Gunsmoke 1. Chapter 1

**Loose Ends**

August 2013

Chapter 1

Matt didn't know for sure how many days it had been since they'd arrived back in Dodge. Indeed the train journey and much of the time in the old warehouse and telegraph office at Miller's Crossroads were very much a blur. When he first became aware of what was going on he recognized that he was in Doc's office. He didn't have much to do except lie there and think, and that led to his growing sense of frustration. The fact that there was another man running his office was hard to accept and although he had been told that Tom Gilmore was a pleasant enough individual and had kept the town in good order, Dillon felt that Dodge was his responsibility and he should be the one out there taking care of it. He could not just lay around and watch someone else do his job.

It was early afternoon and Doc had left several hours ago to check on a patient or two just outside of town. Before leaving, the Physician had warned him not to put a foot outside of that bed for anything short of a fire raging loose in the office.

Dillon had stared at the ceiling for a while, then watched the window curtains flutter slightly in the early fall air. Kitty had been to see him that morning and had brought Ginny along. He could hardly recognize her now – all cleaned up with her hair neatly styled, to say nothing of the new clothes that Kitty must have bought for her. Dillon had promised her that as soon as Doc let him up out of this bed he would start working on locating her Aunt in San Francisco. The girl assured him she was in no rush. She was enjoying the new freedom she had found since she was no longer subject to Colter's whims, and had struck up quite a friendship with Kitty and Chester – and even Doc.

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to make his body relax, his leg still throbbed – maybe he should have accepted the powders the physician had offered him – but they clouded his mind and he didn't like that feeling.

He thought went back to the day he had first ridden into Dodge as a very green young Marshal. He'd never forget it. The ride north from Fort Worth, through the Nations and on into Kansas, had been a hard one. It was summer and the air was hot and still, he was dusty and trail-worn, but determined to arrive ahead of two cattle drives that were rapidly bearing down on Dodge City. The reputations of the Texas drovers had preceded them. They were a tough bunch of men who wanted to let their hair down after three months on the trail, and didn't much care for any law that would curb their fun, especially Kansas law. Sure he'd served his time as a deputy and learnt a lot by doing so, but suddenly he was on his own, having to make his own decisions and not expect any help to back him up. It took him several months to figure out the best way to control the wild cow town. At first he had isolated himself away from everyone else who lived here, but then as he became more confident in his abilities to handle drunken ranch hands, crooked gamblers and bands of drovers who inundated the town in waves, he relaxed a little and took time to look around. He personally went and introduced himself to all the business owners in the town, then he rode out to the homesteads and ranches in the surrounding area just trying to get to know the people he was protecting. Mostly they were hard working individuals of tough heritage. They fought the prairie and its whims to raise enough crops to feed themselves, their families and their livestock and if they were lucky have a little left over to sell in town so they could buy merchandise they could not grow. Many of these folks had travelled west to start a new life, following the inspiring promises that the new frontier held out to them. Sadly most of those promises were never kept.

Being a US Marshal in a frontier town was not an easy task. Sure there were many people who were grateful for his presence here. The business people and residents of the town felt safer with a permanent lawman based in Dodge and many of the ranchers and homesteaders out on the surrounding prairie had reason to appreciate his hunting down cattle rustlers and horse thieves. Of course there were always those individuals who thought the law had no right interfering with their lives, and they resented his presence. As for Dillon, he enjoyed feeling that he was making a difference in peoples lives and bringing some kind of order to this new land. He was committed to the badge he wore and what it stood for – even though that commitment came at a price. Law did not come easily to the wild ways of the prairie and many times he had finished up in this very bed recovering from a bullet wound or other injury acquired in defending it. How many outlaws, rustlers and bandits bore him a grudge and would willingly pay a professional gunslinger to end his life? He would never know the answer to that but fortunately he had a few skills and a lot of luck on his side and these had somehow seen him through, how long was it now, six maybe seven years?

He tried once more without success to find a comfortable position. Kitty said she would come back and spend time with him after the lunchtime rush was over. He looked forward to that. He thought about the feel of her gentle hands and soft lips until sleep finally eased his mind.

-xx-

The last two days had been the worst, he was awake most of the time now, but still Doc had kept him virtually confined to bed. He was only allowed to leave it to attend to the essentials of nature and even then with strong warnings as to the dire consequences he could expect if he put any weight at all on his leg. The personalities of the two men clashed relentlessly in the confined space until finally, by mutual agreement with the physician, he had been allowed to move to Kitty's rooms above the Long Branch.

-xx-

He had not slept much that first night back in the familiar brass bed above the saloon. Now it was that quiet, still time just before the dawn. Hardly any light made it's way through the lacy curtains that covered the windows facing Front Street. They hung still and limp patiently waiting for any slight breeze to stir them to life. The frustration brought on by the forced inactivity was bubbling to the surface despite his efforts at controlling it. He did not want to wake Kitty, but finally he could stand it no longer and swung his legs to the floor so he could reach for the hated crutches.

A soft groan came from the other occupant of the bed. In her sleep Kitty had felt the shift in weight as he changed position, then, as she realized what was going on, she sat up and looked directly at him with those piercing blue eyes.

"Matt Dillon, just what do you think you're doing?"

Her voice was more commanding than any army sergeant he had ever heard and it made him freeze in his tracks. He took a breath,

"I have to get moving Kitty. I can't spend another day just lying around, besides I think I can small coffee, Sam must be here already." He was unashamedly pleading with her now.

"Just wait till I can get some clothes on and I'll get him to come and help you." She reached for the blue cotton robe that hung by the bed and began wrapping it around herself.

"I can manage." The words crept out softly as if they knew the reception they would receive. As expected she stopped what she was doing and looked him straight in the eye.

"Don't you dare! Either you wait for Sam or I will go get Doc. He'll have you back in his office before you know what hit you."

Dillon waited reluctantly – he had heard how she had faced Colter there in St. Louis, and didn't doubt her words for a minute. According to what he had been told, Colter and two of his hired guns had approached the warehouse where he and Ginny had been hiding. They had not taken her seriously when she told them to come no further, she was protecting her man and young Ginny and under no circumstances would she back down. He smiled to himself at the thought of her small gentle hands around the grip of the Colt Peacemaker – hands that were not designed for the heavy pistol. It was his gun that he had used to bring down many an outlaw, not a weapon for a lady. She had brought it with her from Dodge and when Colter had showed up she had not hesitated to use it. The Counterfeiter hadn't thought the woman standing in front of him would actually fire the six-shooter and made the mistake of drawing against her. She had squeezed the trigger and sent an accurately aimed bullet on its way to find a new home in the center of Colter's chest. He was probably dead before he hit the ground. His two henchmen thought twice before facing this red headed fireball and in the end turned tail and left the scene as fast as their horses could carry them.

