Chapter One-Deceptions, Disappointments and a Stagecoach

A/N: I'd like to give a great big THANK YOU to my beta, Zipitupcowboy. She made sure I dotted every "i", used periods where I should, and that I, in general, made sense. I very much appreciated her enthusiasm. I'm most grateful. I'd also like to thank a new GS writer, Crimson Shepherd. She has been a true cheerleader and friend. This fic is a deviation from my AU series. It's a tale that begged to be told. Enjoy!

Kitty Russell pinched the bridge of her nose as she rested her bent elbows atop her leather-bound ledger. The wooden grandfather wall clock had just struck midnight and the proud, twenty-eight-year-old owner of the Long Branch Saloon had decided she may as well stay awake until she needed to sneak away in the dead of night to meet the pre-dawn stagecoach at the Willow Bend Relay Station. She'd carefully calculated that she would need to leave Dodge City at three in the morning in order to be prompt. The last thing she'd want would be for Thad to be frightened if she wasn't right on time to meet him.

The walnut office chair groaned as Kitty slowly leaned back, letting out a long, slow sigh as she entwined her hands behind her neck. Her big, azure eyes locked onto the ledger, which inadvertently led her to memories of Ellie McCullough Ferrin. Poor Ellie. Once upon a time, she'd been like a big sister to Kitty. Ellie had worked for her father who'd happened to own half of the House of Lords, the grandest saloon west of the Mississippi.

Only nineteen at the time, Kitty had gotten off the stagecoach in Joplin, Missouri because she had run out of funds, and she'd desperately needed to earn more money in order to continue her sojourn to San Fransisco. The stagecoach driver had magnanimously offered to overlook her lack of passage money in exchange for a particular favor, but the young working girl couldn't bear the thought of allowing the five-foot tall, four-foot-wide, filthy man with brown teeth to touch her.

With her pride intact, Kitty Russell had looked up and down Main Street, her eyes immediately drawn to the largest saloon she'd ever seen. The minute she'd walked through the doors of the bustling establishment, she immediately realized that it would be a wonderful place to earn some money. The House of Lords had a bar and restaurant on the first floor, a gambling hall on the second floor, and a brothel on the third.

With a smile on her face, Kitty fondly recalled that the first person who had approached her was a plain, paint-free, young brunette, with large, chocolate brown eyes.

"Hello," twenty-two-year-old Ellie greeted, comfortably resting her hands upon her hips, "My name's Ellie. Ellie McCullough. How can I help ya?"

Kitty easily offered her brilliant smile along with an outstretched hand, "Hello, Miss McCullough. I'm Kitty. Kitty Russell, and I'm lookin' for a job."

The brunette took in the redhead's appearance from head to toe before slowly pacing around the girl wearing a simple, lavender colored day dress. She scrunched her mouth to the side before asking, "You work in a saloon before, Kitty Russell?"

"Yes. And on river boats," Kitty spoke with confidence, clutching her valise in front of her long skirt.

"You deal?"

"Yes. Poker mostly," she proudly threw back her shoulders, "and I'm honest. I play it straight."

"That's good, cause my pa owns half this place and it has a reputation for honest dealers and the best, clean women. I assume you're a prostitute as well?" Ellie boldly asked while folding her arms across her chest.

Kitty lowered her head for just a fleeting moment before her sparkling, big blue eyes met Ellie's nonjudgmental brown ones, "Yes," she swallowed hard, "Are you the madame here?"

"Me?!" the brunette chortled as she rested her hand over her heart, "Mercy, no. Mr. Peregoy is in charge of the third floor. My pa has me in charge of hiring and taking care of the books. He would never want me to-" she suddenly stopped talking, noticing a pall of sadness begin to cover Kitty's lovely, lightly painted face. Ellie gently grasped the stranger's elbow and led her toward her office, "Follow me. We can talk privately in here."

By the end of the impromptu interview, not only did Kitty have a job, but she also had her first friend in Joplin. Ellie genuinely enjoyed the newcomer's company and had promised the redhead that she would mostly be schlepping drinks, dealing poker, and working the roulette wheel. Sure, she would have to work the third floor occasionally, but Ellie had been relatively sure that Mr. Peregoy would send the beautiful, young redhead only the wealthiest of customers. Luckily for Kitty, this had been the case most of the time at the House of Lords.

