St Louis

It was evening when Kitty quietly let herself into the Hanover house and stood just outside the parlor, holding her small suitcase. The scene before her would be truly lovely to be part of. John was in the corner armchair reading a newspaper, and Johnny was sprawled out on the rug doing his homework. It was close to dinner time, and mouth-watering aromas wafted through the air. Muted voices could be heard, coming from the kitchen, no doubt Elmira offering cook-Mary unneeded advice Kitty let her suitcase drop from her hand. Johnny looked up, scrambled to his feet and raced over. "Miss Kitty, you're home. I missed you." The boy threw his arms around her. She kissed the top of his head. "I missed you too. Hey, it's almost dinner time. Why don't you join your grandmother in the kitchen, and make sure the oatmeal cookies are ready to bake. You know how I love those cookies." Johnny giggled and ran off.

"Darling." John extended his arms towards Kitty. "I wish you'd wired ahead, I would have met your train." She hugged him and stepped back holding his hands. "Things got kind of rushed."

He felt an awkward stiffness. "Kitty, is something wrong?"

She took a deep breath. "John, I wasn't totally honest about why I went to Dodge. I let you believe I was visiting a female friend who had taken ill, but I ..."

"Matthew Dillon."

Kitty was caught up short by John's mention of Matt's name. He smiled smugly. "Mother asked me if you'd ever mentioned a man named Matthew Dillon. Of course I said no, but the question stuck in the back of my mind. Then, you sent that terse wire, not a drop of affection in it. I came up an excuse for that, but I had my doubts. So here you are, confirming that you lied. You ran off for a dalliance with another man. Now you're back to ask forgiveness, you're even expecting forgiveness. You decided you want the fine life I can provide, and you think you're entitled to it – the big house, the beautiful clothes, the Hanover name and all that comes with it."

"John, it's not like that." She pulled off the engagement ring and put it in his hand. "I care about you deeply, but I came back to tell you I can't marry you. I don't want to marry you."

Confusion crossed his face. "But, but I offered you the best life a woman can have. No man could offer you more. You should be begging me. You should be down on your hands and knees begging me to take you back."

She shook her head. "That's not what I came to do. I'll go say goodbye to Johnny, and try to explain why I'm leaving."

"You will not. I will speak to MY son." He angrily gripped her arm. "You, will go upstairs and pack your things. I am a gentleman, so I'll send 2 men up shortly to carry your trunks. A carriage will be waiting to take you to the station, and you will be on the next train out, whenever that is." He stormed off.

She hurried up the spiral staircase. Her conversation with John had taken an odd and unexpected turn. She though he'd be angry or hurt, or maybe both, but wanting to see her beg was something else. Moving quickly around the attic room, she tossed her possessions into the trunks she'd brought with her from Dodge. She heard the door open and turned. Elmira stepped in and crossed her arms in front of her. "John told me." Kitty looked at the older woman's stern visage. "Elmira, I want to thank you for everything. Letting me stay here, your kindness, everything. D-d-does Johnny know yet?"

"John is talking to him now. Frankly I don't think he's presenting you in a very positive light."

"I'm sure not. Elmira, John said you mentioned Matt Dillon to him. How did you know?"

"After you left for Dodge, I happened to look at the newspaper you were looking at when you suddenly went pale. There was an article about a Marshal Dillon being badly wounded. Even before that, I knew you had – secrets. The sale of your jewelry was a hint, as was your face when you looked at that valuable necklace, and pretended you didn't remember how you got it. There were other clues." Elmira put a hand on Kitty's arm, her face softened. "In a strange way, I'm glad things ended this way. I don't know this Dillon man, or what you two have together, but it seems to be quite strong. I doubt you would ever be able to give yourself completely to John. He eventually would feel that." Elmira looked in Kitty's eyes. "There's something else I see in you, my dear. John would never understand this, but I'm not sure you'd ever be happy in the role of Mrs. Hanover, the way he would demand that it be played. You both may have found contentment, but resentment would have lurked below."

"I think you're right Elmira, but I truly never meant to hurt John."

"Don't worry too much. John had been keeping very much to himself since Lorraine's passing, and you gave him a reason to re-enter society. He's gotten back his taste for it. Believe me, under the circumstances, there will be no shortage of ladies ready to offer sympathy and comfort to a single, wealthy, good looking man. He's quite a catch, you know."

The two woman smiled. "Ah, I hear them coming for your trunks, so I'll say goodbye, but first there's something I've aways wondered. You said you owned a business in Dodge City. What kind of business was that?"

"A saloon."

Elmira raised an eyebrow. "It would be such fun to hear the gossip if word got out about that, but it will be my private joke." She kissed Kitty's cheek. "Good luck my dear. It really has been a pleasure knowing you, and I'll talk to young Johnny. Eventually he'll understand." Elmira turned to leave but stopped. "Oh Kitty, remember to pick up some sandwiches before getting on the train. It's a long ride."

Dodge

Doc removed the meal tray from Matt's lap and set it on the table. "Matt, I know I keep saying it, but I'm darn pleased about you and Kitty. Not to mention, the good options you'll have opening up to you.

"Thanks Doc. You're the one that got me to admit that this body of mine was beyond keeping up with the demands of marshaling, and that pretending otherwise could even put folks in danger. It was hard to face. If Kitty hadn't been here I might have wanted to, as she put it, slink off somewhere to survive day by day. She's something, isn't she?"

"She sure is, Matt. I'm so proud and delighted to be the best man at the wedding. I even ordered a new suit. Telling Gail she's the maid of honor, sure put a smile on her face. She really needed that."

Both men fell into silence, thinking about Gail. "Doc, she'd going downhill pretty fast isn't she? What can we do?"

Doc ran a hand across his mustache. "Matt, I'll be honest. She should stop working, and needs comfortable accommodations. A wheelchair would help a lot. Best would be the high-end type with thick padding and an adjustable foot rest. I could try a new type of oxogen therapy to ease her breathing some, but that's very expensive for me to get my hands on. Certain kinds of nutritious foods could be shipped in, that would help with her stamina. In other words it would cost a lot more money than you and I together could possibly come up with.

There has to be a way, Doc. I know no matter what we do, she can't live a lot longer, but we have to find a way to make the time she has as pain free, good and comfortable as it can possibly be.

TBC