Unexpected Encounter

Matt Dillon and Kitty Russell were completely relaxed as they lay side by side along the river shore paying more attention to each other than to whether or not the fish were biting. It felt similar to six and a half years ago when he'd decided to quit being a lawman because of his disgust with what having to kill as part of the job. One major difference was Chester wouldn't be riding up to spoil things. This time the unexpected interruption came from a man striding along the shore from the west.

"I'm feeling a bit footsore. You folks got any objections to me goin' through the gate behind you as a shortcut to the hotel?"

"It's not our gate. I'm quite sure the owners would object even if the fence let you walk around their house," Matt replied. "It would be better if you went around the stables to the alley where there's a side entrance," he added in a voice that evoked his distain for even suggesting the shortcut.

"You don't appear to be in any position to stop me. You ain't wearin' iron," the stranger replied in a tone that oozed challenge. "Course if you were packin' I'd have no qualms about killin' you."

Matt stood up to his full height to show he wasn't intimidated. The man merely shrugged, turned away and started toward the gate. Suddenly he was spun around, then on the ground, the recipient of a Matt Dillon grab and backhand.

"I see Dillon you're with that redhead you wouldn't admit was your girl when we last met," he taunted to show he wasn't cowed. "I told you then you'd regret not killing me. Now you'd best find that gun of yours if you don't want me to steal your saloon whore away," the man snarled, issuing an obvious challenge with the insult to Kitty.

The still recovering lawman stared in anger and issued a challenge of his own with his intense blue-eyed gaze. "It's best you move on, Borden," Matt commanded, having recognized his antagonist. "You're still not wanted in Dodge and you're not going to trespass in Pueblo."

Cope Borden seemingly accepted what the Kansas lawman told him. He continued east. Matt glared after his retreating figure as it rounded the far end of the stable. Though the gunman didn't defy the warning by using the gate into the private garden, the marshal knew from experience that a man like that meant trouble. He was on edge and so was Kitty even if they fished for a bit longer. For all they knew Borden used the front yard gate rather than the saloon entrance to get to the hotel.

"Kit, I don't want you or Laura and the kids walking back from the hotel alone," Matt insisted as the pair strolled along a path through the private garden toward the house. "Cope Borden's a dangerous man."

"Cowboy, I should have known our quiet getaway couldn't last. Now that our peace is shattered what worries me most is you facing him before you're ready."

The encounter with Borden worried the Dodge City pair enough that they discussed what precautions should be taken with Bill and Laura that evening. Bill remembered the poker game when Borden killed in self-defense. What Pence didn't observe was the gunman's attitude toward law-abiding citizens. He missed seeing Cope Borden's glee when it appeared Matt would use a shotgun against some of those citizens, who were led by Rance Bradley, the same rancher who tried to lynch Borden for horse theft.

Bill Pence usually left for the Captain's Landing before Laura was ready to walk across to the hotel through the two fenced areas, the Pence front yard and the hotel garden. He didn't care there was no access from the garden to either the saloon or the stable without climbing over the fence. The morning after Matt and Kitty's encounter with Cope Borden Bill remained at the house long enough to accompany the two women and his children.

Matt stood in the front doorway watching and pondering how best to proceed. He lost sight of the group when they opened the gate to enter the hotel garden. The US Marshal decoded to bide his time. He also saw no need to ask the Pueblo County Sheriff for backup – at least not yet. Matt Dillon, completely well or not, could handle any threat no matter who issued it.

Though a loner by nature, Dillon nevertheless was a charming man with many acquaintances – some he even called friends. But there was only one person who came close to really knowing him. That was Kitty. He was willing to share his innermost thoughts and feelings with her. Doc was a near miss. He reckoned she'd understand not fishing today – the couple's second full one in Pueblo. After the previous afternoon's encounter fishing wasn't as appealing to Kitty either so she chose to help Laura.

