Chapter Two- One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
A/N: In case you haven't noticed, this is a continuation of the series involving my AU Dillon family. I was remiss in not posting an author's note yesterday. Also, a friend alerted me that the site is acting up. My first chapter posted and then mysteriously disappeared. I recall this happening with another author recently. It's scary for a writer when over five months of your labor just disappears. Thanks for reading! It's more fun to share a journey with others.
"Mama! Mama!" the soft cries of a toddler drifted through the house.
"I'm coming, Baby!" Kitty replied, throwing on her dressing gown. She entered the room of her three young daughters, to find only Scarlett sitting alone on her bed.
"Scarlett, I hear Angela calling for me. Where is she?"
The young girl shrugged, "I don't know, Mama. I haven't seen her."
The cries became louder, "Mama! Where are you?"
Kitty ran down the staircase, shouting, "I'm here, Angela! But where are you?"
"What kinda mother are you, anyway, not knowing where your child is?" Doc coldly asked from behind his newspaper.
"I…I hear her, but I…I can't seem t' find her," Kitty stammered, running from room to room.
"Mama! Please! Where are you?" the tiny voice implored.
The frantic mother raced out the front door, scanning the yard, in search of her youngest child. She spotted her husband as he entered one of the barns.
"Matt!" she shouted, desperately trying to get his attention. He did not acknowledge her plea.
Kitty chased after him, hoping he would know what to do about their missing child. Once she entered the barn, the scene before her made her freeze in her tracks. Matt was kissing a young, blonde woman. Because of the way her head was nuzzled into Matt's neck, Kitty could barely see the features of the woman's face. Matt had the woman pinned up against the wall of the barn, kissing her furiously. One of his large hands reached down to pull up the woman's short, saloon-style skirt.
The shocked redhead couldn't move. She swallowed hard, blinking several times, hoping to make the disturbing vision before her disappear.
Matt finally came up for air, panting into the saloon gal's ear, "My wife used to be young and pretty just like you. Now she's old, and can't even carry a baby t' when it's supposed t' be born. Hell, she makes me wear somethin', just so I don't knock her up."
The young saloon woman silenced Kitty Dillon's husband with a searing kiss, hissing, "I'm young and ask nothin' of ya, except your strong hands and handsome body all over me. Hell, you're Matt Dillon. Any woman here would love t' have ya in her bed."
"Matt!" Kitty shrieked, but he didn't turn around. He just continued devouring the blonde woman's mouth as she firmly stroked the front of his pants.
"Mama! Help me…please!" the faint cries recaptured Kitty's attention.
She ran out of the barn, screaming, "Angela! Where are you, Baby?!"
"Mama," Adam gently shook his mother's shoulder, "Mama, wake up."
"Angela!" Kitty yelled, quickly bolting upright, clutching the quilt to her chest. Her bosom heaved as she slowly took in her surroundings. Her hair was wild, as if she'd been tossing and turning for hours.
She spied Adam from under her unkempt curls, "Adam," she panted, "what…what time is it?"
The concerned boy answered, "It's almost six-thirty. Grandpa isn't up yet and I don't know where Daddy is. Addie said t' come wake you. Are you okay?"
Kitty pushed her unruly locks out of her bloodshot eyes, realizing she'd scared her son.
"I'm sorry, Adam. I, I guess I was having a bad dream," the confused mother reached out her shaky hand to comfort her sweet boy.
The six-year-old offered his mother his hand, "I hate when I have bad dreams," he comforted, "I'm helpin' Addie with breakfast."
"Oh, Baby, I'll be right down. Just let me go to the water closet. Is Maggie awake?" she asked over her shoulder as she closed the door.
"No, Ma'am. But Scarlett is, and she smells."
Kitty loudly sighed, "I'll be out in a minute."
The sight that greeted Kitty in the kitchen was like a salve for her soul. Addie stirred some sausage gravy on top of the stove while Adam set the table.
Kitty genuinely grinned, offering, "Good morning. I'm so sorry I overslept," she kissed the top of Addie's curls and squeezed Adam's shoulder, "Where's Scarlett? I can smell her from here."
"Maaaamaaaa!" Scarlett shouted as she ran from the corner of the sitting room where she'd been hiding behind one of the floor length curtains.
"Mercy, Girlie. Let's get you outta that diaper. C'mon," the bedraggled mother held out her hand and escorted the toddler into the water closet off the kitchen, a clean pair of bloomers at the ready over her shoulder.
"Addie," Adam whispered, "do you think Mama's okay?"
"Sure," she bit her bottom lip while carefully removing biscuits from the oven, "she just had a bad dream is all." The eleven-year-old reflected upon her mother's horrifying nightmare of someone hurting her from six months prior.
