Gunsmoke:After All This Time

Part 8

By the time they were finished at the saloon it was approaching noon. "How about we have lunch here in town before we head back home, Matt?" Kitty suggested.

"Sure, but there're so many restaurants, how are we going to choose?" he joked.

"Well, they do have a place similar to Delmonico's. It's called Hawk's Nest."

"Hawk's Nest, huh? Sounds interesting." They left the buggy parked in front of the saloon and walked the rest of the way to the restaurant. "Where's the sheriff's office in this town?"

"It's about two streets over," Kitty told him as they approached the restaurant. "Why?"

"No reason. I just figured I would try and get myself acquainted with the town." They walked in and were seated at a table near the front. Both picked up their menus and began reading. "What are you going to have?" Matt asked distractedly as he tried to decipher some French writing.

"I think I'll have the smothered okra and tomatoes," Kitty said as she put her menu down. She smiled at the face he made. "How about you?"

"Well," Matt said looking at the menu wearily, "I guess I'll try the Cajun Rolled Steak." Kitty couldn't help but laugh at his skepticism.

"Matt, don't worry. Most of this food is just as normal as anything you would eat in Dodge. It's just that here a lot of the words on the menu are in French, but the main difference is that they use a lot more spices and flavorings," Kitty explained.

Later on, after their food had come, Matt was pleasantly surprised. His steak was bursting with flavor and it was probably the tenderest piece of meat he'd ever had. He had even tasted Kitty's okra and tomatoes and it was delicious. "Kitty, I don't see how you survived Delomonico's all those years after being used to food like this," Matt said as he speared another piece of okra from her plate.

"It wasn't easy, let me tell ya," she said as she took a drink of her iced water. The temperature outside was starting to rise.

"Make sure you drink all of that water," Matt told her as he finished the last of his food and took a swallow of his own water. "I don't want you to get dehydrated on the way home and we didn't bring a water jug."

"Yes, boss," she said smiling.

KmK

Finally, they were on their way back home. "Kitty?"

"Hm?"

"You know Brandon is in love with you don't you?"

"What!" Kitty said, turning to look at him like he was crazy. "He is not."

"Yes, he is. You obviously didn't notice, but you should see the way he looks at you."

"And just how is that?" she asked disbelieving.

"Probably the same way I look at you." She only smiled at the remark. "It's getting pretty overcast out here," Matt said looking up at the now cloudy sky.

"Yeah, looks like we might be getting a storm. They can get pretty bad out here so we'd better hurry." Matt took her advice and urged the horse on faster.

MkM

By the time they got home, the wind had picked up and it was starting to sprinkle. Matt dropped Kitty off at the back door and then went to put the horse and buggy away. By the time he got back to the house he was drenched. "Oh, you're soaked," Kitty told him. The rain was coming down in sheets. "Come upstairs and put on some fresh clothes." Matt allowed himself to be taken upstairs and he stood still, smiling down at Kitty as she concentrated on getting him out of his wet clothing. His smile slowly began to fade into a look of desire as her hands touched his chest and slid down his arms to push the sopping shirt from his shoulders. Her touch only reminded his body of the other ways he had missed her.

Kitty wasn't immune to the feeling either. She purposely kept her eyes averted from his, afraid that she wouldn't be able to control herself if she looked at him. She turned around and her eyes searched for his bags that were still propped up against the wall. "Did you bring extra clothes with you?" she asked rather nervously as she began digging through his things. She heard the sound of him unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants. She forced herself to focus on what she was doing and not the fact that he was half naked behind her. "I don't see any clothes in here. I guess you'll just have to let them air dry." She stood and headed for the door, not even looking at him. "I'll go downstairs and fix us something to drink…"

"Kitty…" Matt called. She stopped in the doorway with her back still to him. "Why are you afraid?" he asked her softly.

"I don't know," she told him in a small voice. Finally, she turned around and looked at him.

"Come here." She did.

"It's been so long, Matt," she said becoming breathless at their proximity.

"I know and I missed you so much." He brought his hands up to her face, his thumbs lightly caressing. He leaned down and kissed her long and deep.

To be continued...