Chapter Six-For the Love of Kitty
Kitty beamed as she rested her head against her husband's shoulder while sitting comfortably in the covered carriage. She threaded her arm through his, snuggling into his warmth. She sighed, "Oh, Matt, I think this was the best New Year's Eve we've ever had. Don't you?"
He gently trailed the back of his hand against her jawline. The big man chose his words carefully, knowing how happy his wife was with their new lives in the big city. "It was certainly somethin', Honey. I don't think we've ever danced so much. And to top it off, I had the prettiest gal in the whole place in my arms." He kissed her temple and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, giving her a little squeeze.
"It was so nice of the McCaffertys to invite us to join them at the party. I've never seen so many people in one place. Can you seriously imagine having a ballroom in your house?!"
"Nope. I sure can't." He pursed his lips as he stared out the carriage window, passively watching New Year's Eve revelers still celebrating in the streets. He wondered how his landlord had come to know the banker, J. Pierpont Morgan. He sure hoped the Mr. McCafferty they'd come to know and befriend was on the up and up. Not that the millionaire banker wasn't just an honest businessman, but the lawman had come to suspect almost every man in the bustling city. For living rather simply, McCafferty sure knew a lot of the New York City elite.
Matt tugged at his stiff collar, doing his best to hide both his concern and discomfort. "A Ford County Sociable certainly can't compare to these New York City parties."
"Like you would know," the redhead teased, helping him by relieving him of his string tie so he could release his top button. "You were a good sport tonight, Cowboy. I know big parties aren't to your liking."
She knew him so well. He definitely would've rather stayed home in front of a roaring fire, making love to his wife. But instead, for the love of Kitty, he'd insisted they accept the second-hand invitation to the lavish celebration at the Morgan mansion just a few blocks away on Madison. Surprisingly, Kitty and Mrs. Morgan got along famously, quickly discovering that Thad and her daughter, Anne, were in the same class at St. George.
Matt grinned, lifting her chin so their eyes could meet. "I may not like fancy parties, but I happen to love someone who does."
"Oh?" Kitty arched her ginger brows, her plump lips slightly parted.
"Yes, Ma'am. Ya see, I've loved this woman for over seven years and I figure it's about time we do what she likes t' do."
"Is that a fact?" she whispered in her whiskey voice, slipping her hand inside his new camel hair coat, then weaving it under his rented tuxedo jacket. She planted her palm over his heart, feeling his body heat radiating through his dress shirt.
"It most certainly is." The big man's soft blue eyes devoured her as he licked his bottom lip. "And you know what else?"
Her eyes studied his mouth. "What?" she spoke barely above a whisper.
"She's havin' my baby." He splayed his hand over her slightly swollen belly.
Kitty couldn't resist him any longer. She laced her hands behind his neck, pulling him toward her. She greedily claimed his lips, deeply kissing him until her insides quaked.
The need for oxygen was the only thing that could pull them apart, breathing heavily as they pressed their foreheads together.
"I love you so much, Matt. I'm so happy. Thank you for giving us this new life."
Matt tenderly kissed her forehead as the carriage slowed in front of the McCafferty's home. He rested his chin on top of her shiny auburn curls, closing his eyes. "I'm happy you're happy, Sweetheart."
The United States marshal didn't have the heart to tell his wife that he was miserable in such a big city. He couldn't possibly tell her that he missed being out west, where he could ride his horse for hours over the open plains, never seeing another soul. He couldn't tell her that he hated his current duties as a marshal. That he felt like little more than a bailiff, shuttling prisoners between jails and the courthouse. How could he possibly tell her that he detested serving eviction notices to recently widowed women on the Lower East Side of town? That he felt like the devil himself, putting fatherless children out of their homes, no matter how deplorable the conditions. The dingy tenements were still better than the filthy streets of that neighborhood. No siree. He'd determined that he would keep that sorrowful part of his life a secret from his wife.