Little had Kitty known that she would share a unique bond with this kind woman for the rest of her life.

"Miss Kitty," Sam popped his head into her office, shaking his boss from her trance, "I'm gonna lock up. The wind's blowin' somethin' fierce and it seems to have blown all the customers home, too."

The saloon proprietress slowly stood, stretching her arms above her head, "Sure thing, Sam. I'm sorry, I meant t' tell you to go ahead and leave early. I got lost in my work."

"I'll be headin' out as soon as I put the money in the safe," the craggy faced bartender grinned at his boss over his shoulder, "You have a good sleep now."

XXXXXXXX

Kitty slowed her mare to a trot once she'd made her way outside the gas lit streets of Dodge City. It was awfully dark and she knew she'd need to be careful making her way across the hilly trail to the Willow Bend Relay Station. After all, it was only a bit after three in the morning and the redhead could encounter anything from a hidden gopher hole to a band of outlaws.

She grimaced as she pulled her coat lapels snugly around her neck with one hand, the crisp, early autumn wind leaving her cheeks slightly reddened. It didn't take long for Kitty to become lost in her memories of sweet Thad and the melancholy saga of his vagabond life.

Six years prior, Kitty had been mortified, excited, but mostly confused when Ellie and Thad had surprisingly appeared through the batwing doors of the Long Branch when Thad had been two years old. Oddly, the pair had possessed only two valises for the both of them.

"May I help ya, Ma'am?" the mustachioed bartender named Freddie asked the well-dressed brunette, "I'm afraid Mr. Pence makes it a policy not t' allow kids in the saloon."

"I know and I'm really very sorry. I'm looking for a friend of mine, Kitty Russell." Ellie held the dark-haired boy's hand as she approached the bar.

"Oh, yer a friend of Miss Kitty's are ya? Well," Freddie briefly glanced at the balcony above the barroom as he dried a beer mug, "She's occupied at the moment, but she shouldn't be too much longer."

"Howdy, Freddie," Doc greeted as he entered the saloon, approaching the bar. "Did I hear you correctly, Ma'am, that you're a friend of Kitty's?"

"Yes, yes I am," Ellie nodded, politely holding out her hand, "I'm Ellie Ferrin and this is my son, Thad."

"I'm Doc Adams. Nice to meet you both," the town physician gingerly shook Ellie's hand, "Freddie, tell Kitty t' come to my office. I'll take this young lady and her boy over there."

Wearing a black and coral striped knee-length saloon dress, the twenty-two-year-old redhead flounced down the wooden stairs, trailing a cowboy who had just finished securing his gun belt. Kitty had nodded goodbye to the man when she'd heard Doc speak her name.

"I'm right here, Doc," Kitty said as she placed one hand upon her hip. "What do you-" she stopped talking when she focused on the woman and young child standing next to him.

"Kitty," Ellie gulped as she clutched Thad's tiny shoulders, "I'm sorry to intrude, but we had to get outta Joplin. My father recently passed away and I figure word would get out-"

Before the brunette could finish her explanation, Kitty had scooped the little boy into her arms, sandwiching him between her and Ellie as she fiercely hugged them both.

"I'm so happy you're here," Kitty whispered into Ellie's ear, "and I'm real sorry about your pa." She released her hold on her dear friend and studied the face of the sweet toddler she held in her arms.

"Hello, Thad," she barely spoke above a whisper, noticing the slight curl in his dark hair, along with a smattering of freckles that dotted the bridge of his tiny nose, "I know you don't remember me, but I sure remember you," she gently rubbed his back, placing a soft kiss upon his forehead.

By the end of the day, Kitty had Ellie and Thad settled into the room next to hers in Ma Smalley's boarding house. She had also helped secure a part time job for Ellie at the Long Branch, helping the redhead balance Bill's books and keep track of inventory. Bill Pence had been more than happy to employ the woman, since she'd worked at the famous House of Lords. What had surprised the saloon proprietor had been that Kitty was willing to give up some of her duties which had provided her with extra income. Bill had known that Kitty wanted to eventually buy into the Long Branch and to do that she needed to earn the extra wages.