He reached over to retrieve his clothes from the chair where he had left them the night before and slowly eased into his shirt, then, a little more awkwardly managed to work his way into his pants. One leg had been slit up the side to accommodate the large dressing Doc had applied, but Kitty had worked some magic with a few buttons and some thread so he could appear decently clad in public. He sat there waiting, feeling the frustration rise within him again. He knew it was not anyone's fault- they were trying to do what was best for him, but all this fussing and mollycoddling was getting to him.

-xx-

He would not have admitted it but he was grateful for Sam's help. There seemed to be many more stairs than he remembered and the effort of negotiating them left him a little weakened. He was glad that it was not far from the bottom step to the table where everyone was gathered, and still feeling a little clumsy on the new crutches, he made his way to join Kitty and Doc. Tom Gilmore was also sitting there. Not only was the temporary Marshal running his town and his office, now it looked like he was taking over his friends as well. It irked him to see the man occupying what was rightfully his place at the table. Doc looked over at him trying not to offer unwanted help.

"Come and join the party Matt," he said as he pulled out a chair between himself and Kitty. He patiently watched as Matt settled himself at the table, then, once his friend was safely seated he took the crutches and propped them in the corner out of the way.

Kitty smiled at the blue eyed Marshal and touched his arm,

"I guess you never met Tom Gilmore, Matt – he's been keeping this town in line while you were gone."

Somehow Matt could not feel friendly towards the man he thought of as usurping his place in Dodge. Reluctantly he managed a smile and reached across the table to shake hands.

Kitty passed him a cup of coffee, and the conversation at the table resumed. Apparently Gilmore had to ride to Hays City to deliver a prisoner to trial, and planned to be gone for about four days. Matt did not usually enjoy that trip but today he envied the man. He would willingly fulfill that responsibility right now but knew it was going to be a long time before Doc would let him ride anywhere. He missed the feeling of being out there alone on the prairie, hearing the coyotes, feeling the air move around him, even the loneliness of nights spent under the stars appealed to him. Gilmore was going to be doing _his_ job.

The acting Marshal of Dodge City was getting ready to leave and pushed back his chair.

"I think Chester should have the horses and my gear ready by now so I'll see you all in a few days." He smiled to the occupants of the table and tipped his hat towards Kitty. Their goodbyes followed him to the door but Matt's stare followed the man long after he was out of sight. He seemed to be a little older than Dillon, certainly not as tall, but he had an air of quiet authority about him.

"So how's he been doing?" Matt's gaze returned to the others at the table. He was trying not to sound too jealous.

Doc looked at him, "It hurts your feelings doesn't it Matt, to watch someone else doing your job?"

Matt just looked at him, not deigning to offer any reply to that question. He played with his coffee cup for a while, deep in thought and not looking at either of his friends.

"Matt, how about we go fishing this afternoon," Kitty volunteered, trying to divert the conversation after a few seconds of awkward silence. She understood what Doc was doing. He was prodding at the Marshal in his own way, trying to keep him alert and functioning during this time that was so difficult for him but she understood Matt's ways also, how he felt about this town, how he needed his "alone time" out there on the trail. Somehow he used that time to 'reset' himself whenever maintaining the law came at a high personal cost. Right now that time was denied him and he was becoming more withdrawn by the minute.

The tall man just looked at her. Normally spending an afternoon fishing, particularly with his beautiful red head would be a special treat, but in these circumstances it seemed like a consolation prize.

"Seems to me," Doc continued, "someone with some time on their hands could work on tracking down the family of Genevieve Gitano. The poor girl has been living over at Ma Smalley's for almost a week now."

Matt had to admit he had not given much thought to that problem. Ginny had been to visit him a few times since they had been back, and he knew Kitty had taken her shopping all it was her quick thinking that had saved his life.

"Is Chester around?" he asked.

"He's probably still down at the jail," Kitty offered.

They all sat drinking the last of the coffee until finally the physician reached for his hat and his bag.

"I have to go make some house calls this morning, but I'll see you later Matt," he said pointedly in the Marshal's direction. Then he smiled sympathetically to Kitty as he got up to leave. "You too Kitty."

She returned his smile. "Be careful out there, Curly," she called after him. She turned to look at Matt and touched his arm again.

"So what are you going to do today?"  
"I was thinking of going to find Chester, maybe follow Doc's suggestion and work on locating Ginny's family. At least while Gilmore is out of town I can use my office."

"That's a good idea, Matt. I have to go through the stock and make out some orders, so just stay out of trouble." She looked around and located the crutches and handed them to him. Getting a good grip on them he hauled himself up on his good leg. He stood there a minute trying to get his balance. Somehow he was going to make it along Front Street to _his_ office.

-xx-

Tom Gilmore had been a US Marshal for more than a dozen years. He had spent much of that time assigned to the region around St. Joseph, Missouri. It was a town that had gone through a lot of rough times in the days before the civil war. Since the railroad had headed farther west it was no longer the 'end of the line' where all the dregs of humanity fell out of rusted rail cars, but the river ensured that the town still received its full measure of excitement. At one time he had been married, but he had been a lot younger then. They had moved to "St. Joe" when he had still been a deputy. His wife Melinda was not happy living in what was then not much more than a frontier town itself, and wanted to move back to her home in Illinois. Their marriage had not been a particularly happy one and one morning she had packed her bags and boarded the train. Fortunately they had no children and although he felt his life was missing something he was soon promoted to a full marshal and found that the badge he wore filled that void. A year or so ago he had started to look for new challenges and at his request the Marshal's service was sending him to places that needed help for a month or so, either to train a new lawman or maintain the peace until a permanent man could be found. He was of stocky build and standing just over six foot, had a height advantage over most. If necessary he could talk a crowd down, but when he had to he could use his fists effectively and knew how to stand his ground. If required he was faster than average with a gun, but certainly not as fast as Dillon – at least according to the stories he had heard. He was also a very careful, organized man. He hated clutter around the office, he liked the jail cells cleaned after each use, and the cots made up with a clean blanket. He always left his desk cleared of paper work before he went back to his room at night and all reports were filed on time or sooner.

He had almost got as far as the office and he could see the two horses tied up in front waiting for him, one was his and the other belonged to Jud Hawkes who was going to Hays to be tried for murder. A young man, dressed like he just arrived from some eastern city was looking in the windows of the jailhouse as he walked up.

