First he clamped one big, dirty hand over her mouth, which almost covered her whole face, making it difficult for her to breathe.
The slender young woman struggled mightily, but was helpless as the mountain of man ripped at her nightgown and forced her flat on her back. He easily held her down with one knee on her torso as he unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants, his breathing quickening. She couldn't make a sound and felt faint from lack of air, but still tried to wriggle and kick and claw, despite the crushing weight.
Tensing up, awaiting the inevitable assault, she squeezed her eyes shut, tears running down her face onto the hand over her mouth.
"# *#&*#%!" Stobo spat curses as he continued to fumble in his fly with his right hand.
Daring to open one eye, Kitty saw the problem and gave an involuntary snort under the hand.
The man instantly redirected his anger and frustration from his unobedient body to the beautiful woman who dared to laugh at him.
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When the shot went off into the ceiling, Kitty's next door neighbor, Ida Mae Schooner, jerked awake in fright.
A very timid girl who put on a brave swagger for her saloon girl job, Ida Mae hesitated on what she should do. She knew the sound came from Kitty's room, but sat very still, straining her ears, hoping it was nothing to be concerned about. Men shot guns off all the time in Dodge, it seemed to her.
When she heard the thumps and muffled cries of an obvious assault, she quickly threw on a robe and scampered down the hall and stairs, heading for the Marshal's office.
"MARSHAL DILLION! MARSHAL DILLON!" Ida Mae screamed as she beat her fists on the door of the dark, locked office.
"JEST A MINUTE, WILL YA?!" Chester unlocked and opened the door, scratching his mussed, long brown hair, his trousers with suspenders hanging, no shirt over his long johns top, and no boots on his feet.
As soon as he opened the door, the frantic girl grabbed his arm and tried to haul him back to the saloon with her.
"Hold on there, Ida Mae!" Chester recognized her from the Long Branch and took hold of both of her upper arms. "What's wrong?!"
"Oh Chester! I think someone is hurting Miss Kitty! Please hurry!"
Chester's eyes flew open and he let go of the girl and darted back inside for his boots and a loaded shotgun. He flew out the door and hop-ran towards the saloon, Ida Mae in his wake.
By the time Chester and Ida Mae raced up the stairs and into Kitty's wide-open room, Stobo was gone. Ida Mae lit the nearest lamp and Chester rushed over to the naked body of the young woman crumpled on the floor beside the dresser.
"Miss Kitty! OH MY!" He was frozen in shock for only a moment, then whipped the quilt from the tangled bed sheets and laid it over his dear friend. Afraid to move her, the gentle young man carefully touched her bruised cheek, and was relieved when he heard an almost inaudible moan.
"Ida Mae. Go get Doc. HURRY!" he snapped, breaking the spell that had held the saloon woman frozen in place.
Still barefoot and in her flimsy negligee and robe, the worried young woman turned and flew down the stairs towards the doctor's office.
In less than five minutes, Doc was taking the Long Branch stairs as fast as he could, medical bag in hand. His curly hair was uncombed, and he was wearing his nightshirt tucked into his trousers, bare feet stuffed into his shoe-boots. Ida Mae followed him, stood by the open doorway to Kitty's room for a few moments, then pulled the door closed, and slowly went to her own room, tears running down her face.
"Chester. Straighten that bed out some. Then get some hot water. A lot of it."
Doc was kneeling by Kitty, carefully palpating for broken bones or internal injuries.
"Kitty, Honey, I need to move you over to your bed." The old doctor loved her like a daughter and only his medical professionalism kept his raging anger tamped down. For now he needed to heal, not hate.
Chester had quickly remade the rumpled bed, smoothing out the bottom sheet, and had water heating in the small bathing room. Now he stood over Doc, hands clenching and unclenching, desperate to be doing rather than watching and worrying.
"Chester, we need to roll her over on her back and straighten her out. CAREFULLY! I'll guide her head and neck and you move her body."
Keeping her covered with the quilt, the two men gently picked Kitty up, with lean, strong Chester holding her body while Doc kept her neck and head supported as they moved her to the bed.
"Chester, bring the hot water and some towels over here. And bring a lamp closer."
Kitty opened her beautiful blue eyes as Doc began blotting the blood from a cut on her left temple and one on her right cheek. Fortunately, the brute had seemed to spare her lovely face from worse than the two cuts and bruises.
"Doc? It's good to see you," she whispered, and then after focusing past him, "and you too, Chester."
"Take it easy now, Honey. Before Chester leaves, can you tell him who did this to you? Matt hasn't gotten back yet, you know, so he's in charge."
Chester came closer and bent down when the battered woman beckoned with a slight wave.
"Dear Chester…don't cry…I'll be fine." She smiled up at his big, tear-filled brown eyes, and put the palm of her right hand on his face.
"But you be careful! It was Stobo. I recognized him from last year. The left side of his face now…burn scar…" Her eyes closed tiredly and she winced as Doc moved her swollen left wrist.
"That's enough talk for now, young lady! Chester, Matt should be back on about four hours if the stage is miraculously on time," he said as he consulted his big, silver pocket watch, "so maybe you should try to get some more rest until then."
The slim young man's deep brown eyes were now narrowed in fury as he remembered the dragging behind Stobo's horse that had almost killed him last year. The thought of that massive, cruel beast hurting Miss Kitty filled him with a red-hot rage.
"NO SIR, DOC! Mr. Dillon left me in charge an' I'm gonna find Stobo!"
Staring over at the pale young woman with her eyes closed, Chester grabbed his shotgun, turned and headed out the door. Mr. Dillon was relying on him.