"He Restoreth My Soul"
by Lilyjack
Chapter 3
"Aw, heckfire..." Reuben Tucker watched as the big man dismounted his buckskin horse and tethered him to a bush.
"Heckfire is right," Kitty muttered ominously. "You're holding my hand," she fretted as she shook him loose. "And I'm still in my drawers!" she wailed in dismay as she looked down at her inappropriate attire as if for the first time.
"Good, I've really gone and compromised you now and we'll have t' get married."
"Reuben!" She whacked him on the arm. "You're not helping matters!"
Reuben stopped and gazed at the agitated expression on her lovely face. He earnestly murmured, "Do you still love him?"
She didn't reply, but he studied her anxious bright blue eyes, her bottom lip worriedly caught between her teeth, and he knew the answer. Grabbing his hat, he helped Kitty to her feet. "Wait here," he whispered in her ear, and then those warm brown eyes were twinkling down at her. Reuben quickly checked to see that her "old man" was looking at them as he headed their way, and then he gave Kitty a glancing but affectionate kiss on the temple. He declared, "I'll take care of things..." and strode confidently toward Matt Dillon.
As Reuben walked away, Kitty noticed that he wore his pants tight like Matt had back when he was a handsome young stud. Oh, Matt Dillon used to be a fine specimen of a man alright. Course, he was still nothin' to sneeze at nowadays. The man still had... Just then, Reuben distracted her from her woolgathering when he shot her a cocky wink over his shoulder.
Kitty suddenly balked, "No, wait, I don't think this is such a good idea... Reuben!"
Reuben called out to Matt loudly, "So you're the one who made this beautiful lady cry her heart out!"
"Hell's bells..." she swore. She hoped to goodness Reuben didn't try to pick a fight with Matt. Matt may have a bad leg, but he was still strong as an ox and could beat that boy to a pulp if he wanted to.
Matt called to her, "Kitty, what in blue blazes is goin' on? Who is this kid?"
To Kitty's horror, Reuben spoke up first, loudly and with great bravado, "My name is Reuben Tucker, and I've asked Miss Kitty Russell t' marry me, thank ya' very much."
Kitty rushed forward because Matt was getting a murderous look on his face, one that did not bode well for Reuben Horatio Tucker. "Now, Reuben, I've told you I'm not marrying you! Matt, I can explain everything..."
Eyeing her, Matt exclaimed in extreme consternation, "Kitty, where the hell are your clothes?"
Reuben pulled Kitty close, his arm possessively around her waist, and grinned at Matt. "Mister, that's a personal question, now, ain't it?"
Matt shot him a stony glare and his hands clenched tightly into fists at his sides. "I've had just about all I'm gonna take outta you, boy. Now take your hands off the lady or I'll do it for you."
Kitty could hear Reuben audibly swallow as he slowly dropped his hand from Kitty's waist. He muttered out of the corner of his mouth, "You didn't tell me he was such a big feller."
She whispered back, "You didn't ask me."
Matt puffed a loud breath out through his nose, stepping pointedly between Kitty and Reuben. He took Kitty by the elbow, drawing her away. "Let's get you dressed," he grumbled.
"Alright, Matt," she agreed quietly and led him to the water's edge where she'd abandoned her clothing earlier. "Honestly, it isn't what you think at all."
He grunted wordlessly, reaching for her corset that'd been tossed in the grass. Glaring back at the openly curious young man, he boomed at Tucker, "Turn around!" Then he laced Kitty nimbly and quickly. Next she gripped his shoulders for balance while he held her skirt so she could step into it. He muttered cantankerously, "Dammit, where are your petticoats? We shoulda put those on first."
"Over there. I was just going swimming, Matt. Like we used to do. Remember?" she appealed, her eyes pensively searching his expression.
Matt glanced over his shoulder and thundered, "If I have to tell you to turn around and give the lady some privacy again, you'll be hurtin' for a month a' Sundays, you hear me?" Kitty hitched up her black broadcloth skirt so that Matt could expertly tie up her petticoats. He stood up tall and looked down into her wistful eyes. "Yeah, I remember. Did that rascal go swimmin' with you, too?"
"No, Matt! You know me better than that!" She wore a hurt look on her face.
"I guess I deserve that. But I couldn't blame you if you had." His lips pressed into a thin line.
Resolutely latching onto his hand, she led him to where her shirtwaist lay dangling from a bush. She pointed to the motionless rattler below, mortal bullet holes in its skull. "Reuben saved my life. He chanced upon me here when I was about to grab this and put it on." Kitty shuddered as she reached over the snake to retrieve her clothing, even though the reptile was long since dead.
Threading her arms into the sleeves, she turned and shrugged into the shoulders, pulling her long red curls out of the collar. Matt sidled up and began diligently buttoning. "Nothing happened, Matt," she gently but firmly stated. "Reuben's just full of beans. He's a sweet boy and...well, maybe he did see a little more than he should have and now he thinks..."
