Note: Sorry to have taken so long in getting back to this, but things happen. Hope that this is not boring you and keeps your interest. I will do my best.

My Twisted Heritage

Chapter 6

Gunsmoke

Spoilers: Twisted Heritage/Not really any spoilers, I really don't follow the original idea

too much.

The days slowly passed by for Kitty. She spent most of her time in bed because Jesse would not allow her to do anything but rest. But she was steadily becoming restless and needed to get up. Jesse Copperton had to be just about the most stubborn woman she had ever had the pleasure or displeasure of running into. Reading the same page of the book Jesse had given her for about the fifth time, without really knowing what she had just read, she finally closed the book and laid it beside her on the bed. She had enough. She wasn't the type of person to just lie around all day. At least, from what she felt, she didn't think she was. She needed something to keep her busy. Spotting the lacy robe on the chair, she pulled back the covers from her legs and slowly, and quietly slipped out of bed. She pulled the robe on quickly and looked around the room. Spotting the books lying on the desk and she sat down and began to look at the book. Looking at the books, she saw that they were accounting books, and that Blane Copperton was a very poor bookkeeper. He had little slips of papers shoved in the book with names and amounts paid out. Supply lists and costs. Sitting at his desk, she began to organize the slips of paper, realizing that he had saved up quite a mound of papers and had not logged them into the books at all. Once she had organized she began to enter the slips into their proper books. He had two books, one for the ranch and the costs of repairs and supplies and such and the second book, a smaller one, a ledger kept the names of the men that worked at the Copperton ranch and the monthly pays. Within three hours, she had entered the slips and balanced the books. She smiled to herself as she looked at her work. It felt good, doing something. As she sat there, Blane knocked on the door and opened it, noticing that she was not in the bed and saw her at his desk. He saw the books lying opened and walked over to her.

"What are you doing?" He said a bit alarmed.

"I'm sorry, I just thought…." She didn't finish her sentence.

"How did you balance these books so quickly?" He asked her looking at her figures and then looking at the pay ledger as well. "There was at least eight months of work sitting there."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I was bored and needed something to do." She said as he continued to look at her work, making sure the numbers concurred with some of the slips.

"This is unbelievable, it would have taken me days to do this. You did this in, what two hours?" He said smiling at her.

"I seem to have a good head for numbers. I enjoyed doing it. I guess I must have had some type of job doing books." She said looking up at him.

"Or you have or had some kind of business at some point in your life." Setting the books down, he smiled. "Well, I'm grateful for your work, I hate doing this kind of work. I don't like taking the time. It's too time consuming, for me anyway." He smiles. Kitty smiled back at him and his heart skipped a beat or two. Still looking at the books.

"Maybe you're a school teacher." He said to her. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Somehow, I just don't see myself as a school teacher." Standing up, a piece of a memory came into her mind. An elderly man was leaning over her as she lay in the back of a buckboard, he smiled at her and she felt safe and secure. Her head hurt, the memory was intense. Grabbing the back of the chair, Blane saw the pain etched in her face and grabbed her immediately. His strong arms encircled her waist and he slipped his other arm under her knees as he lifted her from the ground.

"I think you've had enough excitement for today." He said as she looked up at him.

"I guess I am a bit tired." She said as he gently laid her down on the bed. He lifted her legs and pulled the covers up over her legs as she laid back into the pillows, already her eyes were beginning to close.

"Get some sleep. I'll bring you some supper later this evening." He said opening the door and looking back at her as she snuggled into the pillows. Her eyes were closed and she smiled at him. Pulling the door closed, Blane leaned his forehead against it, closing his eyes and thing about her. Taking a deep breath, he straightened up and head down the corridor.

It had barely been two weeks and this beautiful redhead was getting to him. He had never in his life met someone so full of life. Her eyes held so much passion and compassion. And when she smiled, her whole face lit up as well. Blane was losing this battle. This woman, was stealing his heart. A heart he had tried so desperately to keep locked away these past years. A heart, he had thought long dead with his wife and son.

