TEN

A full moon lit up the path ahead of Matt, for which he was grateful. He had already planned on making it back to Dodge that night, but the telegram he'd received from Doc made him that much more anxious to get back as soon as he possibly could.

On returning to the jailhouse after a fruitless search at the farm, Abe had given Matt the telegram, and after sending a reply, Matt had packed up and left Hays immediately. Only two stores had been vandalized, and Doc didn't seem too concerned, but Matt wouldn't put it past Doc to downplay the situation if he didn't think there was anything Matt could do about it. In Matt's eyes, the hourglass had been flipped, and he was afraid things would only continue to escalate – the note nailed to the door of the jailhouse was evidence of that.

And once again the mysterious stranger had placed all the blame on Matt.

Collateral damage – the very thought made him sick.

Matt rounded the final curve and urged Buck to go faster, Dodge clearly in sight. Hopefully no worse off than it had been when Doc sent the telegram.

Ten minutes later, riding down Front Street, the hairs on the back of Matt's neck stood on end. It couldn't have been any later than ten o'clock in the evening, and yet the street was eerily silent. Even the Lady Gay was dark, its doors closed. And every few shops Matt noticed boarded windows. Clearly his instincts had been correct and the first two vandalisms were only the prelude to a longer plan of attack.

What else had happened in the past twenty-four hours?

Matt put Buck up for the night and went straight to the Long Branch without stopping to check in at the jail. The saloon was lit from within, and even if the rest of the town had stayed home, Matt would lay odds Doc and Festus were at the Long Branch with Kitty. He knew he could trust them with her life – if things were getting serious in Dodge, Kitty wouldn't be able to get rid of them.

Matt paused at the swinging doors before entering and took in the room, empty save for Kitty, Doc, and Festus, huddled at a table in the far corner as he had expected, a bottle of whiskey and three glasses between them. He didn't think he'd ever seen the Long Branch so forlorn, so disconsolate. It was unsettling to say the least. And it was even more unnerving that none of the saloon's occupants had heard his approach.

He cleared his throat loudly.

"What's a guy have to do to get noticed around here?"


The sound of Matt's voice startled Kitty, her head whipping around to find the source walking toward them. She'd sent Sam home early and honestly hadn't expected anyone else to come through her doors for the rest of the night.

"What in thunder are you tryin' to do, Matt? Give us all heart attacks?"

"Well golly-bill, Matthew, ya cain't just go sneakin' up on folks like that!"

Kitty smiled ruefully at Matt, who didn't look in the least bit ashamed.

"Have a seat, Matt." She shot a look in Doc's direction, hand over her chest, fingering the neckline of her midnight blue dress, a nervous habit. "We're just a little…on edge tonight. Sure are glad you're back, though." Just knowing Matt was back in town made Kitty feel safer, and to have him there with them…. She ached, body and soul, to feel his strong, comforting arms around her.

Matt's smile faded, and he pulled up a chair between Kitty and Festus. His gaze traveled over her face and bore into her own, and she knew he was searching for answers.

"Front Street looks kinda deserted – what happened?"

"You already know about the vandalism from yesterday morning…and the note left at the jail."

"I'm assuming there's more, though."

There was so much to say, to tell him, and yet suddenly, inexplicably, Kitty couldn't find the words. Where did you begin when all you had was bad news followed by even worse news? When everything you had to say could only hurt the person hearing it? With over a decade of experience, Kitty thought she would've learned the secret by now.

Whether he picked up on her hesitation or not, Festus spoke up, and Kitty relaxed just the slightest bit, sitting back in her chair. Doc briefly squeezed her hand underneath the table.

"That there's for certain, Matthew. Shop windows all over town's been busted, a whole passel of beer barrels was emptied over at the Lady Gay, Ma Smalley's cat was killed, and then ol' Doc here –"

"Doc?" Matt interrupted, alarmed, addressing Doc directly. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm sittin' here, aren't I?" Doc grunted. He swiped a hand over his mustache. "I'm just fine, Matt."

"Doc's office and the livery was set on fire last night, Matthew, but his bedroom was just burned some. And the hay's the only thing that burned at the livery."

Matt relaxed some, the tension in his shoulders noticeably easing, but Kitty could see the worry still hiding behind his blue eyes.

Festus continued to rattle off the damages like some sort of laundry list of the macabre. "I saw the smoke before things got too bad and got Hank out 'fore he choked to death, Matthew. And Doc's been stayin' here with Miss Kitty, so he wasn't in no danger."

"Well, I'm glad everyone's alright."

"But that's not all, Matthew –"

"Festus." Kitty stopped him before he could go any further. She knew Matt would find out sooner rather than later, but she didn't want Festus telling Matt about what had happened to her room. Not like this. She had tossed and turned in bed next to Doc for nearly three hours before giving up and getting ready for the day, and the lack of sleep was making it hard for her to focus. She had been shaken by the destruction, the evidence of pure malice, she'd found in her room, and she knew Matt needed to know, but she was afraid the reality of the situation would hit her harder when she saw Matt's reaction. And if that was the case, she'd rather tell him on her own terms and not have to sit there and watch as Festus told him.

