I know this is up a day early up, but I will be out of town tomorrow and won't be able to post, so I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.

The smell of fresh coffee filled the house with its warm and welcoming aroma, as it drifted from the kitchen to the rest of the home. Kitty placed the coffee pot, mugs, and some cookies on the serving tray. Then she made her way to the home library where Bethany had been keeping Newly entertained for the last twenty minutes. The child showed him all the books she owned and the ones she had read and a few of her other favorite things.

Kitty smiled as she watched from the doorway,

"This is my doll. Her name is Amanda," Bethany handed her doll to Newly, who smiled and nodded his head. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Amanda..."

He then lifted the doll to his ear as though it was talking to him," What's that? Huh, okay, I'll tell her."

With a smile, he handed the doll back to Bethany. the child looked up at him with wide eyes, "What did she say to you?" Newly smile widened, "Well, Miss Bethany, Amanda wanted me to tell you. That you are the prettiest and nicest little lady; she has ever met." Bethany could only smile as she looked down in a bashful sort of way. She didn't know what to say.

So, Bethany did the only thing she could think of, climbing up on Newly's lap and gave him a big hug.

"I love you, Uncle Newly."

The young man only smiled, the more the girls called him that, the more he loved it.

Being from a small family, Newly didn't have any nieces or nephews. But with these two little girls, he was more than willing to be their Uncle Newly.

"I love you too, Beth."

Bethany pulled back from the hug and looked at him, Newly paused for a moment,

"What did I say?"

"Uncle Newly, my name is B-E-T-H-A-N-Y!" The child gulped at the thought of saying that other name,

"Not- not Be-Be-Beth!"

Bethany shuttered at saying that name. It was like she had some bad taste left in her mouth afterward. Newly closed his eyes tight and bit his lip to keep from laughing. He didn't want to upset the young redhead any further. He swallowed back the chuckle that was in his throat and cleared it,

"I'll make a note of it Beth-any."

The child only rolled her eyes as she realized he was now only teasing her.

Kitty softly laughed as she saw everything that had unfolded. She entered the room with mugs and spoons rattling as she set them down on the table.

"Alright Bethany, that's enough of pestering our guest for right now. It's my turn to talk with Newly."

The child sighed, but then she noticed the cookies and started to reach for one. When she did, Kitty gave her a stern look,

"Your Auntie Sarah has some cookies for you in the kitchen, and she is eager to hear all about the story of Black Beauty."

Bethany sighed, "Awe, Mama, do I have to go? I love talking with Uncle Newly."

Her mother only nodded in reply as she took hold of the book that Bethany had brought downstairs with her. "I'll tell ya what though, maybe you can come back in later." Kitty tapped the child on the nose then winked at her.

"Alright, Mama. Goodbye, Uncle Newly!"

With that Bethany, picked up Amanda, her book, and made her way to the kitchen.

Her mother watched as Bethany disappeared around the corner, and her footsteps faded down the hallway. Kitty closed the door once she could no longer hear the child.

"She's a bright young child, Kitty. Both your girls are,"

Newly smiled at Kitty as she took a seat in the chair across from him. She could only beam with pride.

"Thank you, Newly. Bethany is quite the little bookworm if you haven't noticed. Maddie loves stories too, but don't let her littleness fool you. She is full of spunk and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty, nor is she afraid of bugs, worms, or creepy-crawly things for that fact. But when it comes to animals, those girls love anything with four legs and fur."

The man could only smile.

"They take after you and the marshal..." Newly let the last of his words fade, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Dillon, I mean, Miss Russell. I mean Kitty, I'm sorry this has been rather confusing for me ever since I saw you and the girls this morning."

Kitty looked down and sighed, she was looking for the words to say, but nothing would come.

"I'm sorry, Kitty. I didn't mean to pry,"

A warm smile spread across Kitty's face as she looked back up at the man.

"Newly, you're not prying at all. I've been running from the truth for so long that sometimes I have forgotten what the truth is..."

She took a deep breath. "The reality is, Matt and I are not married. This ring that I wear." Kitty slid the ring off and handed it to Newly, "The ring is more for show than anything. It keeps people from asking questions and looking at me. I-I guess I did it for the girls' sake than my own."

