"The Ring" This story is in honor of Amanda Blake's birthday (February 20th). I'm not sure what season I noticed it, but Kitty wore a ring on one of her fingers. She wore the same ring for a while, among other rings. This story explains how she got that ring.

Matt had known Kitty for a little over two years. Her birthday was less than a week away, and he still had to get her a gift. Last year he had known her a few months shy of a year before she celebrated her first birthday while living in Dodge City. In that short period of time, Matt and Kitty were becoming friends. They were getting to know each other.

For that first birthday, Matt gave her a looking glass with a light blue ribbon tied around the handle. Matt could not remember how the conversation started, but Kitty mentioned that her looking glass had a broken handle. It was then that Matt decided to get her a new one for her birthday. Matt had given Kitty the looking glass in the privacy of her room. She loved it and used it everyday. Kitty even wore the light blue ribbon in her hair once in a while. Whenever Matt saw the ribbon in Kitty's hair, he felt proud. To him, it was as if she was telling him that she was his girl.

His girl, that is what Kitty had become in the last two years. Because he thought of Kitty as his girl, Matt wanted to buy KItty a more personal gift. Matt had an idea of what he wanted to give Kitty. He wanted to give her a ring, not an engagement or a wedding ring, but a ring that showed Kitty that Matt was fully committed to her.

Matt had to go to Garden City the next day. He would buy the ring there. Matt did not want to buy a ring in Dodge City. That would invite way too many rumors. He was pretty sure there were already rumors about him and Kitty floating around Dodge, but there was no reason to feed those rumors. Since he did not want to feed those rumors, he would give Kitty the ring in the privacy of her room.

The next day Matt was getting ready for his trip to Garden City. He did not plan on being gone long. More than likely he would be back tomorrow night. Matt had been packing his saddle bags, when Chester had walked into the jail.

"Are ya gittin' ready ta go ta Garden City, Mr. Dillon," Chester asked as he observed Matt packing his saddle bags.

"Yeah, Chester. It's a short trip. I should be back tomorrow evening," said Matt.

"That's good. I'd hate fer ya ta not be here for Miss Kitty's party," Chester stated. "Doc 'n I are gittin' Miss Kitty a pair of fancy gloves and a parasol. Doc is paying for most of it. He knows I ain't got much money, but he said we'd tell Miss Kitty the gift is from both of us. What are you gonna git Miss Kitty?"

Matt suddenly realized he had a dilemma. He did not forget about the party. It was not tomorrow. The party was the evening after tomorrow, so Matt would be back from Garden City. He would not miss the party. No, his dilemma was the gift. He couldn't give Kitty a ring in front of everyone, but he had to give her a gift. It would look bad if he didn't. The only problem is he wasn't sure what to get her.

"Oh, I have a few ideas," Matt replied. "I planned on stopping at one of the general stores in Garden City. Their general stores are bigger and they have more of a selection."

Matt finished packing and walked outside. He loaded Buck with the saddle bags and a bed roll. Matt would have to spend one night on the prairie. Everything packed, Matt mounted his horse. Matt rode past the Long Branch, as he rode off towards Garden City. As he rode past the Long Branch, Matt saw Kitty standing at the swinging doors. He discretely tipped his head to her as he rode past. She gave him a smile.

As Matt journeyed to Garden City, he racked his brain trying to think of a second gift for Kitty. He thought he was all set with her gift. Now he had to get another one. Another gift meant he would have to spend more money, money he did not have. Matt supposed he could spend a little less on the ring, so he could buy a second gift. However, he did not want to spend too much less. He did not want to give Kitty a cheap ring.

Matt finished his business in Garden City and was now at the general store. He had a decision to make. Did he buy the ring first and spend whatever money he had left on the second gift or did he buy the second gift first and spend the rest of the money on the ring? Matt knew the answer right away. He would buy the ring first and spend the leftover money on the second gift. Even though he was spending the leftover money on the second gift, Matt still wanted that gift to be a nice gift.

Matt walked up to the counter, "Excuse me. Where do you keep your jewelry? I'm looking for a ring for a young woman."

