My Twisted Heritage

Chapter 13

Gunsmoke

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

too much.

Kitty lay against the tree with her eyes closed. Tracy lay with her head in Kitty's lap. Toby and Jeb Baylor (Squatters) quietly came up to them. Holding a rifle, he pressed the barrel to Kitty's belly. She opened her eyes and in terror she looked at the men standing in front of her.

"Well, well, what do we got here, Jeb?" Tobe said holding the gun a little further from Kitty's belly.

"Looks like Blane Copperton's woman." Jeb said kneeling down. He smiled looking at her rounded belly. "Looks like she's carrying another one of those Copperton's." He grabbed her belly and she angrily shoved his hand away. She then hit him and he fell back on his buttock. "She ain't like his first wife." He laughed as he touched his face. Kitty pulled Tracy up and she woke up and huddled into her mother's arms. "No siree, this one's full of fire and fight." He stands up. "Git up!" He tells her. Tracy gets up and then Kitty slowly starts to get up. He became impatient and grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, pulling her into his arms. "His first wife wasn't this pretty either."

He tries to force his mouth on hers, but she pushes at his chest and turns her head away from him.

"Mama!" Tracy cried out as she tried to hit the man in the side. He slapped her and she fell to the ground. Kitty shoved him away and rushed to Tracy who was on the ground, looking up, but not willing to cry.

"Tracy! Sweetie," She pulled her into her arms and held her. Jeb pulled her to her feet.

He then grabbed Kitty's right hand and pulled the wedding band off of it. Kneeling down, his brother Tobe, came up and pulled Kitty away from the girl. Jeb holds the ring out to her. "You take this back to your Pa', girl. You tell him, Runners Canyon, one hour, or she and that bastard she carries dies…..Now RUN!" She grabbed the ring and took off for home.

It took close to 20 minutes for her to get home. But when she did, one of the hands grabbed her and rushed her the rest of the way up to the house. Without knocking, he takes her into the house.

"Mr. C! Mr. C!" He says running into the living room, where Matt and Blane were talking.

"What happened?" Blane asked as Tracy came running to him. He held onto her then knelt down. "Tracy, what happened?"

"They took Mama." She cried.

"Who?" He asked her. She was trying to catch her breath.

"The bad people. The one's living on our land. He said, Runners Canyon, 1 hr or mama and the baby die." She then reached into her pocket and pulled out Kitty's wedding band.

Blane took it from her.

"The squatters." He looked at his daughter, who looked up, eyes shining with tears. "Don't worry, I'll bring your Mama back." He stood up and looked at Shack. "Take her up to Jesse. She'll tend to her." Shack took Tracy's hand and they started to walk away. She then stopped and ran back to hug her father.

"Please, Papa, be careful." She said, then turned around and ran back to Shack.

When she left the room, Blane walked over to the desk and pulled his gun and holster from the bottom drawer.

"I'm going with you." Matt said.

"No Marshal, you're staying here."

"The Hell I am."

"Marshal, that's my wife and unborn child. Regardless of your passed history with Kitty, she's my wife. She won't recognize you." He said lacing the leather strap around his thigh. He pulls the gun from the holster to make sure it is loaded. "There is something you could do for me, Matt." Matt looked up, waiting for him to tell him. "If, if I don't come back alive, I want you to take Kitty and Tracy to Dodge with you. My mother doesn't have the time or patience to raise Tracy. I know that you still love Kitty very much. And I know you had every intention of trying to remind her of that love. I don't expect to come back Matt, but I know that once I'm gone, they won't hurt Kitty. They don't want her, anyway. I'm the one they want. I killed their father. It was a fair fight, but they don't see it that way. You take Kitty and Tracy back to Dodge and raise my children, Matt." He stood there looking at the big man.

"I won't hear of it." Jesse said from the doorway.

"No, I don't suppose you will, but that's how it's going to be, Mother. Kitty belongs in Dodge and she should be with familiar people and surroundings." He told her.

"Blane, take some of the men, Billy and Hank, they're good men, they'll help you." She pleaded with him.

"No, mother." He said. And she realized there would be no arguing with him today.

"But….."

"No! I won't risk Kitty's life or the life of my unborn child. I would die before I'd let anything happen to her." He said walking out. Matt stood there for a few seconds.

"Tell me how to get to this Runner's Canyon, Jesse." He said. She looked up at him and then she walked over to the desk and got the map out for him.

Blane got onto his horse and headed out to Runners Canyon. Matt Dillon wasn't far behind him, but far enough that Blane didn't know he was following him. Finally reaching the canyon entrance, he could see that at the entrance, his wife was tied to a tree. The rope was under her breast and under her belly. Her hands were bound at the wrists and tied so that they were against her breast. She was gagged and could not speak or warn Blane of the trap.

Matt came up to the slope, looking down, he could clearly see Kitty tied to the tree. There was absolutely no cover for a man to get to her. He then noticed her swollen belly. Even carrying another man's child, she was beautiful and a sight for sore eyes. His heart pounded in his ears as he dismounted and slowly slipped down towards the canyon entrance. Blane was closer to her. Slowly making his way down. She kept trying to cry out, but the gag had kept her from doing so. She looked towards the entrance where the Baylor's were and she tried everything she could think of to get Blane to notice. He was only a few feet away, now, about three feet when a shot rang out, and caught him in the arm. He fired and killed Jeb and another shot rang out, catching Blane in the belly and a third one, but this was from Matt who came running up and firing, killing the last of the Baylor men.

