Chapter 2

Kitty descended the stairs of the Long Branch and saw Bill Pence standing behind the bar. He was having a conversation with Sam. It suddenly occurred to Kitty that she should talk to Bill about her plans before she talked with her father. Gathering her nerves, Kitty reached the floor of the saloon and strolled over to the bar. There was no point in putting off what needed to be done.

"Bill," Kitty got his attention. "Could you 'n I go in the office and talk?"

Bill figured Kitty wanted to discuss business with him. "Sure. Excuse us, Sam."

"No problem," Sam smiled. "I'll finish wiping these glasses and putting them away." He continued wiping the glass that was in his hand.

Kitty and Bill walked into the office and Bill shut the door behind them. Since Kitty was the one who wanted to speak with him, Bill waited for her to initiate the conversation. When she did, Bill was shocked. The last thing he expected her to tell him was that she wanted out of the partnership and wanted her half of the money back. Bill was not going to deny Kitty her request, but he hated to lose her as a partner. Worse yet, he hated to see her leave Dodge City.

"Thank you for understanding, Bill. I really appreciate it," said Kitty, not really knowing if Bill understood why she was leaving.

"Kitty, I will miss you, but you have to do what you feel is best for you," Bill said as he put his hand on hers and gave it a squeeze of encouragement. "How did your father and Marshall Dillon take the news of your leaving Dodge City?" Bill had an inkling he knew the answers to those questions. He had heard from Chester that Kitty's father did not approve of her being in the saloon business.

"I haven't told either one of them yet," Kitty replied. "I would appreciate it if you didn't say anything about my leaving to anyone, especially Matt. I want the news to come from me."

"Don't worry," Bill assured Kitty. "It's not my news to share."

"Thank you," Kitty softly spoke as she stood up and left the office. Bill remained in the office for a few minutes trying to digest the news that he just lost his business partner and that she was leaving town.

Kitty left the Long Branch using the back door. She did not have time to visit with Sam. Kitty needed to get to the Dodge House to talk with her father. She wanted to talk with him before she changed her mind about leaving Dodge City. Kitty walked down Front Street and over to the Dodge House. She opened the door and stepped inside.

The hotel clerk, Dobie, saw Kitty enter the hotel. "Good afternoon, Miss Kitty," he greeted her with a smile. "What can I do for you?"

"What room is my father staying in?" Kitty asked with a small smile of her own.

Dobie studied the ledger on the counter. "Let's see. He's in room twelve. That's just above your head."

Kitty turned around and saw room twelve in the middle of the upstairs balcony. "Thank you." Kitty walked away from the desk and ascended the steps up to the second floor. After reaching the top of the steps, she turned left and walked to her father's hotel room. Reaching her destination, Kitty softly knocked on the door.

Wayne had been resting on his bed, when he heard the soft knock on his door. He lifted himself off the bed and went to answer the door. "Kitty." Wayne was surprised to see his daughter on the other side of the door. "What a splendid surprise. I certainly wasn't expecting to see you here. Please, come in. What can I do for you?"

Kitty waited for her father to step aside so she could enter. He closed the door behind her. "First, I want you to know that I am not doing this for you. I'm doing this for my mother." Kitty briefly paused. "I have decided to sell back my half of the partnership to Bill Pence and return with you to New Orleans."

Wayne Russell could not believe his ears. A couple of hours ago his daughter was determined to be a saloon owner and not accept his help. He wasn't going to ask what changed her mind. There was no need to ask. Kitty told him she was doing it for her mother. Besides, Wayne was not going to question good fortune. Not only did his daughter decide not to be a saloon owner, she also decided to come back to New Orleans with him.

"Kitty, I can't tell you how happy and relieved I am. You are making the right decision. How did your friends take it, when you told them the news?" Wayne was sure it was not welcome news.

"Bill Pence is the only one I've told," Kitty confessed. "Nobody else knows. I'll tell Matt, Doc, and Chester later. I'm going to tell them, not you. The news needs to come from me."

"I will not interfere," Wayne promised. "I offered to buy the Marshall a drink. He mentioned the possibility of having one tonight. Maybe you could tell him then."

Kitty considered her father's suggestion. She wanted to tell her plans to Matt in private, but maybe that wouldn't be the best idea. "I guess that would be fine as long as you let me do the talking."

"Of course," Wayne agreed. "When do you plan on leaving Dodge City? I don't have a set date that I need to be back in New Orleans."

"What about your freight business?" Kitty inquired. "As the owner, don't you have to get back to it?"

"That's one of the perks of being an owner," Wayne replied. "You get to make your own schedule."

Kitty nodded in understanding. "I want to leave tomorrow. There's a stagecoach that leaves at eleven o'clock in the morning every Tuesday."