"Papa." Came the soft voice of his daughter. He looked down into her brown eyes and smiled.

"What is it, Tracy?" He asked as he knelt down in front of her.

"Is Miss Kitty awake, Papa? I wanted to show her my music box." She said holding the beautiful box that had once belonged to his wife. He noticed the dreamy look in Tracy's eyes, as well. She was learning to love again as well.

"She just went to sleep. Why don't you and I go have some lunch and then, we can bring her some supper later. You can show her your music box then. Okay?" He said smiling at her.

"Okay, Papa." She said as she reached out, taking his hand. He then lead her downstairs and to the dining room where a nice lunch had been set out for them.

"I was wondering if I was going to have to have my meals alone from now on. And where were you two, as if I didn't know. Mooning over Miss Kitty?" She asked smiling as Tracy giggled at her grandmother's words.

"I went to check on her and found her sitting at my desk." He said.

Abruptly she stands up. "What? What is she doing out of bed?" She pulled at her skirt and headed around the table.

"Calm down, Mother, she's in bed now, but she obviously was bored because she did eight months of bookwork in a little over two hours." He said as his mother made her way back to her seat and sat down.

"And how were her figures?" Jesse asked.

"She's smart, very smart, and really good at keeping the books. I was amazed she knew how to separate things and just where they belong. She's amazing." He said sitting down across from Tracy and looking at the soup, Cookie brought out.

"Yes, she is amazing." She said smiling as she dipped her spoon into the soup and began to eat her lunch. "Quite beautiful too."

"She looks like an angel." Tracy said as she sat there eating her soup and swinging her legs back and forth.

"Tracy, dear, sit still, one might think that you have ants in your pants." She told her granddaughter who only giggled.

Two weeks have passed. Kitty was getting stronger and feeling much better. Jesse had allowed her to sit downstairs in the living room for a little while. But the moment she even looked like she was tired, she had Blane or one of the men, help her back to bed. In the two weeks that past, Kitty and Tracy had talked and become friends. One night, Blane had come out of his room in the middle of the night, feeling something was wrong. He slipped quietly into Tracy's room, but she was not there. He became upset, then went to ask Kitty if she had seen her. When he opened the door, he was surprised to find Tracy lying in Kitty's arms, fast asleep. He then realized what had awoken him. Tracy wakes up every night, having had nightmares about her mother. Unlike every other night before, she had not woken her father. Instead, she had gone into Kitty's room and climbed quietly into bed with her. He stood there smiling down at the two ladies. His daughter and the woman who was quickly making him feel so much again. Kitty opened her eyes to see Blane watching her sleep. He smiles at her. "I'll take her and put her back in her room." He whispered.

"No." She whispered. "She's fine. She had a bad dream." He shook his head.

"That makes two of us." He said thinking about his own dream. Once again, she had visited him in his dream, however, this time, he was working in the field, his shirt was off and it was thrown over the post, near where he was chopping wood. As he looked up from his work, Kitty came out of the house with a pitcher of cool water. She wore a pale blue dress and her hair was hanging down to below her waist. . The top of it was pulled back away from her face. She handed him the glass of water and he drank it down, then took the pitcher and dumped the water on his head. He set the pitcher down on the ground along with the glass and tray. Kitty smiled at him as he took her hand and gently pulled her behind the barn out of view of the house and others. Pushing her against the barn, he kissed her passionately and she returned the kiss with equal passion.

"Well," Kitty's voice broke him of his thought. "I'd invite you in, but, it wouldn't be proper." She smiled up at him. He smiled at her then headed out the door.

"Goodnight, Kitty." He whispered

"Goodnight, Blane." She snuggled back into the pillow, wrapping her arms tighter about the child. And slipped back into sleep.

Returning to his bedroom, Blane took his shirt off and laid down on the bed on his belly. He looked up at his door and thought of Kitty and smiled.

To be continued……..