YAY! I have updated!

Disclaimer: I don't own em!

Three days after Matt had locked Sally up in his jail, the judge had came through Dodge and after hearing all the evidence they had against Sally and also Doc's professional opinion about why she did what she did. The judge then decided that it would be best to put Sally into a hospital where there were people that would watch over her. He set up for two men to escort her to the hospital that was located in Baltimore. When Matt volunteered to go the judge had just looked at Matt with kindly, smiling eyes and said, "Matt, I appreciate that you would like to go but I think it would be best if you didn't."

Three Weeks Later…………..

Shortly after Matt had wrapped up the Sally case Dodge began to see the normal excitement of the herds coming in to town. It also began to get incredibly hot. One morning Matt got up early and was sure that it was so hot outside that they could fry eggs on the boardwalk.

Matt went to the café to have breakfast and was surprised to see Doc already there. He went to the table and said, "Morning Doc."

"Oh Matt." The physician said, whipping his mouth on a blue checked napkin before saying, "Care to join me for some breakfast?"

"I don't mind if I do Doc." Matt said pulling up a chair.

Halfway through their breakfast Chester showed up. "Oh morning Doc. Morning Mr. Dillon."

"Oh good morning Chester." Doc greeted. Then he said, "Matt, have you heard about Chester here?"

Matt smiled and said, "No Doc but I'm sure you're going to tell me all about it."

Chester looked at Doc in shock and wasn't able to say anything for a moment, before he said, "Oh you don't want to hear about that Mr. Dillon."

"Oh sure he does, Chester. So why don't you tell him?" Doc said, a gleam of pure orneriness in his blue eyes.

Matt couldn't help himself either, Chester looked as jumpy as a cat on a hot tin roof right now so he prodded a little more as well. "Well Chester, are you going to tell me your news?"

Chester looked first at Doc, with a daggers for eyes, then at Matt. "I'm going to the fourth of July town social with Miss Hettie."

Matt who had just taken a drink of coffee would have spit it all over the table if he would have let himself. Hettie Kringle had to be one of the most colorful women that lived in the Dodge area and he was surprised that Chester had asked her to go with him to the fourth of July picnic and dance. Matt swallowed his coffee and coughed a little bit, "That's good Chester."

"Oh, it ain't Mr. Dillon, it ain't at all." Chester said, a look of pure despair on his face. He hadn't even intended to ask Hettie, it had just happened. In fact he had planned on asking Miss Sara Bills the school teacher. That had been his intention too, Miss Sara had been in the store that day and so had Hettie. Well Chester had been talking to himself, trying to get the courage up to ask Sara. It had of course just been his luck that Hettie had heard him and thought that he was talking to her. Chester had tried to get out of it but he knew that if Hettie really wanted to, she could tie him in a knot and throw him in the horse trough. He had, had to stand by helplessly and watch Dan Keller come in and ask Miss Sara to the go to the social with him. Why Chester was sure that Hettie didn't even own a dress or know how to act like a lady. Most of the time she acted like a half wild animal and was louder than the worst drunks that Mr. Dillon often threw out of the saloons. Chester looked at Matt before saying, "Go ahead Mr. Dillon, you can laugh about it."

Matt looked at Chester and just didn't have the heart to let the laughter that was bubbling inside of him out. "No, I'm sorry Chester. I'm sure you and Hettie will have a nice time. I'm sure she's really not as bad as everyone thinks she is."

Doc started laughing then but he didn't say anything.

Chester looked a little green around the gills as he got up and left the café. "I'm goin' on over to the office Mr. Dillon."

"Alright Chester, I'll be over there soon." Matt said. As soon as Chester left Matt gave Doc a hard look. "Doc you could have been a little easier on poor Chester."

"Oh Matt, come now, Hettie and Chester?" Doc said, shaking his head.

"Maybe they'll have a nice time together. I think part of the reason that Hettie acts the way that she does is because she is lonely."

"Lonely or not she's gonna give ol Chester a run for his money." Doc says with another chuckle.

After breakfast with Doc, Matt went back over to his office, and began to work on paper work. He lost track of time and the next thing he knew he looked at the clock and saw it was four o'clock in the afternoon. He had missed lunch and he was sure that he hadn't seen Chester at all that afternoon. Matt stood, stretched and went to the peg by the door to collect his hat. He settled it on his head and stepped out onto the boardwalk. It was still hot out and he decided that it was the perfect excuse to wander over to the Longbranch for a cold beer and a visit with Kitty. He had to admit to himself that while the nights while the cowboys were in town could get a little wild at least they reserved themselves to sleeping during the day.

His long legs ate up the short distance between his office and the saloon and soon he was casting a long shadow in the saloon.

Kitty was sitting in the bar room with two of the other girls, they were fanning themselves, feeling miserable in the unforgiving heat. She was also wondering where Matt was at, he had made it a habit to stop in each afternoon and even sometimes in the morning, that was when he was in town. She had her back to the door so she didn't see Matt come to the door.

When Matt made it to the swinging doors of the Longbranch he stopped and allowed himself to take in the beauty that was Kitty Russell. She had her back to the door so Matt was allowed to watch for a few seconds before walking the rest of the way in. He tipped his hat to Sam who was behind the bar wiping glasses.

Kitty heard the footsteps behind her and turned before Matt reached her. "Hello Matt." She greeted.

"Kitty."

"Can I get you a beer Matt?" Kitty asked, standing and walking towards the bar before Matt could answer her.

"Sure Kitty, that sound fine." Matt said, heading towards the back of the room and taking a seat. He took his hat off, wiped his forehead and watched Kitty come across the bar room with two mugs.

When Kitty reached the table she set the beers down and took a seat next to Matt. "So have you heard how things are shaping up for the 4th of July dance and sociable?"

