A Flicker of Light In The Darkness
Chapter 14
Matt's News
Matt took one last look at the grave as he pushed his shovel back into its place. Blund Riley wasn't worth the time or effort it took to bury him. Dillon had learned a long time ago, he buried them to keep that bit of humanity in himself—not to give homage to a piece of scum.
It had taken him six days to track down the worthless excuse for a human being. Riley had shot Marvin Scobes and his wife, Tavis. Then he took off with what money they had in the house and three of Marvin's best horses. Both the Scobes were going to survive, but Tavis had been hurt pretty bad and it was going to be a slow recovery.
Matt climbed up on Buck and headed home. Home. What a small word to produce such a big smile. It wasn't just a word anymore; it was a wife and a daughter.
A twinge of sadness crept into his happy place. It was still home, but Calleigh had gone away to medical school. As much as Matt missed her, he knew it was twice as hard on Kitty. Now, when his job took him away, her heart was pulled in two directions.
This time had been harder than usual. Calleigh had been home on a visit and left the same morning Matt had gone off after Riley. Thinking about his wife, Dillon gave Buck a kick to move faster.
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Sam finished wiping the glass and set it on the shelf as his gaze wandered toward the back room. Miss Kitty had disappeared through that door for the third time today and it was only 9:30. Matt and Calleigh had both left town on the same morning. Public displays of weakness were not something that Miss Kitty was prone to, but losing them both at once hit her hard.
Each time she came out, her eyes were red and she sniffled into one of those fancy ladies' handkerchiefs. He reached into the water for another glass. It broke his heart to see her so despondent, but he knew that she would feel better as soon Matt Dillon walked back through those batwing doors.
Sam placed the last cleaned glass on the shelf and glanced back when he heard the familiar squeak of the swinging door. Buried in the deep wrinkles, a smile was born and gave witness to the sudden light in his dull gray eyes.
"Marshal, I am so glad to see you."
His body held the evidence of a long, dirty trip. It was obvious he hadn't shaved…or bathed, during that time. Tiny wisps of dust wafted from his clothes with every step he took, as he neared the bar.
"Can I get you a beer?" Sam offered eagerly.
"Thanks, Sam," Matt shook his head, declining the offer. His weary smile matched his tired eyes. "I just want my girl."
The heavily built bartender nodded toward the backroom, then watched the big man disappear. Sam wasn't surprised by the quick squeal, or the silence that followed. He tossed his towel on the shelf and walked out onto the boardwalk. Old gray eyes searched Front Street for someone to help. Young Kip Thorp was just coming out of Jonas' store.
"Kip! Come here." Sam motioned with his hand and the boy quickly responded.
"Yes, sir?"
Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter. "Here, take this. Go down and tell Moss to get Miss Kitty's buggy ready, then bring it up here."
Kip Thorp looked at the quarter that had been dropped into his hand. The grin he gave in return was worth more than Sam could ever pay him. "Yes sir! I'll be right back."
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Kitty heard the door open and quickly turned away to hide her tears. "I'll be right out, Sam. I'm just rearranging some of these crates."
"I'm pretty strong; maybe I-" Kitty hit her husband's body so hard, it stopped him in mid-sentence. There was a quick squeal of delight and then silence—born from a kiss that had been building for six days. Matt pulled her close, pressing his wife's body tightly to his own. Kitty's hands twisted behind his neck, drawing her upward until her feet barely touched the floor. Their hearts fought to keep them together, but their lungs won out in the end. Gasping for a breath, he was content now to cradle her head to his chest. "I have missed you sooooo much."
Kitty pressed her hips forward into his body. "I can tell."
He forced her face up toward his. "And you didn't miss me? The way you flew into my arms… If you got any closer, honey, you would be on the other side of me."
Matt pulled her back into his embrace, but the kiss was replaced momentarily with laughter. "I'm going home to try and wash some of this crud off. I thought maybe you would want to cut out early."
Kitty leaned in, sniffed his chest and turned up her nose, "Could use a little soap and water." She reached up with another light kiss, "but you smell wonderful to me."
They were lost in each other's eyes again, but just as his lips touched hers, he stopped the kiss and whispered, "Kitten, if we start this, we won't be able to stop and…" his tongue traced the tiny curve of her ear, "it's been six days, baby. I want more."
Kitty used every ounce of willpower that her slender body could muster as she pulled back from his embrace. "Right. Let's go home." She tugged and pulled to get her clothes back into the position they had started out.
Matt reached down and tucked a couple of loose curls back into her upswept do. He brushed the back of his hand along her cheek following the red rash trail from his unshaven chin. "Ahhh, baby, I'm sorry."