She sniffed a little. Sweet Newly, he only sat there ready and waiting for her to tell the story. She softly smiled, as he handed the ring back to her.

"Matt doesn't know about the girls."

Kitty looked up at the man, she could see the wheels turning in Newly's mind, but he looked more confused than ever.

She only chuckled. As she reached for the coffee pot and mugs, "Newly, you better let me pour you some coffee. This story is going to take a while."

Kitty spent the next hour and a half telling Newly everything. She let out a sigh of relief, it felt a little freeing. Newly looked at her.

"That's a lot to take in. I can understand your reasoning Miss Kitty, but may I ask you something?"

"Sure, what do you want to know?"

"Why-why did you keep the girls a secret from Matt?"

Kitty leaned closer and tapped her thumbs together,

"Honestly, Newly, I've been asking myself that question for the past few months."

A quiet stillness settled into the room, like snow falling on a winter's day. The only sound that filled the air was coffee cups being placed back on the tray.

A few awkward moments passed before either one said anything until Kitty finally cleared her throat,

"How is everyone in Dodge?"

Newly smiled. "Everyone is doing well. Oh, Mrs. Roniger is going to have twins in a few months, so that would make 21, and she's going to be a grandmother a few months later."

Kitty could only chuckle. There was no limit to love in that family.

"Bess will be a wonderful Grandmother. She'll spoil those grandbabies of hers."

Laughter filled the air as they both imagined Bess as a grandmother.

As the silence filled the air once again, Kitty's mind turned to the man she missed the most.

"Ho-how is Matt doing?"

Newly sighed, "He-He's alright. He doesn't stay in town that much anymore. Festus and I can keep things under control while he is gone."

Kitty bit her lips. She had been worried about that. She never meant to leave a big hole in that cowboy's heart.

"Oh, Cowboy,"

She didn't realize she said it out loud. Newly only nodded, not knowing what else to say.

Soon Kitty saw movement out of the corner of her eye as the door opened, and a little girl was standing there.

She turned to see a sleepy-headed little girl with messy hair and a rag doll tucked tightly under her arm.

Kitty smiled as she walked over to Maddie and picked her up, "Well, good afternoon, Sugar. Did you have a good nap?"

The child only bobbed her head up and down as she snuggled into her mother's arms.

Kitty kissed the dark brown curly locks as she held her child close.

Newly smiled at the sight. With a twinkle in his eye, he winked at Maddie as she waved at him.

"How old are you, Maddie?"

The little girl raised three fingers, then four. "I'm 3, but soon I'll be this many."

Newly could only smile at the child's response. He did the calculations in his mind, which sounded about right.

He could remember a short time when Kitty left town for a little while, a few years ago.

The many trips she would take to St. Louis, the countless times he would see her writing letters, in the Long Branch. He would wonder about it, but he never wanted to pry or intrude on her private life.

"Mama, I'm hungry."

Kitty smiled, "We will be having supper soon, but your Auntie Sarah and your sister are in the kitchen having some milk and cookies."

The child wasted no time climbing down from her mother's lap to go search for the cookies.

Both adults could only chuckle,

"There's nothing that makes a three-year-old move more than cookies,"

Kitty remarked.

"I guess so. I didn't even know little ones could move that fast."

"Ha! You should see them when they're just learning how to crawl. Then they are all over the place."

Newly could only nod, he let out a sigh. That was one of the dreams he and Patricia had, to have children. But her illness and death changed all of that. But there was one promise he could keep, one dream that he worked on fulfilling, that was becoming a doctor. Following in Doc's footprints was the best thing he could think of doing.

Since he was working with Doc, there had been times he got to help bring life into the world, and though it was not the same as being a father. But it always filled him with pride when he would hear the baby's first cry.

"Kitty, are you- I mean, do you have a plan for telling the Marshal about the girls?"

Kitty let out a sigh, "I think that is something I've been hiding from, along with other things. Oh, Newly, I've made such a mess of things that I-I...

Newly stopped her right there.