Her decision left an already restless man to spend his day alone, a circumstance the forcibly idled lawman, thanks to his still unreliable sight, was not looking forward to. It reflected just how abnormal he felt. If he'd been busy chasing down some outlaw such a prospect would have been welcome. Being out on the prairie gave him a chance to think things through. Though Dillon knew he wasn't completely healthy he decided to do ignore Doc's admonition to hold off on riding until his symptoms completely disappeared. Matt closed the front door, hearing the lock click into place, and turned toward the gate that led to the alley.

At the stable he rented a horse. The stableman was there just as he'd been yesterday when Pence gave Matt the grand tour of his business. He saddled a large mount while insisting there was no charge, knowing this man was a special guest of his boss.

Dillon led his mount outside before hoisting himself into the saddle. He circled to the back of the building and rode off toward the west along the river in the direction Cope Borden had come from. He didn't know what he'd find, but backtracking the man seemed like a way to pass the time. After an hour of easy riding Matt decided to turn back. His stomach was grumbling. It must be near lunchtime. Also, though he hated to admit it, he felt a bit tired. It must be all this inactivity causing his fatigue. He felt healed up enough for the loss of energy to be something other than concussion symptoms.

Matt returned the borrowed horse and strode through the gate into the Pence front yard. He was about to turn toward the house but some instinct told him to go in the opposite direction – toward the hotel garden. What met his eyes made him forget hunger and any malaise. It spurred him into action. Kitty was ambling through the garden toward the house unaware of the man gaining on her. Dillon reached the woman he loved a split second after Cope Borden did. Well-honed reflexes, responding to the situation, led to Borden's arm being pulled from around Kitty's waist. The force of Matt ripping Cope away from her sent him flying through the air to land flat on his back. Matt was ready to pound the man into the ground but she put a stop to it.

"You got here before he could do whatever was on his mind, Cowboy," she stated. "It's not worth exerting yourself further. That doesn't mean I'm not glad you got here when you did."

Giving the unconscious Borden a parting glance Matt Dillon wrapped his left arm around Kitty Russell's waist while she entwined her right arm around his. They strolled into the house where she coaxed him into taking his ease while she fixed them a meal. He couldn't resist her hint that, if he heeded her, they'd retire to their bedroom for some personal time until shortly before the Pence family returned. Both figured it would be impolite if they emerged after Laura returned since Kitty had left the hotel early to prepare supper. She felt they owed their hosts at the very least a meal in exchange for providing, until now, a safe haven. The guests let their hosts guide the conversation around the supper table. It allowed them to keep what had occurred earlier that afternoon private. Matt and Kitty had no intention of causing alarm.

"Pueblo isn't Dodge. It's not full of Texas cowhands out to get revenge for being on the losing side in the War. What followed forced them into earning their living by spending three months on a trail that ends in what they still see as enemy territory," Bill began. "Their stay is temporary and one where they hope to raise as much of a ruckus as possible. This is a mining community so our population is subject to steady growth rather than the ebb and flow, to put it in terms that fit the name of our business, of the cattle season. Also, the only gambling is a friendly game or two of poker."

When the two couples turned in for the night Matt was still convinced Borden would cause more trouble. However, he wasn't sure if he needed to strap on his gun belt to become the US Marshal headquartered in Dodge City again or remain Matt Dillon the man. It all depended on what happened in the five or six days remaining until he and Kitty stepped off an eastbound train at the Dodge City depot. He didn't mention when he turned toward the woman beside him that the stress of the two encounters with Cope Borden had brought back the headaches and blurred his vision, especially at distances over ten feet. At least it wasn't as bad as it had been when they first arrived.

"Cowboy, let's do something different tomorrow," Kitty murmured, sensing her man's mood and state of health. "Why don't we get a feel for the town. We could ask Bill and Laura for the loan of their wagon just in case I find some items I can't get in Dodge except from a catalog. While I'm shopping you can get a feel for the town. We can finish with dinner in their best restaurant before heading back here."