Matt arrived back in town a day and a half later. Sore, tired and without a prisoner to show for it. Although it had taken a day's hard riding across the cold prairie, he'd found the man who'd robbed the general store. He'd also found the man's family. He was a poor dirt farmer who'd lost his crop in the previous year's drought. He'd stolen flour, beans and coffee for his family and a doll, for his six year old daughter, who'd never had a Christmas present in her life.

Matt knew the law better than anyone. He knew he should take the man in and jail him for breaking and entering and theft, not to mention shooting a US Marshal. But when he looked at the pale features of the little girl and the thin frame of his wife, he knew he couldn't. Instead, he gave the destitute farmer the last ten dollars he had in his pocket, accepted his promise never to do it again and spent two hours helping him to chop wood enough to last for a while.

He resolved to himself when he got back to town to pay Jonas himself for what was taken and then see if he couldn't find the farmer a job to see them through the winter. There wasn't much else he felt that he could do.

"Howdy, Mr. Dillon!" Chester greeted him when he finally made it to the jail. "You catch that fella that robbed Mr. Jonas?"

"That's a long story, Chester." Matt answered. He liked his assistant even trusted him. But he wasn't much in the mood to talk about what had happened right then. He decided he'd talk with Jonas and settle up with him first.

"Well, long or short, did ya?" Chester prodded.

"Yes." Matt sighed. "Now, will you get me a cup of coffee?"

"Well, where is he?" Chester wasn't ready to let it go.

"Chester." Matt's voice was stern.

"Yes, sir." Chester answered meekly and headed for the stove.

Removing his heavy coat, Matt hung up his gunbelt while Chester poured him a cup of the thick acrid brew he called coffee.

"Here ya go, Mr. Dillon. Nice and hot and strong. Just like you like it."

Matt took cup without comment. It actually wasn't 'just the way he liked it' but right then he wasn't arguing. It was hot and he needed that after being out in the cold so long. Taking his cup over to his desk, he sat down and put a leg up on his desk. "So, you get that gold shipment taken care of?"

"Oh, yeah." Chester answered smugly. "Mr. Bodkin weren't too happy that you weren't here yourself, but I got a couple of fellers to help me and we took care of it, alright."

"Good." Matt nodded. He'd planned on being there for that but it just couldn't be helped. "Anything else going on around here, while I was gone?"

"No, not really." Chester shrugged. "Miss Kitty ain't back from the Ronniger's yet and Doc's fussing but you know how he gets."

Matt sat straight up in his chair, sloshing his coffee on his pant leg and across his desk. "She what!?" He sputtered as he got to his feet, looking for a towel. "What do you mean she's not back yet?"

"Well, just that. She left yesterdee morning for the Ronniger's and she ain't back yet." Chester answered, puzzled at his boss's reaction.

"Are you sure? Did you check with Sam?" Matt's gut was suddenly roiling and he was beginning to get a very bad feeling.

"Well, sure I checked with Sam." Chester sounded a bit offended. "When I talked to him yesterdee, he hadn't heard from her but he weren't too worried. She told him she'd probably be gone all day afore she left."

"That was yesterday, Chester." Matt fumed. "Don't you think she should've been back by now?" He saw Chester flinch and felt a little guilty but not enough to stop his tirade. "She shouldn't have gone out there alone at all. Didn't you offer to go with her or at least try and stop her?"

"Well, I didn't offer to go with her, cause, well, with you being gone and all I figured somebody ought to stay here in town and kindly keep an eye on things. Not to mention that gold shipment coming in. But I did try and stop her. I told her you didn't want her going nowhere without your say so. I told her you'd be mad as all get out when you found out she took off like that. But, you know Miss Kitty when she gets her mind made up about something. She just ignored me. I tell ya, Mr. Dillon, you ought to have a talk with her about taking off like that. I mean she could get hurt or just anything like that."

Trying hard to ignore the fact that Chester probably gave Kitty the impression that she was owned by him instead of loved by him, Matt slammed his mug down on his desk, coming close to breaking it.

"Well, when she didn't return did you go out looking for her?" Matt knew the Ronnigers lived a distance from town but they didn't live that far and the weather, though cold hadn't impacted travel in anyway. She should've been back by now. "I mean,didn't you think something might've been wrong?" He grumbled as he got back to his feet and reached for his gunbelt.

"Wrong?" Chester looked perplexed. "Why would there anything wrong. She just went out to the Ronniger's. Good Heaven's, that ain't that far. She probably stayed an extra day with them. And besides, if there was anything wrong you know they'd come to town to get help."

Matt closed his eyes and took a deep breath before replying, so that he wouldn't snap Chester's head off or tear him in two.

"I mean, you know them Ronnigers." Chester kept prattling on. "They's good people. They wouldn't let no harm come to Miss Kitty, if they knew nothing about it."

"Yeah, Chester." Matt just barely controlled the venom in his voice. "If they knew anything. But what if something happened to Kitty between here and there? Huh? You think about that?"

"Oh, Mercy!" Chester turned pale. "Golly, Mr. Dillon. Honest. I never once…"

"Chester, I don't want to hear it. Look, go on down to the stable, will ya? Get our horses saddled. And hurry."

"Oh, yes, Sir." As fast as his stiffened leg would allow, Chester grabbed his hat and coat and hurried out of the jail down towards the stable.

Trying hard to control his emotions, Matt swiftly grabbed his coat and his saddle bags and headed for the general store. He needed supplies for what could be a long trip. He had no idea if anything was wrong or not. Chester could be completely right and he'd find her still at the Ronniger's helping out with the latest addition to the family, or simply enjoying time off.

But something inside of him, didn't quite believe that. Something inside of him told him she was either in trouble, or soon would be.

TBC

AN: SusyQ and Gunsmokefan Thank you! And Martes, as always God Bless you too and Happy Holidays