Gunsmoke and Spies 4

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"How is she, Doc?" Kitty asked as she came in with a platter covered in a checked cloth.

"She's still out. I won't know too much until she comes to. But I think she'll be alright." Doc answered, hungrily eyeing the tray. "What'd'ya got there?"

Kitty sat the tray on Doc's old roll top desk and pulled off the covering. "I thought you might like something to eat and to get some rest."

"Well, I could certainly stand a bite or two," Doc gave her a grateful smile, "but I can't rest right now. I need to keep an eye on her. She hit her head awfully hard when she was thrown from that buggy."

"I know." Kitty glanced over at the beautiful young brunette currently residing on Doc's examining table. "But you going without sleep won't make her any better. Now I've already told Sam that I would be up here this evening and that's that. So you go on and eat and then go in there get some sleep. I'll sit with her and if she stirs, I'll come and get you."

Doc hesitated for a moment longer before wearily nodding his head in agreement. He'd been up all night the previous evening delivering a set of twins and he was exhausted. "By golly, Kitty, I think I'm going to just take you up on that. You sure you don't mind?'

Kitty patted him on the shoulder. "Of course not, Doc. Now go on. I'll call you if I need you."

Taking the tray of sandwiches and coffee, Doc shuffled off into the other room, while Kitty pulled up a chair and sat down next to the injured woman. Pushing back a strand of softly colored brown hair back from the woman's bruised forehead, Kitty wondered about her and her husband.

Very little was known about them and Mr. Ricky Joe Jackson was being very tightlipped about why they were out in the middle of the prairie or how the accident had happened. But Matt was with him right now and she knew if anyone could get to the truth about everything, it would be Matt.

Down in the jail, Matt didn't have the confidence in his interrogative abilities as Kitty did. The man calling himself Ricky Joe Jackson was proving to be a tough nut to crack. Every question Matt had put forth to him had been met with either silence or a stiff, "I don't know."

"Look, Marshal," Lee paced around the small jail office. "All I want to do right now is find out how Amanda is. Right now that is all that is important to me."

"Doc Adams said he'd let us know as soon she came to, Mr. Jackson." Matt patiently told him for the fifth time in the last hour. "Until then, there is nothing you can do for her. But you can help me out by telling me what happened out there. I don't believe for a minute that you and your wife were just out for a leisurely drive in the country and just suddenly turned your buggy over."

Lee glanced over at the tall man, wanting to trust him and tell him everything but he was still not sure. Saldez had proven to be very good at getting to the local lawmen in places he wanted to set up shop. Lee didn't want to put his self or Amanda in anymore danger than they were already in. But as he looked yet again at the tall and very patient man sitting behind the desk, Lee suddenly had the feeling that he should go ahead and tell it all to Matt Dillon.

Taking a deep breath, Lee finally ceased his pacing and nodded to the Marshal. "I don't know why I'm doing this," he said wearily, "but I need to trust someone. With Amanda hurt, I can't do what I need to and protect her both."

"Protect her from what?" Matt asked sitting up straight in his chair and watching the man intently.

"You ever heard of a man called Armando Saldez?" Lee asked.

Matt rubbed his chin for a minute before looking back up at Lee and nodding. "Yeah, yeah I have. You mean to tell me he has something to do with this?"

Lee nodded. "He has everything to do with this Marshal."

"Have a seat." Matt pointed to the chair next to the small square table in the middle of the room. "I'll get you a cup of coffee and I want you to tell me what this is all about."

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An incessant buzzing, in her head, woke Amanda from the darkness she had been in. Opening her eyes, she struggled to sit up. But soft hands pushed her back by the shoulders.

"I don't think you should do that." A woman's low and musical voice sounded beside her. Wincing at the sharp pounding in her skull, Amanda turned her head to see a red headed woman, with a beauty mark on her right cheek, sitting beside her. "You need to just lay back there and rest." The woman told her. "You took quite a crack on your head."

"Who… who are you?" Amanda asked, trying to focus on the face beside her.

"My name's Kitty Russell." The beautiful woman told her. "I've been sitting with you while Doc gets some rest. He was afraid to leave you alone."

"Doc?" Amanda asked studying the pretty woman with her. Something about her seemed awfully familiar. Almost like she knew her from somewhere.

"Doctor Adams," Kitty responded. "He's been taking care of you ever since the Marshal and your husband brought you in."

Amanda knotted her brow in confusion. Her head hurt too bad to concentrate and she couldn't quite remember what had happened. She remembered sitting beside Lee, frightened of someone or something but who, or what, she had no clue.

Not wanting to say too much until she talked to Lee she looked back over at the kind face of the red headed woman. "Where is L… my husband?" She came close to calling him by his real name but managed to catch herself in time.

"He's down talking to the Marshal." Kitty answered. "Don't worry. He's alright. Just concerned about you."

"Can I see him?" Despite Kitty Russell's kindness Amanda only wanted Lee right then. She needed him to contact her mother and the boys and let them know she was alright. But more importantly she just needed him.

"Tell ya what." Kitty rose from her chair. "I'll go get Doc, and while he's checking you over, I'll go find your husband and tell him you're awake. Okay?"

Amanda started to nod but quickly changed her mind when her headache intensified at the action. "Okay, thank you." She managed.

As Kitty rose and left the room, Amanda looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings and wondered just exactly where and what she and Lee had landed in.

TBC