After Orville Whitaker left, Kitty once again turned back to her work but once again was stopped in mid-tracks.
"Kitty!" Doc haled her from the doorway as he shuffled in. "I thought I'd let you know that I stitched up Sam's hand and sent him home. He insisted he was fine but I didn't agree."
"I didn't think it was that bad." Kitty was instantly worried for Sam. "Is he going to be alright?"
"He will." Doc hastily reassured her, silently chastising himself for worrying her unnecessarily. "The cut wasn't that bad but it was a long cut. It took a lot of stitches to close it up and he can't open and close that hand too well. I told him to go home for today and I'd let you know about it."
"Well," Kitty sighed. "I'm glad he's going to be alright, but that leaves me short-handed today." Throwing up a hand, she shook her head. "Guess, I'll just have to forgo inventory until tomorrow."
"Well, what about Fred?" Doc asked about her relief bartender. "Can't you send for him?"
"Nope." Kitty answered as she headed back behind the bar. "He's out of town for a couple of days. Went to see his mother. Oh, well, it's okay. I can handle it."
"Oh, I know that." Doc shook his head at her. "But you're going to be awfully tired by the end of the day."
"You looking for a part time job, Doc?" Kitty grinned at him.
"You couldn't afford me." Doc quipped. "Besides, I have to ride out to the Dunkirk farm and have a look at Charlie's leg."
"Oh?" Kitty asked. "What happened to Charlie's leg?"
"Oh, got he kicked by his cow." Doc shook his head as he turned for the doorway. "Well, I'll see you later Kitty."
"Bye, Doc." Kitty replied as he left.
After Doc exited the saloon, Kitty looked around the as of yet empty saloon and sighed. It was quiet and peaceful right then but she knew before long that would change. Quickly scanning the stock of whiskey and beer behind the counter she surmised she'd be all right for a while. She'd have to get someone to get another keg up to the bar later but she'd worry about that when the time came.
Deciding to give the bar a good wipe down, she bent down to retrieve a bar towel. When she stood back up; a man was standing there staring at her.
"Um, hello." She smiled uncertainly at him.
Though the man's dress was no different than the hundreds of other cowboys that came into the Long Branch there was something unsettling about him from the start. It could've been the way his hazel eyes settled on her and refused to look away or the way his dark handlebar mustache was draped around his mouth, as though a cat had taken up residence in his mouth and it's tale stuck out to decorate his upper lip. Maybe she didn't like the way he just suddenly appeared.
But something about this man was instantly off putting to her and she instinctively took a step back. "Can I help you?" She finally managed.
"Beer." He growled, his eyes never leaving her form.
Kitty nodded, slightly bent down, grabbed a beer mug and moved to draw his order. However, as she did, his hand snaked out and grabbed her arm.
"Changed my mind." He suddenly grinned with a mouth full of decaying teeth. "I want you."
Kitty didn't say a word and didn't even give it a thought before she raised the heavy beer mug and brought it crashing down onto the man's forearm.
"Ahhhggghhhh! My arm!" He yelled as he released his grip of her and staggered back a couple of steps.
Kitty didn't wait for him to recover. Quickly she dived down below the bar, grabbed the shotgun and then just as swiftly rose with it in her hands and pointed it squarely at his chest. "The only thing you will get in here, Mister, is a load of buckshot." She warned. "Now you'd better get on out of here before I give it to you."
The man's eyes widened as he took in the woman and the gun that was almost as big as she was. "Alright. " He waved his good hand for a moment before returning it to cradle his injured arm. "Alright. I'm leaving. I just thought…" He stopped when she pulled back the hammer on the first barrel. "I'm going."
Kitty stood straight and steady. She didn't move a muscle until he was completely out of the saloon. When the doors swung closed behind him, she finally released the hammer and laid the shotgun on the bar; taking a couple of deep breaths as she did so. This wasn't the first time she was accosted by amorous customers and probably wouldn't be the last but it was still unsettling. Especially knowing that if she hadn't been able to get him to leave she would have had no one there to come to her defense.
For a couple of moments Kitty started to just close the doors to the saloon and keep them closed for a while. It had already been a rough morning and it hadn't even really begun. But shaking that thought off, she picked the gun back up and placed it underneath where it belonged. Picking up the bar towel, she went back to what she was doing when she heard her name again.
"Miss Kitty. Here, let me do that."
Kitty looked up to see Sam coming in, awkwardly removing his coat as he did so. "Sam? What are you doing here?" She questioned. "Doc said he sent you home."
"He did." Sam shrugged. "But I just couldn't do it. My hand doesn't really hurt that much and I'd just be miserable at home with nothing to do and worrying about you being here alone. So I figured, even one handed I could still probably help out."
Kitty smiled, leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Sam. But you really didn't have to come back. I'd be fine."
"Probably." Sam agreed as he took the bar towel out of her hand. "But like I said, I feel better being here. Did Ben Prine show up?"
Kitty nodded. "Yes, he's back there now working on the door."
"Well, good." Sam smiled when he spotted the chair. "Maybe he can fix that when he's done with the door."
Kitty smiled. "That's what I was thinking." The terrible morning was beginning to look up. Mr. Prine would get the door fixed and Sam was there, though she intended to make sure he didn't do much with his injured hand. All of the rest of the morning's events were quickly forgotten as she picked up her clipboard again and started for the back. She doubted she would be able to finish her inventory but with Sam there, she could at least get started. "Sam, I thought I might make a start on the inventory." She told him. "Are you sure you'll be okay up here? I mean with that hand…"
"I'll be fine, Miss Kitty." He assured her. "It's not that bad."
"Okay, then." She turned to leave the room but again, she was stopped.