Matt Dillon had decided that it was time for Kitty to have what she wanted for a change. For seven years they had lived according to the rule book that he had written. Sure, she'd ratified it by willfully committing to him, but the lawman had known it had been because she so deeply loved him. Matt had mentally torn and torched the pages from that rule book and penned a new manifesto, written with Kitty's own tears of joy. So long as his wife and children were safe and happy, the head of the Dillon family would swallow his pride and keep his misery and misgivings to himself. After all, many men went to work in the morning to mundane, unfulfilling jobs, only to return home in the evenings to find sanctuary with their families.
Get it together Dillon, he chastised himself as he escorted Kitty to the backhouse.
XXXXXXX
Kitty knocked on her boss's office door. She loathed it when she had to go to The Bastille, the one sporting house that Owney Geoghegan owned, but she trudged to the bowery once a week to collect his ledgers.
"Enter!" came the rough voice from the other side of the door.
Kitty boldly stepped into the office, crinkling her nose at the foul smell of his cheap cigar. "Scotty said you wanted to see me before I left." She kept her back pressed against the door, hoping her stomach wouldn't rebel against the offensive odor.
"Please." The little man stood, motioning to the chair across from him. "Sit for a moment. I have a favor t' ask of ya."
Kitty quickly complied, hoping this wouldn't take long. "What do you need?"
"I got ahold of some of me contacts further west…" His chair creaked as he leaned back, tenting his fingers at his chest.
"O k a y…" the redhead drawled, dreading where this conversation was headed.
"I was wonderin' if ya could talk to me girls about how t' keep their wombs empty." He studied her face, wondering how she would react to his recent discovery of her past life.
"I beg your pardon," she whispered, scooting to the edge of her chair.
"Ya see, Miss Kitty, I heard all about you and The Long Branch. I think ya may know a thing or two about keepin' women clean and childless."
Kitty sprang to her feet as she clutched the leather-bound binders to her chest. She glared at him, growling, "What the hell are you talking about?!"
Owney Geoghegan sat up straight on his throne, snuffing out his cigar. "Now, Lass, settle down. I'm the only one who knows that you, yerself, used t' own a saloon. I figured ya had t' have learned about balancing bar and whore books somewhere. No need t' worry none. I'll keep yer secret. You deserve that much from me, seein' how yer with child."
Kitty gasped as she attempted to billow the front of her coat.
"Were ya gonna tell me?"
"Eventually. I don't see how any of my personal life is your business, Mr. Geoghegan." She smoothed her hand over the side of her hair, hoping he couldn't see her tremble.
"It's me business because of me business." He smiled as he stood. His expression seemed genuine to the former saloon keeper. "When the wee one comes, you'll need some time off."
"I suppose I will," the redhead slowly exhaled, letting her guard down ever so slightly.
"If ya help me by talking to me gals, I'll see to it that ya don't need t' come to the Bastille any more t' get the books. I can have Scotty bring 'em t' ya."
"Why the sudden concern for the women who work here?"
He rounded his desk and leaned his hip against it. "Miss Kitty, I may be a lotta things, but I'm not a barbarian. One of me top earners, Gloria, just died. Bled t' death at the hands of a butcher in the Bronx. 'Tis a shame. She was a nice person. Just couldn't count, I guess."
"Oh, God…" Kitty murmured, lowering herself back into the chair. Her eyes clouded as she focused on Geoghegan's loafers. She immediately thought of when she'd first discovered she was pregnant with Thad. She could have just as easily ended up like Gloria if she had made a different choice.
"If you would speak with me two head gals, they can make sure the others know the tricks of the trade, shall we say?" He gently placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look him in the eye. "I'm not a woman. I can't help 'em like that."
Kitty silently nodded and cleared her throat. "I'll be here tomorrow morning, after I take my son to school. This is a one-time deal, Mr. Geoghegan. Understand?"
"Understood. And you can call me Owney."
XXXXXXXX
Lying naked next to her husband, Kitty studied Matt as he slept on his stomach, his face mostly buried into his pillow. The day had seemed surreal to Kitty. She'd walked her son to St. George and had a chat with Mrs. Morgan, wife of one of the richest men in New York City, then had also spoken with a nice lady who had merely introduced herself as Fannie-the mother of one of Thad's new friends. Fannie's son, Robert, had become quite fond of the new boy in school and wanted to have him over to play. The conversation between Fannie and Kitty flowed easily, as if the women had known each other for years, not just minutes. Before the ladies had parted ways, the Dillon Family had been invited to the home of Thad's new friend for dinner on Saturday.
