RESCUED: CHAPTER 12

Everything was backwards. Kitty walked into the house at seven with Sara in her arms, only to find Matt and Charlie working away at the stove. The house smelled like steak and some sort of wonderful potatoes and biscuits. The table was ready, and there was a bottle of wine in the center.

"Well, look at this!" She called brightly from across the room. They were actually so engrossed in their work that they hadn't heard her come in. Both of them wheeled around to greet her.

"Kitty! Didn't hear you come in!" Matt volunteered. "Let me take my girl!" He reached for Sara, but Kitty turned the baby away.

"Not a chance, Bailiff, not a chance. She's going to the bedroom with me for her supper."

"Oh, you liked that bailiff act, did you?"

"More than you can imagine! You looked quite official there at your post. I never would have guessed you were only a cook in disguise." She couldn't help the smile that crept across her face.

"Now Kitty, you and Matt take that baby in the bedroom and share a few minutes. I can finish this," Charlie said.

"Finish it! He's done it all, Kitty. I'm just bringing him stuff and stirring."

"Thank you, Charlie. We'll have her in her crib in no time." She took note of his kindness and his understanding. As tired as she was, she figured she'd fall asleep at the dinner table. It was time for a few private minutes with Matt.

Kitty laid Sara gently on their bed, smiled at her husband, and started to unbutton. For a change, he didn't wait and hover over the baby, he went straight to his wife.

"Let me work those buttons, Mrs. Dillon." He put his fingers on the first one, then pulled her in for a deep kiss that seemed to last forever. When he came up for air, he went into her neck and started there.

"Matt," she whispered. "I'm supposed to be feeding Sara."

"Mmmm Hmmm. And if I know Ava, she fed her all sorts of yummy things today." He was answering and peppering her neck with kisses at the same time. "You were spectacular today in that meeting, you know that?"

"You're biased."

"No!" He went back to unfastening the buttons. "I was right there at my bailiff's desk by the door listening to all those people as they left. They were sold, Kitten. They were excited!"

"I hope they stay that way. Couldn't very well write "bring wads of cash" on the meeting poster. Most of them will have to make their deposits tomorrow after they go home and dig their money out. We'll know then how spectacular I was."

"I'm not waiting till tomorrow. You're spectacular for me right now."

She gave him a quick kiss, pulled Sara to her breast, then sat in the big chair by the dresser. Matt had never been able to carry on much of a conversation with Kitty while she nursed the baby. There was something about the magic while they did that, the reason for Sara's existence . . . something that just seemed too special to interrupt. But on this night, he let his eyes move from his daughter to his wife's face over and over again, just wondering if that little girl would ever have her mother's grit. The minute Sara finished nursing Matt picked her up so Kitty could button up again. He gently sponged the baby's face, then put her on the bed and turned to his wife, pulling her in close.

"Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Thousands of times. But I sure do enjoy hearing it again." She gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "C'mon. We don't have time for this. Charlie'll wonder what we're doing in here that could be more important than dinner."

"He's not THAT old, sweetie. May be retired, but he's not that old!" He pulled her into him and nuzzled her neck.

"What a special friend he is," she said thoughtfully.

"C'mon now," she gave him a playful swat on the arm. "Put your daughter in her crib so we can eat. I'm fading fast."

Kitty hovered over the dinner table delighting in the aromas while Matt finished putting the water and biscuits on the table.

"How did you cook this beef, Charlie? It smells absolutely amazing!"

"It's cowboy steak, Kitty. It smells so good because the big bone is cooked right in there. I put a little onion and mustard sauce and some seasoning on top so all the flavors mix."

"In a FRYING pan?"

"Well, sure. It's cowboy steak! Easy to cook over an open fire."

"It's just huge!" She couldn't stop looking at it while she drank in the aroma.

"Well over a pound, thanks to the butcher at the Trail Dust. Of course, Matt and I can eat it all if you're not hungry," he said with a foxy smile on his face.

"Not a chance! Ooooh!" Her eye fell on the bottle of red. "And wine too!"

"And that envelope under it, just for you." Matt pointed at it.

She looked at the return address. "Oh my gosh, it's from Tip! Oh Matt! I was wondering why we didn't get a wire."

She slit into the envelope with the kitchen knife and held it close to the lantern.

"Matt! Carbine won the race!" She held up the other piece of paper in the envelope, a bank draft for two thousand dollars. "But I don't understand! You sold that horse to Peter Duncan before the race."

