The Rescue 35
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They had all settled down for the night in their respective areas and most of the inhabitants of the trading post, cum hotel, were asleep.
Most, not all.
Despite her words to the contrary, Kitty had quickly drifted off to an exhausted, and so far, dreamless sleep. But Matt was still awake. He was worried. For a reason he couldn't explain, he was certain, as Kitty had been. that someone was on their way to them, someone not wanted. And with each passing hour, he grew increasingly anxious for them to be up and out.
But looking over at Kitty, he stilled his own anxiety in favor of granting her as much rest as she could get, knowing in the future it would be hard to come by.
"Matthew?" Festus' whisper came from the door. "You still up?"
Matt carefully got up from the bed and crossed over to the door. Opening it quietly, he slipped out of the room so as not to wake Kitty. "What's wrong?" He asked as soon as he saw the look on Festus' face.
"Wael, I ain't actual shore they is anything wrong." Festus said. "But I got me a feeling they's someone outside there. I done slipped down to the barn and got yours and Miss Kitty's horses saddled and brought em around back there. I also loaded some bags with supplies and tied em on the horses fer ya. Now, I didn't see nobody when I was outside, but that don't mean they ain't there. I figger you'all better git. Now."
But Matt had no intentions of leaving his friends there to fight what he considered his battle. "Festus, I appreciate it, but we're not just going to run out and leave you all here. This is my fight."
Festus shook his head. "Matthew, that don't make a lick of sense. The way we all see it, Miss Kitty is your fight. You got ta think of her first and take care of her." Festus was wringing his arms as he talked to emphasize his point. "Now, you cain't do that if'n ya git yerself kilt. Don't ya see? The only way to save her is to get her out of here."
Matt took a deep breath and wearily rubbed the back of his neck. He knew Festus was right. He didn't want to go like this, but he had to protect his wife and unborn child. "Give us half an hour and we'll be ready to go." He said quietly as a thought came to him. "Can you do something else as well?"
"What's that?" His friend asked, eager to be of any help at all.
"See if you can do something to draw attention to the front, something to make them think we're up there. I doubt they know of this back here, but that might not stop them from going around the back and checking it out. If you can get their attention up front, then we stand a good chance of getting away without being seen."
"Will do er. Matthew." Festus said with a smile. "You two just get yerselves ready. I'll get Doc and Buster and we'll do the rest." Festus started to turn but stopped. "Matthew." He said softly with a tinge of regret in his voice. "I was a plannin' on goin' with you all when ya left. I guess I cain't now."
Matt grasped him friend by the shoulder. "Just like Doc, you'll always be with us. And when we find a place to stay permanently, we'll contact you."
Festus nodded, blinking back a tear and disappeared back towards the front. Matt went back into the room and over to the bed. "Kitty, Kitty?" He sat down on the side of the bed and gently shook her shoulder.
Kitty woke with a start and anxiously glanced around the room before settling her eyes back on Matt's dark form on the bed beside her. "Time to get up already?" She asked, glancing at the velvet darkness still outside the window.
"I'm afraid so." Matt said. He didn't want to tell her but he knew he had to. "We're not sure, but we think we have some visitors."
Kitty sat straight up at that and reached for Matt's hand. "Here for us?"
Matt shrugged. "I don't know, but coming in at this time a night, it could be. Now, Festus and the others are going to set up a distraction up front to get our visitor's attention, while you and I go out the back. Festus has already saddled our horses and packed our bags. We just need to get dressed and go."
Kitty nodded as she pushed the covers off of her and got to her feet, her heart in her throat at what could possibly happen, if she and Matt were caught trying to get away.
When Festus returned to the front of the building, he found Buster, Doc and Percival already up and dressed, each with a weapon in their hands. At his look of surprise, Buster grinned. "You thought you was the only one that heard them out there? I figured we'd all best get up and get ready to make a fight of it."
Festus smiled at the older man who'd become almost as dear to him as Doc was. But he shook his head. "They ain't no need a fighting, if'n we ain't got to." He said. "I already done got Matthew up. Him and Miss Kitty is gonna slip out the back and take off. All we got to do is get the attention of them yahoo's outside there so's they can."
"Well, how?' Doc said. "I doubt they're stupid enough to just walk in here, even if we were to give them an engraved invitation."
"Well, maybe not engraved…' Percival spoke up as he looked around the room. "But I think I know how to get them to come right in that door."
Doc crinkled his brow. "How?"
Percival grinned. "Help me and I'll show you."
Fifteen minutes later, the men stood back and looked at their handiwork, glancing at each other with a grin.
"Bout ready?" Festus asked.
Percival smiled. "Yep."
Quickly Festus, Percival and Buster ran to the backside of the counter and knelt down. Doc, being the shortest of the three, moved to the end of the counter and quickly wrapped a shawl around his shoulders and head, doing his best to make his shadow look like that of a woman. Lighting a match to the lamp at the end of the worktop, he slowly made his way towards the front of the building and sat down on a chair they had brought from the dining area.
Outside three men saw what looked like a woman in the front of the building sitting down in front of the fire, with a shawl wrapped around her.
"Ya figure that's her?" Harry Tiller asked, his voice going up an octave to reveal his nervousness.
"Could be." Grafton stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You sure that fool in town didn't know nothing else about who was up here?" He looked over at Blint.
The dark haired coward shrugged. "He had no idea. He didn't even know for sure that Doc Adams had come up here, just thought it likely as this was the only other place to go for miles. He did say though that the man that owns this place was a widower. So if there is a woman up here, it could most likely be her."
As the three stood and watched the shadowy figure in the front of the building, Matt and Kitty swiftly donned their clothes and carefully eased their way out the back. After helping Kitty up onto her horse, Matt hurriedly mounted his own and turned the animals to the west. He had no idea where they should go, but direction at that point didn't matter. Speed in getting away, did.
Kitty turned her head to take one last look at the building that had, for a brief period of time, been her home, much as the cabin had been. But like the cabin, she had a feeling she would never see it, or anyone from it, ever again.
TBC