A/N: I am running out of time this evening so I can't thank each of the reviewers personally. I apologize and promise to do better. I do, though, want to thank all you who've read this and all of you who've left reviews. I do appreciate it immensely.

When Matt walked into the Long Branch he had many questions and the hurriedly leaving dude only added to them. He found Kitty and LeighAnn sitting at a table in the middle of the room, laughing while a large number of patrons talked excitedly around them. "What's going on in here?" Matt questioned when he approached the table. "Kitty, I heard…"

"I'm sure you did." Kitty cut him off. "And I'll explain it all to you later. But right now, I'm buying drinks for the house." She looked towards the bar. "Sam, set em up."

"Yes, Ma'am." Sam grinned as he grabbed glasses and mugs and began to pour.

"LeighAnn." Kitty looked over at her newest employee. "Why don't you take a break? I think you've earned it."

"Thank you, Miss Kitty." LeighAnn started up from her chair but Kitty stopped her.

"Oh, and LeighAnn? Here." Kitty slid a portion of the money on the table over to her. "I think you've earned this too."

"Oh, no, Miss Kitty, I…" LeighAnn hadn't been angling for money. She just hadn't wanted to see the farmers and the cowboy lose everything they had to a con man.

"Oh yes." Kitty insisted. "Take it."

"Thank you, Miss Kitty." LeighAnn took the money and swiftly left heading for the stairs.

After LeighAnn left, Matt dropped down into a chair next to Kitty with a less then pleased expression. "Kitty, what happened in here? I heard you were playing poker. You know how I feel about that. I…"

"Matt, please." Kitty shook her head at him, hoping to calm him down. "Yes, I was playing. But this was important. Besides, I never promised you I wouldn't play, only that I wouldn't deal. And I wasn't dealing."

"Okay." Matt was trying to rein in his irritation. "Then exactly what were you doing, besides playing? And who was that dude that stormed out of here? What was he so mad about?"

"He's a professional gambler." Kitty nodded at Sam when he sat a tray of two cold beers down in front of her. "Thanks, Sam."

Kitty waited until he left before looking back at Matt. "He got into a game with Gill and Glen and that young cowboy from the Worth ranch, Tim. He was going to clean them out and, Matt, you know they don't have that much. Gill and Glen worked all year for what little they have. And Tim, well, he can barely scrape by most months. I just couldn't let him do that to them."

Matt knew that Kitty hated for anyone to be taken advantage of, but he also knew how dangerous it could be for someone who won a game under less than honorable means. "So you and LeighAnn cheated the gambler?" He shook his head. "Kitty, that's the most…"

"We didn't cheat him." Kitty reached over and placed her hand on his arm, calming him for a moment. "Honestly, Matt. You should know me better than that. Besides, with that man, we didn't have to cheat."

"Then how'd you win?" Matt knew Kitty wouldn't lie to him and yet he knew professional gamblers didn't lose unless they wanted to or were cheated.

"You know how poker players all have a tell when they're playing? You know, little signs that show whether they've got good cards or not." Matt nodded. "Well, LeighAnn watched him enough to figure out what his were."

"That's fine, Kitty, but still…"

"Matt, let me finish." She gave him a stern look. "LeighAnn told me what his tells were and during the game, I watched him. When he had good cards, I laid back. When his cards were bad, I pressed forward and if I didn't have the cards, I bluffed him. That's how I won the last game. You see, while LeighAnn and I was watching him, he was watching me. I just made sure to show only what I wanted him to see."

Matt sat back in his chair. "So, you made him think you had bad cards so he would bet more."

"Um hum." Kitty nodded. "But only when I was sure he had bad cards himself."

"And LeighAnn didn't perhaps…" Matt watched her closely, "make sure he had bad cards?"

"NO!" Kitty snapped. "I told you, Matt. We didn't cheat. We didn't have to. He was so arrogant it was easy to read him and easy to bluff him. Honestly, Matt, I…"

"Alright." Matt soothed her temper. "I'm sorry. I guess I know you well enough to know you wouldn't lie to me about it."

"Well," Kitty shrugged with a grin. "Not if I didn't have to, anyway."

Matt started to reply to that but was interrupted by Festus. "Matthew. Miss Kitty." He tipped his hat to Kitty. "How you all doing this evening?"

"We're fine, Festus." Kitty answered. "How about you?"

"Jest as fine as a fritter." He grinned. "Jest hot is all."

"Sam." Kitty called over to the bar. "Give Festus a drink."

As Festus went for his free drink and Matt and Kitty sat and talked, LeighAnn sat on her bed, counting the money she'd kept secreted in her carpetbag. She hadn't expected Kitty's generosity with the poker winnings but she was certainly grateful for it. That money, along with what she'd already saved would go along way towards meeting one of her goals.

Lying back on her bed for a moment, LeighAnn closed her eyes and dreamed of a time when she wouldn't have to do this anymore. She could finally go back home. "Just a little while longer." She sighed as she finally got back and went back over to the mirror to check her appearance before going back downstairs. "Just a little bit more."

TBC