Epilogue

It was four in the morning on Saturday when Matt rode onto his property. He was exhausted. He led Buck into the barn, and removed the saddle, bridle, and harness. Grabbing a brush, Matt gave the horse a quick rub down. He would've done a more thorough job, but Matt was too tired. All he wanted to do was go into the house and go to sleep. Matt left the barn and ambled to the house. He put his key in the lock and unlocked the door. Matt walked inside and deftly closed the door.

Matt contemplated whether or not to go to his bedroom or sleep out in the parlor. Not wanting to wake Kitty up, Matt decided to stay out in the parlor. He removed his boots, hat, and gunbelt, making sure the gun was out of Ruby's reach. He sat down on his overstuffed chair and put his feet up on the ottoman. He was lightly snoring within a few minutes.

Four hours later, Kitty woke up. She stretched her arms above her head. Looking at the clock on her side table, Kitty saw that it was a few minutes after eight. Kitty flipped the covers off of herself. She really needed to use the water closet. Kitty quietly opened the door and walked out into the hallway. She heard a noise coming from the parlor. Her heart started racing. Before going to the parlor, Kitty grabbed her derringer. Better to be safe than sorry.

Kitty tiptoed down the hallway with her derringer. When Kitty reached the parlor, she saw Matt sitting in his chair, sound asleep. Relief and happiness filled her entire body. It took a lot of willpower not to throw herself at him and smother him with kisses. Instead, she went back to her room to put the derringer away and then to Ruby's room to wake her up.

Ruby rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Momma, why did you wake me up? It's not regular school day or Sunday school day." Ruby liked to sleep in when she could.

"I have to show you something in the parlor," Kitty whispered. "But we have to be really quiet. Come on." Kitty took Ruby's hand and they went out to the parlor.

Ruby's eyes lit up when she saw her daddy asleep in his chair. "Momma, he came home," Ruby excitedly whispered. "Now we can have our surprise birthday plans. But wait. We were supposed to go fishing early in the morning. That's when the fish are biting. We won't catch anything because we're gonna go too late"

Kitty didn't want to wake Matt up. She brought Ruby back to the little girl's bedroom. "It's probably a good time to go fishing early in the morning because they are hungry for breakfast. If we go around lunchtime, the fish will be hungry for lunch." Kitty had no idea if what she was saying was true. She said it to convince Ruby it was okay to go fishing later.

"I never thought of that," Ruby declared. Ruby suddenly changed the subject. "I have to use the water closet."

"You do that and then come back in here and get dressed for the day," Kitty instructed. "Be quiet while doing so. We don't want to wake up daddy. I'm gonna get myself ready. I'll put your hair in pigtails after you have your dress on. Now remember. Be quiet."

All ready for the day, Kitty and Ruby were in the kitchen making Matt's birthday cake. Kitty had made a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. There were leftovers for Matt when he woke up. As they did last year, Kitty and Ruby made a blueberry muffin cake with white frosting. Matt really liked it last year, so they figured he would like it again this year. It looked as though they were starting a tradition with a blueberry muffin cake for Matt's birthday.

The rays of sun shone brightly through the parlor windows and onto Matt's unshaven face. It was the warmth of the sunlight that woke Matt up. He wearily opened his eyes and focused on his surroundings. Judging by the sunlight shining in the parlor, it had to be late morning. Matt was surprised he hadn't heard Kitty and Ruby. Was it possible they were still asleep? Matt received his answer after he heard a noise from the kitchen.

Smiling, Matt got up and walked to the water closet. He did his business and then quickly shaved. Now that he had a shaven face, Matt went to his bedroom to change his clothes. A nice hot bath would be nice, but that would have to wait. Maybe he and Kitty could enjoy one later tonight after Ruby was fast asleep. Matt buttoned the last button on his shirt and made his way towards the kitchen.

"Momma, daddy is sleeping for a long time. I wish he would wake up." Ruby was getting impatient. She wanted her daddy to wake up so they could start their surprise plans.

"I know. So do I," Kitty agreed. "But we have to let him sleep. The Hays trip is always the one that makes him the most tired."

No sooner did those words leave Kitty's mouth, when Matt entered the kitchen. "Your momma's right. The Hays trip is the most tiring."

"Daddy!" Ruby exclaimed as she jumped down from her chair. "Happy birthday! Now we can have your surprise plans." She ran over to Matt, who lifted her up into his arms. They gave each other a big hug.

Matt put Ruby down and turned his attention to his beautiful wife. He gathered her in his arms. "Happy birthday, Cowboy. I have to admit that I'm surprised you made it home."

"Let's just say Judge O'Hare isn't quite how people describe him," Matt smiled down at Kitty and gave her a gentle kiss. The kiss had threatened to escalate into more, but an impatient six year old put a stop to that.

"Daddy, eat your breakfast, so we can get the surprise plan started," Ruby demanded.

Matt and Kitty both laughed at Ruby's brashness. "Yes, Miss Dillon." Matt walked over to the stove and helped himself to the leftover eggs and sausage.

"While daddy's eating, I'll go and get his present," Kitty said. She left the kitchen and went to their bedroom to retrieve Matt's gift. Kitty returned a moment later and placed Matt's tackle box on the table in front of him. "Here ya go."

Matt swallowed his sausage and eggs. "Yer giving me my tackle box? At least I know I'll like it." Matt put another forkful of eggs and sausage in his mouth.

Kitty could hear the teasing in Matt's voice. "Haha. Very funny. Your present is inside."

"Yeah daddy, open it up," Ruby excitedly stated. She couldn't wait to see her daddy's reaction.

Matt finished his breakfast, wiped his mouth, and opened the tackle box. Once he did that, he saw the new hooks, lures, and fishing line. He picked them up one at a time and admired each one. "These are great. Did Festus or Doc help you pick these out?"

Kitty was taken back by Matt's question. "Matt Dillon, I'll have you know that Ruby 'n I picked those out on our own. Doc and Festus had nothing to do with it."

Ruby could keep quiet no longer. "Daddy, your surprise birthday plan is fishing with me 'n momma. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"I couldn't think of a better way to spend my birthday," said Matt.

An hour later the Dillons left for their family fishing trip. Kitty packed a picnic lunch which included Matt's cake. They would eat lunch when they arrived at Spring Creek, and then go fishing. Any fish they caught would be eaten for supper, along with the cake. Since they had gotten a late start, the family decided they would eat supper by the creek.

After several hours of fishing, it was determined they would have a fish dinner by the river. Matt cleaned the fish and Kitty fried them up. Ruby wanted to help, but Matt and Kitty didn't want her too close to the fire. The sun was setting by the time the Dillons headed for home. It was a wonderful, but exhausting day. It was one that Matt wouldn't soon forget. He was thankful that he got to spend his birthday with the two most important people in his life.

The End (By the way, Matt and Kitty did enjoy a bath together after Ruby was fast asleep. Kitty gave Matt her own private birthday present.)

Happy Birthday, James Arness! He would be 101 years old today.