A few nights later, Kitty was in her office, intent on getting some of her paperwork done. It had been busy earlier but had slowed down some and she knew Sam was quite capable of handling anything that came up. As she sat down at her desk and pulled out her ledger, she thought of the young woman LeighAnn.

LeighAnn had certainly been a draw for business as word had reached around town about the beautiful young woman who'd started working there. And Kitty had definitely been impressed with the way she had handled the men as well as herself while she worked. If Kitty were absolutely honest, she'd have to admit that LeighAnn was every bit as good as she was. Of course, Kitty was a few years older and most likely had spent a great deal more time in a saloon then LeighAnn had but that didn't change anything. LeighAnn was most definitely an asset to the Long Branch.

But as Kitty thought about it, she wondered about the girl. The letter she'd received had been from an old friend of hers, Holly Dane, who ran a gambling parlor in St. Louis. Holly had sung LeighAnn's praises as to her skill with cards and men and anything else encountered in a saloon. But it was what Holly didn't say that puzzled her.

Holly didn't say why, if LeighAnn was so good, she let her go. She didn't say how she encountered the girl or what she knew of her outside of work. Of course, Kitty realized, she hadn't really asked any questions of the girl herself. She'd just accepted Holly and LeighAnn's word on her abilities and trustworthiness.

Kitty didn't have any reason not to trust the young woman and she had no intentions of drilling her for information but she decided it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on her for a while.

Out in the saloon, LeighAnn leaned against the bar taking a slight breather. There were currently no calls for refills and no one asking for a dealer. There were a couple of men playing a friendly game in the back of the saloon but nothing needing her services. LeighAnn saw a couple of empty beer mugs sitting on a nearby table but before she could push away from the bar, one of the other girls had gathered them.

There were a couple of lonely looking men at one of the far tables but she didn't want to join them. LeighAnn knew that flirting with the customers and talking with lonely looking men was part of her job, but for right that moment, she wasn't much inclined to do it. Truth be told, she was never inclined to do it. She hated that part of her job. But usually she did it.

"Good evening, Miss." A young man stepped up beside LeighAnn smelling of rose water with a freshly scrubbed face and a shiny new suit. Tall, with bright blue eyes and a slight cowlick on the back of his blonde head, he didn't look very old. But looks could sometimes be deceiving. "Can I buy you a drink?"

LeighAnn nodded with a generous smile. "Sure. I'd like that."

"Bartender!" The boy nodded at Sam. "Can you help us, please?"

"What'll you have?" Sam asked. The kid next to LeighAnn looked awfully young despite his height and he noticed what sounded like the boy's voice changing.

"Well, I'll have your finest whisky." The blonde headed stranger answered. "And for you, my dear?"

"I'll just have a beer, Sam." LeighAnn told Sam with a grin. She felt like she was playing grownup with a 1o year old. When Sam moved away to fill the order, LeighAnn returned her gaze to the boy beside her. "Uh, my name is LeighAnn." She introduced herself. "And you are?"

"Oh, how rude of me." He shook his head. "I'm sorry. My name is Jonathon Baldwin."

"And uh…." LeighAnn looked him over. "Do you live around here?"

"Here?" Jonathan frowned. "In Dodge? Oh, of course not. No, as a matter I don't live anywhere in Kansas. I am merely traveling through Dodge on my way to meet my father in Denver. He is in business there and I am to live with him."

"Your father?" LeighAnn nodded in sudden understanding. "Jonathan, how old are you?"

"I am 19." He said haughtily. "I…"

"Jonathan." LeighAnn shook her head at him. "How old are you? Really?"

"Nineteen." He declared again but then dropped his head when LeighAnn shook her head again with an exasperated sigh. "I… Actually, I… uh, well… I'm… I'm 17." He could see from LeighAnn's steady stare that she wasn't buying that either. "Sixteen?" LeighAnn didn't reply but her expression said it all. "I'm fifteen." He dropped his head as he softly told her the truth.

"That's what I thought." LeighAnn looked over at Sam who'd just approached with their drinks. "Sam, you can put the whiskey back in the bottle. Jonathan here won't be having any. Do you have any sarsaparilla?"

"No." Sam shook his head. "We've got some milk though."

"No." Jonathan's head jerked up in defiance. "I don't drink milk. I may be young but I am not an adolescent. I assure you I am quite old enough to have the whiskey I ordered."

"Maybe." LeighAnn arched a brow at him. "But not in here. You are too young for a place like this and I refuse to be a part in changing that. I don't want to see you hurt. And drinking at your age could get you hurt."

Jonathan's face reddened and he looked down at the floor as though there was something of great import taking place there. "You sound like my mom."

LeighAnn's expression softened. "Well, I'm not. But I do care enough to hopefully keep you out of trouble. A saloon is no place for a young boy like you. So why don't you do yourself as well as me a favor and get out of here."

"I haven't got anywhere else to go." He continued to look down, his voice soft. "I'm supposed to get on the evening train but it doesn't leave for another hour."

"Then LeighAnn here will take you over to DelMonico's and get you a meal." Kitty spoke up from behind LeighAnn, startling both her and Jonathan. She had just come from her office when she heard LeighAnn and Jonathan talking. "You can put it on my tab." Kitty told LeighAnn.

"That's not necessary." Jonathan's head came up at the new voice. "I can buy my own meal."

"I'm sure you can." Kitty answered. "But LeighAnn here has a supper break coming and I don't want her to eat alone. So why don't you go with her and let me treat you both?"

LeighAnn flashed a smile in her boss's direction. "Thanks, Miss Kitty."

"Don't worry about it." Kitty winked at her. "Just keep him out of saloons until he's on that train."

"Yes, Ma'am." LeighAnn clamped a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You heard the boss, Jonathan. Let's go."

Sam grinned and looked over at Kitty. "That was awful nice of you, Miss Kitty."

"No, not really." Kitty shook her head. "I'm a business woman and turning away business is not necessarily nice. But I agree with LeighAnn. That boy shouldn't have been in here and I'm proud of LeighAnn for recognizing it and trying to keep him of trouble. You know, she could've just sold him the drinks."

"True." Sam agreed. "Not too many would've looked out for a kid they didn't know. LeighAnn is sure something different"

"Yeah." Kitty nodded thoughtfully as she watched her employee and the boy leave the saloon. "Yes, she is."

TBC