CHAPTER FIVE: A MOMENT OF TRUTH

The reviews have been great. Knowing that people are reading and enjoying your stories makes all the difference in keeping all of us going. This chapter will change a lot of things for Matt and Kitty and they face unpleasant truths.

The night of the dance I made sure I had a new white shirt, my tie looked perfect, and my courting jacket was pressed and clean. When Kitty walked down the Long Branch stairs in a golden looking dress I had never seen before I felt a stirring and almost suggested we stay right there. Knowing how much she was looking forward to the dance I kept my thoughts to myself.

"You look very pretty tonight Kitty," She smiled at me and slipped her arm through mine and leaned against my arm.

Doc was waiting out in a surrey that had been left here years before. We got into the back seat and headed off to Fort Dodge with my arm around this beautiful woman and her head was on my shoulder. I inhaled her perfume and wondered how I could ever have forgotten HER? Our favorite medic just ignored us but there was a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Other townspeople had gotten there before us and the Fort's mess hall was bright with lights and the musicians were tuning up. It was good to see Sam and Rudy with the other players. The Long Branch girls who set it up, Sharon and Nadine were already claimed by the soldiers who had taken such a shine to them. Other girls they had persuaded to come were also surrounded by troopers.

We found our seats and I left to get us some refreshments. Unlike Kitty I am not much of a dancer, but I knew I would have to participate in a few to satisfy Kitty. Doc already had her on the dance floor when I came back so I could relax for a few minutes.

Of course, the next song was a slow number and while I wanted to hold her as close to me as I could I decided it was better not to flaunt our relationship in front of the whole town and Fort Dodge. I did notice quite a few of the soldiers were watching us or I should say Kitty. I might not want to do a lot of dancing, but I certainly was not giving her over to a bunch of eager soldiers.

It was after a particularly energetic square dance with Festus that something dramatically changed. I saw her go to the water closet and suspected it was too cool off as her face was flushed from the dance. I was standing over to the side talking to the Commandant and his wife. I saw her come back to the table and the dancing began again. A few minutes later I went looking for her but could not find her anywhere and neither was Doc to be found.

I went outside thinking maybe she was warmer than I thought but they were not out there. I went back in and looked all over. Then I went up to the Long Branch girls and they told me they thought she was still there, but WHERE? Festus last saw her talking to Doc. Finally, after being stopped half a dozen times I went back outside and asked the guards if they had seen Kitty Russell and Doctor Adams. One of them said they thought they had left in Doc's buggy about half an hour before.

Now I needed to figure out how I would get back to town. I went to the Commandant and explained an emergency had come up and I needed to borrow a horse as I had come in Doc Adams' carriage. He told me he would have one of the Sergeant's get a horse prepared for me. I knew by the time I was heading out of the fort Doc and Kitty were probably back in Dodge. It was important I talk to the doctor first to find out what had happened.

When I rode into town I could see the Long Branch was all dark. There was still a light on at Doc's and I hitched up the horse and hurried up his steps. He must have heard me coming because he met me at the door. Looking at his face I knew immediately something was wrong. Maybe she had gone to the water closet because she got ill, but why not tell me? Riding back I racked my brain for a reason she would have had to disappeared so suddenly.

Trying to appear calm the first thing I did was confront Doc. I just said to him, 'Well?'

He told me, 'she knows about Mike.'

"How?" I asked, totally dumbfounded. All he knew is she overheard something at the fort.

He had pleaded with her to stay with him, but she insisted she needed to be alone. He also reminded me how he had warned me to tell her the whole story. I didn't need to be reminded. I was now sure she would make any discussion difficult, if not impossible. Now I could not put it off if I ever wanted our relationship to be normal again.

I thanked him and headed for the back steps of the saloon. That was the way I generally got to Kitty's room. I had a key she had given me years before, but my plan was to knock on the door and see if she answered. She would know who was at the door. I knocked several times to no avail before I put the key in the lock and turned it.

The door opened maybe an inch or less because something was in front of it. I called her name, but there was no answer. I asked her to let me in, but still there was silence. I warned her if she didn't let me in, I would kick whatever was in the way over. When nothing happened, I started kicking the door over and over. As the door opened inch by inch. I got more and more frustrated

When the dresser fell over I stepped over it and there was my redhead standing in the doorway to the bedroom with her hands on her hips asking in a shaky voice "what do you want marshal?"

I asked her to let me talk to her, but she turned her back on me. I said I wanted to explain only to be told it was rather late for explanations. All I wanted was the chance to explain. I was really upset when she told me the only reason, she could think of that I hadn't mentioned that Mike was a widow woman, was that I was sleeping with her.

Stupidly, I said I had amnesia then, and I didn't know who I was.

Of course, she came back with does anyone really know about amnesia and it was obvious she had been talking to Doc. Then when I tried to touch her shoulder, she shook off my hand. Now I wasn't sure what approach to take so I waited to see what she would do next.

Her voice broke as she said she needed some time to think things over. Oh no if she was crying, I was in big trouble. I always seemed to stumble all over myself when women started to cry and especially Kitty, who rarely cried. I started moving away and told her, "I'll see you later tomorrow and maybe we can spend some time together and talk." She just nodded her head and that at least gave me some hope.

Sleep did not come easily, and it was daybreak when I finally fell into a restless sleep. I think an hour later Festus came clomping into the jail singing one of his crazy songs. He stopped abruptly when he saw me lying in the cot. He asked if I was alright. I'm sure he was surprised that I was in the jail. He said he would be quiet, but I knew there was little chance of that. I would have to face the music and Kitty today, there was no turning back. Now if my redhead would just be reasonable.