"He thinks what?" Matt narrowed his eyes at her. Kitty wondered if she should feel guilty for enjoying Matt's jealousy just a smidgeon. It sure was going to take her a long time to get over his enormous indiscretion. Every time she thought of it, it felt like a jagged knife wound in her heart.
"Well, maybe he thinks he loves me and wants to marry me. But I think he's just feelin' his oats a little. I don't believe the boy gets off the ranch too often." She gave Matt a knowing half-smile.
"So that ornery kid saved your life, huh?" Matt straightened her collar as she tucked in her hem.
"Yep."
"I guess I owe him a debt of gratitude instead of a beatin' then." He threaded his hands through her loose hair that was that was set afire by the midday sun, enjoying its silky feel on the sensitive skin between his fingers.
Kitty blew out a sigh of relief and nodded her head.
Matt took her hand in his and intoned softly, "I'm sorry, Kitty." She realized he wasn't apologizing for Reuben or any of today's events.
Matt Dillon's touch was so tender and gentle. Even after all these years, it never failed to amaze her how sensitive her man's big, calloused hands could be. He traced the back of her own much smaller hand so lightly with the pads of his fingertips, it made her shiver in delight. His deep voice rumbled sincerely, "I'm so sorry, and I don't know what to do to fix it, honey. I've hurt you pretty bad this time, haven't I?"
Tears welled in her eyes, tears that she refused to let fall. She couldn't speak. Her emotions were too raw, her heart too sore, the deep wounds too fresh. So she just nodded her head silently, swallowing to choke down a stubborn sob.
Matt struggled to find the right words. "I... I know that it might take you a long time to forgive me..." He tilted her chin up so that she would look in his eyes, so that she could see that he was sincere. "...but I just hope that you can find it in your heart to try." The tears that had pooled in her eyes finally escaped and ran hotly down her cheeks. Matt's brow furrowed when he saw them fall, and he brushed them away softly with his thumbs, entreating in a hushed tone, "For us, Kitty. For us..." She simply nodded wordlessly and they held each other for a long, quiet moment, listening only to the prairie wind and their own private thoughts.
Then Matt cleared his throat and changed the subject. "I'm sorry that I took so long to find you."
She squeezed his hand, and her voice broke when she finally managed to speak. "Where the hell were you?"
Matt pulled her to him again, rubbing her back comfortingly, and explained with a humorous lilt in his voice, "A whole train carload of Temperance League ladies covertly arrived in town this morning. They had a secret plan to wreck the houses of liquor and sin in Dodge when it was least expected. A surprise attack. During the day."
Kitty peeped up at him with liquid blue eyes. "You mean my house of liquor and sin?"
"Yeah, honey, they were plannin' on smashing up the Long Branch for sure. Booger Lee Flannigan overheard the intelligence down at the depot and passed it on to Festus.
Kitty's voice was muffled against Matt's shirt as she toyed with his shirt button. "Really? I always knew that Booger Lee would come in handy for somethin'."
"Yep, he came through in spades this time, Kitty. With his information, I had time to gather the concerned citizens of Dodge together, and we boarded up the Long Branch and all the other saloons in town so that no crazy, axe-wielding radicals could get inside and tear things apart."
"Matt! You saved my house of sin!" Kitty beamed at him through her tears and sniffled.
Raking her long hair off her forehead, Matt tucked it neatly behind an ear and stroked her flushed cheek. "That's cause I love ya', honey."
She looked a little doubtful. "Do you, really?"
"Yes, Kitty, I do," Matt stated simply.
"You're not tired of me?" Kitty scrutinized Matt closely as she questioned him.
"Tired of you?" he repeated in surprise.
"You don't think I'm old and fat?"
"What?" Matt eyed her askance. "Are you serious?"
"I am serious, Matt. I am very serious." She gripped his arms and waited for Matt's reply.
He pointed toward Reuben who was pretending not to watch them out of the corner of his eye. "You've got a young buck over yonder pining for you, asking you to marry him, ready to fight me for ya', and you ask me if you're... No." He shook his head and chucked her gently under the chin, his eyes sparkling. "No, Kitty, by golly. You've still got it, little lady." He leaned close and growled in her ear, "You'll have me howlin' at the moon until I'm dead and in my grave, woman." With that he swatted her on the backside and said decisively, "Come on. I've got to thank this kid even if it kills me."
She had to scurry to catch up with Matt's long-legged strides. Her long-time lover took a wide stance opposite his rascally competitor, tipped his big Stetson back on his forehead and placed his large hands firmly on his hips. A suitable scowl adorned his weatherworn yet still handsome face. He squinted down at the young cowboy from his much greater height advantage. "Your name Reuben Tucker?"
