Chapter 1

Kitty Dillon was going over their packing list for her and Matt's vacation to St. Louis. She wanted to make absolutely sure they did not forget anything. It wasn't as though they couldn't purchase things while they were in St. Louis, but they had been married for just over a year and they were trying to build up their savings. Satisfied she had everything, Kitty set their carpet bags on their big brass bed and headed downstairs to the Long Branch. They would not be leaving for another couple of hours.

Matt and Kitty had been married for just over a year and still considered themselves newlyweds. Their plan was to save up enough money to purchase a house just outside of town. Until that happened, they lived in Kitty's rooms over the Long Branch. However, since they were married, they no longer considered them Kitty's rooms, but their rooms. Their marriage did not force one another to completely change. Matt was still Marshal of Dodge City and Kitty still owned the Long Branch. When they fell in love with each other, Kitty was well aware that Matt was a lawman and Matt was well aware that Kitty was in the saloon business, and neither of them expected the other to make complete changes.

When it came to taking trips with one another, there were rules for the badge. If the trip was a private one, like the one to St. Louis would be, Matt did not wear the badge. He kept it in a small zippered pocket in his carpet bag. He and Kitty were taking a trip as Mr. and Mrs. Dillon, husband and wife. There were times when the government asked Matt to take trips to Wichita or Topeka to attend a trial. Kitty would often accompany Matt on those trips. Since those trips were ordered by the government, Matt wore the badge. He and Kitty were on those trips as Marshal and Mrs. Dillon.

The afternoon crowd at the Long Branch had been steady, but not overly busy. Kitty looked up at the clock and realized Matt would be there anytime. They agreed he would come to the Long Branch to get Kitty and then they would walk to the train depot to board their train.

Kitty looked at Sam and said, "When Matt gets here, tell him I'm upstairs."

"Will do Miss Kitty. Have a wonderful trip."

At the jail Matt was getting ready to leave for the Long Branch. He told Kitty he would pick her up at three and it was five minutes until three. Before leaving he wanted to go over things with Chester. He told Chester where they were going and what hotel they planned on staying in, just in case there was an emergency and Matt and Kitty were in need of getting a hold of. Matt reminded Chester it had to be a big emergency.

Matt and Kitty planned on being gone for about ten days. When Matt was gone for over a week, a temporary Marshal would fill in for Matt. The temporary Marshal was usually Luke Haskins. Matt really liked him and trusted Dodge to be in Luke's care. Luke reminded Matt a lot of himself, firm, but fair. The townspeople showed the same respect for Luke as they did Matt.

"Luke's stagecoach should be arriving at four. I already sent him a wire of where we were going and when to expect us back. He knows what to do. He's done the drill before," Matt said to Chester.

"Mr. Dillon donchya worry about a thing. Dodge City will be fine. You and Miss Kitty enjoy yerselves," Chester replied. Even though Matt and Kitty were married, both Chester and Sam still called Kitty, Miss Kitty. They just couldn't seem to call her Mrs. Dillon.

"Thank you Chester," Matt said as he walked out the door.

Arriving at the Long Branch, Matt looked over the batwing doors to survey what was going on. When he noticed nothing out of the ordinary, he walked up to the bar to speak to Sam. "Hey, Sam is Kitty around? I told her I'd be here at three, so we can catch our train."

"Hello, Marshall. She's been expecting. She's waiting for you upstairs."

Mat thanked Sam with a tip of his hat and headed up the stairs to their room. He came to their room, opened the door, and entered. "Well, Mrs Dillon, are ya all set and ready to go? St. Louis is calling our name."

"I sure am Mr. Dillon. Our bags are on the bed. Would you mind carrying those while I get my reticule and train tickets?"

"No problem," Matt replied as he grabbed the two bags.

It didn't take but five minutes for Matt and Kitty to reach the train depot. They walked up to the window to show the clerk their tickets. The clerk stamped their tickets and told them to board the train. Kitty put the tickets back in her reticule and she and Matt boarded the train. Matt was very thankful he and Kitty upgraded to a stateroom. He needed room to stretch his legs and there was no way he could do that riding in a passenger seat.

The train whistle blew, the engine released some steam, and the train wheels slowly started to turn. The train was leaving Dodge City and heading towards St. Louis. Kitty looked at Matt with a smile on her face. "Oh Cowboy, I'm so excited. I've been looking forward to this trip ever since we first talked about going."

"Me too KIt. We both have been working so hard these last few weeks. We deserve some time off and some time together, just you and I," Matt said as he put his arms around her.

"I couldn't agree more. I have a feeling this is going to be one trip that we won't soon forget," said Kitty as she enjoyed the feeling of Matt's arms around her.

"I have a feeling you're right," said Matt, agreeing with her.

TBC