DOUBLE DUTY: CHAPTER 13

Matt was up just before first light. Today would be another big day. It was going to start with the woman still asleep next to him. He got up and added wood to the stove. Still snowing out there. Maybe he could put off taking Johnny out to shoot targets. He built a large pot of coffee and sat in the chair to wait. The coffee did the trick. When the mellow aroma filled the room, Lily woke. She pulled the covers up tight.

"You gonna share that coffee?"

"Yes ma'am!" He poured two cups and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry about last night, Matt. I wish you hadn't found me. I'm embarrassed. I guess you know now how much I love Dan. I still do! Her eyes were starting to fill with tears.

"I'm glad I found you. And I know about that love. Don't be embarrassed."

"We should talk about it, huh?" The tears were slowing.

"Yep. I'm gonna tell you about me, Lily. You had lots of questions. I'm gonna answer them all. You'll see why I know about that love."

"Okay, I'm all ears."

"Promise you won't leave for Billings today?"

She sighed and looked around the room. She wasn't even half packed. She wasn't bathed. She wasn't dressed. She hadn't talked with Pete.

"Not today. That is, if you'll cook for me again tonight!"

"I'll feed you. How's that?" He smiled.

"Fair enough. Go ahead, start talking!"

"Okay. Here goes. My wife's name is Kathleen. 'Kitty' for short. She's the love of my life." He held up his left hand.

"This is her ring. I'm real proud of it. You asked about it, so I'll tell you. She put it on my finger when we got married and I've never taken it off. The best thing I ever did was marry her. She taught me everything I know about love. I promised her that day I'd be faithful forever. She holds my heart, Lily. I'll never betray her trust. So you see, no matter if my body says it wants someone else, my mind will always win out. Yes, I find you attractive. Very attractive. That's not betrayal. That's honesty. It would be betrayal if I did something about it. I never did. I could never hurt my wife. It would kill me to hurt her. She's so exceptional, I'm not even tempted."

"All I ever answered when you asked about her is 'she's not here.' That's true. That's what I said. I'll never tell anyone about her in my line of duty. My first job is to love and protect her. My second job is to be a U.S. Marshal. So you see, you're special now, because I've told you about her."

Lily was wide-eyed. She hadn't expected any of this. A man who had been so closed mouthed, so distant, was telling her deeply personal things. Now she understood why she'd thought he was cold as ice. It was his façade, his barrier. She knew Dan would have done the same thing. She watched as Matt returned to the stove and poured each of them another cup of coffee. She didn't have to ask him to continue.

"You asked about where I'm from and where I want this to go. Kitty and I live in Dodge City, Kansas. The War Department reassigned me here after Dan got murdered. I agreed to a three month deal. I'm going home, Lily. I'm going home to my wife, home to my town. I love them both. A new marshal named Seth Bullock will be here in the next few days. He's a Montana guy and he's perfect for here. I could never stay here. Kitty and I have a home in Dodge. Kitty owns the Long Branch saloon. She's a very successful businesswoman. Took her our first dozen years together to build that saloon into the business it is today."

"Matt! Everyone in this business has heard of the Long Branch! Even up here! You wouldn't believe where I first heard. My gosh, Ewing called on her! He told me about . . ."

"Yeah. I know that now. When I found out Dan's killer was Ewing it made me sick at my stomach. I saw him with my wife more than once. I could have killed the guy right there in Dodge, right then. I'd have ripped his throat out!"

"I'll never see you again, will I?"

"That's the next thing. I want you to come back to Dodge with me."

"Whaaat?" Lily's eyes were wide.

"I want you to meet Kitty. She needs someone exactly like you to help her run the Long Branch!" His eyes were bright, filled with excitement. In his mind, he was already home, it was already happening.

"You want to take me home to meet Kitty?" Lily was astounded.

"Yep. Lily, the herds coming through Dodge this year are going to double. She needs someone like you to help her! Dodge is nothing like Laramie! It's warm, well, maybe even hot sometimes. We have a train but we have horses and a stage too, all year round. We have wonderful people, wonderful friends, you'd just love it!"

"You think I'm that good?" She was sitting up now, wide awake, fixed on what he was saying.

"I've spent the better part of a month watching you at work. Trust me on that. I know what it takes to run the Long Branch. You deserve more than a floor job at some saloon in Billings."