"Can I help you mister?" he asked.

The young man turned to him in surprise, "I was just looking for the marshal." Gilmore was wearing a light trail coat and the newcomer had not seen his badge.

"Well you've found him, what can I do for you."

The city boy looked him up and down, "You sure you're the Marshal… I mean I thought there was a man called Dillon here."

"I'm sorry, I'm the Marshal here. Now if there's nothing I can do for you I have to be on my way."

He walked past the man and went into the office where he made his way towards the rifle rack. He took one of the Winchesters down and loaded it, putting spare ammunition in his pocket.

"Go get the prisoner Chester," he said as he checked his six-gun and replaced it in its holster.

The prisoner emerged from the cells followed by the jailer. Gilmore had Jud face the desk and from behind checked all his pockets, then he turned him around and clicked the handcuffs in place.

"Any trouble from you and I'll fasten your hands behind you and your ride to Hays will be pretty miserable." He made to usher him out of the door, but turned to Chester.

"There was some young city boy out there on Front Street looking for Dillon – you might tell him to keep an eye out. I haven't seen his face on any wanted posters and he didn't look like he was carrying a gun– but you never know."

"I'll be sure and tell him Mr. Gilmore, have a safe trip."

The jailer watched for a while as the two men mounted up and disappeared into the distance, then he turned and went back into the office.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Loose Ends**

Chapter 2

Taylor wanted to claim his prize. He knew he had given Colter enough information to find the identity of the tall man he had seen at the Treasury and now he wanted his reward, the girl Jennifer. He returned to the house in Richmond only to find that Colter was not there. The few staff remaining at the house told him that the Boss had taken several of his men and headed for St. Louis. No one seemed to know anything about Colter's niece, so he could only assume that she was either with Colter himself or had been taken by the tall lawman. Whichever it was, he was determined he would find her. He could remember the last evening she had spent with him – at her uncle's insistence of course. He remembered the feel of her delicate skin beneath his fingers, her fear made her tremble as he touched her, she had tried to pull away from him but he had not allowed it, he had enjoyed that feeling of control. Yes he would find her no matter what.

The young printer's apprentice was not rich, but he had managed to save a respectable sum of money from selling the paper and inks he stole from the printing office, he took some of that money and bought himself a train ticket all the way to St. Louis.

St. Louis was a big city, not as big as Washington where he lived, but big and noisy nonetheless. To begin with he could find no information at all. No one had heard of Mr. Colter or his young niece. He tried asking about a tall lawman probably from out west somewhere, but again he found no one to help him in his search. He did manage to find the US Marshal's office but could hardly go walking in there asking for information.

William Taylor may have had a bad attitude to work, but when he really wanted something he was smart enough to figure out how to get it and spared no effort in doing whatever it took to meet that end.

The young apprentice took a room at a small boarding house barely a block from the Marshal's Office. There was a small bar just around the corner from there, it was not a fancy place but may be somewhere a low income deputy might hang out, especially if he was alone and had no home to go to.

For the next three evenings he walked around to the small seedy saloon and sat alone at the end of the bar. He didn't drink much, just sat and nursed a couple of beers the whole evening – he needed to keep his mind sharp. He got talking to the elderly barkeep, never told him much, just small talk to make a friendly contact. On the fourth evening his patience paid off. He heard the old barkeep greet a young weathered looking cowboy.

"Evenin' there Deputy, hadn't seen you around for a few days."

"No I've been out on assignment Ben."

Taylor's ears perked up, "Deputy" – just the man he was looking for. He worked his way along the bar till he was standing shoulder to shoulder with the Deputy. He looked at the man and figured he was just a couple of years younger than himself. This should be easy.

"Hello there Deputy," he said slapping the man on the back, "I just want to buy you a drink. Always support the law – that's what I say." He turned and looked down the bar – "Hey barkeep – whisky for the Deputy."

He took the bottle and 2 glasses to one of the three small tables in the dimly lit saloon, encouraging the deputy to follow him.

"Yes friend," he went on, " I really admire what you men do, bringing law and order to this expanding country." Taylor continued in a similar vein, gradually plying the young deputy with whisky and at the same time making him feel relaxed enough to start talking.

"I bet you have witnessed some pretty tense situations in your time as a lawman."

It wasn't long before the young deputy started to recall some stories. At first he was a little reluctant to say much, but then the whisky overcame his inhibitions and he began to open up to this man who was buying the drinks. He never realized that the man was only drinking one measure for every two or three he was downing.

" A few days ago I got back from a really dangerous job." He hesitated a moment wondering if he should be talking about this – but no one had said it was classified.

"We got called to the small township of Millers Crossroads – it's about 15 miles east of here. Marshal Broderick and myself went out there to help another Marshal who had been on special assignment. It was pretty dangerous. He had been tracking some big money counterfeiter from back east and got himself in difficulties. We had to ride out and take charge of the situation."

"Good for you deputy. Did you catch the counterfeiter."

"Actually he was already dead when we arrived. Some woman had shot him."

"Oh my, you surely see some dangerous stuff."

"Yeh." The deputy's speech was getting a little slurred at this time. "Marshal Broderick left me out there to protect that Marshal, Dillon was his name, and the two women that were with him."

"That was a big responsibility."  
"I didn't take my eyes off of them for three days, then they got on the train and headed for Dodge City."

"Impressive, you obviously did a good job."

It wasn't long after this that Taylor told the deputy he had enjoyed talking to him but he had another appointment. He left him the remainder of the whisky bottle and made his way back to the boarding house where his room was. Tomorrow he would go to the train depot and buy a ticket to Dodge City, Kansas.

-xx-

It was a long and tedious journey and by the time William Taylor stepped down from the train in Dodge he was feeling in need of a bath and a bed. He looked down Front Street and was taken aback by the dust and the chaos. He had never been west of the Mississippi before and the whole atmosphere of this town was difficult for him to comprehend. There were an endless number of carts, wagons and buggy's of all types on the streets. Cowboys on horseback, chickens pecking in the dirt, a drunk or two sleeping on the boardwalk, even a few stray dogs, all so different to what he was used to. He was planning to get himself a room at the Dodge House, someone had pointed him in the right direction, but on the way he saw across the street a sign that read US Marshal, Dodge city, Kansas. Taking care to avoid at least 3 wagons and four men on horseback he walked towards the sign. It was to the left hand side of the door to a brick building. The windows facing the street had bars on them but he managed to look through them. Inside he could see a man with a stiff leg moving around, that was definitely not Dillon. He backed away from the window to find a tall well-built man looking at him.

