That Summer

I don't own these characters. I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.

A/N: I promised my self that I would not write any more stories of this kind. I had a totally different idea when I started this one. But….. well… Anyway. This is set sometime around season 10 or so.

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Winter had been hard on Dodge City with one frigid storm after another sweeping down on them from the north and lingering for a while before leaving to be followed shortly by yet another. Spring hadn't been quite as cold, though it hadn't been warm and with the added misery of non-stop wind and rain. When summer finally decided to put in an appearance the people of Ford County and specifically Dodge were ready for it as well as the soon coming herds.

As always, Matt worked to prepare the town for the rangy cowboys that would be there as well as riding out and talking to the trail hands. Kitty worked to prepare her saloon for the swarms of rowdy men that would no doubt take over while they were there. She had hired on an extra bartender and taken on two new girls to work along side the three she already had.

It was a busy time for everyone in town, but as a large portion of the years profits came during this time, none of the Dodge City merchants complained very much.

It was during this these days of preparation that on a pretty late spring day Matt showed up around eleven in the morning with a basket and an invitation to a picnic. Though extremely busy, a completely surprised Kitty had happily accepted and soon the two were on their way out of town in rented buggy, headed to Spring Creek.

Once out of town, Kitty moved a little closer to him, intent on resting her head on his shoulder, as she'd always done when they were alone. But though he didn't object, Matt didn't return the affection. He sat rigidly quiet the entire way there, not even so much as looking over at her when she embraced him. "You okay, Matt?" She questioned.

"Yeah." He said absently and then pointed ahead of them. "Spring Creek's right around that bend."

Kitty didn't reply. She knew where the creek was and she also knew that despite his words, Matt was not okay. But she hoped when they reached their picnic spot and were relaxed, he'd tell her what was troubling him. When Matt pulled up next to the creek, he brought the buggy to a halt and quickly got out, hurrying around to Kitty's side and extending a hand to help her out.

Once she was down, Matt reached into the back of the buggy and picked up the basket and a blanket and led them over to a large rock by the creek side. Wordlessly, he spread the blanket and then took her hand, helping her to sit. "Our dinner should be good." He told her as he lowered himself to the ground and opened the basket. "I had Ma Smalley fix it up."

"It will be then." Kitty smiled while she helped Matt pull the food out and prepare each of them a plate. As they ate, Kitty noted that Matt kept his distance from her and his silence. What ever was bothering him seemed to dampen his mood considerably as well as his appetite. He mostly pushed his food around on his plate but he ate very little.

When Kitty could stand the tension no longer, she placed her plate down with a sigh and looked over at Matt in exasperation. "Alright, Matt. What is it?"

"Huh?" He looked up her in surprise.

"What is it?" She asked again. "What's wrong? You didn't bring me out here while things are so busy in town just to share a meal or see the scenery, not with the herds due in town any day. So what's up? What's it all about?"

Matt dropped his head. "You know me pretty well, Kitty." He shook his head. "Or do you?"

"What does that mean?" Kitty wasn't liking this, what ever it was. Suddenly, she wished she hadn't pressed Matt to tell her anything as a feeling of foreboding suddenly overwhelmed her.

Matt placed his plate on the blanket, next to hers and then paused several moments collecting his thoughts. Finally he looked up at her. "I… uh, have something to tell you, Kitty. It's important and I'd like to ask that you..." He stopped for a second. "I'd like to ask you not to say anything until I finish. Can you do that? Please?"

"Alright." Kitty agreed not at all certain as to why she should. But that ominous feeling deepened.

Matt took a deep breath as he picked up a twig and twirled it around between his fingers. Finally he started to speak but wouldn't look at her. "Do you remember about 3 months ago when you went out of town on a buying trip for the saloon?"

"Yeah." Kitty nodded. "I was gone a couple of weeks."

"Yeah." Matt sighed. "Well, while you were gone, something happened. Something I… I didn't plan or want to happen but it did." Guilty blue eyes finally looked upon confused sapphire eyes before dropping again as Matt continued. "Well, while you were gone, a man came into town, a farmer. He'd just sold his crop at a healthy profit. He just wanted to have a drink to celebrate before he went home. Just one drink."

He swallowed hard and Kitty could see the grief in his eyes. She reached over to take his hand but he pulled away and sat back from her. "He… he went into the Lady Gay for a drink and while he was there a fight broke out and someone pulled a gun. The bartender hollered at me from the door hoping to stop it. But when I got there, one of the men aimed his gun at me and fired. I fired back and then fired a couple more times when another man pulled his gun. When it was all said and done two men were dead and one was seriously wounded."

"The farmer?" Kitty knew the answer before he nodded.

"Yeah, I… I didn't even know he was there. He…"

Kitty reached out to him again. "Matt, I know how you feel but…"

"No, Kitty. You don't know but it's not… it's not that. I have something else to tell you." He dropped his head and took a deep breath before finally looking back up at her. "After the men were carried off, I went out to the farmer's place and told his wife what happened. The look on that woman's face… well, it… I couldn't stand it. When I got back to town, I went to the Long Branch bought a bottle of whiskey, took it back to the jail and proceeded to get drunk. I had a gold shipment coming in the next day so I couldn't leave town; which is what I wanted to do. So I got drunk."

Kitty arched a brow at that. It was rare for Matt to drink more than a single glass of whiskey. A bottle was beyond her imagining. That revelation showed her just how badly the experience hurt Matt and she wished for nothing more than to hold him and comfort him. "That's not like you, Matt. You seldom touch more than a glass or two."

"No, I don't." Matt agreed. "And I would give anything if I had't done it then. But I did. I… I don't remember when the notion took me." He sighed. "But somewhere in the middle of that bottle I got the idea that I needed to see you. I needed to be with you. I… I'd forgotten that you weren't in town. I… I just knew that I needed to be with you. So, somehow, and I don't know how, I made it to the Long Branch and up those back stairs. I…"

He licked his lips, took another breath and tried again. "Like I said, I… don't remember everything but I remember standing outside your door and feeling so alone. I… I don't know how long I stood there but somehow I finally realized you weren't there and I was turning to leave when all of a sudden a girl was there in front of me, one of your girls, Monica. I… I remember looking down at her and wanting you and… well, suddenly we were kissing and…"

He closed his eyes for a second as though reliving the memory. He didn't see the expression on Kitty's face as he forced himself to continue. "I don't know what happened next. I honestly can't remember. But the next morning I woke up with a terrible headache, naked and in her bed. She was lying beside me with a smile on her face."

Kitty paled and quickly got to her feet, stunned at what she'd just heard. She wasn't quite sure what to say or even to think. Matt had just confessed to sleeping with another woman. But he'd been drunk and… "Is that all?" She finally asked, hoping it was.

"No." Matt said sadly. "It's not. After… after it happened, I apologized to Monica and I told her it could and never would happen again and she… seemed to accept, even promised to never to talk about it and I thought it was in the past. I know I didn't tell you about it and I should have but I was ashamed. Anyway, like I said, it was over and I was trying to forget when Monica came to my office yesterday. Said she had something to tell me." Matt got to his feet and took a couple of steps towards Kitty but stopped when she took two steps away. "I got the girl pregnant, Kitty." He said bluntly. "She's going to have my baby and I'm going to have to marry her."

TBC

A/N: I haven't written anything for a while now so I'm a bit rusty. If I have something wrong or 'off' just go with it and save the nasty criticisms. I have done my best and that's all I can do.