Matt buttoned on his shirt, pulled on his boots and puttered around the room. There was a stove to refill and stoke, and a few dishes to clean up. Purposely, he ignored Lily. He'd given her enough. He put his gun belt on, then his hat and his heavy coat. Finally, he turned back toward her.

"I'm taking you out for dinner tonight, Miss Lily. I'll pick you up at seven o'clock. You can spend all day thinking about what I said. Let me know tonight what you decide."

XOXOXO

"John, we've got three days."

"What?"

Matt was at the jail, finally getting some time to talk with young Johnny McKay. It was such a relief to be without their prisoner.

"The War Department is letting me go back to Kansas. A really good man named Seth Bullock is coming in from Montana. He's going to be the permanent assignment here. You'll like him a lot."

"Yeah, so you say. I like YOU a lot! I thought you were staying."

Matt grinned. "Oh, come on! I haven't done anything but look at gaming tables and spend day and night watching a beautiful woman. Hardly a challenging assignment for a U.S. Marshal. You've got cowboys and herds coming in soon. You need a good man in charge. And you need a guy who can handle the winters here. Seth is up to it."

"Yeah, well you go ask Reverend Samples if he wants somebody else."

Matt could see the conversation was going nowhere, so he changed the subject. It was a lot easier for two lawmen to talk out on a shooting range.

"Where can we do some target practice this time of year?"

The young deputy brightened at the prospect. He was itching to watch Matt shoot.

"Right down on the river! There's a great grove where we can tie horses and stay until our hands get numb."

"Yeah, that shouldn't take mine too long," Matt quipped. "You get two of 'em saddled. Got to warn you though. I'm out of practice. I've only fired my .45 one time since I got here. You realize that?"

"I saw you fire it. Never saw accuracy like that. Let's go!"

"Can you believe this is only the second time I've been on a horse since I got here?" Matt was making small talk as they rode.

"You ride all winter in Dodge?"

"Sure. The snow is nothing like here. Oh, it snows, but it's over in a day or two and it melts. I have a horse saddled every day. We have stages, too, and ranchers come into town with wagons for supplies."

"How's Lily?"

"She's all right. Says she's going to leave Laramie though. Maybe even head back to Montana."

"That doesn't surprise me. The only reason she ever stayed here was Dan."

Matt did a double take. Johnny didn't know why, but he noticed, so he thought he'd go on.

"Ha! Yeah, that's true. You can ask her. She ran from Billings over a horrible corrupt sheriff up there. The guy expected all the girls to put out for him. When she got here she avoided Dan Troop like he was poison. Just scared of the badge, I guess. Said she'd never have anything to do with a lawman again. She was working the floor at the Bird Cage one night that first summer. Some stupid drifter went after her. Dan dragged him off her, and when he did the guy drew on him. He shot the guy dead, right there in the Bird Cage. She said the sheriff up in Billings would've just let the man have her and then collected money for it. She learned about Dan that night. They got feelings for each other real soon after that."

"Well, we're here John. Before my hands freeze, let me give you a couple of tips about how to blow a bible out of a guy's hand."

XOXOXO

Matt picked Lily up right on time. He was more than glad to see the old Lily back. She was as fresh and attractive as the first day he'd seen her. Her hair was perfectly piled up in curls, and the clingy emerald green dress she'd chosen was a real head-turner. He knew she'd understand when he took a minute to look her up and down.

"You like it?" She twirled around for him, a big smile on her face.

"More than like it! Sure like that smile, too! C'mon, get your coat on before I get all worked up." He held it up and helped her into it.

Even though the Grill wasn't busy, Matt chose his customary corner table in the back. It was a good place to talk. More important, it was his favorite location in any bar or restaurant, where he could keep an eye on everything. Some things never changed.

"You ever had hot buttered rum?" She leaned into the table, cocking her head. Green eyes, green dress, Matt would have enjoyed any drink on the menu. Didn't matter.

"Nope. Let's do it!"

The rum served, they ordered steaks and sat back to enjoy the evening. The new drink was a delight to the big man from Kansas. On a cold night, in a cold town, it warmed every part of him. He held up his glass, admiring it.

"This is amazing!" He was grinning.

"It's good if you make it with whiskey, too. But there's something extra about the rum. Look, you know the law, I know the bar. Everybody's good at something." Her smile was infectious.

Their steaks finished, Matt decided on another hot buttered rum instead of coffee.

"Ooooh, I've got a convert!" Lily was laughing.