"Can I help you?" the man had asked. He had replied that he was looking for the Marshal. When this man claimed to be the Marshal he was confused. His information could not have been that wrong. He didn't want to stay and ask any questions and maybe draw attention to himself, all he really wanted at that moment was to find a bed and catch up on the sleep he had missed on the train. The man who claimed to be the Marshal went inside the building and William Taylor took the opportunity to leave.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Loose Ends**

Chapter 3

Chester was cleaning the jail. The only prisoner they had was now on his way to Hays City. He had become quite accustomed to working with Mr. Gilmore. The man worked in a different way to Dillon, he was a well-organized and patient man, but he liked things done a certain way. When he had to be, he was good with a gun, not quite as fast as Matt Dillon, Chester thought, but fast enough for most purposes.

The Jailer paused in his work when he heard the door open, then a big smile planted itself on his face as his old boss stood framed in the doorway.

"Mr. Dillon if you ain't a sight for sore eyes." He hurried to move a bucket and mop so that the man on crutches could maneuver into the office.

"Here," he went to the desk and moved it forward a little, at the same time pulling the chair back so the tall man could work his way into it. Matt let out a sigh as he lowered himself to the chair behind the familiar piece of furniture. He ran his hands along the well-worn wood of the desktop; it said one thing to him, 'home'.

"Chester, we have a job to do." He took a sheet of paper from the desk drawer and wrote a few lines on it. "Take this to the telegraph office for me, then go over to Ma Smalley's and have Ginny come over here. We are going to find her family in San Francisco."

Suddenly he felt more like his old self, happy to be doing something. Chester even put a mug of coffee in front of him. It sure felt like home.

"Mr. Dillon, Mr. Gilmore told me to tell you there was some young fella out on the street lookin' for you. He said he couldn't remember seeing him on any poster, and he didn't look like he was wearing a gun. He said he looked like he came from back east somewhere. Do you want me to see if I can find him?"

"I'll worry about him later, right now we have to find Ginny's family."

-xx-

Genevieve Gitano told him everything she knew about her aunt. Not a whole lot to go on, but Matt had received an answer to his first telegram which gave him a list of all the US Marshals assigned to the San Francisco area. There were only three, but telegraphs to them brought back replies with names of local sheriffs in several small communities and townships around the region. Matt composed a second series of telegrams after which Chester was entrusted with one more trip to the telegraph office. He had only been back a few minutes when Kitty arrived and suggested they all go to Delmonico's for lunch. To Matt it was all as it should be; he was back in Dodge, sitting here with Chester to one side of him and Kitty on the other. Young Ginny sat across the table from him obviously enjoying every minute.

Kitty looked at Matt and smiled. She already noticed the change in him, his eyes were clearer, his smile spontaneous and certainly, she deduced as she watched the plate of food he had ordered disappear, there was nothing wrong with his appetite. Just the feeling of doing something again and not lying around all day had definitely improved his mood.

"That offer to go fishing this afternoon is still open, I bet Ginny would like to come, and

how about you Chester?"

"Aw I would love to Miss Kitty, but I promised Mr. Gilmore I would stay and clean the office while he was gone."

Matt looked at him, "It looked fine to me."

"Yeh Mr. Dillon but Mr. Gilmore likes it cleaned and swept out every week."

Matt looked at him in surprise, "Maybe I should get to know him a little better, it sounds like a good idea to me."

Kitty shook her head, she knew that Matt was not too fussy about the state of the jail – as long as it wasn't too dirty he didn't mind. Generally he and Chester had a system where they muddled along and then had a major clean out about twice a year.

Joe the waiter interrupted her amusement, "Miss Kitty, the cook says your picnic basket is ready." She told him thank you and then looked at Chester.

"Moss was going to have a wagon rigged up for us, would you go get it and save Matt having to walk back up to the livery?"

They didn't know it but when the wagon pulled up in front of the café, there was a set of eyes watching from across the street as they all climbed aboard.

They headed out towards Silver Creek, with Kitty driving the bay mare and Matt sitting beside her. Ginny sat in the back of the wagon with the picnic basket and blankets.

"I hope Moss remembered the fishing poles," she said trying to look behind her in to the back of the wagon. "They're all here Miss Kitty," Ginny called out. She was enjoying her afternoon with these two people she had come to know. For the first time in several years she felt she could relax and enjoy herself, not having to dread who Colter might be expecting her to entertain that evening.

The tall lawman was quiet, he should be driving not leaving it all to Kitty. She did her best to rouse him from his mood of self-pity, "Come on Matt, let's make the best of it. I know you don't think all this is fair, but Doc's only trying to get you back on your feet again."

-xx-

It was an early fall afternoon and the three people who sat on the bank of Silver Creek relaxed in the afternoon air. Matt was sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him and his back against a large log from a fallen tree. Earlier he had baited the hooks on the two fishing poles they had brought and, rather precariously, balancing on those infernal crutches, he showed Ginny how to cast the lines. She had taken eagerly to this new endeavor and while she sat at the edge of the water watching for any sign of a bite, Kitty came to sit next to Matt against the log. It wasn't long before she felt his hand reaching over to rest on hers. Ginny had wandered down the bank a little way, looking for a patch of weeds in the water. Matt had told her that would be a good place to fish. Making sure the young girl was engrossed in her new found sport, Matt reached his other hand behind Kitty's head and pulled her towards him for a gentle kiss. In truth Ginny had left them alone for that very purpose – she was a romantic at heart and could tell that these two people needed to be together.

-xx-

William Taylor had slept for a few hours – then, feeling recovered from the long train ride, he decided to go out in the town and find some information regarding Dillon and the girl. He had barely stepped out from the Dodge House when he saw a wagon across the street. The man with the stiff leg jumped down and proceeded to help three people, a red headed woman and a pretty dark haired girl – the sight of her made his heart beat faster and he wanted to run across the street and grab her, but then he saw the tall man who had been in Washington. He did not look so tall now, he was having a tough time moving around, he watched him having to manipulate on crutches and it brought him some sense of satisfaction.

Now he had to work on a way to take his Jennifer and maybe get rid of that marshal into the bargain. He would need a horse and also a gun. He had never handled a gun before, but by the look of the Lawman it shouldn't take a lot of skill to take care of him right now.

