A/N Research tells me my depiction of winter weather in the Dodge City area may not be altogether accurate. Forgive me.

Close the window, calm the light

And it will be all right

No need to bother now

Let it out, let it all begin

All's forgotten now

We're all alone, oh, we're all alone

"We're All Alone" Sung by Rita Coolidge, written by Boz Scaggs

Chapter Seventeen

Matt was holding his badge in his hand.

"Oh, Matt! Are you sure?"

"Well, if you don't want me to…." Matt pulled his hand away and started to pin the badge back on his shirt.

"Matt Dillon! Don't tease me like that!" Kitty reached up and pulled the badge away. "Now does this mean what I think it means, or not?"

"Yes, ma'am, this is exactly the way it looks, Mrs. Dillon. When we get back to Dodge I'm turning in my resignation. For good, this time," he added, seeing her skeptical look.

Kitty pushed the covers off and started to get out of bed. "Let's go, then! Right now!"

"Now, hold on! You might want to have a look outside before you say that." Kitty pushed the curtains open and looked out the window in dismay. She had never seen so much snow in her life. "It snowed all day yesterday and all night. Finally stopped this morning."

"It started night before last." Kitty turned back from the window. "Can't we try anyway?"

Matt shook his head. "The buggy would never make it. And it's too dangerous for you to ride in these conditions. We didn't bring your saddle, anyway."

"Well, in that case," she said as she opened the bureau drawer, "you won't mind if I put this away for safekeeping until we get there."

Matt laughed. "What's the matter? Don't you trust me?"

"Of course. It's just that something always changes your mind." Kitty tried to keep the tone of her voice light but Matt could hear sadness at the edge of it. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face him.

"Kitty, I am not going to change my mind." He turned her face up to his and kissed her.

"You promise?"

"Yes, Kitty, I promise. I'll send a telegram the day we get back. What I can't promise is how long it will take for Washington to send a replacement. I'll recommend Newly, if he's interested, but what the government will do is anybody's guess." He saw the disappointed look on her face as she started to turn away again. "What?"

"You're saying you'll resign if they let you go."

"No, I'm not saying that. I just don't know how long it will take to replace me."

"Oh, I see. Because you're...irreplaceable. Is that it?" Kitty asked pointedly.

"All right, Kitty. I get it. I'll give them two weeks, and I can probably get Newly approved as acting Marshal until they name a permanent replacement. Satisfied?"

"Satisfied? We'll see. Now, suppose you let me have a look at those stitches?"

"Matt, let's go outside!" They had finished eating lunch and were sitting at the table drinking coffee when Kitty made this, to Matt's way of thinking, unbelievable suggestion.

"Outside! You hate the snow!"

"I hate the snow in Dodge. It's muddy and ugly there. See how pretty it is here?"

"Sure, and it's still cold and wet and I know you hate that, too. Say, is that apple pie I smell?"

"Now, don't go changing the subject on me, Cowboy! But since you asked, that is apple pie you smell and we're gonna need something to do until it cools off enough to eat. Oh, come on, Matt! I baked an apple pie for you, the least you could do is go outside with me!"

"Yeah," Matt said rolling his eyes. "Just wait in here and I'll go shovel a path for you." Matt got up from the kitchen table and took his coat off the peg by the door. "Women!" he muttered as he put on his hat and gloves on his way out the door.

Kitty was bundled up and standing outside watching long before Matt had much of a path shoveled. He shook his head when he saw her attire. "You're going to freeze dressed like that, honey. Didn't you bring anything warmer?" Her open cloak, thin gloves, and the scarf wrapped around her neck would keep her reasonably protected for a short walk to the general store or across the street to Doc's, but were completely unsuitable for what he was beginning to suspect she had in mind.

"I'll be fine! Don't worry so much! Besides, you can help warm me up afterwards," she said, raising her brows at him.

"All right," Matt said in defeat, abandoning his plan to make a nice, neat path for Kitty to walk on now that it was becoming clear she had no intention of staying on it. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Let's make a snowman!"

"A what?" Did she really just say a snowman?

"A snowman! I never got to when I was a kid and I bet you didn't, either."

"No, and it never occurred to me to want to."

"Well, don't you think we should know how, so we can teach the kids?"

"Kids! Now, just a minute here, Kitty, we're just getting started with that!" He couldn't say what they were both thinking. Who says there are going to be any more?

