Chapter 1

Kitty was planning a Christmas Eve dance at the Long Branch. She carefully went over her checklist to see what still needed to be done. 'Let's see. I have the decorations. They're in the back office. The girls and I will put those up the afternoon of the 24th. I'm all set with the drinks. I have a band booked for the music. I guess all I need is a Christmas tree,' thought Kitty as she placed her list behind the bar.

Getting a Christmas tree might prove to be a challenge. Trees, especially those that were used as Christmas trees, were not in abundance in southwestern Kansas. Kitty was not even sure where exactly to start looking. She had only been in Dodge for less than two years and had not really traveled out of town too often. When she did travel out of town, it was with Matt to go fishing, and during those times she wasn't concerned with Christmas trees. She had other things on her mind, mainly being alone with Matt.

Speaking of Matt, Kitty decided to walk over to the jail to see if she could recruit Matt in helping her to get a Christmas tree. She knew there was no way she would be able to cut down a tree on her own and bring it back into town. Knowing there was a chill in the air, Kitty put on her winter coat and walked out of the Long Branch in the direction of the jail.

Matt and Chester were both at the jail. Matt was cleaning his six shooter and Chester was reading one of his western chronicles. Upon hearing the door open, Matt looked up to see who the visitor was. After seeing Kitty, a smile spread across Matt's face. He was always happy to see her. Chester was so engrossed in his reading, he didn't even acknowledge Kitty's presence.

"Hello, Kitty. What brings you here?" Matt asked, putting his gun and the gun oil down.

"Hello, Matt. I need your help," Kitty responded.

"Trouble at the Long Branch?" Matt asked as he stood up to place his gun belt on and place the gun in the holster.

"Oh no, nothing like that. It's just that. Well, I was wondering if you weren't too busy, maybe you could help me find a Christmas tree for the Christmas Eve party at the Long Branch," Kitty said hesitantly.

Relieved that there was not any trouble at the Long Branch, Matt looked at Kitty with an amused look. Her request was the last thing he expected to hear from her. Then again, he probably shouldn't be surprised. Kitty had once told Matt stories of her childhood Christmases and the Christmas trees she used to trim. A Christmas tree at the Long Branch party was definitely something Kitty would have.

"I would be more than happy to help you find a Christmas tree. Finding one won't be too easy, but I'm sure we'll have success," Matt said as he put on his gun belt, coat, and Stetson.

"Oh thank you so much! I was afraid you might be too busy," Kitty exclaimed.

"If I can help it, I try not to be too busy for my girl. Let me tell Chester I'm leaving," Matt said.

"Alright, I'll start walking over to Moss's to get my mare."

"Sounds good. I'll meet you over there." Matt watched as Kitty walked out the door and then turned his attention towards his assistant. "Chester." When Chester didn't reply, Matt spoke more loudly. "Chester!"

"Uh? What? Oh sorry, Mr. Dillon. Did you need something?" Chester asked as he put his western chronicle down.

"Kitty just stopped by and asked me if I would help her find a Christmas tree for her party. I told her I would. I'll probably be gone for a couple of hours. Keep an eye on things while I'm out," Matt said.

"Shore thang, Mr. Dillon. Wait. Miss Kitty was here?" Chester asked.

All Matt could do was shake his head as he answered Chester. "Yes, she was. She just left a couple of minutes ago."

Before Matt walked over to Moss's to meet Kitty, he grabbed a saw. He knew you couldn't cut down a Christmas tree without one. Saw in hand, Matt walked over to Moss's stable. Kitty was waiting for him. "Sorry, I took longer than expected. Not only did I have to tell Chester where I was going, but I also had to get a saw. Let me get Buck saddled, and then we can go."

Kitty's mare was already saddled. After getting Buck saddled, Matt helped Kitty mount her horse and then mounted his. They left the stable and headed north. Matt felt they would have the most success looking north of Dodge. After riding for an hour and seeing nothing but the plains, some trees finally came into view.

"It looks like there may be some trees up ahead. Let's check it out," Matt said, pointing towards the trees.

"That sounds great," said Kitty. She was starting to wonder if there were any trees out there. When Matt pointed to a small grouping of trees ahead, Kitty felt relief.

As Matt and Kitty made their way closer to the trees, Kitty could see that the branches were on the sparse side when it came to the needle. Matt noticed Kitty's expression as she saw the trees. "These trees probably don't have the needles that the trees in New Orleans have, but that's just how it is in the dry plains."

"You're definitely right there. The Christmas trees in New Orleans are fuller than these, but that's not a problem. The girls and I can decorate the tree and make it beautiful," said Kitty with determination.

"Now that's the attitude. Well, you do have several to choose from, so I'll let you do your searching."

While Kitty looked over the trees, Matt noticed the clouds forming in the west. He knew they were storm clouds. It looked as if snow was on the way. However the sun was still shining, so he figured they didn't have to be in too much of a hurry. Plus, he didn't want to rush Kitty's search. He knew she was enjoying herself. "Kitty, I don't want to rush you, but it looks like it might snow. While you're deciding on a tree, I'm going to quickly build a contraption to take the tree home. We certainly can't drag it all the way back. It would lose what needles it has."

Matt had just finished building his contraption, when Kitty announced that she found a tree. "Matt, this is the one I want. It's the perfect shape and I think it'll fit inside the Long Branch."

"I think you're right. Just let me get the saw, and I'll cut it down for you," Matt replied as he went to get the saw.

Matt walked over to the tree that Kitty had chosen, and started sawing. "Kitty, the tree is going to fall to my left. I don't want it to hit you. You might want to make sure you're out of the way."

Listening to Matt's warning, Kitty walked over to the horses. She watched the tree slowly come down as Matt did the sawing. Once Matt had sawed through the trunk, the tree hit the ground with a thud. Matt then picked up the tree and secured it to his apparatus. Matt helped Kitty mount her mare and he mounted Buck as the first snowflakes started to fall.

TBC