As she'd walked with a purpose toward one of the horse-drawn street cars that would take her south to the seedy bowery, Kitty had glanced at the address on the small piece of paper Fannie had given her. Upper West Side. She shook her head, wondering how cordial and inviting the woman she'd just met would've been had she known that Thad's mother was headed to a brothel to instruct prostitutes on how to avoid both disease and pregnancy.
Shoving those thoughts to the back of her mind, Kitty rolled onto her side, still contemplating if she should tell her husband that her boss had figured out her past. She hated keeping secrets from him, but she knew that Matt didn't like that she worked for a man like Owney Geoghegan, let alone the fact that she had to work at all.
She furrowed her brow, noticing for the first time since they'd moved that Matt no longer snored like a bear. Truth be told, there were a lot of things about the big lawman that had changed since their move to New York City. Some for the better, she reassured herself. Matt would still rise before the sun so he could take Buck for a long ride through Central Park. Kitty had known from the start that her man would need time to himself to ride in the most natural setting as possible. He preferred to work the early shift, which usually allowed him to pick up Thad from school. This was a definite positive change in the Dillon household. Thad worshiped his pa and was proud to be seen with him.
The more Kitty thought about what a wonderful father her husband was, and how he had fully embraced her child, the more she desired him. She felt a familiar warmth between her thighs as she straddled her man's backside. She leaned over, her nipples grazing his back as she suckled the nape of his neck.
"Kitty…" he rumbled, turning his head to the side, "Honey, what on Earth…"
She breathed into his ear, "What's the matter, Cowboy? I thought this is how you like to…get up in the morning."
He squinted to read the clock on his side table. "Good grief, Woman! It's just after three in the morning." The wonton redhead balanced on her knees as he rolled over, assuming her straddling position once he'd settled himself onto his back. "You know I love when you do this, but Hon, I get up for the day in just a little over an hour and we just went to sleep three hours ago."
"I can't help it." She pretended to pout, her thick red tresses falling over her pleading blue orbs. "I've got an itch only my strong, handsome husband can reach."
"Is that so?" He placed his hulking hands on her hips.
"Uh-huh." She nodded, leaning over to deeply kiss him, her eager tongue begging for entrance.
"How am I supposed to uphold the law of the land if I can't keep my eyes open, Mrs. Dillon?"
Kitty's expression suddenly sobered. She fully laid her upper body on top of his chest and whispered into his ear, "I felt the baby today, Matt."
He jerked his head to stare at her face. "What does that mean? Are you okay?" He used his finger to tuck her unruly waves behind her ear.
"Yes, Silly. I'm just fine. I didn't mean to scare you. It just means that I felt him move inside a me. You know what that means?" She grinned as tears filled her eyes.
"No. No I don't know, Honey. Tell me." He gently adjusted her next to him and wrapped his arms around her.
She sniffled, "It means he's gonna make it."
He kissed her temple. "Make it?"
"Yeah. He's far enough along that I shouldn't lose him."
"Kitty, why do you keep saying 'he'? You could be carrying a girl, ya know."
She tucked her chin toward her chest, embarrassed to give sound to her thoughts.
"Kitty?"
"I'd like to give you a son, Matt. Your very own son."
He tenderly lifted her chin so he could speak to her with his eyes. "You've already given me my own son. He's eight years old and asleep in the next room. Thaddeus Joseph Dillon. Remember?"
"But, Matt," she hiccupped, tears trickling down her cheeks, "you know wha-"
He placed two fingers over her lips, silencing her objection. "If we have a second son, that would be wonderful. But I'd be just as happy to have a little girl who looks just like her mama."
Matt held his wife as tightly as possible as she quietly wept. He stared at the ceiling, silently vowing to keep his pledge to do whatever he had to do, for the love of Kitty. There was nothing that meant more to him than her and the children they loved.
TBC