He had to think about this. He needed a place to take the girl. A place where he could convince her she belonged to him. Once he had accomplished that he could take her on to any city where he was not known to start a new life. It would be best if he could take care of that Marshal though. He would recognize the young apprentice from the printing shop and that would present difficulties. Nobody else in this town would recognize him, he would be safe enough. He walked across to Delmonico's to get something to eat and start working on his self appointed task.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Loose Ends**

Chapter 4

Dusk had fallen on Dodge by the time they returned to town. Kitty tactfully pulled the buggy in beside the stairs to Doc's office.

Matt frowned at her but knew he had little choice. Thankfully he had become better at maneuvering himself around on crutches now and managed the stairs pretty well.

Doc was in the process of cleaning instruments and re stocking his bag when he heard the big man making his way up the steps.

"Come on in Matt," he called without turning around from his task, "I'll be with you in a minute."  
Matt hung his hat on the stand by the door and made his way to the big roll top desk. He was about to sit in the chair when his eyes landed on an official looking brown envelope, just like those that his paycheck and other communications from the Marshal's service arrived in. Looking closer there was a sheet of paper half out of it and turning his head to be on the same angle he read his name, Mathew J Dillon, US Marshal. To begin with he thought Chester had left his mail here and was about to reach for it when Doc swatted his hand away.

"That is addressed to me Mister."

Dillon looked at him – "Why is the Marshal's service writing to you? You're not thinking of taking up a new profession are you?"

"No, the one I have keeps me busy enough. Now get up on the table while I wash my hands."

The Physician gathered the instruments and dressings he would need then reached in his vest pocket and extracted his spectacles from their case and put them on. He took the pitcher and poured some water in a bowl, then proceeded to wash his hands with carbolic soap.

"Did you and Kitty catch anything this afternoon?"  
"A pair of fair sized catfish, we didn't try too hard."  
"Kitty planning on fixin them up for supper?"

"I don't know. Doc, tell me what is in that envelope."

The physician was drying his hands on a clean towel and looked at Matt as he approached the table.

"They want to know how you're doing. I need to send them a report."  
"Why?"

"Well Mr. Marshal – I guess they need to know how much longer Tom Gilmore needs to stay here." He started to cut the bandage that was covering the wound, noting that there was still a little blood tinged drainage coming from the incision. That was not something he liked to see.  
Matt said nothing for a minute or two, then winced as Doc removed the last of the old dressing.

"I'm sorry Matt, this is just taking longer to heal than I thought it would."

"What are you going to tell them Doc?"

Again the physician hit a particularly sensitive spot and the lawman jerked his leg away involuntarily.

"Hold still Matt, how can I see what I am doing if you keep jumping all over the place?" Dillon took a breath and recovered his composure.  
"You didn't answer my question – what are you going to tell them?" The last few words were spoken through tight lips. He took another breath, "What are you doing Doc? It feels like you're working with a pic axe."

"Just lay back there and hush, I think I can see a small bone fragment left in here."

He turned to make his way towards one of the glass-fronted cabinets and opened the door to reach for an oblong enameled container with a lid. Opening it he searched for the instrument he needed.

"Now just hold on a minute Matt, this may hurt a bit but it needs to come out."

The marshal tensed his hands into fists and waited for the pain he knew was about to come.

The physician could see what he needed to get at. In order to spare a patient as much discomfort as possible he knew how to work quickly. Accuracy was also required, and somewhere along the way it was necessary to compromise between the two. The fragment was small, just a thin sliver, he needed a little more light to see it clearly and moved one of the oil lamps closer. He took the small blunt ended forceps he had procured and as gently as possible inserted them into the cavity.

"Hold very still now Matt, almost done." He grasped the small splinter of bone and smoothly as possible pulled it out of the wound. A trickle of blood came with it.

"That wasn't too bad was it?" he said looking over his glasses at the man on the table.

The lawman returned his gaze. "No I bet you didn't feel a thing."

He regulated his breathing back to normal then once more asked the question that was plaguing him.

"So what are you going to tell the Marshal's service?"  
Doc finished applying a clean dressing to the wound.

"That you need at least another month before you are ready to resume working, but if you do as your very skilled physician tells you, you should have no long lasting disability."

"Another month – you mean I gotta get around with these things for another month." He took the crutches that the physician handed him and looked at them with disgust.

"No, I think after another week or so I'll let you get rid of these. Just depends if that heals up all right – I think it will now I've got that little piece of bone out of the way."

-xx-

It had taken less than two days for Matt to track down Ginny's Aunt. The woman seemed anxious to meet her niece and had been worried about what had happened to her after her sister died so suddenly. She had sent a wire saying she and her husband planned to leave San Francisco in the next few days but wasn't sure how long it would take to get to Dodge City using railroad and then stage coach. They looked forward to meeting Genevieve.

With the brief flurry of activity over and Marshal Gilmore back in town, Matt was once more feeling pushed out of his rightful place in life. He had taken to spending time with Moss Grimmick at the stable, playing checkers and drinking coffee. He hated to go to his own office, it just didn't seem right. Kitty always seemed busy with books or orders and Chester was running errands for Gilmore. He felt totally useless and unnecessary and once more sank back into a morose mood. Even the mention of some young city man looking for him had completely slipped his mind.

It was earlier in the afternoon when Kitty made her way up the stairs to Doc's office. She was not sure where Matt was. For a few days there he had been kept busy trying to track down Ginny's Aunt in San Francisco. Dillon had a lot of connections in the Marshal's service and through them managed to contact several sheriffs and other law enforcement officers around that city. For a while he had a purpose and kept poor Chester busy running back and forth to the telegraph office. At last his efforts had paid off and Ginny's aunt was located. He felt good that he had accomplished that and pleased that Ginny finally had family and a home to go to, but now, once more, he was left with nothing to do but watch Tom Gilmore. He felt as useless as a fifth wheel on a buggy.

Kitty came to plead with Doc, maybe he could let the big man do a little more.

"Doc, you just don't have to spend all day with him." She had almost added 'and all night too', but stopped herself in time.

Doc paced the floor and wiped his hand across his face. He knew only too well that Matt was having problems adjusting to his temporary role, but saw no safe alternative.

'There was a lot of damage done by that bullet, and even though I have been cleaning it daily there is still some infection in there. I am concerned that if I let him off of those crutches he'll be out there chasing bank robbers and cattle rustlers and make it a whole lot worse."

Kitty nodded and thought for a minute, "I understand," she replied, "I just wish _he_ did."

"You need to take him out of town for a few days, a small vacation or something. It doesn't help him to watch Gilmore making rounds and doing what Matt considers his job in his town." The Doctor turned towards his desk and straightened some papers lying there.

