley anywhere around Kansas I guess."

"We're going to take Dooley for a little walk, Festus," Matt explained. "He needs an outing, and he's in my custody, so I'll see you at supper. Make sure Pete's here to cover for you. I'll have Dooley back by then, and I'll get his supper."

The odd little entourage strolled down Front Street, Dooley on Matt's left side, Kitty on his gun side.

"Kitty, Dooley here is from Pueblo. He says he's real handy. Got mixed up a while back with the guys I hauled to Hayes. Made a big mistake helping them rob the stage office. Got his shoulder messed up, too. Thought we might invent a little work-release program for him here until I can take him to Hays to stand trial. Let's show him the house."

This was all easy for Kitty to understand. Matt always had a soft spot for any young man he thought deserved a second chance. Always. Matt was recovering from his gunfight with Barens just a few hours ago, his first gunfight in the line of duty since he put his badge back on. This was a mental release for Matt. Without question, Kitty understood. It was just one more thing she so loved about her husband.

As for Dooley, he was amazed at the marshal's kindness. He'd been cooped up in the jail for a week since Doc released him. Now he was out walking around town and eager to see what the marshal had planned. He'd heard the marshal call his wife "Mrs. Dillon," then "Kathleen," and now "Kitty." He carefully stored all that away in his brain and decided on "Mrs. Dillon."

"We just bought this house, Dooley," Matt explained as they walked in. "Been closed up for three years. It needs to be cleaned up, inside and out. Two of the walls need interior finish. Needs curtains hung. The well, the stove, the caldron, and the ice shed need to be put in working order. Here's my offer. If you want the job, you can work here every day and sleep at the jail at night. You'll be in custody with me or Festus while you're here. In a week or two, I'll take you to Hays for your trial. If this works out good, I'll put in a word for you with the judge. At your age, with a good word, he might go real light on your sentence. Could even get a work release permit, depending on which judge you get."

Dooley looked up to Matt with a huge grin on his face, and offered his hand in a hearty shake. "Marshal, I'll do a great job for you, I promise, I'll do a great job!" Then he looked quickly over at Kitty. "Mrs. Dillon, you have a great house here! You just show me what you want, I can handle it all!" He was so pumped that he kept babbling on. "I'm real good at finish carpentry and I'm not afraid to do the cleaning and . . ." Matt finally interrupted him, delighted that he had read the kid right.

"I know you will, Dooley." We're going to show you around, make a list of the supplies you need, then get some supper for you and take you back to your bunk. You can start first thing tomorrow morning."

tbc