Who says there won't be? "Are you going to help me, or not?" Without waiting for an answer Kitty lifted her skirts and stepped off the path, plunging into snow that more than covered the tops of her shoes.

"Hold on, you're just going to get stuck, let me carry-" The look she gave him stopped him from finishing his sentence. He sighed. "Where do you want it?"

Kitty scanned the front yard and pointed at a spot several yards away. "Over there." Carrying the shovel with him, Matt walked next to Kitty as she struggled through the snow, resisting the impulse to help unless asked.

"Well, what do I do first?" Matt asked when they reached the designated spot.

"I don't know," Kitty admitted. "But you brought the shovel. I thought maybe you had a plan."

"Not really." Shaking his head, he started shoveling the snow into a pile, from time to time packing it in tighter, until finally a shapeless figure nearly as tall as Kitty stood in front of them. "Well, that could be better," he admitted.

"It's not too bad for the first one," Kitty said charitably. "Maybe some arms would help."

"Well, they sure couldn't hurt!" Matt strode through the snow to a nearby tree and snapped off a couple of short branches. After he attached them to the sides of the snow creature he stood back and examined it. "That's a little better."

"It still needs a little something." Kitty looked at Matt. "Maybe a hat…." She reached for the top of his head and he backed away. "Oh, no ya don't! I gotta draw the line somewhere. You aren't putting my hat on that...that thing!"

"Oh, all right!" Kitty pretended to pout. She reached down and picked up a handful of snow. "You better arm yourself, Matt. We're about to have a snowball fight."

"Now, Kitty, what's gotten into you? What do you want to have a snowball fight for?"

"The same reason anyone has a snowball fight...for fun. Don't tell me you've forgotten how to have fun, Marshal! I just thought we deserved a little fun after the last couple of days."

"Well, in that case," Matt said, stepping back a few paces, "I hope you're ready, Mrs. Dillon!" He quickly formed his own snowball as Kitty took aim and hit him squarely in the chest. Matt tossed his half-heartedly and it landed short of its target.

"Oh, come on, Matt, you weren't even trying! You aren't going to hurt me with a little snow," Kitty called, laughing. They exchanged a few more rounds, Kitty continuing to hit Matt in the chest most of the time, while he was careful to hit her in the arm or shoulder.

"You can do better than that, Cowboy!" Kitty taunted, letting another snowball fly. Without thinking, he threw his snowball as hard as he could. Kitty shrieked as it hit her full in the face.

"Kitty!" Matt ran to her, putting his arm around her and brushing the snow from her face. "I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean to! Are you all right?" Kitty sputtered, trying to get the snow out of her mouth. Wordlessly she bent down for more snow. Matt saw the twinkle in her eye too late to defend himself as she reached up and pulled his collar away from his neck, shoving the handful of snow inside his shirt. "Hey, no fair! I was unarmed! Are we even now?"

"Sure, we're even." Kitty grabbed his collar with both hands and pulled him toward her for a kiss. Matt wrapped his arms around her and she leaned back, pulling him with her. Suddenly her feet slipped out from under her and they landed, Kitty flat on her back in the snow with Matt on top of her.

"Kitty Dillon! You did that on purpose!"

"Now, why would I do that?" she asked innocently.

"Probably so this would happen. Now, let's get you inside, all right? You're covered with snow now, and my landing on top of you like that couldn't be good for you."

"You didn't hurt us a bit," Kitty protested, giving him one more kiss.

"What about your back? Didn't it hurt when you landed on it?"

"Oh, only for a minute. All right, I guess we can go in, now." Matt stood and then reached down to help her up. "One more thing," she said. She stretched her arms out and waved them up and down, then kicked her feet out to the sides and back several times.

"Kitty?" She reached up and Matt leaned down again to help her stand up. "What was that?"

"A snow angel. Well, it's supposed to be, anyway," Kitty said, looking down at her handiwork. "I guess it didn't turn out any better than our snowman, did it?"

Matt scooped her up and carried her, unprotestingly, back to the path in front of the cabin. Kitty shook out her skirts while Matt picked the snow from her hair and brushed as much as he could from the back of her cloak.

"Now, suppose you get inside and get out of those wet clothes," Matt told her, doing his best to make it sound like a suggestion and not an order.

"Oh, Cowboy," Kitty looked up at him longingly. "If only you meant that the way it sounded." Matt put his arm around her.

"Come on. I'll help you," he said as they walked inside.