"Shall I tell him that or will you," she said with more than a hint of sarcasm.

Doc thought for a minute as his left hand absently pilled on his ear. "Just leave it to me, I'll think of something."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Loose Ends**

Chapter 5

William Taylor had been busy. He had bought himself a gun from the general store, nothing too big or fancy, just something to have on hand to use if necessary. Then he made his way along to the livery and rented a horse from Moss Grimmick. His plan was to ride out onto the prairie west of Dodge and find a place where he could keep Jennifer for a while. He had never been much of a horseman – no need really when you lived in a city like Washington, he also didn't want to go too far from Dodge fearing he might get lost out there on the prairie. The first thing he wanted to do was become at least familiar with the gun he had bought. He found an old fallen tree and propped a couple of empty whisky bottles he had found on it. Then he stood back and fired. It took him six shots before he hit the first bottle. He was persistent however and managed to improve considerably over the next few hours.

It took him one more day to find an old deserted shack that would serve his purpose. It was rundown and filthy inside – but he would set Jennifer to work cleaning it up.

He had to be careful, he had noticed that Dillon spent several hours each day at Moss Grimmick's livery and he certainly didn't want to run in to him just yet. So far he had managed to avoid the lawman by timing his visits in the early morning and late afternoon when the Marshal seemed usually to be sitting in the Long Branch with the red headed woman he had seen him with before.

He had persuaded the desk clerk at the Dodge House to change his room to one overlooking Front Street. From there he spent many hours watching the people he was interested in, learning the times and places they visited most frequently.

The other Marshal, the one he had seen when he first came into town, had returned. He certainly didn't want to bump into him again either, that had been a mistake he could not afford to repeat.

-xx-

Doc clucked repeatedly to the sorrel gelding pulling his buggy, then flipped the lines a time or two.

"Come on old son you're getting fat and lazy", he growled to the dallying beast. Holding the reins in one hand he pulled out his pocket watch with the other. If he hurried he had just about enough time to drop by Ward Burton's place on his way back to Dodge. Melissa and Ward Burton were a middle aged couple he had known for many years. He had delivered every one of their five children. The three older ones, all daughters, were more or less grown now. The two oldest had married and moved away, and the third was at a boarding school in Virginia for a year. This left only the twin boys at home. He remembered the tough time he had delivering that pair eight years ago. They were an unexpected but welcome addition to Burton's family, even so, the pair came with a little more energy than the rancher and his wife had expected. Other than that, the boys were growing up just fine and looked like were all set to take over the ranch one day. About three weeks ago the pair of them had come down with whooping cough and Adams had made many trips to the ranch to supervise their care. Today would be his final check on them.

As he drove up to the ranch house he could see the boys out front of the house stacking wood. They came running up to his buggy, clamoring around him, knowing that often the physician carried sticks of horehound candy.

The front door of opened as he approached and he could see Melissa Burton standing there. An attractive woman in her mid forties she somehow managed to stay calm despite the chaos caused by the eight year olds.

"Boys, stop bothering Doctor Adams and take care of his horse and buggy," she called to them. The pair turned their attention from the Physician to the horse and eagerly took the lines to guide the obliging animal towards the barn.

"Come on in Doc," she called to him as Adams watched boys and buggy disappear around the corner of the house, "I have some fresh coffee on the stove and some peach pie left over that is still warm."

She proceeded to sit him down at the table and bring coffee and the promised pie.

"Ward will be in presently, he's just out there talking with Diffy." Doc knew that Diffy was their hired help, a pleasant man, not too smart, but well able to take care of the family's horses and the barn. Burton hired a group of cowboys to take care of the two thousand or so head of cattle that he owned, but they lived out of the bunkhouse quite a distance away from the ranch house. He believed Burton had set that system up several years ago when his first three children – all girls – were growing up. He hadn't liked the idea of a bunch of rough cowboys being anywhere near his daughters so he kept them as far from the family home as possible.

"I just came by to check on the boys Mrs. Burton."  
"We're so grateful to you Doc, they both seem well over it now. Ward and I were going to take them to Wichita. You remember Margaret, our eldest, she is expecting her first child any day now and Ward and I wanted to be there."

"Who's going to watch the ranch for you?"

"Well we don't have anyone really. Diffy will take care of the horses and the hands will mind the herd. I guess we will just lock the house up and hope for the best."

It wasn't long before Ward Burton joined them and dragged the two boys in for Doc to check. The physician looked at throats, listened to chests and checked ears. Satisfied all was well, he searched deep in his bag and came out with two sticks of candy. The boys took them eagerly, were reminded to say thank you, then sent back outside to finish their chores. Doc returned to the table to finish his pie and coffee.

Almost an hour passed during which time Doc caught up on news of the rest of the Burton family and supplied information about events from Dodge and the surrounding ranches. He glanced at his watch and decided it was time he headed back to town.

Ward went to the back door and called to the boys to bring Doc's buggy round to the front of the house then followed Adams out onto the porch.

"How much do I owe you Doc, you must have made five or six visits out here over those boys. Melissa and are I really grateful."

Adams smiled ignoring the question then tentatively passed a hand over his mustache. He thought for a moment or two before answering.

"Ward I have somewhat of a favor to ask you. I have a patient who needs a place to rest up for a few days and I hear you are going out of town and have no one to watch the house."

"I'm listening, who would that be."

Doc hesitated for a moment, looking towards the barn he watched as the two boys he had just checked on were seated in his buggy arguing over who would drive the lazy gelding to the front of the house. He smiled, they certainly seemed to be well over their illness now. He turned his attention back to the Rancher.

"Well it's Marshal Dillon, you know he's been hobbling around on crutches for a couple of weeks now, and I think he would feel a lot better if he got away from Dodge for a few days."

The rancher laughed – "Well I couldn't have anyone better to watch the house could I. He certainly came out here fast enough when I needed help with those rustlers and again the time when I had trouble with that group of the hired hands. I'd noticed we had a new Marshal in town and wondered what was going on."

"Well it's only temporary, Matt will be back on the job in two or three weeks."

"Tell him he's welcome to come out here – and bring Miss Kitty too, I know Melissa appreciated her help when the twins were born."

"One more thing Ward. I think it would be better if you asked him, I don't think it would go over well coming from me."

