Author's note below

Chapter 5

Meanwhile, back in Dodge City,

Matt Dillon came riding into town after being gone for three weeks. He had been trailing after an outlaw, then had to take him to Hays for his trial.

With a sigh of relief, he dismounted his horse and tied him to the hitching post.

He set to work untying his saddlebags and other gear from the horse. He could hear Doc and Festus playing a game of checkers inside, and he could see Newly through the window working on paperwork at the desk.

"You can't do that! Ya, already done did, take your hand off the piece!"

Festus told Doc after he made his move. The old town Doctor rubbed his mustache,

"I did not, I-I just... Oh, never mind!" Doc sighed, and he pulled his ear. There was no point in arguing with Festus. "Well, go on then. Make your move,"

Doc tried to help Festus with a move, but the older deputy pushed Doc's hand away and did something else instead.

"There, now get out of that, you old scamp."

Festus leaned back in his chair, proud of the move he just made.

Newly could only smile and shake his head. He enjoyed the company of his two old friends being there, listening to the two of them go back and forth over a game. It would make things rather entertaining when everything else was dull.

Just then, the door swung open, and all three men looked up as the U.S. Marshal walked in.

"Welcome back, Matt."

Doc nodded to the man as he walked past him.

"Howdy Matthew, Doc it's your move,"

Festus said, not taking his eyes off the checkerboard.

Doc jumped the deputy three times and chuckled, "There, how do you like them apples?"

A sly smile spread across Festus's face,

"Well, thank Ya kindly, Doc,"

In one swift move, Festus cleared old Doc of all his pieces. He looked up at the gentleman with a big smile,

"Did Ya forget Doc, That, that there last piece of mine, was a king?"

Doc sighed in frustration, "Oh Shaw! I give up playing with you."

The room filled with laughter as Doc excepted his defeat.

Once the laughter settled down, Matt placed his papers and handcuffs on to the desk. Newly started to get up from the chair so the marshal could have it. Matt only shook his head,

"Naw, Newly, you can stay there. I'm going to go get some food, a bath, and some much-needed sleep."

Newly nodded as he swiveled in the chair.

"Sure, Marshal. I can stay here as long as you need me to."

Matt nodded, giving him a thank you. Festus leaned back on two legs of the chair with his feet up over the edge of the table, enjoying himself.

"Say, Matthew, you want to go over to the Long Branch and grab us some-"

Doc stopped him in mid-sentence by pushing the deputy's feet off the table.

"Doc! What in the Sam Hill was that for?!"

"Didn't your mother ever tell you? It's bad manners to have your feet on the table."

Festus mimicked what Doc just said.

"Well, sure she did, Doc! You blamed old scutter."

"Then why did you have your feet on the table?"

Festus laughably mocked Doc, "You, ornery old quack quack! I was only asking Matthew if he wanted to get a beer, and you had to go on about my feet being on the table you blame old scutter."

Matt and his young deputy laughed. Matt just shook his head,

"No, fellas, I think I'll pass for now. But Festus, could you do me a favor and take care of Buck for me?"

"Sure thing, Matthew."

Once Matt had his bath and a shave, he took the back way to Ma Smalley's.

The aromas of freshly made beef stew smelled delicious, and the fact Ma made it over himself or Delmonico's, made it even better. After having three bowl fulls of it, he made his way to his room.

He let the heavy saddlebags fall to the floor next, he hung up his gun belt near his side of the bed, and then he sat down to take off his boots.

He laid back on the bed. It was so warm, comforting, and welcoming. Compared to the cold hard ground that he had been sleeping on these past few weeks.

He rested his hands behind his head as he let his mind wander, he wondered if Kitty ever read the note, he slipped into her carpetbag right before she left.

He chuckled. That carpetbag of hers reminded him of the canyons he's traveled through; The bag was large, vast, and easy to lose things in.

Perhaps it was time for another letter.

Matt started to think about the What ifs. He moved his lips back in forth as he was deep in thought.

"Maybe I should, No! Matt, don't kid yourself, she's better off where she's at."

He had no right in marrying Kitty, especially with his job. She'd be in so much danger. And what if they had children and he died? Then where would she be? He laid there in the stillness of his room as he let the darkness take him into such a deep sleep.

Matt woke up in a nice big four-post bed with a feather mattress that had more than four pillows on it, and a soft handmade quilt covered him and draped generously over both sides of the bed. A bouquet of dried flowers sat in a vase on the right bedside table.

Lace curtains hung above the windows; a fireplace sat in the center of the west wall. The whole room was more homely than Kitty's old room at the Long Branch.

But He could tell it had her touches everywhere. Matt smiled at the picture of him and Kitty that hung on the wall. It was one of them standing together, almost like a wedding picture. He scratched his scalp, "When did that happen?!"

Then his eyes landed on her, sitting at the vanity.

Kitty smiled up at him when she caught him looking at her as she was brushing her hair.

"Well, it's about time you woke up, Cowboy," she said as she walked over to the bed and sat down next to him, kissing him good morning. She rested her hand on his.

He looked at her hand and saw the ring and then the one on his own.

He felt a little confused about it. But in some ways, he liked the idea of them being married.

She smiled up at him, and Matt looked down at her.

He was just about to say something when the bedroom door opened.

