The skinny young cowboy standing behind Sam was getting impatient, especially after glimpsing how stunningly beautiful the red-haired woman hugging the barkeep was.

"That's enough, Ugly!" he sneered as he grabbed the back of Sam's left arm and yanked him back.

Slim stepped forward, taking in Kitty's beautiful face and figure.

"Hey Red! I'm a lot younger and prettier than ol' Ug…"

His eyes became saucer big as the slim young woman narrowed her blue eyes at him, swung the huge old percussion pistol towards him and fired into his chest. Both Slim and Kitty were flung backwards by the shot.

Simultaneously, the big bartender shot Marcus in the head, dropped to his knee as Curly's shot went over his head, and fired into that young man's chest.

The saloon girl trio screamed and fell to the floor behind the bar in a tangle.

Doc ran over to Kitty, still lying on her back on the floor, stunned by the recoil.

Sam kicked the guns away from the three young cowboys, and nudged them to ensure they were dead.

"Kitty! Are you hit, Honey?" Doc knelt beside her and quickly scanned her for a bullet wound or blood.

"Huh? Oh, Doc! I…I'm all right. Just had the wind knocked out of me." Her eyes widened and she quickly sat up, Doc's arm behind her back.

"Is everyone else all right?!" Her eyes frantically swung from Matt to Festus to Sam.

"Thanks to you, Kitty, we ALL will be just fine." He helped her to her feet and she ran to Matt, who was watching with worried eyes, struggling to free his bonds. Festus was weakly trying to force the bandana from his mouth with his teeth.

Sam had his big arms around the three weeping young women behind the bar.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After leaving Doc's, Matt softly tapped on Kitty's door as usual before letting himself in with his key. His upper left arm was sore and stiff under the snug bandage Doc had put on after the cleansing and bullet removal.

"Matt. You've been shot so many times in this arm of yours that I swear that the scar tissue kept the bullet from going in very far, unlike with poor Festus. I'm not even going to give you a sling. You wouldn't wear it anyway!" the old doctor said with a snort.

"With all of that turpentine you poured on it, I'm surprised I have any skin left!" Matt grinned, then checked on Festus resting in the back room, pale and snoring, then clapped Doc on his back on his way out the door.

"Come on in Matt! I'll be right there!" Finishing drying off from a much needed relaxing bath, she slipped a pale yellow negligee over her head as the door opened and the Marshal walked in.

Running barefooted over to him, she leaped up and he caught her with his strong right arm around her slim waist, raised her up and gave her a tender kiss. Her slender arms wrapped around his big neck.

"Kitty, I was never so scared for you and never so proud of you. If anything had happened to you…" he still effortlessly held her up against him with one arm as he gazed into her lovely sky-blue eyes with his pale blue ones.

Kissing her again, this time with his tongue touching hers, he pulled back a little and looked into her eyes again.

"It's said that anyone who saves another person is responsible for that person forever," he said in a deep, warm voice. "And Kitty, you've saved me in every way a person can be saved."

The lovely woman pulled herself forward so that her soft face was against his stubbly cheek. Her full lips kissed and nibbled his ear and her warm breath whispered in it, tickling and exciting her man.

"Cowboy, 'forever' isn't half long enough."

End.