She cupped her hand over his and turned it to kiss his palm. "I'm not. I'm just so glad you're home safe."
Sam saw them emerge from the room and walked toward them. He could see the slightly disheveled adjustment to Kitty's clothes and the loosed curls. Most noticeable was the swollen lips and whisker burn on her cheek.
Oddly enough, the weary shadow in the Marshal's eyes had been replaced with a gleam of excitement and a look that met Sam head-on, with a pride that only one man to another would understand.
Miss Kitty, on the other hand found it hard to look her bartender in the eye when she announced that she was going home early. She went ahead to mumble some reason that none of the three of them believed and then with the Marshal's arm still wrapped around her, they headed out the door.
"I'll go get my buggy and meet you at home." Kitty started to pull away, when she heard someone call her name. Turning back, she saw Kip Thorp pulling up with M'Lady and Kitty's buggy. She looked at Matt, but he was just as much in the dark as she was.
Kip pulled the buggy up to the boardwalk and jumped out. "Mr. Sam gave me a quarter to have it ready for you." He grinned as his hand slipped back into his pocket, fingering his newfound wealth.
Two sets of blue eyes turned in unison, confronting the burly man hanging over the batwing doors. Matt's expression was one of male gratefulness, while Kitty just offered a soft, almost shy smile.
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Harriet Bodkin was standing in the front window of Jonas Mercantile, with the proprietor's wife, Sara. The two had been discussing a special order, that should have arrived two weeks ago. Harriet's disappointment was momentarily derailed when she saw the marshal ride into town.
"He's back…" It was Sara that made the comment, as she had observed the same thing. Everyone was aware of the Scobes' shooting; and that the Marshal had been gone for almost a week. "Look, he's going to the Long Branch."
Harriet leaned closer to Sara, to keep the conversation private. "Do you think she'll go home with him?"
Sara hid her smile behind a thin, pale hand. "In the middle of the morning!? In broad daylight!?"
The banker's wife looked around, to make sure no one would hear. "He's been gone six days and…well..." The thoughts, shared by the two women, brought a blush to each of them. They couldn't control the blush anymore than the envious sighs.
"Oh my..." Sara craned her neck toward the window. "Oh no… Edsel has her cornered!" The storekeeper had watched the marshal ride off on his familiar buckskin horse. When she looked back, Sara caught the forlorn expression on Miss Kitty's face.
The hapless redhead watched as her cowboy rode away—while she was being held captive by the insistent yapping of Edsel Pry. Sara could feel Harriet's face almost touching hers, as they peered through the store window.
"Oh, that poor thing!" Harriet stood up abruptly. "We can't have this. True love cannot be ambushed like this!" She pulled herself erect, accepted a nod of approval from Sara and headed toward Front Street.
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Kitty stood by the buggy, half-listening to the rantings of Edsel Pry. She had watched Matt ride away and had been so close to accompanying him, when a rather brittle set of fingers caught her by the wrist.
Several times during the tirade that followed, Kitty had subtly tried to break free, but Edsel was persistent. Something about a petition that she wanted Kitty to sign. Without any argument, Kitty had signed, thinking that would be the end of it; but no. Afterward, came the unwelcomed diatribe detailing the problem.
Edsel strayed from the subject for only a moment, "Did you know you have a rash on your cheek? You should have Doctor Adams take a look at that."
Before Edsel could climb again onto her petition bandwagon, another voice overrode hers. "Edsel Pry! Just the woman I wanted to talk to." Harriet Bodkin wrapped her hand around the older woman's arm and began to steer her away from the surprised redhead. "I wonder if you could explain this petition I've been hearing about?" As Harriet continued to steer the imperious woman away, she glanced back at the stunned lady by the buggy.
"Miss Kitty, I noticed that the Marshal is back. So glad to see he's home safe." With a curious smile, the banker's wife began to nod and feign interest in Pry's talk.
Kitty remained motionless for a moment. Did Harriet Bodkin just help her escape for a rendezvous in the middle of the afternoon? As she watched the two women walked away from her, a wicked smile touched her lips… She knew Harriet knew. "I certainly owe you one, Harriet." Kitty muttered as she climbed into her buggy.
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The couple lay—languid and satisfied, sheets twisted around them. Matt's body was sweaty again, mere hours after a hot, sensuous bath. It was nearing early evening and the sharp light of the sun was settling into a soft glow.
Matt pulled his arm from beneath the dozing woman. Bright blue eyes opened slowly, curious as to his movements. The lawman propped himself up on one arm, his gaze silently loving his wife's naked body. "I missed you so much."
