Doggonest Stew
~Next time I'll cook the dinner myself. I'll get a Dutch oven and we'll go down by the river and I'll build you the doggonest stew you ever ate. (Matt to Kitty at DelMonico's "Widow's Mite" Season 3)
It was a peaceful and calm day in Dodge City. Nothing was going on out in the streets or in any of the saloons. Of course that could change as quickly as the weather in Kansas could change. However, Matt was going to take advantage of the unusual lack of action and take Kitty down by the river and build her the doggonest stew for supper. He finished up some paperwork and told Chester, who was cleaning the jail cells, that he was heading on over to the Long Branch to talk to Kitty.
Matt strolled down Front Street and made his way towards the Long Branch. He walked up to the batwing doors and immediately saw his favorite girl sitting at their favorite table working on a ledger. Matt could not help, but smile. Sensing she was being watched, Kitty looked up from her ledger and saw Matt standing at the entrance with a smile on his face. Kitty's face immediately lit up with a smile when she saw Matt.
"Hello Cowboy. What brings you to the Long Branch this time of day?" asked Kitty.
"Well, I thought I'd come by and ask my girl if she was available to have supper with me tonight," Matt answered.
"I think supper with you can be arranged. What time were you thinking?" Kitty asked, excitedly anticipating having dinner with her cowboy.
"I'll come get you around five. It's warm out right now, but it will probably cool down a bit later. You might want to bring a shawl," said Matt.
"A shawl? I'm sure DelMonico's will be warm enough without one," Kitty stated.
"We're not eating at DelMonico's," Matt said.
"Where are we eating?" questioned Kitty.
"How soon you forget. Next time we have dinner together, we'll go down by the river and I'll.." Matt started to say.
"Build you the doggonest stew you ever ate," Kitty finished for him.
"Do you still want to go?" Matt asked, hoping Kitty was still on board with that plan.
"Of course I do. I wouldn't pass that opportunity up," Kitty said.
"Great! I'll rent a horse and buggy from Moss Grimmick. I'll see ya later, Kitty," Matt said as he turned to leave. He would've loved to give her a kiss, but Clem was standing behind the bar.
"See ya later, Matt," Kitty responded.
That afternoon at the Long Branch business was just like any other day, not too busy, but not lacking customers. Looking at the clock, Kitty realized that Matt would be picking her up in about an hour. She took the stairs up to her room so she could get ready. Looking through her chiffarobe, Kitty decided on a white cotton dress with blue trim and blue flowers. She also grabbed an oversized straw bonnet and her shawl. She stripped out of the dress she was wearing and stepped into the dress she planned to wear. Once she changed her dress, Kitty focused on her hair. After thinking for less than a minute, she decided to take most of her hair pins out, leaving just her sides pulled back. Satisfied with her appearance, Kitty walked back downstairs to wait for Matt.
Meanwhile Matt had been busy that afternoon getting ready for his supper date with Kitty. He decided it would be easier to do the prep work for the stew before they went to the river. Matt gathered the ingredients he would need, potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, and the meat, and went over to Ma Smalley's Boarding House. He told Ma his plans and asked her if he could use her kitchen to cut, slice, and dice the vegetables and meat.
"Of course you can use my kitchen! I hope you and Kitty have a wonderful time!" Ma exclaimed, grinning ear to ear.
"I have no doubt that I will," said Matt beaming.
Matt finished his prep work and put the meat and vegetables in his Dutch oven. He grabbed the Dutch oven and left Ma Smalley's. Next he walked back to the jail to get a large wooden crate. He took the crate to DelMonico's and asked if he could borrow some bowls, two glasses, eating utensils, and napkins. DelMonico's gave Matt the items he asked for, Matt put them in the crate, and left. Matt brought the crate back to the jail and put the crate next to the Dutch oven. His plan was to go to Moss Grimmick's livery stable to get the horse and buggy, bring it to the jail to load everything, including a blanket, and then ride over to the Long Branch to get Kitty.
Matt drove the buggy to the jail and loaded everything. He was about to drive over to the Long Branch when he realized he forgot the bottle of wine. Matt wasn't really a wine drinker, but he knew Kitty liked it. Fortunately for him he did find a wine he actually liked. Satisfied he had everything, he went to go and get Kitty. When he pulled up to the Long Branch, Kitty walked outside.
Matt took one look at Kitty and enjoyed what he saw. "Honey, you look absolutely gorgeous."
Kitty accepted his compliment with delight. "Thank you."
It took about thirty minutes to arrive at their destination. Matt parked the buggy and made sure the horses didn't take off. After doing that, he helped Kitty down from the wagon. Kitty stepped down and asked Matt if needed help carrying anything. Matt told her he could get the crate and Dutch oven, but asked if she would spread out the blanket.
"I did the prep work for the stew at Ma Smalley's. I figured it would be easier to do it there than here at the river. The only thing we have to do is wait for the meat and veggies to fully cook," Matt said as he prepared a fire for the Dutch oven to cook over.
"How long will that be?" asked Kitty as she sat on the blanket.
"It usually takes a couple of hours," answered Matt. Kitty liked that answer. She would have Matt to herself for a couple of hours.
After the Dutch oven was hanging over the fire, Matt placed the bottle of wine near the river bank so the cold water could flow over it and cool it down. Finally Matt was able to join Kitty on the blanket. He removed his hat and gun belt and settled down next to her.
While waiting for the stew, Matt and Kitty talked about everything under the sun and simply enjoyed being alone with one another. They would exchange tender kisses and gentle caresses. They savored the time they had together.
A couple hours passed and the stew was ready to eat. Matt dished up two bowls of stew and handed one to Kitty. Next he went to retrieve the wine and filled two glasses. Matt and Kitty ate the stew, drank their wine, and still managed to seal a few kisses in between.
When their bowls were empty, Matt took them and placed them to the side. Leaning over to Kitty, he whispered against her lips, "How was the stew?"
"You were right. It was the doggonest stew I've ever had," Kitty softly answered.
Matt smiled and placed a sweet kiss on her lips.
The End