Unshown Moments for Cotter's Girl S 8

AN: This is for MissLizzyJ

"If she were mine, I'd see she was caged." The old dressmaker scowled at Matt and Clary both before going back inside her shop and closing the door soundly behind her.

Clary took on a sullen look as she stepped down off the boardwalk. "That's one mean woman, Dillon."

Matt sighed as he stepped down beside her. "Clary, you just can't act like that around people."

"You ever wear one of those things?" Clary challenged.

"No, I didn't." Matt had to admit.

"Well, I ain't gonna." Clary declared. "I ain't never."

Matt knew when he was licked. "Come on. We'll head for Dodge."

As he and Clary mounted his horse, Clary settled into a comfortable position behind Matt, her arms again around his waist. Matt said nothing as he turned his horse away from the small town and headed on.

Clary understood his silence was because of her actions in the dress shop. She knew Dillon wanted her to have clothes, but she just couldn't wear something tight like that. "I'm sorry, Dillon. But I can't wear that thing. And them shoes woulda hurt my feet something awful. Sides, I ain't never needed them things before."

Matt shook his head. "Clary, I know you got along with out proper shoes and clothes before, but that doesn't mean you didn't need them. You just made do without them. There's a difference, ya know."

Clary frowned. "No, I don't know. I just know they don't matter to me."

"Yeah, well. They matter to me." Matt answered. "I can't have you running all over Dodge dressed like that. And I sure can't send you to your aunt dressed that way. Besides, at the very least you gotta have shoes. You can't walk around town without them. You could step on anything and hurt your feet."

"You want we should go back?" Clary asked reluctantly.

"No. No, we'll go on to Dodge. I have a friend there that could probably help."

Clary laid her head on Matt's broad back, grateful she didn't have to deal with that blind old bat in the dress shop again. "What ever you say, Dillon." She answered.

When they finally reached town, it was daylight. Matt went straight to Doc's. Clary was asleep and Matt was glad for it. Carefully, he pulled her off his horse and carried Clary up the stairs.

When Doc opened the door, he was met by an exhausted looking Marshal carrying a sleeping girl. "Matt…"

"Shush." Matt shook his head as he carried her into Doc's bedroom and laid her carefully on the bed.

Doc stood with one hand in his pocket and the scrubbing his mustache as Matt left the room and closed the door. "Watch over her for a little while, Doc, will ya? I got a couple of things to get done."

"Well," Doc frowned, "is she sick?"

"No." Matt shook his head. "She's just tired. We've been riding all night."

"Who is she?" Doc asked wondering why Matt brought her there.

"Her name is Clary Cotter. Look, I'll tell you everything in a little bit. Okay?" Matt wanted to get out of there before she woke.

"Alright." Doc shook his head as Matt hustled out of the office. Glancing at the bedroom door, behind which the young lady slept, Doc shook his head and set to making a pot of coffee. He had a feeling he was going to need it.

As soon as Matt descended the stairs, he hurried over to the Long Branch. The doors were open but half the chairs were still on the tables and there were no customers as yet. Kitty was just coming down the stairs as Matt came in.

"Well, good morning, Cowboy. When'd you get in?" Kitty smiled up happily at him.

"Just now." Matt pushed his hat back from his forehead and looked around. "Say, Kitty, I have a favor to ask of you."

Kitty's smile disappeared. "Another old girlfriend? I thought you went looking for Cotter's little girl?"

"I did and I found her. And it's her I need help with. Only she's not a little girl. She's a young woman."

"Oh?" Kitty arched a brow at him.

"Yeah," Matt nodded. "And she needs some clothes."

"Oh, really?" Kitty's voice grew a little colder. "Um, what'd you do with the ones she had?"

"I didn't do anything with them." Matt answered, not understanding what Kitty was thinking. "She didn't have any when I found her."

"She didn't?" Kitty moved past him and over to the bar. "And, uh, just exactly where did you find this young woman with no clothes?"

"Believe it or not she was up a tree." Matt chuckled remembering his first sight of the girl. "She caught my attention by hitting me in the shoulder with a rock."

Kitty whirled around and looked at him, disbelief plainly written on her face. "Oh, come on now, Matt. A naked girl in a tree throwing rocks at you?"

Matt shook his head suddenly understanding how it sounded to Kitty. "Oh, no, wait, Kitty. You don't understand. She had on clothes but only a tattered shirt and skirt. But she didn't have any other clothes and yes she was sitting in a tree. Apparently she's been living out in the middle of nowhere alone for some time and felt more comfortable up there."

"Seriously?" Kitty grinned, searching his face for signs that he was pulling her leg.

"Serious as I can be." Matt shrugged. "Including the part about her needing clothes. I stopped in Shallow Water, at a dress shop there, but she threatened the dressmaker with a shoe because the old woman wanted to lace her up in a corset. I decided it was best I just bring on to Dodge and get her something here."

"Oh…." Kitty shook her head knowingly. "And you thought good ol' Kitty would do that for you."

"Ummm, well, yeah." Matt hoped she wouldn't turn him down. "I mean, well… Well, you know I don't know anything about ladies clothes and such and… well…"

Kitty chuckled, letting him off the hook. "Relax, Cowboy, I'll get her something to wear. What size is she?"

Matt looked askance at her. "How would I know? I'm not an expert on that kind of thing."

"Well, is she about my size?" Kitty clarified.

"Well," Matt looked her figure over appreciatively. "She's about your height but…" He looked at her chest and grinned wickedly at her. "She's not uh… as well…put together, I guess you'd say. She's kinda thin."

Kitty laughed out loud. "Tell ya what, Cowboy. Give me a few minutes and I'll see what I can do."

"Alright." Matt's relief was visible. "I'll go back up to Doc's real quick and check on her and then I'll be right back."

"Okay." Kitty nodded and then stopped him as he started to turn away. "Oh and Matt. You like the way I'm put together, do ya?"

Matt grinned. "Yes, Ma'am. I do."

END

AN: First time I watched this ep, I thought Matt hadn't spoken to Kitty before the little scene in Doc's office where Matt's looking out the window and Doc asks if someone is following him. But Matt said that Kitty was going to get something for Clary to wear, which indicates that he'd already talked to her. So, hopefully this covers that. Hopefully.