Kitty opened her eyes and looked around groggily, the right side of her head aching. Sitting up and putting her hand to her head, she felt wetness and saw blood when she looked at her hand in the circle of light from the overhead hole.
Looking up, the small opening seemed a mile away. She got to her feet and promptly fell back down after putting weight on her painful right ankle.
"Well that's just fine! No one knows I'm here and now I can't even walk! But I can still crawl, and there has to be an entrance somewhere."
Kitty looked up at the hole again. Hating to leave its light, she started to slowly crawl away from the direction she had been walking from before her fall, knowing there was nothing but flat prairie back that way.
Fifteen minutes later, her skirt was torn and bloody from the rocks against her knees. She had ripped some of the petticoat and wrapped the strips around her hands for protection. It was now too dark to see, and she had to fight down the panic and resist turning back to the light from the hole. Feeling her way along, she kept seeing Matt's beautiful face smiling at her with those pale blue, long-lashed eyes.
"I CANNOT give up! Matt doesn't know where I am…he will look for me forever. I just can't ruin his life!" She closed her eyes while she crawled, pretending that if she opened them, there would be light.
Matt was slowly wriggling his large frame through impossibly small openings in the rocks, long ago having to forego the torch. He had already shed his Stetson, spurs, and gun belt back at the entrance, and now peeled off his vest and removed the big buckled belt from his pants.
Up ahead, the hurting and exhausted young woman had collapsed on the rocky ground in the pitch dark and began to weep. After a few moments, anger replaced her fear.
"STOP IT, KITTY RUSSELL! You WILL crawl until you no longer can, and then you will crawl some more! Damn it all! GET MOVING!"
Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes tightly and screamed:
"MATT! MATT! Oh, Matt…" She allowed herself that one weak moment before moving on, taking in a few deep breaths before continuing to crawl.
"KITTY?! KITTY!" The relentless man pushing his way through the rocks had heard his name. And in Kitty's voice. He wondered if he was getting giddy from the exertion, darkness, and lack of fresh air.
"Oh, Matt, I'm here, I'M HERE!"
They both renewed their efforts and five arduous minutes later, their stretching hands met. They gripped each other tightly in relief and joy.
"Stay there Honey and I'll come to you. There seems to be more room coming your way." He reluctantly let go of her hand and heard her move over as he pulled himself towards her. It was still a tight fit but at least he could now sit up. As soon as he did he felt her reaching arms tightly encircle his waist.
"Kitty, are you hurt? I…I saw you lying there at the bottom of that hole and I've been going crazy ever since." His big hands were filthy, scraped, and bloody, but he felt for her and gently guided her face towards his and kissed her lips tenderly.
"Matt, I KNEW you would come for me! I'm fine…now. Just a sore head and ankle, but I'm ready to get out of here! Lead the way!"
Matt's chuckle at his feisty woman was cut short by a terrifying rumbling noise rapidly approaching them from the entrance of the cave. The ground shook and heaved.
"GET DOWN!" He grabbed Kitty and rolled over on top of her as the deafening sound of falling rocks and timbers roared over them. Matt put his hands over his head, knowing he had to remain conscious to save her. She would have to bear his two hundred pounds for a few minutes.
As soon as the rumbling, crashing noise stopped, the big young man quickly propped himself up on his elbows, small rocks rolling off of him.
"Kitty? Are you all right?" He rolled off of her, dislodging more bruising rocks from his back.
"A bit squashed, but fine, Darling." She coughed in the clouds of dust settling around them.
Matt saw that the tortuous route he had come from the cave entrance was now completely blocked.
Up above, the two horses had panicked from the rumbling, shaking earth below them, yanked their reins free, and bolted back towards their safe stable in Dodge.
He helped her up and they made their way back the way Kitty had come, the gloom lightening as they neared the hole she had fallen through.
'Matt, this way doesn't lead out, does it?" she asked in a quiet voice. At least she didn't have to crawl this time, leaning instead on Matt, his strong arm around her waist. The cave was now tall enough for even Matt to walk upright.
"We can't go the other way, honey. I'm going to get you up and out of that hole somehow, and then you can go for help. And don't argue with me! It's the only way."
Her protestation died on her lips and she squeezed his hand on her waist.