"With some terms, Kitty. You got to keep all the win money, and Tip got to keep the horse in his barn."

"You didn't tell me about all that."

Poor Charlie. All ready to dig into a scrumptious dinner to celebrate Kitty's brilliant plan, and now he was a confused man stuck in the middle of a very private conversation.

"Look, I'll step outside while you two get this sorted out. This is all easy to re-heat."

"Not a chance!" Matt gave him a stern look. "There's not a thing we have to talk about that we can't share."

He turned quickly to Kitty. "We got the slightest bit sidetracked that night talking about retirement."

She raised her eyebrows and nodded acknowledgement. "It was my fault. Oh gosh, can we forget about that?"

"It's all behind us." He took her hand. "Now sit down and let's enjoy this feast."

"Charlie, this steak is delicious! And the potatoes are fried with something special, too! I had no idea you were such a cook."

"Kitty, at the risk of bringing up the retirement word again, it gave me all sorts of time to learn new skills. I learned so I could help Martha and I ended up having so much fun I took lessons. But we're not here to talk about my cooking. I want to hear all about how you thought up that ingenious plan for the bank."

"At the risk of bringing up 'time' Charlie," she parroted his words, "I was up all night last night figuring it out after Matt came home and told me about the mess you guys are up against. Seems like Matt and I both get to sleep, but not at the same time."

"Well, you will tonight. Tomorrow should be a big day at the bank."

"One, maybe two more days and the word should be out that people can get money again." Matt offered. "When do you need to head home?"

"When the bank is whole again, how's that?"

"That's wonderful, Charlie," Kitty cut in. "I think I should just stay home here with Sara tomorrow, guys."

"What if people have more questions?"

"Mr. Bodkin is more than capable of answering them, Matt. Maybe I had the idea and maybe I did the meeting, but now it's time for me to fade into the background. I can't forget Clab's ugly outburst this afternoon. Just let Mr. Bodkin handle it. We're trying to save his bank, after all."

"That's good, Kitty. Well thought-out. Matt, I can relieve Quint or Festus tomorrow night if you'd like to give one of them time off. They're pullin' the long shift at night."

"I'd thought of that myself, Charlie. I'll take it."

Kitty sighed. It wasn't her first supper with a couple of lawmen, and certainly wouldn't be her last.

"You two argue it out. I just HAVE to get some sleep! Thank you so much for the wonderful meal, Charlie."

Matt slid her chair back for her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll be right in. Leave the lantern on."

Charlie waited until Kitty had checked Sara in the crib, then watched her retreat into the bedroom and shut the door.

"You're too young to retire, mister."

Matt smiled and looked at his mentor: The man who was largely responsible for getting him into the U.S. Marshal's Service and had been his confidant ever since.

"Nobody gets to be a marshal forever. I can go in three years with a pension."

"I know that. Sounds like Kitty's all in favor."

"She never pushes me, Charlie. Never has."

"But you talked about it in San Francisco."

"We made some plans. We agreed on some things. We want to have another child."

"Dodge is a lot tougher town than Denver was when I worked it. Let me guess: She wants you in a safer job."

"Everything in the service is safer in San Francisco," he said without directly answering the question. "We spent an afternoon with Steve Roberts. You ever meet him?"

"Steve? Wow, yeah. They sent him to Denver to shadow me when he first hired on. Gosh Matt, he was just a kid! Think they finally sent him to Chicago or St. Louis, I don't remember. He didn't know a thing."

"He's in San Francisco now, pushing paper around on a desk. They're gonna put a third guy in there and he hinted that I should put in for it. Kitty would live there in a heartbeat. Can you see me doing paperwork all day?"

"Of course not. You've always been the real deal. Did he tell you anything about the new training center?"

Matt smiled. "Didn't just hear about it, went and toured the site. It's up on a gorgeous hillside overlooking the ocean. And it'd be another cushy job working there, pretending I could teach guys what I do. I could have a wife and a couple of kids and they'd be safe."

"You wouldn't have to teach guys what you do. The job is changing. You'd just have to teach them what Washington wants them to know. Denver was nothing but dry brush and gold miners when I started and you've seen what it's become today. It's all because of the railroad. Once Texans can ship cattle up on the railroad, Dodge is going to see the same change. You've got settlers flocking in and scooping up land. The Indians are getting pushed out and the wolfers and the hide cutters are almost extinct. Like it or not, change is the only constant in our lives."