"Our jewelry is down this way," the clerk answered. He took Matt to an area where the jewelry was located. "Is this an engagement ring?"

"Uh, no," Matt responded. "But I want a nice ring for a special woman."

"Very well," said the man. "I would consider these rings right here our non-engagement rings. As you can see, we do have a nice selection."

"It's a very nice selection," said Matt as he looked at the rings.

The clerk looked towards the counter. He saw a customer standing there. "I have a customer. I'll let you browse our selection. Let me know if you find a ring you like."

Matt nodded his head and the clerk left him alone. Matt studied the rings in the display case. The rings were in a wooden display case with a glass top. The top was locked, so Matt could only look at the rings, he couldn't examine them with his hands. He noticed that each ring had a price tag tied to it. The prices of the rings varied. Matt had an idea of what he wanted to spend and decided to look at the rings around that price.

While Matt was looking at the rings, one caught his eye. It was a gold ring with a bigger, darker purple stone. Matt wasn't quite sure what the stone was.. However, it was a beautiful ring and it was in Matt's price range. Matt went to tell the clerk he found a ring.

"Did you find a ring?" the clerk asked as Matt walked up to the counter.

"I did," Matt replied. The clerk followed Matt back to the display of rings. "I would like the ring with the larger purple stone." Matt pointed to the ring. "What stone is that?"

"That is an amethyst," the clerk answered. "It's February's birthstone."

"Oh, that's perfect," said Matt. "This ring is a birthday gift for the woman I'm buying it for."

"I'll bring the ring up front, so you can pay for it," said the clerk.

"Before I pay for it, I want to look around for a little bit," said Matt.

"Alright. Just come to the front when you're ready," the clerk told Matt. He took the ring as he walked back to the counter.

Matt wandered around the store trying to decide on a second gift. He was walking down one of the aisles, when he saw a couple of ladies looking at fancy hair pins. Matt remembered Kitty calling the things she put in her hair, hairpins. Matt didn't want to intrude on the women who were looking at the hairpins, so he waited until they were done. He looked at other things while he waited.

When the women walked away from the hairpins, Matt strolled over to them. He looked at the hairpins. They were all pretty and either one would look beautiful in Kitty's hair. Matt took Kitty's hair color into consideration. There was a simple hairpin designed with small, dark green stones. It was simple, but elegant. Better yet, the price was perfect. Matt could afford both the ring and the hairpin. Matt took the hairpin and went to the counter.

The clerk saw the hairpin in Matt's hand. "Would you like to add that to the ring?"

"Yes, please," Matt replied, placing the hairpin on the counter. "Could you wrap them separately?"

"I can do that," said the clerk.

The clerk figured the price for the ring and the hairpin. He wrapped the two items separately and Matt paid for them. Matt walked out of the store with his purchases. He was confident that Kitty would like both of them.

The day of Kitty's party arrived. Bill Pence was the one throwing it. He decided to have the party in the late afternoon. Bill closed the Long Branch for a couple of hours during the party. He invited Matt, Doc, Chester, and any of his barkeeps and saloon girls that wanted to attend. Everyone was having a good time. It was then time to give Kitty her gifts.

Doc gave Kitty the gift from him and Chester. "This is from Chester and me."

Kitty took the gift and opened it. "Thank you so much. Gloves and a parasol are things that I will definitely use."

Next, Matt gave Kitty his gift to her. "Here Kitty. Happy birthday."

Kitty accepted the gift and opened it. "Oh, Matt, this hairpin is gorgeous. The color is perfect for my hair color. Thank you." Kitty carefully put the hairpin in her hair making Matt beam with pride.

After the party ended, Bill reopened the Long Branch. Doc had to return to his office, but he told Kitty he would be back later in the evening to have a drink with her. Matt and Chester had to get back to the jail, but they also promised they would be back to have a drink with her. Kitty took her gifts upstairs and got ready to go to work. She made sure she had Matt's hairpin in her hair.

