A/N My apologies to those of you who have been patiently waiting for an update. My muse took off and I wasn't sure if she/he/it was ever going to come back. It looks as if it's going to be one of those non-permanent relationships.

Chapter Twenty Three

Chester stopped at the sound of the woman's voice. "Chester!" he heard again. He turned around and it was sure enough Miss Kitty waving at him from across the street. He waved back. Now that he'd seen her it would be rude not to go speak to her before leaving town.

Kitty waited while Chester crossed Front Street. "Miss Kitty." Chester tipped his hat. "I was just over to th' Long Branch and, well, you weren't over there. I thought maybe you uh…., or maybe you weren't, uh, in town anymore…."

"It's nice to see you, too, Chester. Did you meet Hannah when you were over there?"

"Hannah?"

"I sold the Long Branch to Hannah last week."

"Oh, I see," stammered Chester, who didn't see, at all. Why would Miss Kitty sell the Long Branch if she was still in town? Finally noticing the large number of packages Kitty carried, he offered his assistance.

"Thank you, Chester," Kitty said as he relieved her of most of her purchases. "Matt was supposed to meet me, but I don't see him yet."

"Mister Dillon? Is Mister Dillon still the Marshal?"

"Not for long. He's retiring the end of this week."

"Well, forevermore!" Chester exclaimed. If that didn't beat all. Mister Dillon and Miss Kitty both still in Dodge after all these years and both giving up their jobs like that.

"Chester, I think it's time I explained-" Kitty began, seeing Chester's confusion, when they were interrupted by a young boy of about eight or nine running up to them.

"Daddy, the man finished shoeing Lefty and he wants to know if we're going to stable the horses tonight. Can we stay, please? I want to look around town. Oh, 'scuse me, ma'am, I didn't mean to interrupt," he said, tipping his hat in Kitty's direction.

Kitty nodded, looking from the boy to Chester and back again, seeing the same straight dark hair and brown eyes. Daddy? "Chester, are you going to introduce me to this young man?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Kitty, this is my boy, Joe. Joe, this is Miss Kitty Russell."

"Dillon," she corrected, reaching out to shake Joe's hand. "I'm Mrs. Dillon now. I'm glad to know you, Joe."

"It's a pleasure meetin' you, Miss Kitty. My Daddy told me all about you, but he never said you were Mister Dillon's wife." Joe seemed to have none of the awkward self-consciousness Chester was currently displaying, and Kitty wondered what Joe's mother was like.

"Well, good gracious! You and Mister Dillon? Good gracious! Congratulations, Miss Kitty! When did-when was…"

"We were married last month. Chester, let's go find Matt. I know the two of you have lots to talk about, and I'd love for you and Joe to eat supper with us."

"Well, Miss Kitty, if it wouldn't put you out none….."

"Not at all, Chester, we were just going to eat at Delmonico's tonight."

"Is Mister Dillon at the jail?" Joe asked. "Daddy, you told me I could see the jail sometime, remember?"

"Well, he just might be, Joe, let's go find out." Kitty took Chester's arm with her free hand and started walking in the direction of Matt's office, leaving him with no choice but to follow along with her. With his luck that Burke feller would be in there making his complaint when they walked in. He seemed like the type.

Matt was filling out the last of his retirement paperwork at his desk when he heard a familiar step in the doorway.

"Matt, look who I found walking down Front Street!" Standing in front of Kitty was a dark-haired boy and behind her, his former assistant.

Matt pushed his paperwork aside and stood. "Chester! What brings you back to Dodge?"

"Just-just passin' through, Mister Dillon." Chester took Kitty's packages to the table in the middle of the room.

"I think I caught him just in time, Matt! You looked like you were in an awful hurry to get to the stable, Chester," Kitty teased.

"Well, I…."

"Kitty, did you leave anything in the store?" Matt jerked his head toward the packages piled on the table.

"Not much."

"Yeah, I see. What's your name, son?"' Matt looked at Joe.

"Joseph Goode, sir." The boy put out his hand for Matt to shake. "But my daddy calls me Joe. Pleased to meet you, Mister Dillon."

"Joe's Chester's boy, Matt. You didn't tell me how old you are, Joe."

"Goin' on nine, Miss Kitty."

"Has it really been that long, Chester?" Kitty remembered very well how long it had been since Chester had left Dodge. He must have met Joe's mother soon after, if he was nine. Strange that she wasn't there. The Chester she knew would have been introducing her proudly right along with Joe.

Chester sat back, finally full after two bowls of Delmonico's catfish stew, and looked around the table at his old friends. It sure was nice of that young feller, Newly, who was going to be the acting Marshal, to keep an eye on things at the jail so Mister Dillon could eat his supper along with the rest of them. Old Doc was just as cantankerous as he remembered, maybe even more, except for when he was talking to Miss Kitty. He and Mister Dillon fussed over her so much, making sure she was comfortable and had enough to eat, that he wondered if she'd been sick. He'd never seen Mister Dillon act so protective over her, unless someone was giving her a bad time. She looked healthy enough to him. But he guessed now that they were married, Mister Dillon wasn't gonna hide the way he felt about her no more. And there he was, practically waiting on her the same as Chester had waited on his Josie when- Oh, my gracious! Was Miss Kitty- Chester sneaked a couple of looks at her figure when she wasn't looking. Come to think of it, she did look just a little bit like she could be expectin'. He remembered Kitty telling him they had gotten married last month and he felt his face flame with embarrassment for what he was thinking. Just like a gossipy old woman, no better than that fool who was shootin' off his mouth earlier in the Long Branch. Chester felt right proud of himself when he realized just who Nathan Burke had been insultin'. But what in the world had Miss Hannah meant about Miss Kitty saving Burke's life?

You can look all over Kansas, in every Kansas town

You'll not find another pair like her eyes of brown

The lyrics above were sung by Chester in some of the Gunsmoke episodes; however, I have been unable to find any information about the song.