A/N I seem to have created some confusion with the last chapter regarding Matt and Kitty eating supper with Sheriff Roth. Just to clarify things, they had not gotten to the restaurant in Hays yet. The italicized sections in chapters two and three are flashbacks to earlier events between the time Kitty decided to go back to Dodge with Matt until they arrived in Hays. They are in no particular order, I'm just inserting them where I think they'll fit. I plan on at least one or two more, in fact, there's one at the beginning of this chapter.
Chapter 4
The stage to Hays couldn't get to Andrews' station soon enough to suit Matt. He paced around the large yard between the corral and the house, looking up the road and back at the decrepit building as if he expected to see the vile man heading their way at any moment. He looked at Kitty resting on the bench, pale and shaky, but determined not to let that stand in the way of them leaving that afternoon. He glanced back toward the house again; still no sign of Andrews. If that pig came near Kitty he was pretty sure he'd shoot him and not feel too bad about it.
The stagecoach raced in, followed by a cloud of dust, only an hour late. Kitty watched a middle aged couple get out. Matt walked over and pulled the man aside while the woman went to the ladies' rest area on the other side of the barn. She couldn't hear what Matt was saying, but he nodded his head and gestured in the direction of the house, so he must have been warning him what they'd find if they ventured up there. The man shook his head and pointed back to the road. Apparently they were traveling on.
The woman came back while Matt helped the driver hitch a fresh team of horses. She approached the shady waiting area but stopped when she saw Kitty sitting there. "Here, have a seat," she said, standing up and walking toward the older woman.
"I'd rather stand," she said somewhat stiffly, followed by a brief "Thanks."
"I know what you mean. We still have a long ride ahead of us. I'm Kitty Russell." She held out her hand, which the woman ignored.
"Mrs. Tyler," she said finally, as if it pained her to have to speak.
Kitty forced the smile to stay on her face, inwardly feeling the sting of rejection. She was wearing a respectable traveling suit, far away from any saloon, but somehow this woman knew. She followed Mrs. Tyler's eyes to what they were fixed on-her ringless hands. Kitty seldom wore any jewelry when she traveled, but even if she had, she still wouldn't have been wearing what the woman noticed she lacked-a wedding ring. Casually, she opened her reticule and took out her gloves.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Tyler, I'm going to go and see how soon the stage will be leaving," she said in her most polished voice, pulling her gloves on as she walked away.
Kitty was more than gratified to see the Tylers leaving the Crouse Restaurant as they approached it. Mr. Tyler approached them, tipping his hat to Kitty, and began speaking. Kitty nodded silently with a slight smile on her face and Matt simply said, "Evening," as he escorted Kitty past him. Mrs. Tyler put her nose in the air and looked away. It appeared that she had moved Matt to her "disreputable" list along with Kitty.
Just as Matt thought, if Sheriff Roth was at all perturbed at having to wait, he gave no sign of it. Smiling broadly as he saw them approaching his table, he stood and pulled out a chair for Kitty, leaving the marshal feeling a bit unnecessary as he watched the other man take his time making sure she was seated comfortably.
Matt sat at the table between Kitty and Sheriff Roth with a scowl on his face. As expected, Kitty was charming his socks off. He'd seen her do it a hundred times at the Long Branch, and he enjoyed watching it, as long as the man she was charming minded his manners and kept his hands to himself. What he hadn't expected was that the sheriff seemed to be charming Kitty's socks off as well. He'd better not try to charm anything else off of her, he fumed to himself. Oh, who was he fooling? He didn't even want Tom so much as seeing her stockings.
Kitty continued talking with the sheriff, seemingly unaware of his irritation. Why was she shamelessly flirting with the older, and if Matt did say so himself, not nearly as handsome, lawman? Didn't she realize she wasn't at the Long Branch and didn't have to sell the man drinks...or anything else? Didn't she know he'd like her to direct some-well, all of her attention toward him? Finally, he could take no more. "Isn't it about time someone brought our food?" he barked, causing Kitty and Tom, as well as several occupants of nearby tables, to turn toward him in surprise.
"Sorry, Matt," Tom said, rising from his seat. "I forgot to warn you, the service is terrible here, but they have the best food in town. I'll go see what's going on in the kitchen."
"Matt!" Kitty whispered furiously once the sheriff was out of earshot. "What's gotten into you?"
"I'm hungry!" he exclaimed. Some of the same crowd who had heckled them at the hotel entrance were also in the restaurant and they cackled loudly at this.
