Unshown Moments from The Prisoner – S 14

This is for me

Darla stood in her gold dress and black bead necklace, her golden hair piled atop her head and watched intently as her employer, Kitty Russell, played cards with the bounty hunter for custody of the good looking blonde boy, currently handcuffed to the stair banister. For the first time since she'd come to Dodge, she felt blessed.

Oh, she still wished she could find a husband and get out of the saloon entirely but watching Miss Kitty best the ogre in one hand after another was worth a long day in a too tight dress and too high heels. She couldn't contain a grin when the man with greasy dark hair, jumped up and all but accused Miss Kitty of cheating and the cool red head just stared him down.

She'd heard her boss had once been quite a card player, but she didn't realize until today, she still was. Darla had worked in saloons for a few years now and seen many gamblers and card sharks but she'd never seen one like Kitty Russell.

When Miss Kitty won and declared drinks were on the house, Darla moved over to the bar with a cowboy and leaned back against the bar, paying no real attention to his prattle as she looked around the room. The day had started pretty much like any other, but it sure had livened up a little, now that Miss Kitty won the bounty poster on that boy. Chuckling to herself, Darla could hardly wait to see what happened next.

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Matt stood in Kitty's office staring at her with an upturned brow of consternation. "Kitty, are you crazy?" He'd just got back into town and Festus greeted him at the stable with a tale of Miss Kitty playing poker with a bounty hunter for custody of an outlaw.

Kitty sighed. "She knew she'd have to tell Matt about the boy and had every intention of it but she'd wanted to be the one. Instead, Festus had told him all about it. And considering Festus hadn't even been there, Kitty could only imagine what Matt was thinking.

"Sit down, Matt." She shook her head. "I'll make us some coffee and explain it to you."

"I'd rather stand." He declared, crossing his arms against his chest.

"Oh, Matt." Kitty looked up at him in pleading. "Please? I'm getting a crick in my neck looking up at you."

"Alright." He answered grudgingly as he sat down. "Now. Tell me what this is all about."

Kitty headed over to the stove to make the promised coffee and to keep her back to him for a couple of minutes. "Matt, I know I promised you I wouldn't deal. But this was one game I just couldn't stay out of. That man, Jarvis, was abusing that boy. If 'd let him walk out of there with that kid, no telling what he'd of done to him before he even got him to Missouri."

Matt took a deep breath. "Kitty, why is what happens to that boy so important to you?"

"He saved my life." She said simply.

"What!?" Matt started to rise but Kitty waved him off.

"Keep your seat, Matt. I'm not hurt and it wasn't like you're thinking."

"How do you know what I'm thinking?"

"I know you." She answered with a slight smirk.

"Then what did happen?" With a 'this had better be good' expression.

"Oh, I was crossing Front Street and not paying attention to too much because I was looking for my shopping list in my reticule. Anyway, a freight wagon was coming down the street and a large crate on top of it was loose and well, it fell. It would've landed squarely on top of me if Steven Downing hadn't rushed over and pushed me out of the way. He could've been hit the same as me or even shot by Jarvis but he still risked his neck to save mine."

Matt's expression softened and he dropped his head. He was grateful to the boy for saving Kitty but he wasn't so sure she should be any further involved with him. "Alright, he saved your life. I'm just as grateful to him as you are for that. But I'm not convinced that you playing cards for him was the right way to show that gratitude. Kitty, if you what you say about that Jarvis character is right, he's not likely to feel too kindly to you for beating him at cards and getting that boy from him."

"He's probably not." Kitty agreed. "But I'm more concerned with who he's working for than anything else."

"What you do mean?" Matt didn't like the sound of that.

"Bob Mathison." Kitty looked at him. "Apparently he's the one that put out the poster and he's willing to pay $5000 to see that boy hanged."

Matt let out the air he'd taken such a deep draught of and considered what she'd just told him while she went back to the stove and checked the coffee pot. "Well, I guess I can't blame you for playing for the boy, then, Kitty." Matt told her. "But that doesn't put him in the clear, ya know."

"No, I know that." Kitty decided the coffee was ready and picked up cups and saucers. "And the trouble is, I don't know what would. Steven won't tell me what happened and without knowing that I can't help him other than to keep him out of Mathison's hands."

"But you can't do that, Kitty." He sighed. "If Mathison has a legal right to him…"

"Matt, you know very well what Mathison County is. Bob Mathison even appoints his own judges."

Matt sighed again. He knew.

After she and Matt talked and Matt left the saloon to ride out and see Judge Moore, Kitty flinched when the lightening flashed and the thunder hit again. Quickly, she got up from the table and ran to the door. Matt was just down the street, heading to the stable.

"Matt?" She darted out the door and ran down to him.

"What's wrong?" He asked when he saw the look on her face.

"I'm worried about you riding out in this storm." She admitted. "I don't want you to get caught out in it. Why don't you wait until tomorrow after it blows over."

Matt shook his head with a grin. "I've ridden in the rain before, Honey. Besides, what I can do might be the only chance that boy has."

"I know." Kitty looked down in a quandary. "But…"

Matt took a quick look around the quiet town and seeing no one, quickly bent down and gave a her soft kiss. "I'll be alright, Kitty." He reassured her. "And together, we'll see what we can do to help Steven. Okay?"

Kitty nodded as she grabbed his arm for a moment. "Okay. And remind me when this is over; I owe you more than a kiss."

Matt's grin widened. "That I will surely do, Kitty. That I will do."

END