"I understand, I'll be in town tomorrow picking up supplies for the bunkhouse kitchen, I'll ask him then."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Loose Ends**

Chapter 6

Dillon thought it had been a pretty good morning. Firstly Doc had finally allowed him to get rid of the hated crutches, admittedly he insisted he use a cane for a while – but at least the crutches were gone. His second call had been to the telegraph office where a message was waiting for him. Ginny's Aunt and Uncle were on their way to Dodge City and should arrive in four or five days. With the envelope in hand he made his way to Delmonico's to meet Kitty and his young friend for lunch feeling that finally his life was getting back to normal.

The meal was a pleasant interlude to break the monotony of the day. Ginny was so excited about meeting her Aunt and couldn't help but imagine out loud what she would be like. Her conversation kept them entertained throughout the meal. The trio had just finished eating when Ward Burton entered and came over to their table. He was an intelligent looking man with a commanding presence. He removed his hat to reveal a graying head of hair.  
"Miss Kitty, Marshal."

Matt was trying to stand so he could introduce Ginny.

"Please Marshal," Burton waved the lawman back to his seat, "I heard you had sustained an injury."

Matt nodded his thanks and indicated Ginny –"this is Genevieve Gitano, she is here in Dodge for a few days waiting the arrival of her Aunt and Uncle. Kitty and I have been showing her around. Ginny this is Mr. Ward Burton, he owns a ranch just beyond the edge of town."

"How are your boys?" Kitty enquired, "I heard they had both been sick."

"They're both fine now. In fact that is why I am here. Matt, I understand you are temporarily unemployed and I'd like to offer you a job. Pay's not good I'm afraid."

"Tell me about it, I'm a little limited right now but maybe I can help." Matt glanced towards Kitty as Burton went on to explain how he was taking his family to Wichita for a week or so and needed someone to keep an eye on the ranch.

"Miss Kitty I know you like it out there and maybe Miss Gitano her would enjoy a change of scenery for a few days. The fishing has been real good lately Matt. Diffy is out there and he'll take care of the barn and horses. Melissa and I would be real grateful to you."

Matt looked from Kitty to Burton. "Whose idea was this?" he was halfway laughing, but at the same time he knew either Doc or Kitty had a part in it.

Burton ignored his statement.

"You are welcome to stay out there if you want to, just go ahead and make yourself at home. We'll be leaving on this evening's train."

Matt thought about it  
" All right I'll see about riding out that way tomorrow and I'll keep an eye on the place while you're gone."  
" Thanks Matt." The rancher took his leave before he could be questioned further.

Dillon cast his eyes sideways at Kitty "Your idea?"

"No, don't look at me like that Mathew Dillon." She smiled inwardly, though, feeling pretty sure that Doc had been true to his word.

-xx-

William Taylor sat at his window the next morning just watching Front Street and was delighted to see Dillon and the young girl loading up a small wagon and head out of town. He followed with his eyes as they took the trail going west. How lucky could he get? He almost ran to the livery to tack up the horse he had been renting.

"You're in a hurry this morning." Moss greeted him. The young man had become a regular customer this last week. The stable man had no idea what he did each day, but he always brought the horse back on time and in good shape so he had no complaints.

The man mumbled a few words, then took the horse and left. Moss shook his head and went back to work, thinking no more about it.

-xx-

Even though he was convinced that Doc or Kitty had set him up for this "job", Matt had to admit he was quite enjoying the buggy ride out to the Burton Ranch. It was only about thirty minutes from town and the lively conversation from Ginny, as she wondered what her new family would be like, stopped him from dwelling too much on his current situation. The air was cool now that the peak of summer had passed, and the grey gelding pulling the buggy seemed willing to put effort into his stride. Somehow he admired the young woman seated next to him. She had been through some great upheavals in her life but retained a sense of wonder at the sights around her, and showed a good deal of common sense.

"Marshal," he felt her tugging on his arm, "did you not hear my question?"

"Er… I guess not Ginny, what was it."

"When are you and Miss Kitty going to get married? She really cares about you, you know, and she'd be a great mother and.."

Matt interrupted her, those thoughts always made him withdraw into himself, "I can't talk about that, it doesn't go with my job." He pulled the buggy off onto a narrow trail leading to the Burton place. "Look ahead there and in a minute you'll see the house."

Having distracted her from her previous topic of conversation he began to tell her about the ranch and how many head of cattle Mr. Burton had grazing here, and how the man had built up this place from nothing over the last twenty years. He didn't think she was interested, but she was at least polite enough to listen and not ply him with more questions on a subject he did not want to discuss.

He pulled the buggy up in front of the house and intended to help her down – only to find she was a lot faster than he was. He opened the front door and let her inside. It must be about a year since he had been out here. The place as usual was neat and clean, somehow it always felt like a home rather than just a house, it did make him think for a moment that maybe there was something more to life than a badge and the Marshal's office. It seemed a lifetime ago since he had known a real home. He quickly pulled his thoughts back to the present.

"Mrs. Burton said you could use the boys' room while we are here." He went and opened the door for her. The room was not large. A window across from the doorway was covered with a blind pulled halfway down. There was a set of bunk beds along one wall with brightly colored quilts on each, and a large circular rug in similar colors on the floor. Other than that a small dresser stood in the corner. It was all very simple yet welcoming. She set the small bag she had brought on the floor.

"I'll go take care of the horse and buggy and get Diffy to bring in the supplies we brought. Then maybe we can do a little fishing and see what we can catch for supper. Kitty said she would be out later this afternoon and she'd really enjoy some fresh caught bass.

-xx-

William Taylor found it easy to follow the buggy without being seen. The road out this side of town was well maintained and he could watch them way in the distance without getting too close. He could hardly believe his luck, one crippled Marshal and one young girl, how could he fail? He watched as they turned off the main trail onto a narrow less used track, but did not follow directly, he watched till they were out of sight, then took a more circuitous route. He saw the ranch house in the distance and watched as Dillon and the girl went inside. He continued to observe them from his hiding place in a clump of scrubby brush a safe distance for the house. For a while he thought there were only the two of them, but then his eye caught sight of a man coming from the barn.

He decided not to rush in then and there. He needed some rope and a few other things to make sure his scheme would work so decided to go back to town and visit the general store. It looked like Dillon and the girl where going to be staying out here for a few days by the amount of supplies they brought. He didn't really like that idea, but she was going to be his in a day or so and it would be all the better for the waiting.

-xx-

Chester brought Kitty out to the ranch late that afternoon, and when the jailer saw the fish that Matt and Ginny had caught he decided to stay for supper. They even invited Diffy to join them – at first he was a little reluctant because he hardly ever came inside the ranch house, but Kitty easily persuaded him to come and share their meal. He only stayed long enough to eat then returned to his bunk in the barn. Kitty and Matt tried to get Chester to stay the night, but he said Mr. Gilmore was expecting him back so he would leave. It was barely dark yet and he would be able to make good time to Dodge.