"I found Daddy," Matthew announced as he entered the house carrying a pail of cow's milk, "He'll come in soon. Is Mama up?" he poured the fresh milk into a waiting ceramic pitcher.
"Yes, she's up," Kitty answered, guiding Scarlett to her booster seat, "Morning, Son," she kissed Matthew's forehead.
Adam carried the biscuits to the table while Kitty approached Addie, "Thank you, Sweetie. I appreciate you pitching in. You sit," the penitent mother grabbed a cloth to protect her hand from the hot gravy pan handle.
"Good morning, ranch hands," Matt bellowed as he entered the kitchen from the side entrance, "That crazy mare knocked over part of the turnout fence again. Buck and I are really gonna have t' reinforce it today." The big man grinned and nodded at his wife before washing his hands in the kitchen sink. "Once you school kids finish eating, you need t' gather your things and I'll take you into town," Matt took his seat at the head of the table, asking, "You gonna eat, Honey?"
"I've got to get the lunch pails ready. I overslept," Kitty replied, not able to meet her husband's eyes.
"We missin' a couple of littles?" Matt asked while Doc shuffled into the kitchen, swiping at his mustache.
Kitty quickly packed sandwiches enveloped in wax paper into her children's lunch pails, "Maggie's still asleep. Oh, my! Ezra! Where's Ez-"
"He's in my room, Honey," Doc interrupted, "He had a bad dream and he came t' tell me about it," he winked at his surrogate daughter, "around, oh, say, one in the morning."
Matt studied the napkin on his lap as Kitty softly sighed, "Oh." Both parents realized they'd probably been arguing in the library at that time.
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After Matt had delivered the children to school, he'd made sure to head straight home. He had to fix the mare's turn out fence and he needed to apologize to his wife. Over the last few weeks, it had become his habit after delivering the children to school to stop by the butcher shop and chat with his new friend, Josiah Ritter. Feeling awkward about the events from the previous evening, he'd decided to steer clear of Ritter Meats this particular morning.
Unfortunately, the fence repair had taken the remainder of the morning and then some, and the head of the Dillon household feared his absence would be viewed as conflict avoidance by his spouse. Once Matt had returned to the ranch house, he immediately set out to find Kitty, preparing himself for a tongue-lashing.
He took the stairs two at a time, assuming she'd be settling the littles for their afternoon naps. Not able to find a soul, he bit the inside of his cheek and placed his hands upon his waist. Where on Earth could she have gone with three young children? The former marshal noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He approached one of the windows in his bedroom, spotting Kitty with the youngsters on the hill, near Angela's grave. Aww, Honey, what are you doing?
As the big man neared the pinnacle of the hill, he could hear his wife and children singing, "Frére Jacques, frére Jacques, dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?" the children joyfully repeating after their mother. Matt had been surprised at the merriment he encountered by his youngest child's gravesite.
"Daaaddy!" Scarlett shouted, the first to spot her beloved father. She jumped up from her spot on the quilt and ran into her father's waiting arms, nuzzling her reddened, chilled cheeks into the warmth of his neck.
Ezra also ran to his father, happy to see him for the first time this day. Kitty struggled to stand, clutching a sleeping Maggie to her chest.
Matt held out his hand, "Here, Honey, let me help you."
Kitty gratefully grasped his hand, "Thanks, Honey. Your baby here is startin' to get kinda heavy," she wiped some dirt from her backside.
"Ezra," Matt nodded, "grab that end of the quilt. You littles need t' go down for a rest." Matt and Kitty had recently learned that the term "rest" didn't cause the same consternation from Ezra as the word "nap", so "rest" was now part of their vernacular.
"I must've lost track of the time," Kitty explained, cuddling Maggie closer to her chest.
"It's nearly one," Matt curtly spoke while folding the quilt, seemingly reprimanding his wife for her negligence, "and the wind's pickin' up." He hoisted Scarlett onto his hip and grabbed Ezra's hand while the boy held the quilt. He glanced at Kitty, "Ya ready?"
"You go ahead. I'll be down in a minute," Kitty softly murmured, her expression forlorn.
The big man nodded, quickly heading down the hill toward the house.
Kitty stood close to her daughter's final resting place, studying the writing chiseled into the tiny, granite headstone:
Angela Faith Dillon
October 16th, 1886
Forever Our Angel
She whispered, "Were you trying to tell me something in my dream, Baby? Please come t' me again and help me understand. I'm sorry I haven't been here for a little while. Sometimes I get busy, but I promise you're always in my heart. Mama loves you," she kissed her fingertips and gently touched the top of her daughter's marker before heading down the hill.
