Newly brought the mail and telegrams to the jail later that morning. Stepping inside, he found Festus making a fresh pot of coffee.
"I heard you were back," Newly said putting the mail on Matt's desk.
"Last night," Festus replied sullenly. "I found Matthew."
"I know, I saw Doc this morning on his way to talk to Miss Kitty," Newly said picking up a telegram. "I had to report to the US Marshal service about the situation."
"I figured as much," Festus said helping himself to a cup of black coffee. "What was the answer?"
"What I expected," Newly said meeting the hill man's eyes. "They've decided to send a replacement."
"How soon?"
"A few days," Newly replied holding up the paper. "Marshal Sanders, he's relocating from the Denver area."
"I just don't know what to say, Doc," Kitty said stopping in front of the window in her room. "Should I have Festus take me to him? Would it help him or hurt him?"
Doc shook his head as he swiped his mustache. "I can't tell you that Kitty. I really don't know."
"Tell me what I should do," Kitty said eagerly. "If he should push me away, I don't think...I couldn't take it."
"Well," Doc said thoughtfully. "That's a decision you're going to have to make."
Kitty nodded as Doc headed for the door. "You know where I am if you need someone to talk to."
"Thanks, Doc," Kitty said watching the physician shut the door before she walked to her bureau.
A picture of Matt sat prominently on display. Picking it up, Kitty ran a finger over Matt's face as the tears rolled freely down her own.
Doc closed his eyes and sighed before descending the steps of the saloon. Matt was like a son to him and he couldn't imagine life on Dodge without him.
"Stay down," Matt said lifting the rifle as Starcourt and his men slowly made their way though the field.
Two guns against four, Matt thought. "If I fire, they'll know where we are," he said looking at Mike. "Our best bet is to try and make it to a horse. I can draw their fire while you get away!"
"What about you?" Mike said quietly. "I'm not leaving you behind."
"Don't worry about that!"
Matt and Mike both turned around at the voice behind them.
"Fortunate," Mike said with a slight grin. "You came back?"
"Yeah," he said with a nod. "I over heard what Starcourt and his men there were planning on doing here and decided, I had to help!"
"I'm glad you came back," Mike said looking at Matt. "Dan and I were just discussing what we should do."
"I think...Dan had the right idea," Forunate said. "We'll draw their fire while you get to a horse."
"Two rifle's are better than one," Matt said firmly. "Once we start to fire, you have to move as quickly as you can!"
"My horse is just over the ridge," Fortunate said looking back. "Get to it and wait for us!"
"Alright," Mike said quietly. "I'll do it!"
Mike waited in the brush while Matt moved in one direction and Fortunate moved in another. Both men were trying to get behind at least one or two of the men before they opened fire.
Once Dan and Fortunate were out of range, Mike started for the ridge where Fortunate's horse was waiting.
Matt moved slowly back toward the house, smoke from the fire hung heavy in the air and distorted his ability to see exactly where Starcourt and his men were located.
Following the sounds of their voice instead, he stopped short when he heard Starcourt talking.
"They couldn't have gone far," Starcourt said angrily. "Spread out and find them!"
Matt knew this would be his only chance. Moving around behind Starcourt. He brought his rifle level with the man's midsection and put his finger in the trigger but before he could fire the weapon, he felt the searing hot pain of a bullet enter his back only seconds after he heard the gun shot.
Mike jumped at the first sounds of gunfire but it only made her hasten her pace until she topped the ridge. Relief washed over her to find Sutler was waiting for her.
"You ol dog?" she said patting the dog's head before moving to Fortunate's horse.
Untying the reins, she quickly mounted the horse and started back toward her house with the intentions of finding Dan and herself horses to make their escape.
As Mike got closer to the house, she realized the shooting had stopped.
No one was guarding what was left of her burned out home or the barn so she left Fortunate's horse tied up at a post while she slipped into the barn for her own horse and Dan's.
Afterward, she left the barn and looked around. Expecting to see Dan and Fortunate coming out of the field from behind the house at any moment, she slowly approached the area with caution and a loaded pistol just in case any of Starcourt's men had survived the attack.
A low moan a few feet away caught her attention instead and she quickly made her way to where it had come from.
Mike stopped at the feet of Starcourt, bringing the revolver up, she towered over the fallen and badly bleeding man.
"Where's Dan?" she said harshly as Starcourt moaned.
"Dead," he said with a wiry grin before drawing his last breath.
Mike looked around, the acrid haze of smoke burned her eyes and made it nearly impossible to see beyond a few feet in front of her.
"Dan," she said starting into the field again. "Where are you?"
Sutler sniffed the ground just in front of her as she followed. "Find him boy."
When the dog gave a mournful cry a few moments later, Mike's heart sank as she reached the prone form of the man she had come to love.
"No," she said dropping to her knees.
Leaning over the large man, she put a hand on the side of his face and smiled when he opened his eyes.
"How bad is it," she asked noticing the blood soaked shirt.
"Bad enough," Matt said weakly.
"I got to get you to a doctor," Mike replied quickly. "I'm going to get the wagon from the barn and try to find Fortunate."
"No," Matt said grabbing her hand. "He's dead!"
Mike nodded as she stood up. "I'll be back as quick as I can, you hang on now, you hear me!"
Matt nodded as Mike hurried back toward the house. He struggled to stay conscious until she returned and after what seemed like several hours, he heard the wagon stop nearby.
"I padded it with some hay and a blanket but I'm pretty sure this is going to be quite uncomfortable for you," Mike said as she help the man to sit up.
"It's nothing I haven't felt before," Matt said leaning against the woman for support and Mike wondered what he meant by that.
Once Mike maneuvered Matt into the back of the wagon, she ripped his shirt where the bullet had gone in at to have a better look at the wound.
"This is more than I can do anything for," she said packing the wound with strips of cloth from Fortunate's saddle bag. "At least the bleeding has stopped. There's not much in the line of doctors around here but I'll think of something."
"I know you will," Matt said closing his eyes as he sank into darkness.