Matt swallowed the sip of beer while his mind raced to come up with an answer to Kitty's question. "Uh, I think their going well. Did you hear who Chester is escorting?"

Kitty's eyes lit up at the prospect of gossip and she leaned towards Matt. "Who?" she asked.

"Hettie." Matt said, with as straight a face as he could muster.

"Hettie?" Kitty repeated with a look of shock. "The Hettie that comes into town and drinks and shoots it up with the buffalo hunters and all the other riff-raff that comes in here?"

"The same one." Matt said, the smile fading from his lips.

"Well I certainly don't see Chester asking her, so how in the world did that happen?" Kitty asked.

Matt laughed and then retold what Chester had told him and Doc at breakfast that morning. By the end Kitty was laughing as well. When Matt finished she laid a hand on his arm and shaking her head said, "Poor Chester. I'll have to buy him a beer if he comes in tonight."

Kitty was glad that Matt had told her about Chester and his little problem but now that the laughter had ended she was patiently waiting for Matt to ask her to go with him. She knew that he would be busy that night, he really couldn't leave his Marshal duties but he could escort her and at least get in one or two dances, couldn't he?

Matt was rolling it over in his mind, over and over, how to go about asking Kitty to go with him to the dance and the social. A thousand questions were running through his mind a mile a minute. What if she had already been asked, what if she didn't want to go, what if, what if, what if, what if he asked her to go and then had to go out and track a murder or something else came up and he had to disappoint her.

Matt was being quiet and staring off into space and that worried Kitty. What was wrong with him? Finally she said, "Matt are you ok?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine." Matt said, taking another sip of beer.

"Well you certainly look like there's something on your mind."

"Oh, well I was wondering if you would be busy later tonight?"

"Well you know how it is around here, but I think that I can probably sneak away for a few minutes later on, why?"

"I guess you'll have to wait. I'll see you later Kitty." Matt said, taking a last swallow of beer and standing. Kitty stood with him as well and watched him walk away. She wondered what was on his mind and where he was going as she watched him go out on the board walk and head towards the stables.

Matt did go to the stables and saddled up Buck. Then swinging himself into the saddle he rode out onto the prairie and just rode. Away from Dodge and out to where he could be alone with his thoughts. He had a lot of things weighing on his mind and he felt that it was best that he get away Dodge where he would be distracted by problems and the person that was filling his mind as well. As he rode he soon found himself back in the same area where he had Kitty had went on their first picnic together a little more than a month earlier. He stopped there and holding on to his horses reins loosely he sat down on a log. It was hard to think about all that had happened in the past weeks. Meeting Kitty for the first time, their wonderful day spent picnicking and fishing here in this spot, kissing Kitty behind the Longbranch the night that Sally pushed her down those same stairs. Yes certainly a lot had happened in the past few short weeks and yet, Matt was almost sure that he was beginning to fall in love with the beautiful red head. Now he just had to get over his nerves and ask her to go with him to the dance and social and also to ask her another very important question if he could get the courage up to do it. Matt let out a heavy sigh and then pushed himself. He couldn't leave Dodge to long, not with all the cowboys that were in town.

Kitty waited all evening to see Matt. Well when she could anyway. The Longbranch as usual was busy as ever but every chance Kitty got she looked at the door to see if Matt was there, waiting. However, every time she looked she was disappointed until it was very late or very early however you looked at it and then just as Sam was getting ready to close up for the night, Matt showed up. "Kitty do you want to go and take a walk?" he asked.

"Sure. Just let me get my wrap." Kitty said. She went up the stairs quickly, grabbed a light wrap and quickly went back down the stairs. Matt was waiting by the bar, visiting with Sam. When she descended the stairs, he turned and smiled at her. "Ready?" Kitty asked.

"Yeah." Matt said. He turned and allowed Kitty to walk out ahead of him and then he escorted her out along the boardwalk under the glowing street lamps.

"It's a pretty night Matt." Kitty said, turning her face towards the sky to observe the moon and stars that were twinkling in the velvety black sky.

"Yeah it is." Matt said. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop in earlier, but I wanted us to be able to be alone too."

"It's okay Matt. I understand." Kitty said. She put the wrap around her shoulders. For as hot as it had been all day as soon as the sun had set the evening had become chilly. They stopped at the end of the boardwalk and Kitty turned towards Matt. "So what did you want to talk about Matt?"

Matt suddenly felt very shy and looked towards the sky, suddenly very interested in it. Then he looked back at Kitty and taking her much smaller hand in his own large, work roughened one said, "I suppose you think I've been slow in asking but would you like to go with me to the dance and social on Saturday night?"

Kitty moved closer to Matt, truly touched that he had been so nervous about asking her to go with him to the social. She could feel the nervousness in him and even though they had only shared a few chaste kisses over the last few weeks with Matt, she still moved closer and lifted her face towards him. "I guess I've been waiting but I figured you would get around to it."

Matt smiled and wrapped an arm around Kitty's waist, feeling more comfortable. "I guess."

They wandered back down the boardwalk toward the Longbranch, Matt keeping Kitty close to his side as they walked in the shadows this time, rather in the street lights. They went up the back stairs and stood together on the landing and Matt pulled Kitty close to him. "You know last time we we're here you almost died."

Kitty tried to give a small laugh and failed. "I know."

Matt wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He brought his head down to her level and pressed his lips to the skin on her neck, under her ear before their lips found each other and they melted into each other for a brief moment before Matt pulled back and looked at Kitty. "You better get inside. I'll see you later."

Kitty was disappointed and gave a small pout. "Are you sure Matt?"

Matt looked at her and leaned in for another kiss, and then another and another. "You better get inside now."

"Alright Matt." Kitty said.

"Good night Kitty."

"Good night Matt."