"Kitty, Matt would take it hard at first, but once he meets those girls. You would have nothing to worry about, those girls would have him wrapped around their fingers quicker than he can draw his colt.45."

Kitty laughed so hard that she snorted, "I guess you're right Newly, I've been trying to think of a way to tell him, but I freeze up each time I start thinking on it."

Newly let out a sigh as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, as he listened with intension.

"I've thought about returning to Dodge, with the girls in toe. But I have the feeling that would not work out too well."

Newly only nodded in agreement. "No, ma'am, I don't know that I would do it that way."

Kitty held her head low and nodded. "It's just the girls have been longing to meet their father, and I'm at my wit's end on what to do about it."

Newly's mind was racing like a herd of wild horses as he was trying to help Kitty with a plan. He sighed,

"Honestly, if I were the one receiving the news of being a father of two beautiful little girls. I would rather it be somewhere like here than back in Dodge. Where I could meet them, without anyone asking a bunch of questions, or looking down on them."

Kitty sat and pondered the thought, then Newly reached out and touched her hand, "Kitty, if you ask Matthew to come, he would drop everything and be on his way. He has been missing you ever since the day you left."

The woman looked up at him as a tear fell down her cheek, "You think so?"

The young man only nodded,

"I do, as a matter of fact, he gave me a letter to give to you."

Newly reached inside of his pocket, pulling out a letter, and handed it to her.

She smiled as she traced her cowboy's well-known handwriting.

"Thank you, Newly."

Newly only smiled in response, "It's My pleasure, Kitty. I'll be in town for the rest of the week. If there is anything you need, all you have to do is ask."

Kitty had a warm smile spread across her face, as she bit her lip.

"There is one thing Newly. Could you drive me to the preacher's house tomorrow?"

The young man had a funny look on his face, "Well, sure thing, Miss Kitty..."

Newly stopped what he was going to say, he didn't need to pry any further.

She smiled at him but hesitated for a moment, "Well, since I'm telling the truth, Preacher Webber and Abigail are ones that I need to come clean to."

"Kitty! The preacher?!

"I know, Newly, I know. I was scared of my past and what people might think of me because of being..."

She let her words fade to a whisper that Newly could barely hear, "A saloon owner and unwed mother, that I..." she let her words fade away,

Newly said nothing more but only nodded in his understanding way. "Sure thing, Miss Kitty."

Later in the evening, after Newly had left and the girls had gone to bed, Kitty was in the library sitting next to the fireplace, as the fire popped and crackled, giving warmth from the cool fall night air.

She opened the letter and began to read it.

Kitty's heart broke as she read about Bessie, the child Matt found alone on the prairie.

The poor girl had lost her folks, had a broken leg after taking a spill from her pony. Matt spoke of how her aunt wanted nothing to do with Bessie for the first few weeks she was there. The poor child even lost her pony.

Kitty could tell in Matt's letter he thought a lot of that little girl. She was only ten years old, Bethany's age.

At one point, he said, "Kitty if you were here in Dodge, I would have married you, and brought her to live with us. That is if her aunt wouldn't have changed her mind and let her stay."

She smiled at the thought.

Matt told her about a hillbilly family that came into Dodge and kidnapped Miss Hannah and three of her girls to marry men in the family. The oddest part about it was the girls fell in love with their captors and married a few months later. But Hannah returned to the Long Branch.

Kitty had to laugh at that, as she could remember when Orkey came riding in town and chose her to be his wife, she told him no. But he thought he could change her mind, so he kidnapped her.

If things were different, she might have taken Orkey up on his offer for marriage, but she couldn't bring herself to marry another man.

(Whether Matt admitted to it or not) Kitty was truthfully his woman, body, soul, and mind.

The only thing they didn't have was a marriage license to seal the deal.

When Kitty finished the letter, she looked at the last of the words Matt wrote.

"Kitty I love you and miss you with all of my heart, Matt."

She pondered that and thought on it as she stared into the burning fire. Kitty thought about all the things she needed to tell him. The thought of it felt overwhelming. Was everything coming undone? Or was it coming together? She couldn't tell the difference anymore. The only thing she knew was it was time for the hidden secrets to come out in the open.

Thank you guys for all the kind reviews!