Kitty's reaction surprised him when she started to laugh. "I'm sorry." She reached up, apologizing again with a kiss. Then she proceeded to tell him about how Harriet Bodkin had sacrificed herself for them.
Matt accepted the kiss and had to join her laughter when she told the story. "I wondered what was taking you so long. For a minute, I thought you had changed your mind." Kitty's eyes narrowed, emphasizing his ludicrous suggestion. "Okay, I didn't think that for very long." He played with a loose curl, twisting it around his finger. "I do have some interesting news of my own to tell you."
She squirmed around, still leaving her body available for him to touch and tease, but now she was able to see his face. "Tell me! Tell me!"
"I ran into Chester." As he expected, her mouth flew open and her eyes grew wide. "He's living in Garden Plaines."
"Where's Lydia? Oh, my gosh, they couldn't have divorced? What happened to Allentown?" Kitty was sounding like Calleigh, as she rattled off questions.
Matt laid a gentle hand across his wife's mouth. "Do you want to hear?"
Kitty settled back, silently agreeing. It was just that she had only recently stopped worrying about their dear friend. Meeting Lydia had been such a surprise. One of Chester's favorite pastimes had always been meeting the stages; and the one that carried Lydia Whinney had certainly changed his life.
Lydia had been on her way back to Pennsylvania, where she helped to manage a fairly large factory with her father. She was an attractive woman, but nothing like the type that Chester usually chose. For one thing, she was almost ten years older than Matt's longtime assistant.
Even though the lawman would never have told Chester this, for fear of hurting him, but Chester Goode was a pretty simple man. Matt and Kitty had both felt that Lydia's extra years and down to earth manner were what their friend needed to keep him grounded. It was whirlwind, but love on both sides. Calleigh had appeared only a few weeks after Chester's departure. The little redheaded whirlwind had helped them to weather Chester's leaving.
"Lydia is just fine, they are just fine." As Matt's story continued, so did the tantalizing exploration of Kitty's body "Her father died a few months ago and the two of them decided they didn't want the headache of the factory any longer, so she sold it."
"Well, how-"
"Ah-ah! just wait… A friend of Lydia's had a bed-and-breakfast in Garden Plaines and it was exactly what the Goodes wanted. Slow paced; not a lot of demands. They are both so happy; and they insist that we come visit."
Kitty started to sit up, disturbing his fingers, which were delicately circling her breasts. "Just lay back, I have more to tell." Kitty obeyed; her body casting off a faint shiver as Matt's fingers continued their gentle probing.
"Believe it or not, they have been entertaining…..our daughter." It wasn't his hands that brought the shocked look to her face. "Um-hmm. Seems they ran into each other in Wichita awhile back. Chester had gone there to pick up some supplies. Calleigh recognized him from your pictures and introduced herself. Seems as though she's made several trips to his inn since then. Has become very close to both Chester and Lydia."
"Well, why didn't she tell us?"
Matt cast her a sly smile. "Our daughter has apparently wheedled her way into Chester's confidence."
Kitty rolled her eyes. "How hard is that? He never could keep a secret."
"Exactly. Calleigh has been pumping ol' Chester for stories about us." Matt let his hand slide across Kitty's stomach, around her waist, then pulled her even closer.
"Stories?" Kitty's tone reflected her sudden apprehension, "What kind of stories!"
"Let's see… I believe the Orkey Cathcart saga came out." He heard her utter a sigh. "Then, there was the street fight between you, Chester and that Groat fella. Oh—and does the name Jim Rackmil ring a bell"?
"Weren't there any stories about you!?"
"Well, yeah; but mine weren't as juicy as yours." He rolled her body up against his and grabbed a kiss. "We will deal with this, in terms of our beloved daughter, I promise; but right now…" Matt felt Kitty's foot poke its way between his legs, making an opening to slide her long, slender leg in between his.
"You do realize that we've been in this bed most of the day?"
"Uh-huh. What's your point?" All talk of Chester, and Calleigh, and old times lost priority… as Matt's warm lips wandered lazily up Kitty's neck and came to rest on hers. "That was a perfect homecoming—for Monday."
Kitty was almost too caught up in his lovemaking to question him, but she managed a weak response, "For Monday? What do you mean?"
He stretched up until he could see her face, "Well, that was to welcome me home for Monday. I was also gone Tuesday, Wednes-"
The eruption of her deep, throaty laugh brought him to silence. That was the laugh that caused a stirring deep in the pit of his belly—as if he needed the added stimulation. It was all he needed to get them started on Tuesday's welcome home…
TBC