He knew they were lost.
Sliding his eyes towards the young woman sitting beside him on the bouncing wagon seat, he knew she had the same thought. When she caught him looking, she gave him a small, tight-lipped smile.
"Chester, you don't know where we are, do you?" she asked in a concerned voice, as she looked around in all directions.
"Wal, Miss Kitty, I reckon I don't. This here storm got me all turned 'round." Taking off his small, black hat, the young man squinted up at the sky, trying to see where the sun was in the cloud-obscured, dark sky.
He had been tasked by Marshal Dillon to take a small wagon to pick up Kitty at the Wagon Wheel relay station that morning. Matt had to meet Judge Brooking, and couldn't go himself, and Chester was more than happy to do it. Kitty was returning from a two-week-long visit with Claire Evans, an old friend from Abilene now living on a ranch with her husband.
"Chester. This meeting with the Judge came up at the last minute. I feel bad that I have to ask you to pick her up, but I sure do appreciate it." The tall lawman jammed his index fingers and thumbs into his vest pockets and looked down at the always dusty floor of the office. What he really felt bad about was disappointing Kitty again, but he vowed to make it up to her.
"Why, SURE, Mr. Dillon! I'll git that small wagon and a horse from Moss and head right on out! And Mr. Dillon. I vow ta git Miss Kitty back here safe and sound!" His large, dark brown eyes met Matt's light blue one and they both saw trust and friendship reflected back. Matt smiled, nodded slightly, slapped his assistant on the back, and headed to his meeting at the Dodge House.
When Chester pulled up at the relay station, Kitty's stage was visible in the distance, approaching at a bone-rattling clip. He stopped the wagon in the shade of the station, climbed down and waited.
Leaning out the window, Kitty didn't even feel the bouncing as she searched the relay station for a sign of the tall man she so wanted to have wrap his arms around her in welcome. Her smile of happy anticipation faltered as she saw that the tall man was slim and limping hurriedly towards where the stage would stop.
"Chester? Why Chester?!" she wondered, as the anticipation fell from her like a stone. "Is Matt all right?!" was her next thought, but as the stage neared the station, she saw the welcoming grin on Chester's face. "Dear Chester! I wonder what came up this time for Matt to have to send him instead of coming himself?"
The stage rolled to a jolting stop in a cloud of dust in front of the relay station. Kitty stepped out first to Chester's waiting hand, glad to be standing on unswaying ground again.
"Wal, Miss Kitty! Bet yer surprised to see ME?!" His grin was big and full of genuine pleasure at seeing his dear friend again. "The wagon is right over here," he said, reaching up for her bag as it was handed down from the top of the coach by the guard.
"Where's Matt, Chester? Is everything all right? Not that I'm not glad to see you!" she asked as the lean young man hop-walked beside her towards the horse and wagon waiting beside the station.
"Ya see, Miss Kitty, Mr. Dillon sure wanted ta come hisself, but Judge Brooking showed up 'bout somethin' and wal, they had ta take care of it." Seeing the sad, resigned look on her lovely face, he added, "And he sure did feel bad 'bout it! Moss said he even was gonna borrow a picnic basket!"
Her face brightened and she gave Chester one of her dazzling smiles that always made him feel like humming one of his made-up songs. Chester's tender heart always felt fuller whenever a close friend of his was happy.
"I had Moss put a blanket up on the seat fer ya, Miss Kitty, to, er…make the ride softer." His face turned red as he helped her up to the seat.
"Thank you, Chester, that was very thoughtful of you," she said, trying not to laugh at his sweet discomfort at referring to her derriere that had already been battered for miles in the stagecoach. "How long should it take us to get home?"
"Wal, 'bout two, two and a half hours, I reckon, if nothin' goes wrong." He smiled at his passenger, clucked at the horse, and headed the wagon back towards Dodge.
"What could possibly go wrong?" the excited young woman thought to herself, anticipating Matt's private welcome home embrace.