Wayne was surprised that Kitty wanted to leave so soon. He expected that she would want to spend as much time with her friends, especially Marshall Dillon, as she possibly could. "Are you sure you want to leave so soon? There's no rush."

"The sooner I leave, the better," Kitty answered. "I'm afraid the longer I wait, the more apt I am to change my mind."

The last thing Wayne wanted was for Kitty to change her mind. "Very well. We'll leave tomorrow on the eleven o'clock stage."

"Good, that gives me time to pack tonight and say goodbye to Matt, Doc, and Chester tomorrow. It'll also give me time to go to the bank and do my business with Bill."

"Kitty, I can go with you to the bank," Wayne offered.

Kitty declined his offer. "There's no need for that. I'm capable of meeting with Bill on my own. Anyway, I need to get going."

"Alright, as you wish," Wayne reluctantly said. "I'll see you later this evening at the Long Branch." Kitty smiled as she left the hotel room.

Later that night Wayne and Kitty were sitting at a table behind the staircase of the Long Branch. Bill and Sam watched as Wayne poured the two of them celebratory glasses of wine. Earlier Kitty had shared her news with Sam. He was surprised and saddened by the news. Sam did not want to see Kitty leave. She had become a great friend to him these last two years. Bill and Sam were standing at the end of the bar, when Matt pushed the swinging doors forward and entered the saloon. Neither were sure if he knew Kitty was leaving Dodge City. Bill pointed out where Kitty and her father were sitting. Matt thanked Bill and walked over to the table.

"Good evening, Kitty," Matt greeted as touched the brim of his hat.

"Good evening, Matt," Kitty returned the greeting. She drank in as much of him as she could. Kitty also mustered up all the courage she had. She had made the decision to reveal to Matt her decision to leave.

"Mr. Russell," Matt acknowledged Wayne.

"Marshall, join us in a drink," said Wayne. He turned towards Bill and indicated he wanted another glass. Bill grabbed a glass and brought it to the table.

"I don't want to bother you," Matt replied. "I'm just out doing my rounds."

"Come on," encouraged Kitty. "We've got something to tell you."

"Well, in that case I'll sit down." Matt pulled out a seat and sat down. Wayne took the empty glass and started to pour Matt a glass of wine. "No, no. I'm not much of a wine man."

Wayne did not pour Matt any wine. "Just as you say, Marshall."

"Well, do you wanna hear the news?" Kitty asked.

"Yeah," Matt replied as he smiled at Kitty. "What is it?"

There was no turning back now. "I'm leaving," Kitty immediately answered. The smile that was on Matt's face was gone in an instant. "I'm going back to New Orleans. I decided this afternoon."

Matt could not believe his ears. This had to be some sort of joke. Less than twenty-four hours ago Kitty had no plans of quitting being a saloon owner, let alone leaving Dodge City. "You mean that?"

"Bill Pence is buying back my half in cash," Kitty told Matt.

"Kitty came to my hotel room earlier this afternoon and told me her decision." Wayne reached over to Kitty. "I'm mighty proud of her decision."

Kitty smiled at her father and looked over at Matt. "My father's right. This is no place for a woman. I'm going to invest my money in his freight business. This is my last night in any saloon."

"Your last night?" Matt's face fell even more. This had to be a nightmare. He needed to wake up.

Kitty's heart shattered when she saw Matt's face. She knew it would be hard breaking the news to him, but she never imagined it would be this hard. Kitty swallowed the lump in her throat and managed to keep the smile on her face. "There's no point in putting it off. We're leaving tomorrow."

"That reminds me," Wayne spoke up. "I need to get our tickets. Is there anyone at the stage office?"

"There usually is," Kitty replied.

Wayne rose from his seat and grabbed his hat. "I'll go over there and get our tickets." He patted Matt on his upper arm. "I'm a proud, proud man."

Matt waited until Wayne was away from the table before he spoke to Kitty. "So he finally convinced you, huh?" He still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that Kitty was giving up what she worked so hard for.

"He said a few things that got me thinking," Kitty replied. "What's the matter, Matt? Don't you like him?"

"It doesn't matter if I like him or not," Matt answered. "Fact of the matter is, I don't trust him."

Kitty stared at Matt, not sure what she should say. "He may have made some poor decisions, but he deserves a second chance. Don't you think people deserve second chances?"

"Well, yeah, but," Matt started to say.

"But nothing," Kitty interrupted. "You just said people deserve second chances. You even told me once that you were given a second chance. I'm giving my father a second chance."

Matt didn't want to continue this conversation in the saloon. "Kitty, can we go upstairs and continue our conversation?"

Kitty wasn't sure what else Matt had to say, but agreed to go upstairs with Matt. "Sure, let's go." Matt and Kitty got up from the table and Kitty led Matt upstairs to her room.

TBC