Chapter 3

AN: I got to wondering if there were any women marshals back in the days of the old west. To my surprise there were several. Admittedly they were slightly after Gunsmoke's era - 1890's - but Gunsmoke never cared too much about chronologic or geographic accuracy. Phoebe Couzins was the first woman to be appointed US Marshal, sometime around 1890. She was also the first woman in the United States to get a law degree. Several others followed her, notably Ada Carnutt who arrested nineteen men at the Black and Roger Saloon in Oklahoma City and later two forgers who she single handedly escorted to jail.

With these brave, strong women in mind I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

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First light came all too soon. Matt gradually opened his eyes and thought about what lay ahead. His mind wanted to dwell on the sweet pleasures of the night but he needed to talk to Miranda Miller again and try to discover more of her story. Washington hadn't been very forthcoming with information. It seemed as if Matt had been asked - more like ordered according to the wording of the telegram - to give her every assistance necessary to complete her mission.

Carefully he began to extricate himself from the warmth of the tangled sheets and the softness of the lady lying next to him. Quietly as he could, he got dressed and tiptoed to the door.

"Be careful, Matt." A muffled voice came from the bed, and a very sleepy pair of blue eyes struggled out from under the covers.

"I'll see you later," he promised as he left the room above the Long Branch. It was the closest thing to a home that he and Kitty were likely to share for many years to come. Sometimes he'd admit that this wasn't how it should be. He'd reached the point in his life when a man should provide a home and a family for the woman he cared for, but as long as he wore that badge on his shirt, he couldn't allow himself the privilege of admitting to love.

He walked purposefully to the jail. Without Chester the office was cold and there was no smell of freshly made coffee to greet him. He set about firing up the stove, all the while thinking about Miranda Miller and the telegram he'd received from Washington.

After making brief morning rounds he finished up at Doc's office, just as the physician was emerging from the back room and closing the door behind him.

"You're early," he grumbled. Adams knew that the marshal had likely been up for several hours already, checking the town to make sure all was well. All the same he couldn't resist the opportunity to rib him a little.

Matt didn't rise to the bait. He was too concerned with Miranda Miller.

"Can I go talk to her, Doc?"

The physician nodded, "But don't tire her out!" he ordered. He tucked his pocket watch back into his vest then scrubbed his face with his hand. He was trying to balance Matt's need for information with his patient's need for rest. He knew the marshal had a difficult but necessary job to do. It was the same as his own in a lot of ways.

Matt stood staring at Miranda Miller for several seconds before she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Doc said I could talk to you for a few minutes, Ma'am. You wanna explain what's going on? I sent a telegram to Washington after I left here yesterday and they replied telling me to give you all and any assistance that you might need."

"What else did they tell you?" Her voice was stronger than last night but she still appeared weak.

"Not much, they said they'd send more in a day or two."

"I don't remember how much I managed to tell you last night. It's still kind of a blur," she admitted.

Matt went to the table and carried the solitary chair back to the bed so he could sit at eye level with her. She was really quite a striking woman despite her present condition. What ever led any woman to take on a job like this? A job that he would give up tomorrow if he didn't feel so trapped by the oath he swore and some other things too if he was honest with himself. "Why don't you just start at the beginning?"

He noticed that her amber eyes were closed. She was silent for a minute or two and he began to wonder if she'd fallen back to sleep. He looked down at his hands and studied them. It was likely that Doc had dosed her with one of his concoctions so she wouldn't be up to talking for a while.

He was almost ready to leave when an unexpectedly strong voice startled him.

"I've been a marshal for about five years. Does that surprise you?"

"Yes it does," Matt had to admit to himself that he'd never even considered a woman would want to become a United States marshal. He'd heard of one or two female sheriffs but even that seemed strange to him.

"We were on a special mission."

"We?"

"I'll explain later." She stopped and closed her eyes again before continuing. "I guess you've heard of Yarborough's gang."

"Yes I have." Matt kept his answers short because he wanted to hear as much of her story as possible before she tired - or Doc threw him out.

"Many lawmen have tried to track them down, as I'm sure you know. None of them got very close, so Washington decided to try something different."

"They sent a woman?" Matt's disbelief came out in his voice. Miranda couldn't help but notice and tried to smile.

"Two women and a man to be precise."

Matt noticed the beginning of a smile on her lips before she closed her eyes again. He could see pain in her face now and remembered only too well how the aftermath of a bullet wound and loss of blood could make you feel.

"Do you need me to get Doc?" he asked, concerned about her condition.

"No, not yet - I need to tell you about Ada Boothe."

"Go ahead. I'm listening."

"Ada and I had worked together before but never on such a complicated case as this one. We were to meet up with Marshal Tom Durbin down in the Texas Panhandle. We managed to do that. He told us that the gang had a headquarters somewhere near the Santa Fe trail, down in The Nations. I guess you know it's pretty wild country down there. Killers, outlaws, all kinds of villains trying to skirt the authorities. Not to mention the many wandering bands of renegade Indians."

She stopped and closed her eyes again while thinking of how to continue.

"There is only one community that could halfway qualify as a town."

"Yes, I've heard of Kenton," he said, trying to save her more explanation than necessary.

"Then you know it's home to at least a dozen saloons, a gun store or two and every kind of law-breaker imaginable. Ada and I got jobs in two of those saloons to see if we could get anyone to talk about Yarborough's gang. And before you say anything, Marshal, women do have an advantage when it comes to getting men to talk."

She tried unsuccessfully to suppress a cough. Matt remembered how that felt too. She was fading fast and he still needed one more vital piece of information. There was a glass of water on the side table and he picked it up.

"You need a drink?"

She managed to nod between coughing spasms. He lifted her head a little so she could sip on the water. She laid back trying to recover her breath. He had to admit she was a strong woman - stronger even than many men he'd known.

He gave her time to recover then asked, "Where can I find Ada Boothe and Tom Durbin?"

"Tom's dead." She was trying to remain professional but he could tell the man's death had affected her. She made a visible effort before continuing, "Ada and I had managed to find the approximate location of Yarborough's hideout. It was not as big as we'd thought. All he did was plan the operations from there and then send word to the appropriate groups of thieves and killers to carry them out. Sometimes several robberies and such were timed on the same day in different locations, so as to confuse the authorities. Tom thought he could infiltrate the gang and find out more."

She paused again. "A little more water please, Marshal, if you don't mind."

She took several small swallows from the glass Matt held for her.

"Are you sure you can continue?"

"Yes I need to. Ada and I found Tom in a small clearing near the Cimarron Cut-Off. He'd been shot, beaten and left for dead by several of the gang who'd ambushed him, probably on Yarborough's orders. He managed to give us a little information before he died."

Again she stopped and appeared to slip back into sleep. Matt saw a small tear falling from her left eye and watched as it slid down her cheek and landed on the pillow. He got up from his chair and, not being quite sure what to do, went towards the door to give her some privacy in her grief. He'd never known Tom Durbin but he must have meant a lot to Miranda Miller. Maybe he should get Doc now.

"Wait a minute, Marshal," The voice was weaker so he turned back and leaned over the bed in order to hear her. "She's south of town camping near Walnut Creek. Didn't want to come into Dodge... attract attention."

"I'll find her, don't worry." He knew she was referring to her partner - Ada Boothe.

He left Doc's office with a headful of questions. The only way he was going to get answers was to find Miss Boothe.

TBC