Kitty could tell both Festus and Matt were confused by her interruption, but Doc seemed to understand, and he quickly covered the lingering awkwardness.

"Matt, you need to know there's a rumor that's started going around town. I don't know if Barney blabbed to someone or if it started somewhere else, but…well, people are starting to blame you for some of this, since you were gone when it all happened. This whole mess has got everyone spooked, and they're all saying things they don't mean and keeping pretty close to home."

"I was afraid that might be the case," Matt sighed.

"Matt?"

"The same story is going around Hays too, Kitty. Three men attacked a farm there before robbing the bank. The farmer they attacked was killed, and his widow's the one they left the warning with. She's been talkin' to people, letting them know the attack and the bank robbery were my fault."

Matt sounded far too serious for Kitty's liking, as if he actually believed it had all been his fault. Unease gnawed at the pit of her stomach. A lawman off his game could be killed so easily.

"Aw, fiddle, Matthew, she's just upset is all. You didn't make nobody kill nobody or rob no banks."

"I don't know, Festus…."

The four of them sat in silence for a minute, each lost in their own thoughts, an unseen weight pressing in on them.

The longer they sat there, the more Kitty wanted to talk to Matt in private and just get it over with. She caught Doc's eye with a pleading glance, and he nodded in acknowledgement, pushing back his chair to stand up.

"Come on, Festus, I'm beat. Let's let Kitty and Matt alone and get ourselves to bed."

"You're not staying at your place alone tonight, are ya, Doc?"

"No, Matt, I haven't gotten it completely cleaned up and aired out yet. I'm bunking in your cot for the night, so I'd better not see you again until tomorrow, you hear me?"

The corner of Matt's mouth turned up a little. "Yessir."

"Good man."

"We'll see you in the morning, Doc, Festus." Kitty smiled at them both gratefully.

"Miss Kitty." Festus tipped his hat and headed toward the door.

Doc bent down to kiss her on the cheek and whispered so only she could hear, "Sweet dreams, honey."

Kitty found herself unable to respond and merely nodded her head. She ignored Matt's questioning gaze for the moment and followed Doc to the door, locking it once he and Festus had both left.

She turned to face Matt.

"Help me get the lights?"

Together they made quick work of the lights, and Kitty let Matt carry the last lamp for them as they climbed the stairs. She appreciated his patience more than he could know. It never ceased to amaze her how well he understood her.

At the door to her room, Kitty stopped Matt with a hand on his chest before he could open the door and enter. Her room had been put to rights, save for the obscenity still staining her wall. It had turned out to be paint, and although it was considerably faded, all her scrubbing had been unable to erase it completely. She would have to re-wallpaper the entire wall.

"What's wrong, Kitty?" Matt whispered, his voice rough. She could practically feel the tension radiating from his body, muscles tight beneath her hand, and she held his gaze, his eyes searching hers for answers.

"Matt, after the fire last night, when I finally got back to my room, someone had been in here. They must have snuck in while Doc and I were outside watching them put out the fire in his office."

Matt gripped the hand she had on his chest tightly, and she hurried on, hoping to reassure him in some small way.

"I don't think I was ever in any danger – they must've known I'd be outside, and they were gone before we got back. But they went through all my things and overturned most—"

Matt suddenly pushed his way past Kitty and into her room, whether to see the state he thought the room was still in or to check for another unwanted visitor, she wasn't sure. She quickly followed.

"Doc and I spent most of the morning putting it all back together…."

Kitty saw the exact moment Matt noticed the word scrawled on the wall above her bed. His empty hand clenched into a fist. His eyes hardened, burning holes into the wall with an icy fire, and he grit his teeth.

Matt had always been very protective of her, almost from the day they met, whether she faced actual, physical harm or someone treated her with anything less than the respect Matt thought she deserved. Sometimes he'd wait to see if she could handle a situation on her own before stepping in, but if he was there when someone confronted her, he always stood right by her side, backing her up. She didn't always need or appreciate his overprotective tendencies, but she loved him dearly for them. For a man not big on words, it was how he knew best to show his love. And she knew how much it bothered him, how guilty he felt, when she was hurt and he wasn't there to stop it.

Kitty saw it as one of the many hazards of her job. Matt didn't.

She had been right earlier – seeing Matt's reaction to what she'd told him and what he'd found on her wall brought everything to a head and sucker-punched her in the gut. It wasn't just her wall. She'd been called a whore before, and sometimes – very rarely these days – it did hurt more than she'd ever admit. It wasn't the word itself as much as the cruelty behind it. But she was always able to brush it off. Other people's opinions of her just didn't matter, not if they weren't close friends. So no, it wasn't just the "whore" scrawled across her wall that overwhelmed her now.