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The Dillon parents rode silently in their big buggy for the first couple of miles into town.
Matt peripherally glanced at his wife. She seemed to have lost more weight than she'd gained while pregnant with Angela, and her emotions were all over the place. He quietly apologized, "Honey, I'm sorry I was so late last night. Time got away from me, and well, I sure felt guilty about it because you waited up for me," he offered her a closed mouth grin.
Kitty studied her hands in her lap for a moment. She sighed, "It's not that you went out with the fellas, Matt. It's that you acted so strange when you came home," she looked directly at his face, the wind loosening some of her hair from the perfectly placed pins, "You wouldn't look at me. You've never done that. Especially if I waited up for you," her voice soft, dripping with innuendo.
Matt closed his eyes before responding, "You're right. I'd had a few beers and a couple a whiskeys, and I guess I was just tired."
"Matthew Dillon," Kitty sat up straight, smirking, "some of our best love making has taken place after quite a few drinks."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm just not as young as I used t' be, I suppose," he shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road.
Kitty decided to let her husband off the hook for now. She adjusted the blanket on her lap, "Did Miss Nelson say why she wanted to speak with both of us today?"
"No. She was kind of in a hurry when I saw her 'cause our kids were a little late," Matt pursed his lips.
Kitty rolled her eyes. I suppose that's my fault, she flippantly thought, deciding to keep it to herself.
Guiding the buggy down Front Street, the former marshal snickered, "Ya know what I'm wonderin'? Who did what to whom?"
"My money's on Matthew," the astute mother quipped. This caused them to heartily laugh, suddenly lightening the mood. Kitty looped her arm through her husband's.
As Gladiola gently pulled them down the street, Kitty easily spotted her eldest. Addie was engaged in an animated conversation with a small group of classmates, all standing in a circle adjacent to the building. The girl's light-pink woolen coat along with her escaping red curls from underneath her pink, knit hat definitely made her easy to identify. Kitty recognized two of the girls, Sally Ann Doulas and Gracie Mae Compton, but she didn't know the blonde headed girl who wore an insufficient white cardigan over her simple, green calico dress. The observant mother definitely did not recognize the two tall boys on either side of her daughter- one blonde, one dark-haired. The boys couldn't have appeared more opposite. One dressed neatly and appropriately for the weather, the other in just a thin short-sleeved shirt and overalls.
Matt and Kitty pulled up to the school while most buggies and wagons were pulling away. Their boys had patiently sat on the schoolhouse steps, waiting for their sister to finish holding court, until they spotted both of their parents. Matthew and Adam excitedly greeted their father, while their mother casually made her way over to the social circle.
"Adelaide," Kitty nodded as she inserted herself into the conversation.
"Hi, Mama," Addie greeted, surprised to spy her father approaching her brothers, "Why are you and Daddy here?"
"Miss Nelson asked t' speak to both of us," Kitty coyly answered, monitoring her eldest child's reaction while nodding her head in greeting to the girls she already knew, "Sally Ann, Gracie Mae."
"Mrs. Dillon," both girls beamed. They always enjoyed the attention of the pretty redhead. She'd always been so kind to them.
"Ooohhh…is perfect Addie Dillon in trouble and both her parents had t' come?" the dark-haired boy in the overalls teased. His tone dripped with bitterness, not playfulness.
"Shut up, Pate," the taller, blonde-haired boy retorted. He then directed his attention to Kitty, "Nice t' meet you, Mrs. Dillon. I'm Garth Harmon. I'm tryin' t' get Addie t' help me with m' book report. She's really good at 'em."
Kitty grinned, "Nice to meet you, Garth. I recognize your last name. Is your father the new gunsmith in town?"
"Yes, Ma'am. We moved here a few months ago."
"Well, welcome t' Dodge," Kitty took in the other two unfamiliar faces within the small circle, "And who might we have here?"
Addie internally cringed at her mother's interrogation of her schoolmates. She introduced, "Mama, this is Wendy Jo," she held out her hand toward the underdressed, pretty girl with the sea glass green eyes, "and this is Pate Gibbons," Addie offered far less enthusiastically, using her thumb to point.
"Wendy Jo, Pate," Kitty bit out the rude boy's name, "Nice to meet you both."
"Kitty," Matt called from the top of the steps, "Miss Nelson is ready for us."
"Adelaide, please look after your brothers. You may take them to the general store for a piece of candy. We won't be long."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Hey, Addie," Pate scoffed once the elder Dillons were out of earshot, "Does all yer friends have t' have two names? Wendy Jo…Sally Ann…Gracie Mae…"
"Shut up, Pate," all the children replied.