As promised, Matt, Chester, and Doc returned later in the evening and shared a drink with Kitty. They all sat together at what had become their table. Kitty sat with them for a little while, but then had to excuse herself to wait on other patrons. The saloon was getting busy. When Kitty got up from the table, the guys decided they would also leave. Matt told Kitty he would see her later. Kitty knew exactly what that meant.

Kitty finished with work and climbed the steps to her room. She unlocked her door, walked inside, and relocked the door. Kitty slipped her shoes off and walked over to her vanity table. She took Matt's hairpin out of her hair and carefully put it on the vanity. Kitty then took the smaller pins out her hair. She took the last pin out, when she heard a knock on the door that led to the outside. Kitty walked over to the door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's me, Kitty," Matt's deep baritone voice softly answered.

Kitty unlocked the door and let Matt in. "Why didn't you use the key I gave you?"

"I guess I didn't want to invade your privacy," Matt shrugged.

"Matt, using the key I gave you won't be invading my privacy. If I was afraid of you doing that, I wouldn't have given you a key."

"I'll try to remember that. Come here, birthday girl." Matt pulled Kitty into his arms and kissed her passionately. "Happy birthday, sweetheart. I have something for you."

"What?' questioned Kitty. "You gave me a gift at the party."

"This is something I didn't want to give you in front of the others," Matt said.

"Really," Kitty said as a smile slowly spread across her face.

"What yer thinking is not what I planned on giving you," said Matt. He saw Kitty's disappointed look. "Now I'm not saying what you were thinking can't be done later. Because that is also part of my plan." Matt removed his boots and hat. "Let's go sit on the bed."

"Mr. Dillon," Kitty said in a sexual voice. "You seem to be sending mixed signals. I thought your other gift had nothing to do with the bed."

"I just want a place where we can both sit down," said Matt.

Matt took his gunbelt off and put it on the table next to the bed. He sat down on the bed and Kitty joined him. Once they were both on the bed, Matt pulled a small box out of his vest pocket and gave it to Kitty. Kitty opened the box, saw the ring, and raised her eyebrows. Matt saw Kitty's facial gesture and knew he had to explain the meaning behind the gift.

"Matt, this ring is beautiful," she gushed as she put it on her ring finger. "And the fit is perfect."

"I guess I never even thought of whether or not it would fit," said Matt. "Kitty, let me explain the ring. This is not an engagement ring. I've told you that I feel that a lawman shouldn't have a wife or kids, and I've given you my reasons. However, I want to commit my love to you. I want to be your only man and for you to be my only girl. This ring is my commitment to you."

Kitty wrapped her arms around Matt's neck and kissed him. "I want you to be my only man and I want to be your only girl. Of course I will accept your ring of commitment."

"We'll have to keep our relationship under wraps. I don't want my enemies using you to get to me," said Matt.

"That's fine with me," said Kitty. "Since the day I met you, I knew I wanted to be your girl. These past two years I've considered myself your girl. This ring, however, is concrete evidence that I am officially your girl."

"Kitty, you have been my girl," Matt confirmed. "There has been no other girl since you came to Dodge. There really hasn't been another girl since the time I came to Dodge." He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Now, I believe you were expecting another gift from me. Let's see if we can make that happen."

Matt and Kitty removed their clothing and got under the covers. Since it was Kitty's birthday, Matt first wanted to pleasure Kitty. He used his hands and mouth on her. When he was sure that she was about to reach her climax, he took his manhood and entered her. Once he was inside her, they started their intimate dance with one another. It was a dance they would share with no one else, but each other. After intimately dancing with one another for a few minutes, both Kitty and Matt's climaxes came. Kitty clenched around Matt, while Matt emptied himself inside of Kitty.

Both breathless, Matt and Kitty enjoyed the afterglow of their lovemaking. Matt rolled onto his side, and Kitty spooned behind him. This was a new position for them, and they both really liked it.

Matt kissed the back of Kitty's neck. "Happy birthday, my love."

The End

*Author's Note: LovingmesomeMK, if you read this story, I want you to know that I added a paragraph to the epilogue of my "A Face From The Past" story. I figured it was a needed paragraph.