Two little girls came racing in, in their white cotton nightgowns.

They climbed up onto the big bed and ventured over to their parents. Matt couldn't see the children's faces. All he could see was one had a dolly tucked under her right arm, and the other had red hair like Kitty.

Somehow, he knew those girls and loved them deeply, for he hugged, tickled, snuggled, and kissed each child good morning. The sweet music of children's laughter filled the air.

Matt loved every minute of it.

When everything had settled down, the oldest child leaned up against her father,

"I love you, Daddy." Matt smiled, hugging the child.

Then the younger one climbed onto Matt's side and wiggled in between her sister and father.

"I love you, bigger, Daddy!"

She hugged her father's neck and snuggled into him.

Matt chuckled. He started to say something when he noticed Kitty had her arms crossed and brow raised as she looked at their children.

"Hey, you two, I have first dibs you know. Besides, I love your daddy bigger than the both of you. Because I'm the one that's married to him."

Kitty smiled as Matt tried his hardest not to laugh. Both girls sighed loudly,

"Awe! Mama!"

They knew their mother pulled the ace card and had won. Kitty only smiled as she looked at both children, then winked.

"Alright, you two girlies, you both need to get ready for the day. Your father and I need to do the same."

Both girls sighed again.

"Go on, girls, do as your mother says."

Matt gave them both a kiss, then watched the girls run out of the room.

Matt smiled as he looked at Kitty, who was still sitting beside him.

He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her.

"Whoa, hold on there, Matt. we need to stop right there and get up. Otherwise, we're going to end up spending all day here."

A sly grin spread across Matt's face as he shrugged his shoulders,

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. I wouldn't mind it."

He laughed. Kitty gave him the look of disapproval,

"Well, I would."

Matt weighed his choices carefully and nodded, "Yes, Ma'am."

Matt noticed as he and Kitty both stood up, that she was showing.

He smiled.

She had a glow about her that he had never seen before. He wondered to himself,

"How was it possible that she was even more beautiful to him now than she had ever been?"

Matt walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and resting his hands on her stomach. She smiled,

"Look at us, Matt. We are married, with two girls, and another on the way."

Matt's smile grew as he felt the child in Kitty's womb kick against his hands.

"Matthew Dillon, am I not the one that has kept you alive all this time?"

A voice echoed in the darkness; Matt's eyes flew open. His heart raced as he reached for his gun.

The room was quite dark, but as his eyes adjusted to the soft dim moonlight, he could see he was alone. He sighed, placing the gun back in its holster. He exhaled again, raking his fingers through his hair and rubbing his face, "That voice must have been in the dream, that or I'm going crazy."

He thought to himself. "But that dream was so real, Kitty and those girls..."

He shook his head, "She wouldn't have left because of... No! It was just a dream."

Matt laid his head back on his pillow, but there were too many thoughts that filled his mind, and he knew he wouldn't be getting any more sleep for a while.

With a sigh, he put his boots back on and made his way to the Long Branch. He felt so out of place going back there. Besides being the marshal and having friends like Doc, Festus, and Newly to talk to. The place seemed so dull and dim to him, without Kitty anymore, and ever since Sam died, it just wasn't the same.

.

He missed his redheaded woman with blue eyes that shined like diamonds, a smile that could light up a room, and laughter that was music to his ears. How his heart ached at the thought of Kitty, he missed everything about her

Hannah Cobb was a nice woman. But she couldn't hold a candle to Kitty.

But it seemed to Matt that Doc and Hannah had taken a shine to each other, and that made the middle-aged Marshal smile.

Matt sighed to clear his mind as he walked through the swinging doors of the saloon.

Hannah was at the bar and smiled at him.

"Howdy Marshal, would you like a drink?"

He only nodded as he made his way to join Doc and Festus.

Hannah could tell something was bothering the marshal, but she didn't want to press him. Besides, Doc would fill her in on it later.

At the other end of the bar, Burk and Dwayne Smith were busy talking. Hannah could overhear them.

"The marshal's been so lost without her. He should just go and get her. He has done it before."

The blond-headed man nodded in agreement with Burk, "I heard that she found someone to marry."

Hannah cleared her throat as she looked at Burk and the other gentlemen, he was talking with. They both looked up and nodded to her, "Hello, miss Hannah."

The woman nodded her head, "Burk, Dwayne, that's enough talk from the both of you. The marshal is sitting right over there. Besides, it's none of your business on why Miss Russell left. Now that's enough."

Both men only nodded as they went back to their beers.

Ever since the day Kitty left Dodge, her absence was known well by everyone.

Because they could see it in the marshal, he seemed so lost without her, no real rhyme or reason to be in the Long Branch or Dodge that much anymore. Festus and Newly could take care of the town. Matt was gone so much anymore. He preferred to be trailing outlaws than to be in Dodge. Where everything reminded him that she was gone.

Thank you guys so much for the kind reviews I love reading them :), and I'm so glad you guys are enjoying the story.

I hope this Chapter does well... haha I was up all night editing, My ADHD brain wouldn't let me sleep lol so I apologize if it's a little rough around the edges.

Don't worry. the note from Matt will be read in the next chapter, I just got to thinking that we should see how Kitty's cowboy was doing without her there.