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The Legacy D dinner table was a little quieter than usual, with Maggie and Scarlett feeling a little under the weather. Maggie dozed, her head bobbing daringly close to her mound of mashed potatoes and mashed peas, while Scarlett sat in Kitty's lap, unwilling to eat a thing.
"Matt, does she feel warm t' you?"
He cupped his big hand behind the little girl's neck, "Maybe a smidge. It was a bit cool for a picnic up on the hill there, Kitty," Matt said, being careful not to sound like a disciplinarian.
"I suppose," his wife agreed, not really wanting to argue. Just one more thing I did wrong today.
"Mama, why did Miss Nelson want t' talk t' you and Daddy? Am I in trouble?" Adam asked as he lifted a large spoonful of beef stew to his lips.
"No, not you," Kitty lifted her stew filled spoon to blow on it, looking at Matthew from underneath her thick, ginger eyelashes.
"Was it me?" Matthew whispered while cramming a biscuit into his mouth.
"No, not you."
Thunderation! Addie thought, I bet I'm in trouble for not doing that stupid 'What I want to be when I grow up' essay.
"Addie's in trouble…." Matthew and Adam said in a sing-song tone.
The young girl stared into her bowl, suddenly finding her carrots and potatoes very interesting. Kitty decided not to torture the child.
"No," she sighed, "It's just the opposite. In fact, Adelaide does so well in school that Miss Nelson wants to move her up a whole grade. She feels Addie is mature enough to handle it."
"Wael, I'll be…" Festus said in wonder, "We got us here a super smarty pants. Congratulations, Addie girl," He ladled himself more stew out of the tureen.
"Pumpkin, that's wonderful!" Doc congratulated, "Just wonderful!"
"Thank you," Addie replied, curiously staring at her parents, "What do you think?"
"I'm not sure, really," her mother was the first to answer, "You'd be grouped with older children, because the grades are separated by ability and not by age. So for instance, you'd be in the sixth grade with Sally Ann who is a year older than you and the two boys I met today who are both two years older than you," Kitty poured Ezra and Adam more milk.
"And Byron Biggs' brother Burt is in the sixth grade, and he's already fourteen," Matthew added.
"Huh," Matt sighed, resting his hand on his hip, "Your mother and I are gonna discuss it privately, and if we decide it's what's best for you, you can start next week. But what do you think, Sweetie?"
'Well," the freckle faced girl crinkled her nose, "the fifth-grade work really is too easy for me."
"The fifth-grade work is really too easy for me," Matthew mimicked in a whiney voice, bobbing his head up and down while he swirled his spoon around in his bowl.
"Matthew, Honey," Kitty drawled as she batted her eyelashes, "you get to both wash and dry the dishes this evening as a reward for your sass."
"Drats," the nine-year-old murmured, lowering his head.
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Kitty climbed into her warm bed where Matt had already planted himself against the headboard, reading the Dodge City Bulletin.
"Thanks for the nice fire, Cowboy. It feels so good in here after getting out of the tub," she smiled at her husband, hoping tonight he would want to make love to her. They had only been intimate twice since Angela.
"You're welcome," he answered, turning the page.
"Matt," she sighed, "can we talk about Addie for a minute?"
"Sure," he neatly folded the paper and placed it on his side table. Much to his wife's happiness, he stretched his arm out so she could make herself comfortable resting her head upon his chest.
Kitty gladly accepted his silent invitation, tracing little circles upon his bare chest. She continued, "What do you think? I'm a little worried about her being grouped with older boys."
"Nah," Matt held her close, enjoying the sweet feminine scent that only belonged to Kitty Russell Dillon, "I'm not worried about that. There are kids all over that schoolhouse. I think she should try it," he kissed the top of her slightly dampened head.
"I'll go along with that," Kitty purred, slowly moving her hand down her husband's warm torso, resting it just below his stomach. "Make love to me, Matt," she looked up at his face, her sparkling eyes begging him for some physical validation of their love.
He grinned, lifting her chin in order to passionately capture her lips.
Kitty responded in kind, quickly opening her mouth while she straddled his hips. As if she were a magician, she managed to free her husband's erect manhood from his pajama bottoms while freeing herself from her nightclothes. She spread her legs wider over Matt's midsection, hoping he could feel how ready she was for him.
The love-starved woman was desperate to not ruin the spontaneous moment. She leaned over, whispering into his ear, "You don't need anything. It's okay."
Matt groaned in pleasure, flipping his willing lover onto her back.
I don't really know that it's okay, Kitty thought, I'll just hope for the best. My husband wants me, and right now, that's all that matters.
TBC