Chapter 5

It felt wonderful and just like it used to feel. His warm body next to hers, and her head on his shoulder. Hell, it had been so long he almost didn't recognize the feeling of being content. Being home.

It felt right.

Kitty was asleep. Matt could tell she was exhausted and achy after her run in with Mannon.

Matt remembered someone telling him, as a boy, that a man who beat his dog would beat his woman and needed killin'. He wished he could wake the bastard up and shoot him again.

They had wasted a lot of years, he thought. Probably more time than he had left, but they still had some good years ahead of them. There would be no more worrying about what could have been; it was time to deal with what was and get on with living.

Pulling Kitty deeper into his arms, he rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes.

********************************************X***********

The room was dark and smelled like some sort of solvent like they used on the docks back, in New Orleans.

Newly led the way through the front office, ignoring curious looks, and took Lena to the back where Mannon's body was stretched out on a two boards. He was in the same condition as he had been in when he'd been carried and dumped here.

The marshal stepped back and allowed Lena to get a good look at the body.

"Cheap suit." She pulled the coat back to look at the wounds. "My father do that?"

"He did."

"Good."

Lena reached out and turned Mannon's head toward her and spat directly into his face. "Rot in hell," she muttered.

Turning to Newly, she said, "Thank you. I've seen enough."

They turned to go back out the way they had come in and Newly couldn't help grinning. Lena Adams was a pistol.

**********************************************************X**

As Newly and Lena exited the undertaker's, Nathan Burke was so close to the door that they nearly collided with him.

"Something I can help you with Burke?" Newly asked, knowing the clerk's nosy nature.

Burke smiled and acted all surprised to see them.

"I was curious as to what was going to be done with Mannon's body is all," he stammered.

"You fixin' to pay for the burial, Burke?"

Lena didn't even try to hide her smile, at the man's discomfiture.

"Well, no, but a man can be curious can't he?" He turned to Lena, smiling. "I'm Nathan Burke, and we haven't been introduced."

"No, we haven't have we," Lena said.

She nodded to Newly and walked on down the boardwalk, leaving the two of the standing there.

**********************************************XX**********

The Long Branch was now open for business. A few men loitered about, either at the bar or at tables.

Hannah was behind the bar, and Lena headed her way. A few male heads turned as she crossed the floor. She was aware of the attention, but ignored them all.

Hannah saw her approach and drew a sarsaparilla into a glass and placed it before her.

Lena smiled in appreciation. "Thank you." She took a long pull and placed the glass back on the bar.

She looked across at Hannah, smiling, and shot her a grin. "That does hit the spot."

"Hey, darlin', how about I buy you a drink," she smelled the man who suddenly appeared, before she saw him.

Lena thought he would have been better looking with teeth.

"No, thank you. I don't drink," she said, turning back to Hannah.

He leaned against the bar on one elbow and faced her. "Then what are you doin' in a saloon? I got two dollars, iffn you wanna go upstairs," he whispered loudly, leaning closer, touching her shoulder.

Hannah reached down and felt for the shotgun suspended under the bar in case it was needed.

Suppressing a shudder of disgust, Lena turned and smiled at the reprobate beside her.

"As appealing as that sounds, I'm going to have to say no. Besides if I had the choice between you and falling into a pig sty and being eaten alive, I'd choose the pigs."

Discussion ended as far as she was concerned, but not the dimwitted troublemaker.

"You ain't no prize, ya know. I've seen better looking women. You need to learn you place and take what a man offers. I'm sure it's better than what you got between them legs."

Hannah froze and Lena assumed it was because she anticipated what she was about to do—which was hit him with her mug.

The rube beside her was yanked backwards off his feet like a Kansas twister had sucked him up and he was flat on his back. A big hand reached down, held him up, frog marched him backwards to the batwing doors, and then punched him out onto the dirt of Front Street.

"If you so much as look at her sideways, you good-for-nothing filth, there won't be enough left of you left to bait traps with. You got that?!"

Matt Dillon loomed over the man lying in the dirt.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Dillon. I didn't mean nothing. I jest thought she wuz a whor—"

Two swift kicks to his ribs finally got the message across and shut him up.

"Not another damn word, boy. Understand?" Matt's eyes were like two coals burning his soul into ash.

"Yes, sir," the man managed to croak out.

Matt turned and right behind him stood a swarm of people from inside the saloon, staring wide-eyed.

"And by God, that goes for the rest of you, too!"

Without hesitation, words of "Yes, sir," "No, Marshal Dillon, wouldn't dream of it," "Not me, Mr. Dillon," he parted the crowd like the Red Sea and saw his daughter, her face pale.

Reaching out firmly and taking her upper arm, Matt turned her around, and said, "We need to go upstairs and talk to your mama. Now."

She went quietly.

NOTE: I know the chapters are short, but I am doing my best to post every day. I want to thank all of you who have reviewed. If I haven't gotten back to you personally, it's because my internet is sporadic where I am in the mountains right now. I'm glad you like Lena because the girl has taken on a life of her own and seemed to be dragging me along. I'll try to turn some attention back to her parents. Thanks.