What if he couldn't find her?
What if he did find her but she was badly injured…or worse?
The worry began when the stagecoach with Kitty and Hope Farmer on it was reported as missing.
The clenching in his gut really began as he rode up to the empty, wrecked coach, dead driver and male passenger sprawled on either side. Already the rough desert wind, sun, and denizens had wreaked havoc on the sad bodies.
The two young women were nowhere to be seen, but he saw women's-size, faint, double footsteps on the ground leading west.
Per his strong moral code, the Marshal took the time to properly bury the two unfortunate men with dignity.
Following the faint footsteps of the two women on his horse, he came across the abandoned root cellar in the side of the earth a few miles from the abandoned stagecoach. Looking around inside, he could tell that someone had recently spent some time there, and swirled the small amount of whiskey in an old bottle he found.
Carefully inspecting the ground outside of the dugout, once again he found traces of small footprints.
Trotting along on his big buckskin horse, eyes to the ground, he looked up after an hour, and saw a relay station off in the distance.
Hope rising in his heart, the Marshal urged his horse into a gallop, expecting to find the two tired women safely inside, resting and well.
Tying his horse's reins at the hitching rail near the water trough, he approached the building on alert, gun drawn, noting how quiet and unoccupied the entire place appeared.
Immediately inside the door, Matt found the stiffening body of a man shot in the chest. He figured the man had been dead for at least three hours. He tried not to imagine what had happened.
Looking around, Matt saw a door off to the right and slowly opened it, standing off to the side. The small, shabbily furnished bedroom was empty, but the bed showed signs of having been recently lain on.
The room's window was closed and the air was stale and stuffy, but Matt detected a faint odor. He recognized the rose and lavender of Kitty's favorite perfume, barely perceptible.
The big man sat down on the bed, disappointed but relieved at knowing Kitty had been here recently. The next logical destination was Willow River, Hope's hometown and her and Kitty's original destination.
Once again, the driven man took the time to properly bury and mark the grave of an unknown dead man.
Feeding and watering his horse, Matt was soon on his way, resisting the urge to gallop, knowing his horse had to last for about ten more miles. He had always been a man to carefully weigh all options and follow the one with the best outcome, despite his emotions.
"What if she isn't there?"
"What if she isn't there?"
"What if she isn't there?"
The repetitive clopping of the horse's hooves repeated the words in his mind.
He was also concerned for the young pregnant girl with Kitty, but knew that no-one could take better care of her. They would be found together, no matter what. Kitty was a tenacious, strong and brave survivor.
Finally entering the town limits of Willow River, Matt had gotten the address of Hope's mother's house, but was unsure of the exact location.
Slowly walking his horse down the main street, as he looked up he saw the sunlight glowing on the red hair of his Kitty.
She was standing on the sidewalk outside of the fenced-in yard of a comfortable-looking house, wearing the same suit she had left Dodge in.
Their eyes met and locked on each other as the tall cowboy approached on his horse and the weary woman stood motionlessly watching.
Getting off his horse, Matt strode forward and pulled her into his arms. Her arms went around him tightly.
"Kitty. I thought I had lost you," he whispered in her ear.
"Oh, Matt. So much has happened," she said in a tear-choked voice.
She pulled back from his embrace and looked into his handsome face looking down at her with intense concern.
He scanned her face, still so lovely, but pale. There were tired shadows under her bright blue eyes and a mean bruise along her right jaw.
"Matt, I killed that man back in the relay station. He's one of the men that held up the stage and killed the driver and passenger. He, he tried to hurt me and had…plans…for Hope."
"Sshhh now, Darlin', everything is all right now. We'll talk about it later. I know you did what you had to do."
Holding her by her upper arms, he smiled into her eyes and gently said, "Kitty, I'm proud of you."
"I guess you can do anything if you have to," she said, her voice breaking.
He kissed her forehead and pulled her close again, wanting to totally absorb her into his body. He could smell her perfume and feel her curves against him, even through his coat.
Only when she gave an involuntary gasp, did he realize how forcefully he was holding her.
"I'm sorry Honey!", he spoke into her hair as he loosened his grip on her.
"Did I hurt you?" His pale blue eyes met her tired sky blue ones that were now overflowing with tears.
"No, Cowboy, you could never do that. I just feel so tired now that Hope is home where she belongs."
Matt realized that his brave woman had been so strong and determined for so long. He had heard Kitty refer to herself as being "hard as nails" before, but now she was able to finally let down her guard and feel all of the emotions she had been suppressing after putting Hope's safety first.
He held her tenderly, one arm around her small waist and the other hand cupping the back of her head against his chest. Matt let her quietly cry, so relieved and grateful to have her back in his protective arms where she belonged.
End.