"No! NO! My babies." Mrs. Baylor cried as she rushed to her dead sons lying on the ground. She fell to her knees crying. Matt pulled Blane over.

"Kitty." He said. Matt quickly got up and untied Kitty who looked at him, she knew him, but she couldn't quite remember. She then saw Mrs. Baylor pick up the rifle.

"Matt, look out!" She cried. He turned and fired. Killing the woman.

Kitty rushed to Blane's side. "Blane?"

"Kitty..my love." He gently reached up and touched her cheek as she cradled his head in her lap. Matt knelt down. "Kitty, you know him. He's a good man. He loves you." He slips her ring back onto her hand. "He'll take care of you." He said with his last breath.

"No, Blane…noooo." She sobbed. Matt gently pulled her up off of the ground and into his arms. "Oh Matt, what have I done?"

"This wasn't your fault Kitty." He said holding her in his arms.

"If I had never come here…." She started.

"You would never have had the chance to meet him and fall in love." He said holding her. Suddenly, several of the Copperton Ranch hands ride up. They have the buggy with them to take Kitty Back. Matt helps her into the buggy and then they put Blane over his horse. "You gonna bury them or just leave them there for the buzzards?" He asked one of the hands about the Baylors.

"We have orders to bury them, Marshall." He said pulling the shovel from his horse. "Billy will take you's back to the ranch." Matt climbed into the Buggy and sat beside Kitty who continued to sob.

Almost two weeks had passed since Blane's death. Jesse didn't like the fact that Kitty was leaving. She was carrying a Copperton and she didn't want to lose control of the child. She also didn't want to lose control of Tracy, but Kitty made it quite clear that Tracy was her daughter and Blane wanted her to raise her. And she would do just that. She had Tracy pack her belongings and Jesse relented. She had the power to take her own granddaughter, but she knew that Kitty was a good woman and would love and care for a child that she didn't really have time to care for.

Watching them as they loaded the buckboard, Jesse walked over to Kitty and Matt.

"I want you to know, that I won't relinquish my rights to my grandchildren, Kitty. I will be in Dodge when the child is born and I'm setting up Trust Funds for both of my grandchildren. And I'll be sending money every month for you and the children." She stated.

"Jesse…" Kitty started.

"No." She stopped her. "I gave in to your taking Tracy and raising her and taking my unborn grandchild, but I do have a right to see them."

"Jesse, I would never stop you from seeing your grandchildren or stop you from being a part of their lives, but we don't need the money…." Kitty tried to tell her.

"Let me do this much, Kitty. For Blane…" She choked out. Kitty quickly hugged her.

"Alright." She told her. Matt and the others had finished loading the buckboard and he came around.

"Ready, Kitty?" He asked her. She nodded. Tracy came around to her grandmother, she hugged her and then Matt picked her up and put her in the Buckboard, they had made a place for her to sit in the back. He then gently took Kitty's arm and carefully she climbed into the buckboard. Matt climbed up behind her and took the reins. He tipped his hat to Jess and they headed out. Tracy waved to her Grandmother and the ranch hands as she left.

A few hours out, Tracy was fast asleep in the back of the buckboard. Kitty sat next to Matt with her hand safely perched on her abdomen.

"Matt, you and I.. I don't remember a lot, but we were close?" She asked him.

"Yes, Kitty, we were close!" He replied.

"What will the people in Dodge say, when you bring me back, carrying another man's child?" She said worried of what they would say.

"What can they say, Kitty, you are, was married to the father of your child."

"But I was your woman!"

"And you were injured, lost your memory and fell in love. There's no law against falling in love, Kitty."

"Did you love me, Matt?"

"Yes I did. Still do, Kitty." He watched her think about it. "Look, I made a promise to Blane, that I would take care of you and Tracy and raise his children as my own. I promised to take you as my wife, but I had already decided when I found you, I was going to do just that. I love you, and maybe, some day you can love me again."

"I know I love you, Matt. I remember that much, but I feel like I've betrayed you."

"Kitty, you didn't betray anyone. Not me, not Blane and not yourself. You fell in love, and you acted upon it. Even if we had been married prior to this, you still wouldn't have betrayed me." He looked down, then back up at her. "So, when we get to Riverton, tomorrow morning, we'll find a preacher and get married."

"Are you sure you want to take on that responsibility?"

"Yes I am. I'll even give up this badge if you ask."

"NO! Matt, I know how much you love your job." She smiled, "I remember, I remember the time Chester cleaned that badge for you and it got all scratched up, you were furious, but you never said anything to him." He smiles at her.

"You are remembering." He said. She moved closer and leaned her head on his arm.

"You sure you want to be a father to this baby?" She asked. He gently stopped the buckboard and gently reached out and touched her belly.

"I won't ask you not to tell the baby about his real father, but I will be the best father to my children possible." He said gently kissing her forehead.

"Will I be your daughter too?" Came the small voice of Tracy, as she stood up behind them. They smiled and moved apart and Matt helped her climb up between them.

"You better believe it." He said putting his arm around her. "That is, if you want to."

She looks up at Kitty, who shakes her head yes to her. "I do. I think I'm going to like living in Dodge, Mama."

"I think you will too." She held the little girls hand in hers on her lap.

The following morning found them in Riverton. They registered in the hotel and then while Kitty and Tracy took a nap, Matt went down to the preacher and explained the situation to him. He then asked if he could bring Kitty and Tracy by and have the preacher marry them. The preacher smiled and told him to be there around noon.

After leaving the church, he headed for the telegraph office. He sent a wire to doc and Festus and told them he was bringing Kitty and his family home.

to be continued…..