Reuben nodded rather weakly. A smile was plastered across his face, but Kitty could detect a sheen of sweat on his upper lip. Kitty felt so sorry for the young man.
Matt's voice boomed, "My name is Dillon. Matt Dillon."
She could have sworn Reuben turned a little pale under his tanned skin right then. Seemed he must have recognized the name.
"Oh." Reuben swallowed. "Dillon. As in Marshal? Yeah, I see that badge you got there on your shirt now. It was kinda hid by your...vest . Earlier. When we talked." He gave a watery little laugh. "Funny, Kitty never mentioned..."
Matt stuck out his giant hand. "It seems I owe you my thanks for saving Kitty's life."
Reuben's jaw dropped and his eyes popped. Kitty smiled brightly and motioned with her hand—shake his hand, Reuben.
Reuben recovered and stuck his hand in Dillon's for a hearty handshake.
"I had my hands full with an emergency in town or I would have been here with her," Matt explained. "But I'm beholden to you for what you did."
Reuben ducked his head a little at the unexpected praise, but then he raised his eyes and squared his shoulders and said firmly to the big lawman before him, "You've got an awful special lady here. I hope I don't have to tell you that."
"No, Tucker, you don't." Matt stared him straight in the eye. "She is a special lady, so I guess I can't blame you for wanting to take her away from me. But I assure you, I know exactly what I've got, and she's gonna stay right here beside me if I have any say in the matter, young man."
Kitty's heart swelled in her chest at that very public declaration from Matt Dillon. Granted, it was out in the middle of the dadgum prairie, but he said it out loud to another living, breathing human being and she almost couldn't believe her very own ears. She was trying real hard not to embarrass her man by bursting into tears right then. So she just quietly took Matt's arm, and then he surprised her even more by placing his big hand possessively over her own.
Reuben smiled and nodded in understanding, tipping his hat to Kitty as he slowly backed away. Then he turned and headed back in the direction where his horse was tied. Kitty watched him go with an ache in her chest. "Wait!" she cried. "Just give me a minute, Matt." He pressed his lips tightly together but didn't say a word.
She ran to catch up with the young cowboy. His face was a mixture of delight and surprise when he turned to meet her. She gripped his hands tightly in her own. Breathlessly, she declared in that sultry, husky voice that he could feel all the way down in the pit of his stomach...and a little bit lower, truth be told, "Thank you so much, Reuben Tucker, for everything you did for me today."
He graced her with his broad, beaming smile. "Aw, shucks, Miss Kitty, all I did was shoot a little ol' snake."
"No, you did much more than that, Reuben. Much more." Impulsively throwing her arms round him, she hugged him tightly, murmuring in his ear, "You know how to make a girl feel special again." Then she pulled back and gave him a sweet, soft kiss on the lips, so swift that she was halfway back to Matt before Reuben even realized she was gone.
His arms were still open wide from her warm embrace and his white toothy grin stretched from ear to ear. Doffing his hat high in the air, he proclaimed giddily, "If Marshal Dillon doesn't treat you right, Miss Kitty, you write to me, okay? And I'll come back and get you, quick as a wink! You can be my girl!" He giggled and stumbled back in the direction of his horse, humming a happy tuneless tune as he went.
Kitty slipped her arms around Matt and listened in bemusement as he grumbled under his breath.
"Now, Matt. Leave him be," she admonished, but her eyes twinkled merrily.
His brows knit together. "Why'd you have to go and encourage him like that?"
She was forced to admit to herself once again that she was savoring Matt's jealousy to some extent. Well, maybe to a considerable extent. Hmph. He had a hell of a lot to make up for. But she simply quipped, "Oh, why do you have to act like such a grumpy old man?"
Pursing his lips, he shot her an unreadable look, but wrapped his arms more tightly around Kitty's waist and gave her a squeeze.
She cooed, "I know what'll cool you off." Tilting azure blue eyes up at him saucily, she tugged his hat off his head and reached around behind to give his backside a firm swat. "Wanna go swimmin' with me, Cowboy?"
End
"You've Got It"
from Wrecking Ball, c2012 by Bruce Springsteen
No one ever found it
Ain't no school ever taught it
No one ever made it
Ain't no one ever bought it
But baby, you've got it
Baby, you've got it
C'mon and give it to me
Ain't no one can break it
Ain't no one can steal it
Ain't no one can fake it
You just know it when you feel it
And baby, you've got it
Baby, you've got it
C'mon and give it to me
You can't read it in a book
You can't even dream it
Honey, it ain't got a name
You just know it when you see it
Baby, you've got it
Baby, you've got it
C'mon and give it to me
Well, now, listen up my reckless love
It's precious so don't waste it
Can't tell you what God made it of
But I know it when I taste it
Baby you've got it
Baby you've got it
You got it in your bones and blood
Yeah, you're realer than real ever was
Baby, you've got it
Baby, you've got it
C'mon and give it to me
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