"Yep. Sign me up. How about you, Lily? Can I sign you up?"

His question caught her by surprise until she gave it thought.

"You mean going back to Dodge with you?"

"Of course I do! You'd just be the icing on the cake at the Long Branch, Lily."

"No." She swished the warm drink in her hand. "No, I'm not going with you."

The spell of the evening was completely broken. Maybe even Matt's heart. He looked at the wall, looked at the floor, looked at the next table, just avoided her eyes. What to say next? This whole thing in Laramie had been up, down, up, down. How could it possibly end on a down? Lily reached her hand across the table and took his.

"Matt, listen to me now. I listened to you this morning, and I want you to listen to me now, okay?"

Expressionless, he nodded.

"I would be so honored to work at the Long Branch! The idea is more like a dream than reality! Until this morning, I had no idea who you really are and where you come from. What you told me about you and Kitty hit me right in the heart! The love you two have for each other is amazing! Now, you think about that for a minute. You've been up here for almost three months. She's been back there taking care of your business. Yes, YOUR business, Matt! It has to belong to both of you, even if you want to say it's hers. More than that, she's been missing you clear down to her soul! Doesn't matter how many of your 'good friends' she has around her. She loves YOU. She wants to be with YOU! The absolute last thing you should do is take me with you. What would she think when I got off the train with you? 'Oh, Matt, it's so nice to see that you brought a woman home with you!' No, Marshal Matt Dillon, that's not how women think. Trust me, I know. It wouldn't matter if I was the governor's wife, she doesn't need to see you get off that train with some other woman! You go home. You tell her a lady who works in Laramie might be a good fit for her job. If she wants to interview me, she can wire me. I'll be down in three days. Let's let her decide. Dear God, I'd love to have that job! But anything else about what happened up here between you and me is quite simply better left unsaid."

Matt was back to looking deep into those green eyes. Lily was as worldly and street smart as Kitty had been at that age. How could it be? How could some women just figure it out, and now he knew two of them! He returned the grip she had on his hand.

"Lily, wait. Nothing happened between you and me!"

"Of course not! But it was YOU with the restraint. I would have pulled you under the covers in a heartbeat, and for all the wrong reasons. I'm trying to heal up. I was reaching for your comfort. You're so much like Dan. You hugged me. You held me. You reassured me. Matt, we laid together in my bed last night! Doesn't matter a bit that you were fully dressed on top of the covers and we both slept all night. She doesn't need to hear about any of that! It's all better left unsaid. The last thing you'd ever want is for Kitty to feel threatened. You and I both know she can't be. You and I both know what your marriage means. Let's just leave it at that!"

Matt was beaming. Such a smart woman! Beyond that, such a caring woman! He rubbed her hand, then withdrew. Somehow, this was all going to be okay.

"Thank you, Lily. I want it to be perfect for both of us. I can tell her you taught me about hot buttered rum though, huh?"

"Decidedly! I'll give her the recipe in my interview!"

Matt walked Lily back to her room. He made sure she got up the back stairs and got the door unlocked.

"This is it," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow some time. There's just one last thing."

"Which is?"

"You don't look anything like the governor's wife!"

"Good night, Matt."

"Good night, Lily."

XOXOXO

Matt looked up from his desk as the man with his hands and arms full of duffels pushed the door open. He stood immediately, ready to face whatever trouble was coming his way. Took him all of three seconds to relax and come around to greet Seth Bullock with a big grin and a double clasp handshake. Johnny McKay followed him, waiting quietly behind Matt while the two men exchanged greetings.

"Hey! Seth, doggone it, you don't know how good it is to see you! Good trip and all?"

"It was fine, Matt. The hardest part was sitting in those meetings in Washington for two weeks. Man, the bureaucrats! On and on and on. Thought I'd never get out of there and back to God's country!"

"Well, this is it, buddy! Snow and all, this is it!" Matt quickly stepped aside.

"Marshal Seth Bullock, this is Deputy John McKay." He gestured to his deputy.

Seth took the young man's hand and shook it vigorously.

"John, I've heard a lot about you. You're the man who took Dan Troop's killer."

"I, uh, I thank you, Sir. I was just doing what Marshal Dillon asked me to do."

"Don't be so modest. That stuff doesn't work with me. You're either good or you're not. I've already decided about that."

"Thank you, Sir!"

"Seth, let's get a room for you so you can get settled in. I've been staying at a boarding house here in town. It's only thirty a month and the food's amazing."

