For Lady of Dodge, and - as originally intended - for BigMommaT
Kitty Russell was mad. She was downright furious and she badly wanted a drink of whiskey. Mrs. Dillon smiled at Tony Rider and told him to come on into the kitchen. Since he'd come to the back door, that wasn't far.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but the Marshal, Mr. Dillon that is, told me to come on to the home place and get this wrapped up. And to tell you he won't be back 'til dark."
"Oh, I do understand, Tony. Believe me I do. Now you hold your hand under the tap here at the sink and let me be sure those cuts are clean before we put a bandage on it. How'd you do this?"
"Bob wire.," The answer came out through gritted teeth as the water gushed out over the young man's fingers.
"New or old?" Kitty asked.
"Brand new. It got me as I was winding it off the roll." He hissed as Kitty's gentle fingers prodded his wounds.
She smiled up at him. "Well, that's good, cowboy. New wire's not likely to carry lockjaw the way old rusty wire might. You'll have a few scars, but this will heal just fine." She pulled rolled bandages from a shelf next to the sink and began wrapping the injured hand. Tony blanched at even the word "lockjaw".
"Don't you have gloves?" Now a blush rose slowly to his face. "Yes, ma'am. I took them off to unhook that first bit of wire and forgot to put them back on."
"Bet you don't do that again." Kitty tied off the end of the bandage, and laid a firm hand on the man's shoulder when he started to rise. "You just sit there, Tony, and I'll get you some lunch. My husband won't be here to eat it and it won't keep.
Thirty minutes later, full of beef stew and apple pie, Tony left for the bunk house. Once he was out past the back gate, Kitty walked through to the living room and out to the front porch, allowing the screen door to slam behind her.
And why did I ever think it would be different, she asked herself? Tears stung her eyes and she brushed them away with the back of a fist. Fine thing it was for her to be crying – with a new husband, a grand new home, and all she ever wanted in life staring her in the face. But all she'd ever really wanted was Matt. Wanted him to give up that damned badge and be with her. She sighed. Marriage was nice. She hadn't insisted on it, but she liked it. She liked the house and the ranch, too. And having Matt in her bed every night, she definitely liked that. She sat down in the rocker and clasped her hands on the wooden arms. Why had she thought that changing the things around them would change Matt? That was foolishness, it was.
Matt was a man who put his whole being into whatever he was doing. And right now that was running a cattle ranch. She actually saw less of him than she had last summer when she was managing the Long Branch and he was Marshal of Dodge City. Every night yes - and the nights were more than fine – but the days… the long, quiet days with nothing at all happening, no one to talk to, and not a thing to do but cleaning things that were already clean and cooking for a man who didn't even show up to eat.
Kitty's head came up sharply at the clop of hooves and the squeak of wheels turning under the big front gateposts. Doc Adams pulled up his horse at the front porch and gave her a sideways look. "You got anything to feed a man that's been up since midnight?"
Kitty was down the steps and hugging him as he stepped down from the buggy. "You just bet I do, Doc. Food's on the stove and your bed is all made up."
Doc allowed the embrace, even adding a kiss on her cheek, but his voice was sharp when he asked, "Everything alright, Kitty? That overgrown hunk you married been treating you right?"
"Everything's fine, Doc. Everything's just fine now. I've just been missing you, that's what it is."
Pretending, as he had off and on for years, not to see the tracks of tears on her face, the old man tucked Kitty's hand into his arm and covered it with his own. "I'm starving where I stand, honey. Let's eat."