"You're saying there's no more need for guys like me."

"Look, Matt. There'll always be a need for what you do so well. But if you want to do it day in and day out, you'll have to keep moving with the frontier, cause civilization is gonna squeeze you right out of Kansas. You just keep that training center job in mind. If it gives Kitty the comfort she needs, you should do it. Don't ever take that woman for granted. She's one in a million."

XOXOXO

"Mmmm. What time is it?" She felt his lips nuzzling her cheek.

"Five. You had eight hours, baby girl. Didn't want to wake you when I came in last night. Charlie and I talked pretty late."

"You have to leave already?"

"Not a chance. He and I can relieve the guys around eight. Bank doesn't open till nine."

"Mmmm." She returned a nuzzle into his warm neck. "I should feed Sara."

"In a minute. She's still asleep. We've got time." His lips were in her ear now, softly blowing warm air. It tickled, and she giggled softly.

"This is like old times, before you rode out. I knew what you wanted then, and I'll bet I still know."

"Something wrong with that?" He blew again.

"Oh, Matt!" She rolled under him and drew him into a deep kiss, wanting nothing more than to keep him there with her all day. "Remind me to thank Charlie for keeping you up last night."

"You're my one in a million, you know that?" He was carefully depositing tiny kisses on her naked breast: Kisses so small that no man of his size should be able to create them. She was silent while he feathered her with more and more, not wanting to break the spell. But her body responded with language that needed no words, entangling her legs in his. Her breath came faster with her desire, pent up now since some day in San Francisco that she couldn't even remember. Two naked lovers determined to couple but hesitant to start, for fear it would be over too soon.

"Your skin is as soft as Sara's," he whispered, licking her breast."

"We're girls. Girls are supposed to have soft skin."

"This is the softest skin any girl could ever have." He was touching the inside of her thighs with his fingers, eagerly searching for that special place that drove her wild. It wasn't that she'd overlooked his touch: she was feeling the silky tip of him as he prodded her, anticipating the feel of him inside her.

"How I love you Matt!" She breathed.

He knew that. Beyond anything, he knew that. Woman, wife, mother, businesswoman, brilliant thinker, it was almost too much to believe that she was still right here with him. Nothing but love could explain it. Naked, groping for him, pushing into him, unwilling to leave him behind.

"I love you Kitty."

"Dance with me Cowboy?" The longing in her voice engulfed him: always did when she whispered that invitation.

Two hearts pounded. Fingers talked: His exploring the sweet wetness at the tender flesh awaiting him, hers gently circling the hot tip of him, sensitive to it's repeated throbs. Mouths breathed, slightly open to grab more air, content to host soft grunts of pleasure. Then fingers yielded to hands, his wrapped over the top of hers to steady her while she guided him. His first touch was like fire on her.

"Matt," she whispered fervently. "I should tell you that . . ." But he put his free hand gently to her lips. He could read her like a book.

"No." He said softly. "We're way past that. We both agreed on what we want. You don't have to say that again."

He entered her slowly, repeatedly touching her in that special place of sensuality that drove her wild. She wrapped her legs around his waist, inviting him, pleading for so much more with her body. He put both hands under her hips to accommodate her: Pushing, waiting, pushing again in a relentless attempt to pleasure her without hurting her. But she pushed harder with his every stroke, asking him in deeper. His careful thrusts all too quickly became frenzied, then hopeless to control as his brain yielded to his body's commands, sending them both into a place of rapture that was beyond reality.

It was so easy to stay coupled with her legs locked around him. He hovered over her, kissing her softly, while they both fought to catch their breath. She returned the love with little kisses to his eyes, his face, his nose. When his elbows finally started to tremble she released him, peeking down to watch the source of so much pleasure slide away. He rolled to her side and pulled her close to him, just relishing the smell of her.

"We're in this together, Kitten, this future we're gonna have. California or Dodge or wherever. No matter what way it goes, it has to be us together. I'm glad you came home with me. I'd have been real uneasy knowing you and Sara were out there in California with all those people. Just want you near, where I can touch you and talk to you like this. I was darned scared that night in San Francisco when I let that slip about being careful again."

"Love goes two ways, Matt. If that's what you'd wanted . . ."

But he didn't let her finish her thought.

"Being careful is the one thing we're NOT gonna do together."

"For me?"

"No. For us."

tbc