"Are you sure that's all that's wrong?" Kitty raised one brow at him suspiciously. She'd seen him hungry plenty of times back in Dodge and he'd never acted this surly.
Matt glanced toward the kitchen door Tom had disappeared through. "Yeah, I'm sure," he replied glumly, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms, looking for all the world like a petulant little boy.
That glance toward the kitchen hadn't been lost on Kitty, and she felt a sudden rush of understanding. And she was the one who kept telling Matt he didn't understand women! He was jealous! Aside from his protective behavior when another man was obviously giving her a bad time, he had never shown any sign of jealousy back in Dodge. But then, everything had changed in the last few days. Embarrassed not to have figured it out sooner, Kitty sought to offer him a little silent comfort. She slid her foot next to his and rubbed the toe of her shoe against the ankle of his boot, trying to get his attention. He ignored her. Undeterred, Kitty nudged her knee against his leg. The stubborn marshal still refused to look at her.
"Miss Kitty." Sheriff Roth was standing to her left, setting a plate in front of her. Just behind him, the waiter was bringing two steak dinners on nearly overflowing plates, which he quickly set at the men's places.
"Thank you, Sheriff," Kitty said, smiling a little less brightly than she perhaps would have a few minutes earlier. "It smells wonderful."
Matt grunted his thanks at the waiter. Without waiting for Kitty to start eating or even for Tom to be seated, he quickly cut several bites from the steak and began shoveling the food into his mouth without looking up.
Shooting Matt another mildly surprised look, Kitty moved her foot away from his and then turned her attention to her own plate. The chicken and dumplings looked and smelled more delicious than any she had ever had at Delmonico's. She dug her fork in for a bite. The chicken was tender and the dumplings were just the right texture. She savored the first bite and looked at her marshal again. The poor man was so miserable with jealousy he couldn't even enjoy his food properly. "Matt, would you mind passing me the salt?" The salt shaker was right in front of him, but at a distance she could have easily reached, and she wouldn't have thought twice about helping herself to it if they were eating together in Dodge.
"Un huh," Matt mumbled. He snatched up the salt and held it out in her direction without looking at her. Kitty took hold of the shaker and held onto Matt's hand briefly, lightly stroking his fingers before taking it from him.
"Thanks, Cowboy," she said quietly. She gave her food a light sprinkling of salt before setting it back down at an even distance between the two of them.
Not to be left out in the chivalry department, Sheriff Roth offered Kitty the pepper shaker.
"No, thank you, Sheriff. This is just the way I like it."
Matt glanced at Kitty out of the corner of his eye as she ate her supper and understanding of what she'd just done began to dawn on him. Being from New Orleans, Kitty liked her food well-seasoned and often commented on how bland the cooking was at Delmonico's. She almost never ate anything without adding pepper to it, if it was available. He said nothing, but the frown began to ease from his face. Quietly, he slid his foot alongside Kitty's until his boot was just touching her shoe.
The sheriff, completely oblivious to the drama that had played out ever since the three of them had sat down together, resumed conversation in between bites. "Miss Kitty, it's too bad I couldn't talk you into having the steak along with me and Matt. You're really missing out," he said teasingly.
Kitty didn't consider the reason for her temporary distaste for beef fit dinner table conversation. "Well, Sheriff, I'm sure you know that the cattle drive season just finished up in Dodge. Steak has been practically free down there lately and I've had all I want of it for a while. It's good to have something different for a change."
They were having a last cup of coffee and Matt and the sheriff were each finishing off a piece of apple pie when Mr. Crouse came to their table.
"Sorry, folks, the missus says it's closing time, so if you wouldn't mind getting along so we can start cleaning up…you understand–" the man said, somewhat apologetically, but definitely not asking.
"I thought he was the boss," KItty said with a smirk, taking another sip of her coffee.
Tom chewed and swallowed his pie before answering. "Well, he's the owner, right enough. But his wife is the cook, and when she's done cooking for the night, well…." He gestured with both hands to the room, which Kitty noticed was now empty except for the three of them and Mr. Crouse, who was standing by the door, clearly ready to lock it behind them when they left.
"I'd say she timed that just about right, then." Kitty winked at Matt and he set his fork down and reached into his vest pocket for a few coins, which he tossed onto the table as they all got up to leave.
"Well, sorry supper kind of got cut short," Tom said. They stood on the boardwalk outside the restaurant; the sound of the key turning in the lock emphasizing his words. "Can I buy the two of you a drink?"
Matt cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head. "Kitty?" he said, finally.
Kitty realized both men were looking at her.
TBC
