A few hours after Kitty rushed off to get a picnic basket from Delmonico's, she and Matt reached the Carter farm. Matt stopped the carriage several yards from the house and looked around. Most of the farmland was untended, rusty tools leaned against a dilapidated shed and the house was sorely in need of repairs.

Matt shook his head. "This place sure needs a lot of work. There's a nice little vegetable garden over there and a few healthy looking chickens, but other than that everything's pretty run down. $800 is going to go a long way."

He spotted Mrs. Carter carrying a large basket of laundry to the clothesline on the side of the house. He started to drive the buggy closer but Kitty put a hand on his wrist to stop him from flicking the reins. She knew quite well that Mrs. Carter was strongly anti-saloon. That awareness was why, when she hired the Carter twins to carry her luggage from the train, she had them drop everything outside the Long Branch instead of asking them to carry them in.

"Matt, I'll wait here. Mrs. Carter doesn't think much of me because of the business I'm in. I'd make her uncomfortable."

"Kitty, that's not right of her. She doesn't even know you."

"Matt, this is her day. Let's make it the best it can be. Listen, she is a strong, smart, gutsy woman and I have hope that she might change her mind about me one day. In the meantime let's not push her, not today. Please."

"Alright, if that's what you really want." Matt nodded reluctantly.

"It is absolutely what I want."

"You sit tight then." Admiration was clear in Matt's eyes. "I'll be right back." He climbed out of the buggy and walked towards the house.

From a distance Kitty watched Matt speak to Edith Carter. She could see and feel the woman's joy and relief. Edith called the children around and pointed to the marshal. The kids clapped and jumped and laughed. Ugly seemed to know what was going on and ran in circles barking. Matt pointed to Edith and said a few more words before leaving the happy family.

When he got back to the carriage Kitty was smiling broadly. "It does a body good to witness that kind of joy."

"Kitty, I sure do agree." He climbed up beside her and took the reins. "But what happened after her husband died last year is just wrong. Mrs. Carter just explained to me that her husband was bed ridden for the last year of his life. With tending to him and seeing to her kids, there was just so much farming and upkeep she could do. That's why the place got so run down. Once her husband passed, Edith tried to get a loan from the bank to get things fixed up. Problem is bankers calculate your earning power to see if you qualify for a loan. They don't think much of the earning power of a woman with kids working a farm without a man."

"Hummf" Kitty scoffed. "That's because bankers are men who don't understand what a woman can do."

"Kitty, you know I don't think that way, don't you?"

"I know." She let out a sigh, "I just wish there were more men like you and Missy's husband, Kirk."

They reached Silver Lake and Matt drove the carriage into a beautiful, isolated spot near the water. He spread out a picnic blanket and Kitty set down a basket of fried chicken, plate of biscuits, bowl of green beans and an apple pie. Matt uncorked the bottle of Champaign, "Kitty, are there glasses?"

She put her hand on her head, "I knew I forgot something."

"No matter." Matt laughed, "We'll just pass the bottle back and forth. He handed it to Kitty, she took a small sip and passed it back. They sat down and were quiet for a moment, enjoying the peaceful beauty of the place, and each other's presence. Matt set the bottle down and reached into his pocket. "At last I get to give this to you."

Her eyes glittered as she took the small box from his hands and removed the lid. Nestled on a bed of tissue paper was an exquisite cameo framed in gold filigree. "Oh Matt. This is beautiful, so beautiful." The look on her face told him how much she loved it.

"Turn it over."

She flipped it over and read, MD & KR. The letters were beautifully carved into the back.

To Matt's surprise, she giggled.

"Something funny?" He was suddenly insecure about the engraving.

She saw his concern and looked at him with love, "Oh Matt, this is wonderful. I have a gift for you too. I got it St. Louis when I was there for the convention. It's been sitting in my straw bag since I got back. At last I get to give it to you."

"It's not my birthday or anything."

"It's not my birthday and you gave me a gift."

"It's different for women. Men don't get gifts for no reason."

"Well they should, especially if that man is you."

She handed him a small box and smiled as he tried not to show how pleased he was at getting a gift.

He lifted the lid and looked down at a beautiful silver orb. "It's a pocket watch." He flipped open the top and stared. Kitty couldn't read this expression and grew uncertain, "Matt, I know you don't usually carry a watch, but I thought for special occasions…" Her voice petered out. A second later he looked up. "Kitty," his voice was husky, "this is the finest thing I've ever owned, the finest thing anyone's ever given me."

"Turn it over and look at the back."

Engraved there were the letters KR & MD. He laughed. "It's wonderful."

"You're wonderful, MD."

"You are too KR"

"Now, great and glorious Marshal, you still haven't told me what happened at Kramer's trial, and I have to tell you about the convention and how that derringer you gave me came in handy." She reached for the Champaign bottle.

He quickly snatched it away and lifted it into the air, "Promise to stop that great and glorious stuff or you don't get another drop."

"All right, all right," she giggled, "I'll leave it to Missy, the next time we see her."

He handed Kitty the bottle and pulled her close, "Kitty, you start. What was that about using the derringer?"

She snuggled in and rested her head on his chest feeling happy and content. "Well, I got to the convention and….

The End