The Rescue 39

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clark Grafton had never believed in luck or fate or anything else of that nature. He firmly believed the only luck a person had was what they made their self and no person or spirit or anything else could control your fate unless you allowed them to. However, Clark was beginning to question his beliefs as one thing after another went wrong.

From the large lump on his forehead from the tree branch, the loss of his horse, his tumble down the hill and its resultant injuries to the now useless gun he held in his hand thanks to a broken firing pin, Grafton was beginning to believe that someone, or something, had it out for him.

But he wasn't about to quit yet. A five thousand dollar reward had been placed on the head of the saloon woman known as Kitty Russell and he wanted it. After seeing the poster of her, he realized he wanted her too. But he first had to find her and so far his attempts in that area had failed miserably.

Tossing the worthless weapon as far as he could, he straightened his back and started once again on the trail he'd been following. He may not be lucky, he thought ruefully, but he was persistent and a lot of times that made the difference.

Grafton wasn't the only person to wonder about his luck.

Matt was pretty much feeling the same way. Though, thanks to the badge, he'd pinned back on, Maura and James O'Bryan weren't able to keep him from Kitty, he'd not been having a great deal of luck in getting her out of their home. Ever since Maura had discovered that Kitty was expecting.

Kitty had spent that first night sleeping in her shirt. But Maura refused to allow her to go any longer without proper clothes.

Because Kitty was taller than Maura, she'd had no clothes of her own with which to loan the stricken red head but she did have a store down below. In no time, she had descended to the business below, picked up what she needed and came back to help her, shooing Matt out of the room.

"I suppose I understand the men things." She'd said as she handed Kitty the gown and undergarments she had returned with. "Tis a bit hard to go ridin' in a dress. But still lass…"

"Kathleen." Kitty spoke up, truthfully. "My name is Kathleen."

"Ahhhh…" Maura exclaimed with a twinkle in her eye. "With your red hair all a shining and the blue of your eyes, I thought ya might have a touch of the Irish in ya. Your name now proves it."

Kitty smiled, not sure what her ancestry had to do with anything. "Well, my father was of Irish descent." She said as she unsteadily got to her feet in order to change, forgetting for just a second what her baggy men's clothes had been hiding.

As Maura reached to help Kitty with her shirt, her eye dropped to Kitty's middle and she gasped. "Oh, Good Lord." She exclaimed. "You're with child."

Kitty closed her eyes and swallowed hard. She hadn't thought. Nodding, she looked back at the kind stranger who'd taken her into her home and quickly slipped on the gown. "Yes." She answered, having no other words for the moment.

Maura stood wisely watching the younger woman for a second before nodding her head and returning to her assistance in getting her dressed. "Tis his, isn't it?" Her question really needed no answer. She'd seen the looks exchanged by the two and had no doubts the tall man and his prisoner were much more than that to each other.

Kitty decided honesty, or at least partial honesty, would probably be the best policy in this case. "Yes." She said again. "We… we have been together for a long time.'

"And he's takin' ya to prison?" Maura's eyebrow shot to her hairline and her face flushed in anger.

"No, Ma'am." Matt spoke as he walked in the room just then, followed by Maura's husband James. "I'm trying to keep her out of prison, Ma'am. Or worse."

"I was goin' through the mail this mornin' and found a poster." James said as they entered in behind Matt. "I didn't know if the Marshal had seen it or not."

Stepping over to Kitty, Matt handed her a wanted poster with her name on it and $5000 bounty. "I didn't know it had gotten this far." Matt stated grimly.

For the second time in two days, Kitty felt faint and Matt quickly slipped an arm around her and lowered her to the bed. "Come on, honey. You need to lay back down."

Maura picked up the wanted poster that Kitty had dropped in her swoon and scanned its surface. "Tis it true?" She asked looking straight at Matt.

"No, Ma'am." Matt answered. "She didn't kill anyone. She was framed but the man who did it, is dead. If she's taken in…"

"Then she won't." Maura said firmly, quickly tearing the poster in half. "You two will stay right here and…"

"No." Kitty sat up, grabbing Matt's arm for support. "There's already been two attempts on capturing me and some people died in those attempts. I won't let that happen to anyone else. If you will allow us to stay here tonight, we'll leave in the morning. It's not safe for you all or anyone else to have us around."

"She's right, Ma'am." Matt took her hand and clasped it tightly in his own. "We won't be able to stay past tomorrow morning. But we'll be alright. As Marshal…"

"Non-sense." Maura sternly cut him off. "I don't care if ye be a Marshal or a god, Mr. Adams. Ye'll not be takin' her from here. Did ya know she's with child?"

Matt's eyes widened as he looked over at Kitty who helplessly shrugged. Dropping his head, he nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. I know. And it's partly because of our baby that I've got to get her out of here. We can't stay in any one place for too long without risk of someone finding us. Like she said, it's not safe."

"But to be on a horse…" Maura clucked her tongue, with a shake of her head as she looked over at her husband.

James O'Bryan had been married to Maura for nearly thirty years and his blue eyes had been able to read her green ones for nearly as long. With a scratch of thick gray hair and a pull at his beard, he nodded at his wife with a smile. "Aye, Maura. I'll see to it."

Matt and Kitty exchanged puzzled glances before looking back at the older couple. "See to what?" Matt questioned.

"We have two carts, Mr. Adams." James answered. "One is a bit small but it'll handle the trail right enough and be easier on the lass there than a horse. I'll have it ready for you at daybreak."

Stunned, the Dodge City couple looked at their benefactors in shock. "But you don't know us." Kitty protested. "You don't…"

"We know good people when we see them, child." Maura answered. "Hateful words on a poster can't hide that. Now there's no more to be said about it. Tonight I'll fix ya a decent meal and tomorrow ye'll take off in a decent cart. Do ya understand, Mr. Adams?"

"Dillon, Ma'am." Matt spoke up. "My name is Matt Dillon and this is my wife, Kitty Dillon. And yes, we understand."

"Good." Maura said with a satisfied smile.

TBC