PT.10

Chances

Festus was enjoying being Uncle Festus to Ian and Conner. Between Ma Smalley and Kitty spoiling them, and Festus teaching them all about the deputy life, Maggie was really going to have her hands full.

John Hughes paid no mind to the fact that these boys were his sons. Even Matt tried to talk to him, man to man. "Hughes, my God man these boys are your flesh and blood. They need a Father!"

"I don't want children. She knows that I don't have time in my life for sniveling screaming little…"

Slamming down a large heavy object. "Alright! Enough. But you're still going to pay for what you did to Maggie."

"No judge or jury will fault me. I was just trying to correct her for her wrongs. I can't help it if she is so clumsy." Hughes sneered.

"Hughes, I got a good mind to unlock that cell and…."

Kitty had Breck talk with Maggie about divorcing John, so now that she had her property back, he couldn't touch anything. Kitty had explained everything to him. Breck would do anything for Kitty. Now that he opened his practice in town, she was always finding him business. Even helped him set up over one of the stores and had Newly make him a sign reading: Breckinridge Taylor, Attorney at Law!

Matt decided to send out a few wires of inquiry. Barney came in just in time to break the heat in the room. "Marshal, Marshal. These just came for you."

Matt quickly read the wires, folded them and grabbed his hat, and out the door he went…

Standing at the batwing doors, scanning the room. Sam was alone. "Morning, Marshal. Miss Kitty's not here. She and Miss Maggie took the little one's over to Delmonico's."

"Thanks, Sam."

As he entered, Kitty, Maggie , Doc and the boys were all sitting around a table giggling and laughing. "Hey, what's going on here?"

"Hi, Marshal! Did you come to have something to eat with us?" Asked little Ian.

Doc leaned in to Ian and Conner. "You better be careful with your plates. The way he eats, if you don't eat yours, he'll eat his and yours."

"Nah uh." They both laughed.

"You ask Miss Kitty."

Kitty just laughed, shook her head and winked at them. Then Ian laughed and said to Conner, "I guess that why he's so big."

"Kitty, can I talk to you for a minute?" Matt said pulling her aside.

"Sure, Matt, what is it?"

Pulling out the wire he had in his pocket. "Kit, I didn't say anything before because I wanted to be sure I could get some information first and check it out."

"Matt, what?"

"Kit, I… Kate Ramsey, well Tate now, she's in Texas. She's married to a rancher in Billingham, Texas."

Kitty, now furrowing her brow, "Matt are you sure?"

"I think so, Kitty. I wired the constable in New Orleans. She must have went back there after San Francisco. She'd been n some trouble so he knew who she was. But then he said he remembered she'd left town. He asked around, got back to me, said he was told that she went off to Texas. So I wired Texas. I have some friends there. It took some searching but then one of the guys remembered a rancher that married a redhead named Kate from New Orleans."

"Oh, Matt! I don't know what to say. Thank you, of course. Maggie is going to be so excited. Let's go tell her.

TBC