Not Exactly as Planned
AN: Laura's parents' names and their occupations are from my imagination since all that we learned in Big Girl Lost, first shown in season 2, was her dad was a sea captain and Laura came to Dodge from Philadelphia after her fiancé Philip Locke's parents objected to the marriage because she wasn't from their social strata. That led to the name of the business complex. Also, with a nod to history, I mention an elected County Sheriff because Pueblo wasn't incorporated until the 1880s.
Again, thank you to all those reviewers I can't thank personally. I appreciate hearing from you.
Matt awoke at dawn with Kitty still snuggled up against him. He must have needed the sleep because his head barely hurt and he could see across the room. The tall man was glad of that fact but kept his focus on the red-haired beauty sharing the bed. He turned his body enough so he could plant a kiss on those sweet lips of hers.
"Morning Cowboy," the love of his life purred. "The hour's ungodly I know but for once I awoke before you. I've been cotentedly lying here waiting for you to open your eyes. It appears that sleep did you a lot of good."
They had intended to remain in bed but a baby's cry and a little girl's voice demanding breakfast put an end to such thoughts. Kitty rose first, putting a robe over her nightgown before leaving their sanctuary for the water closet just past the spare bedroom that was theirs for the week. Within 15 minutes the visitors were dressed and had joined the Pence family in the kitchen where the aromas of fresh coffee and sizzling bacon flowed into their nostrils. Laura was stirring the batter for flapjacks while Bill played with his infant son.
After their meal Kitty refused to allow Laura to take care of clearing up the dishes alone. Ricky's cries convinced the mother that it was for the best, though Bill usually took over when the baby demanded the attention only a mother could provice. Dotty was content to test out her limited vocabulary on the red-haired lady while mommy took care of changing and feeding her little brother. The child was curious about these people her parents seemed to know well and she didn't know at all.
Kitty was thrilled with the little girl's questions. A bit later, wondering how it feels to carry a baby, the saloon owner picked up a smiling Ricky to follow mother and daughter on a tour of the property, including the Pence's portion of the Arkansas that flowed just a few yards beyond the garden's back gate. While they strolled Kitty told Dotty about working with the child's parents in Dodge City. The little girl was fascinated to learn how her folks met where three worked and that the tall man with Miss Kitty, Marshal Matt Dillon, kept folks from being bad. The women and children followed a slightly different route from the men that doubled back to the hotel kitchen.
Bill took Matt with him to show off the Pence compound. He began, knowing his guest was in Pueblo to relax, by taking the big man through the garden in back of the house to the gate leading to the river's shore. They walked back and forth along the bank with Bill pointing out the best spots for fishing and picnicking. Satisfied that Matt found several points along the shore appealing, they strode around the back of the stable to its rear entrance where the stableman greeted them. The man from Dodge thought Pence had found Moss Grimmick's counterpart. The host and his visitor continued along until they reached a side entrance to the main building that led directly into the saloon. They passed it by, continuing around from the alley to the street, again passing by the saloon's batwing doors for the double door entrance to the hotel.
They arrived in time to see the day clerk take over from his overnight counterpart. The lobby looked to be a comfortable place to pass the time, but such things didn't really interest Matt. Being able to see them did. He was pleased that his eyes let him take it all in. There was only a slight blur around the edges of chairs more than ten feet away. Bill proudly pointed out a room decked out like Delmonico's as they walked through the lobby into the saloon. It served as the hotel dining room for those who wanted food rather than merely spirits or no alcohol at all.
Bill explained that Laura spent her days in the kitchen, which served both the dining room and saloon, providing home cooked meals or in the hotel's small office keeping the books up to date. She would bring the children, who had a small play area in both the kitchen and office where she could keep an eye on them. Pence, while they walked along, rattled on about the efficiency of it all, including his stints as a relief bartender while his family was on the premises. He explained that thanks to Laura's business sense, gleaned from living alone in a large house with her mother while her father was at sea, and what both learned from his partner back in Dodge City the hotel, attached saloon and stables were thriving. Mentioning Kitty's business prowess was the only thing that got Matt's attention, but as always he remained polite.
At this early hour the saloon was quiet except for the man washing out glasses and the youth sweeping the floor in preparation for the day's first customers. Bill explained, as he showed off the long, highly polished bar to Matt, that drinks were available as long as there were customers. He had employees round the clock, even a few young ladies to wait on the men, including a table or two devoted to poker. He maintained a separate staff for the hotel, except for day and evening short order cooks who dealt with food for both the dining room and bar patrons to supplement the more substantial meals Laura provided. Having completed the tour Bill walked with Matt back into the hotel lobby and then through the fenced garden into the separately enclosed open area that formed the front yard of their house.
Always the lawman, Matt wondered how troublemakers were handled. From his experience mixing drinks, attractive girls and gambling attracted the killers and spoilers. Pueblo didn't have a City Marshal despite its growth. The community began as a trading post in the '40s. Now that the railroad served passengers going east and west as well as those traveling north and south the town would grow even more and so would the chances for law breaking. He asked about it just as the two men reached the gate between the hotel garden and the Pence front yard.
"We have our share of hotheads and thieves," Bill admitted. "The County Sheriff and his deputies do a good job handling them. It's rare when we have to call on the US Marshal up in Denver. Matt, enjoy your vacation," he added as a reminder before leaving his friend and returning to the hotel to work.
Dillon thought about what Bill had said as he ambled across the open area that led to the house. Despite his still limited vision he could see there was no exit from the back of the saloon into the hotel garden or into the fenced area that was the Pence front yard. He remembered Bill had opened an alley gate into the Pence front yard before driving the wagon through. He couldn't see that gate thanks to the current state of his eyesight but he recalled the stable entrance was outside it. Bill was right he had to stop thinking like a lawman. Maybe it would speed the healing process if he concentrated on fishing with Kitty and left the badge and gun, which he wasn't currently wearing, locked away in their bedroom.
The Dodge couple appreciated the solitude staying at but apart from The Captain's Landing would give them. It lived up to the company motto as a place where all the needs of the weary wayfarer are met. The name was an additional way for Bill to pay homage to his wife's father, a man he wished he'd known based on what Laura told him. Perhaps, now that he was a grandfather with a namesake in baby Ricky, Captain Broderick Simmons and his wife Lydia could be lured inland from the Delaware River, the backbone of the busy Philadelphia Port. That was for Pence to concern himself with, not Matt and Kitty's worry.
On the other hand the Arkansas, which ran at the back of the Pence property, provided Matt & Kitty with a cozy reminder of home. They spent that first day along its bank fishing and enjoying the quiet. While both were willing to help their friends out of gratitude for the peace and quiet that was allowing Matt to fully recover, Kitty had no desire to help out in the saloon. She'd gladly accompany Laura and the children both ways, carrying baby Ricky and joining her hostess in watching Dotty run. The toddler came to a halt at the hotel back entrance for Laura to pick her up and carry the little girl inside.
While the women walked the short distance to the Pence home, Matt joined Bill for a rye at the bar before they too headed there. They chose a table whose position matched the lawman's favorite spot in the Long Branch. Out of habit he sat where he could see the whole room. Even one day of relaxing had its effect. Dillon noticed his vision was clearly sharper. However, it wasn't sharp enough to recognize one of the poker players, a man he'd told to "get out of Dodge" nearly eight years ago.