"You rat bastard," Kitty whispered as she slowed her mare to a walk. The memory of Tucker Ferrin arriving in Dodge City to claim his wife and son literally made her nauseous. After all, the once charming, suave, dark-haired, brown-eyed gambler had set his eyes on plain Ellie McCullough, knowing that one day she would inherit half of the House of Lords.

Sure, Tucker had behaved himself in Dodge at first. After he'd moved into the boarding house with his tiny family, he'd taken a job dealing at the Long Branch. Problem was, he'd spent nearly every penny he'd made on gambling and drinking at the Bull's Head and Texas Trail.

One night after work, Kitty had returned to Ma Smalley's to find Ellie in her room, crying hysterically. The young brunette, sporting a black eye and a split lip, had rocked her toddler son back and forth in her arms as she'd explained what happened to her closest confidante.

"Kitty," Ellie choked, "I don't know what t' do! Tucker went crazy tonight when I asked him where he'd been."

"I can see that," the redhead sarcastically bit out as she sat beside her friend on the bed, gently cupping her face, "That's gonna be quite the shiner."

"He asked me when I thought I'd get the money from Mr. Peregoy buying me out of the House of Lords. When I said I didn't know, he called me a liar and started hitting me. A new tenant came out of his room t' find out what all the commotion was about and that's when Tucker stormed out," Ellie wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.

Kitty gingerly transferred the sleeping toddler from Ellie's embrace to her own. The furious redhead paced around the room, softly rubbing the child's back.

"There, there, sweet boy," Kitty spoke barely above a whisper into the boy's perfectly shell-shaped ear, "I'm gonna figure something out so Tucker will never get his hands on you."

"Wha-what?" Ellie sniffled, blowing her nose.

"I'm thinkin' is all," Kitty answered, "I just can't help but feel we need t' hide you and Thad away for a while." She sat at the head of her bed, still cradling the two-year-old.

"I don't know how he found us here in Dodge," Ellie whined, wringing her hands as she paced around the small room, "He'll just continue to follow us no matter where we go."

Kitty kissed the crown of Thad's soft, curly locks and rested her chin atop his head. Silence filled the room as the women locked eyes, speaking without uttering a word.

"I have an idea," Kitty finally whispered. "You're gonna leave here tomorrow. First thing, you're gonna buy stagecoach tickets in your names to Colorado Springs. I'll send my friend Chester to buy you train tickets on the first train heading west. That will buy you some time t' get somewhere safe."

"Oh, Kitty," Ellie lamented, scooting closer to her dear friend on the bed, "It won't work. Tucker's a smart man. He'll check the train station, too."

"But I'm smarter," the redhead beamed, exuding confidence, "I'll have Chester buy the ticket using a different name. How about 'Liza'? Liza Ridell…I knew her in New Orleans. And Thad will be free since he's only two. So he won't even need a ticket."

The battered brunette grasped Kitty's shoulders, while looking her straight in the eyes, "Do you think this could really work?"

"I do."

"But how will I get on the train without Tucker seeing me? He isn't a fool, ya know," Ellie's eyes filled with tears, resembling melted chocolate as she searched Kitty's confident blue orbs for answers.

"You leave Tucker t' me," she reassured her friend.

Kitty shuddered as she trotted her mare toward the hitching post of the relay station. She couldn't bear to remember how she'd occupied Tucker Ferrin for most of the day so Ellie and Thad could escape the brutal man's clutches. It had been nothing short of disgusting and degrading to seduce a man who'd literally made her skin crawl. But it was more sickening to remember that once upon a time, she'd happily welcomed a younger, seemingly charming Tucker Ferrin into her bed.

The sound of the approaching stagecoach forcefully pulled Kitty back to the present and her task at hand. She needed to forget about her past indiscretions and focus on providing eight-year-old Thad with a stable, safe home. Hopefully, the Kelker farm would be the perfect fit for the little boy she so dearly loved and had promised to protect.

TBC