It was the feeling she had that whoever painted the bold, red letters was incredibly angry, hateful. It was knowing the fire in Doc's office and the destruction of her room was the proof that Matt's enemies were making good on their threats, and the danger was rising. It was fear not only for her own life, but also for the lives of everyone she loved. It was the uncertainty of not knowing what was coming for them next. It was knowing that Matt was taking this all so very personally and feeling immense – needless – guilt over things of which he had no control. It was knowing that Matt was suffering for her, on her behalf. And it was the feeling of helplessness, knowing that if Matt, the most fearless man she knew, was scared, then the rest of them should be, too.

Tears burned the backs of Kitty's eyes, and she moved so she could face Matt. She took the lamp from him, setting it beside them on a small table.

"Matt?" She looked up at him, begging him to be present with her in the moment. To please just look at her, talk to her, touch her, do something to reassure her – even if it only lasted until the next morning. It was killing her to be this vulnerable, even with Matt, but her exhaustion wouldn't allow her to be any other way.

But he looked at her with such intense guilt that it broke her heart. Maybe she would have to be strong for the both of them tonight.

Kitty wrapped her arms tightly around Matt's waist and buried her face against his chest, trying desperately to not let the tears fall. He hesitated for just a moment before enveloping her in his own arms, providing the comfort she'd been longing for.

After a few minutes, Matt gripped her shoulders and pushed her a few inches back. With painstaking slowness, he tenderly reached up to cradle her face in his hands and brushed a stray tear off her cheek with his thumb.

"I'm so sorry, Kitty."

"Don't, Matt. Please. I can't stand to see you blame yourself for this, for any of this." She covered his hands with her own. "Whatever those men or the people in Dodge say, I refuse to let you think for even one second that any of this is your fault." She stared him down, willing him to believe her.

Matt's mouth twitched up at the corners, a small, rueful smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I'm serious, Matt." Her grip on his hands tightened.

"I know you are."

"But you still think it's your fault." It was a statement of fact, not a question. Kitty stepped out of Matt's arms, suddenly frustrated with him, and went to close the curtains on her windows. She could hear Matt's sigh behind her.

"Kitty, these men are attacking the town, attacking you and Doc, because of something I did or didn't do, and I wasn't here to stop it. Of course it's my fault!"

"Well we just don't see things the same way then." Her eyes flashed defiantly.

The next few seconds of silence were charged with an anxious energy as they studied each other. Kitty hated feeling at odds with Matt, especially when, at the root of things, the cause was their concern for each other. Her flesh was crawling, it felt like she didn't fit inside her own skin. She needed some sort of release from all the tension that had been growing inside her from the moment she read the telegram from Hays.

Matt broke the stare first, hanging his hat and gun belt up on a peg by her door. He pulled his Colt from its holster, checked the cylinder, and laid it on the bedside table. A chill snaked its way up Kitty's spine. He never kept his gun by the bed when he stayed over.

Kitty sat down at her borrowed vanity to remove her shoes and jewelry, clean her face, and take the pins out of her hair while Matt sat on the edge of her bed to pull off his boots and socks. He didn't often get the chance to stay over for an entire night – and they were never as obvious about it as they'd been tonight – but they'd formed a routine over the past ten or so years. There was a comfort in that tonight, and Kitty felt her frustration with Matt draining away. Besides, they couldn't afford to be divided right now.

She felt Matt come up behind her before she noticed his reflection in the mirror. He softly brushed her tumbling curls off her neck and over her shoulder, and she leaned into his touch before standing up to give him easier access to the tiny buttons trailing down the back of her dress.

When Kitty was down to her underthings, she hung up her dress and turned to find Matt staring at her wall again. But this time something shifted in his eyes, and he broke his gaze, moving toward her with a fierce determination. Meeting him halfway, they came together with an intensity that stole Kitty's breath away. Her arms around his neck, one of his large hands gripping her waist and the other in her hair, he pulled her tight against him until she could feel every single, minute movement his body made, every shift of his muscles. Matt's breath was hot on her face and neck. Then he tugged her head back and she opened her mouth to his thrusting tongue, and she lost herself in the overwhelming emotions and physical sensations coursing through her body.

This was the physical, mental, emotional release they both needed. This was Matt hanging on to any semblance of control he had over his life. This was Matt showing her how much he loved her, needed her, how scared he was that he could still lose her, and how fiercely he would protect her. And this was Kitty taking and giving all the comfort she could. This was Kitty showing how desperately she loved him, and proving she was strong enough to handle whatever came their way. She could do anything, go through anything, as long as he was there at the end of it all. That was all she ever needed to know.

Matt turned them around and walked Kitty back until she felt the edge of her bed against the backs of her thighs. She broke their kiss for just a moment, trying to communicate all the love she could in one searing look, and kissed him tenderly on the underside of his jaw, feeling his breath hitch, her eyes welling up with tears. Kitty pushed away a horrible sinking feeling that the worst was yet to come and focused on helping Matt shrug off his vest and unbutton his shirt.

This was what they needed. One night, together. They could deal with the rest later.