"Kitty?"
Trying not to groan, Kitty turned to see Claire Hollister coming in, looking around rather self-consciously. Claire was the wife of a wealthy rancher, just outside of town. She and Kitty weren't exactly friends but they'd hadn't been exactly enemies either. "Claire? Good morning. Something I can do for you?"
"You can tell me where my husband is." Claire answered belligerently. "He came here last night but he didn't come home."
"Well, I'm sorry, Claire." Kitty shrugged. "But I don't where he's at. He's not here now and if he was here last night, I didn't see him. But we were awfully busy and I honestly couldn't tell you who all was in here."
"I don't believe you, Kitty Russell." The woman spat out, teeth clenched. "You're hiding him here, I know it. What happened? Huh? Marshal get tired of you so you decided to find a rich rancher? Well, you're not going to get my man."
Kitty took a deep breath before speaking. She was within a hair's breath of slapping the woman into the next year. But with great will power, she restrained herself. "Claire, I don't want your man or even know where he is. Now, I'm sorry you can't keep track of your husband, but that's not my problem and I'd appreciate it you'd leave and go somewhere else to find him."
"I don't have to leave." Claire fairly yelled. "Not until I see my husband!"
"Claire?" Both women looked towards the doorway to see the man in question coming into the saloon. "What are you doing here?"
"Bob!" Claire's voice rose a little. "Wha… where… where were you? You didn't come home last night and I…"
"I was in an all-night poker game at the oasis saloon." Bob answered. "I told you when I left the ranch that I was going to do that. I was just now headed home. What on earth made you come here looking for me?"
Kitty started to tell him but decided to let it go. Claire would eventually have to deal with her jealously on her own. Kitty just didn't want it done here.
"Well… I… I just couldn't remember which saloon. I…" She stopped and looked back at Kitty. "I'm sorry to have bothered you, Kitty." She looked back up at her husband. "Come on, Bob. Take me to breakfast. I didn't eat before I left home."
As the two walked out, Kitty shook her head. Claire hadn't exactly apologized for her accusations but Kitty did her best to shrug it off. It was part of the job as owner of the Long Branch. Of course it still rankled her a little but she had no desire to waste any more time on it.
Turning towards the back again, Kitty heard banging coming from the kitchen area. Deciding to have a look, she went around the corner to see Mr. Prine banging on the doorframe and pulling boards off. The door had already been removed and was leaning against the wall. "How bad is it?" She asked.
"Ah, ain't too bad." He shrugged. "Just gonna take me a little while to get some new boards cut and shimmed in place."
"Well," Kitty sighed with a shake of her head. "Do what you need to." Leaving him to his work, Kitty finally completed her journey to the storeroom and started the task of inventory. But true to form for this morning, she'd barely begun when she had to quit.
As she reached into one of the stacked crates, she failed to see a bottle near the edge of the table she was leaning on. Hitting it with her elbow, the bottle fell from the table and crashed to the ground. Whiskey and shards of glass flew about the small room hitting everything and everyone in its path. Kitty jumped back but didn't escape. Wine and glass now decorated the bottom of her dress and despite the material surrounding her legs, a piece of glass managed to knick her shin.
Barely preventing herself from saying things she might not regret later, Kitty leaned against the desk and pulled up the hem of her dress, assessing her injury. It wasn't more than a deep scratch, but she would need to put something on it. Her petticoat, saturated with whiskey and a little blood was the only expendable material around so Kitty tore a small piece from it and carefully wrapped it around her leg and tied it. That would do until she could go upstairs and change and bandage it properly. Inventory, for all intents and purposes was done for the day. Kitty quickly cleaned up the broken glass and resolved later to come back and mop the floor.
Leaving the room, Kitty started for the staircase when again she heard her name being called. Hiding her feelings behind a careful mask of pleasantness, Kitty looked up to see another of her employees, Julie, come down the stairs towards her. "Julie? What are you doing up so early? I thought you would still be in bed."
"Well, I would've, Miss Kitty." Julie answered. "But me and Jim are going on a picnic today. He's supposed to be here before too long."
"Jim?" Kitty crinkled her brow, trying to remember who that was.
"Yeah, you know him." Julie smiled. "He's tall, blonde hair. Works for Mr. Worth."
An image flashed in Kitty's mind of a young man with longish blonde hair and an impudent grin. "Oh, yeah. I remember him. And I suppose you want the evening off for this picnic?"
"Oh, no, Miss Kitty." Julie shook her head. "No, I'll be here. Jim promised me that. But I sure would admire borrowing a necklace from you. You know that real pretty heart shaped one on the choker?"
"Yes, I know the one." Kitty nodded. "Well, come on and I'll get it for you. I'm heading up to my room right now anyway."
"Thanks, Miss Kitty." She grinned as she moved to follow her employer. "Miss Kitty?" Julie pointed to the hem of Kitty's torn and stained dress. "What happened to your dress?"
"Oh, I knocked over a bottle of whiskey and it broke. That's why I was headed to my room so I could change and take care of my leg. I got cut with a piece of the glass."
"Oh." Julie didn't express any concern for her boss's wellbeing and Kitty didn't expect her too. Julie was young and looking forward to a picnic with a handsome young man. Things like that tend to take over everything else.
After handing over the necklace and wishing Julie a good time, Kitty closed her bedroom door and sat down heavily on her bed. Not for the first time, she seriously thought about calling off the rest of the day, just crawling into bed and calling it done. But she couldn't. Sam, with his injured hand would need help and despite Julie's assurances, there was no guarantee she'd be back in time for her shift to start. Shaking her head, Kitty got up and removed her clothes, bandaged her leg and got dressed to go back down and to work.
TBC