"Sounds good, Matt. Maybe we can sit and talk some over there. Hey, I've got a saddle and all my gear yet at the depot."

"I'll go fetch those right now, Marshal!" Johnny volunteered. "Can I bring them to the boarding house?"

"Thanks, John. I appreciate that."

Matt and Seth were tucked into the boarding house. Johnny had delivered all the gear and excused himself so the two could talk. It was snowing again. Everyone was glad to be done with the day.

"You like all this snow, huh?"

"Matt, it's been my life for 35 years. Wouldn't trade it for anything. I take it you're ready to get back to Dodge."

"Yep. But not until I tell you all you need to know about Laramie. Been here three months, you know. I'm an expert of sorts."

"Give me one day with you, Matt. You plan to head home Thursday. I hear you've got a wife now."

"Yep. She'll want to know when I'm headed home."

"Get a ticket out of here on Thursday. The rest is up to you. I got this. Real eager to get started."

"Seth, while we've got private time here I want to talk to you about Johnny. He's a real good kid. Real loyal. He's smart, too. Just doesn't know a damned thing. He just turned 20 years old, he's green as grass. Dan kept all the technical stuff from him so he doesn't know much of anything about the quiet side of working the job. He loves action, but he's got a problem there you're going to have to work on too. He's real fast with a gun. I mean REAL fast. He's so proud of that, he can't see beyond it. But you'll see. He's got a terrible accuracy problem. I've only shot with him three days. He doesn't seem to improve much. He needs to slow way down and wait that extra half second before he fires. If you get that fixed, he'll have your back."

XOXOXO

Barney delivered the telegram to Kitty's office at the Long Branch in person. Sure, it was in a sealed envelope, but the grin on the little man's face gave away its contents. She ripped into it right in front of him. Didn't matter. He'd decoded it, after all, he knew what it said. He watched her face light up, then turned, waved, and walked out without so much as a word, and without waiting for any sort of tip. Besides, the news inside was tip enough. So was the look on Kitty's face.

"Arriving Sunday noon train from Cheyenne STOP

Matt Dillon

US Marshal

Dodge City Kansas"

Dodge City, Kansas! She studied the last line. She knew why he'd done that. Dodge City, Kansas! It was his very own way of saying "private talk." She knew exactly what it meant. She practically danced out to the bar and pushed it under Sam's nose, giggling while he read it.

"Miss Kitty, I've got the bar! You go show that to Doc and Festus and Quint and anybody else you see on the way! Wow, that's great news! The man is coming home!" If anything, his grin was broader than Kitty's. "You get 'em all over here for drinks on the house. I'm buying!"

Kitty was bringing three big plates of ham and chicken and popcorn out when the crew arrived, so they could fill up on snacks with their celebration. As Sam was pouring, she overheard him suggest a dinner party Sunday night. She jumped right in to steal his thunder.

"There's NO WAY we're having a dinner or a party or anything else on Sunday! We can all meet him at the depot. But I've got news for you: I'm taking him home. And I'm gonna lock him in until I feel like letting him out. You got that? Sunday is my day!" She had the slyest of smiles on her face. The expressions at the table ranged from the same sly smile to beet red embarrassed. They all understood.

"Kitty, maybe dinner at Delmonico's on Monday?" Quint volunteered sheepishly.

"Maybe. If I feel like letting him out by then."

"Miss Kitty, he'll be a-wantin' ta' see the jail n' all!" Festus pleaded.

"Festus, he will. And you can show it to him. Yes you can! Right after I decide to let him out."

Two of her friends put into their proper place, no one else tried to change the redhead's mind. And each, to a man, understood. A little private time was sure in order. Their favorite person was coming home to stay.

"I'll say this much. I'll garan-damn-tee ya' he ain't doin' no rounds till I feel like lettin' him!" Festus was getting right into the spirit.

"Nice, Festus!" Kitty smiled and patted his arm. "You've got the idea."

"Oh, pshaw!" Doc pounded his fist on the table to get order. "As the senior member of this group, and I remind you, as the man who has been Matt Dillon's friend longer than anyone here, I'll decide how it's going to be. He's been gone for three months, and I doubt he's had a happy day since he left. What we're going to do is let HIM decide how he spends his time when he gets home!"

Nobody else at the table noticed, but Kitty caught Doc's quick wink. She smiled back softly. Private thoughts!

TBC