Matt and Kitty went outside to see the jailer off, then lingered for a while on the front porch. Ginny – ever the romantic because of all the classic plays and operas she had grown up with, was happy to see them sitting on the small swing and holding hands. She set about cleaning the supper dishes, just checking on her friends from time to time.

As darkness wrapped around them, the lawman and the saloon owner moved closer and he put his arm around her to protect her from the incoming cooler air. They stared at the sky full of stars, there was only a sliver of the moon visible and that made them seem even brighter than usual. She looked up at him and he brushed her cheek with his lips.

"Come on honey, we should go back in side before you get chilled," his words were just a whisper.

-xx-

Ginny had found a whole collection of books on a shelf in the living room, including several works of Shakespeare. It was amazing to find something so familiar to her way out here on the prairie. She took one of her favorites down and started thumbing through the pages, the words she almost knew by heart, reminded her of her mother and the good times they had had together. She carried the book back to her bedroom and lay on the bed reading and thinking. She had so many emotions running through her, sadness at the loss of her mother, relief to be away from Colter and delight in the new friends she had found. Now in a few days her life would change yet again, what was that going to be like?

When Kitty and Matt made their way into the living room of the ranch house they found they were all alone. Kitty looked around for the boxes of supplies she had sent in the buggy with Matt and found them stacked them in a corner behind the back door where Diffy had left them. Finally she found what she was looking for – two wine glasses and a bottle of brandy. Pouring a good measure into each glass, she smiled, "You know this is kind of cozy, Matt, we should do it more often." He laughed and patted the empty space next to him on the small settee. She joined him there and as they sipped on the delicate liquid she felt his strong arm come to rest around her shoulders and then gently pull her towards him until she was leaning on his chest. They sat like this in a comfortable silence. There was a soft glow from the log fire that burned quietly in the hearth, giving just enough heat to combat the slight chill of the fall air, and an inner glow from the amber liquid they were sipping added to the comfortable familiarity of the closeness between them.

The wine was finished and the fire almost down to just an ember. Matt felt Kitty's body relax against him as if she were drifting into sleep.

"Come on honey, its time we went to bed." He helped her up and she leaned into him as they made their way into the slight chill of the bedroom. Mrs. Burton had made up the elegantly crafted wood four-poster bed with clean sheets and a soft comforter.

"This is such a peaceful place Matt, it seems so far from Dodge and all its noise and confusion." She heard him come up behind her as she brushed her hair. He had already removed his shirt and rested his bare arms around her shoulders.

"The day's not over yet," he turned her towards him and began to undo the buttons of her dress. It had been so long since she had felt this sensation that shivers ran down her spine.  
"Oh Matt I have missed this feeling," she whispered through barely open lips.

Typical of her man he did not want to hurry and she tried to control her desire as, carefully, he eased her out of her clothes and guided her to the bed. They did not need words, it had all been said many times, anyway she knew her man was not good with words but made up for it in so many other ways. His gentle touch was strangely incongruous considering his large calloused hands, but she reveled in the very feel of it. He blew out the small decorative lamp by the bed then slowly and carefully sent those same lips in search of hers. His tongue found its way into the confines of her sweet mouth and what followed was a slowly orchestrated dance between two bodies that each knew every contour of the other. The darkness drew around them like a curtain offering protection from the demons of the outside world for those few treasured moments.

-xx-

Morning came all too soon and Kitty awoke to the sounds of a busy kitchen coming through the heavy wooden bedroom door. For once Matt was still there beside her even though it was full daylight outside, and he turned towards her smiling. "I think our Ginny is out there fixing breakfast. Maybe we should just stay here and give her a little more time."

"I need to go and help her, Cowboy, you can stay here and I'll bring you some coffee."

Matt took his time getting dressed, his leg was feeling much better now, and he was able to walk around with barely a limp and only a little discomfort. He joined the women in the living room – feeling a little embarrassed by the fact Ginny would know that he and Kitty had shared a bed last night. The young girl, however, did not seem in the least disturbed by that fact – on the contrary, she was pleased that they made use of the opportunity she had helped provide.

Breakfast over Matt went to the barn to get the buggy hitched up for Kitty. The plan was for Chester to return with it in the evening to collect Ginny and him. It would give the young girl another day to experience life on the ranch before she returned to Dodge to meet with her Aunt and Uncle when they arrived from San Francisco. Ginny had told him that she was excited by the prospect of having a family once more, but at the same time she had become accustomed to being with her Dodge City 'family' and knew she was going to miss them very much when she left. She also threw in for good measure that she wanted an invitation to the wedding to which the good Marshal gave no reply and proceeded to talk about fishing.

Matt helped Kitty up into the wagon and handed her the lines. A pair of eyes was watching as he gave her a parting kiss then waited as she drove out of sight towards the road to Dodge. Matt did not notice the eyes following every movement from a clump of scrubby brush just beyond the ranch house. William Taylor watched the buggy disappear out of sight. He knew now that the redhead must have been the woman who shot Colter, no matter, it was the girl he wanted and the tall lawman who had taken her away. He would stay focused on them.

-xx-

Dillon returned to the house just as Ginny had finished clearing the breakfast table. He had told her he would take her riding today. Mr. Burton had left his horses at their disposal. There was a grey gelding big enough for him to ride, and a pony belonging to one of the boys that would suit her perfectly. He didn't intend to take her far, maybe just ride out to the bend in the river and back. They would need time to pack up some of the stuff they had brought with them, before Chester arrived to take them back to Dodge.

He walked across to the barn to tack up the two animals. Surprised that Diffy was not around, he walked over to the small room where saddles and bridles were kept neat and clean and started to pick out something suitable. He was about to turn around and call for Diffy when something struck him from behind and the world went black.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Loose Ends**

Chapter 7

Ginny had been looking forward to going riding. Once or twice as a child she had ridden in the great forests of Europe with her mother, but that was so long ago she barely remembered it. Colter did not allow her to ride off on her own and she certainly would not go riding with any of those men he hired.

She had bought a skirt in Dodge that would work for a riding outfit and went back to the bedroom to change. She was just finishing up when she heard the front door open.

"I'll be there in five minutes Marshal," she called. A few seconds later she spun around as the bedroom door opened and there stood Taylor. She was suddenly filled with horror, this wonderful peaceful place shattered. She had begun to feel safe and now that was gone in a heartbeat. Her hand flew to her mouth, she was so scared, she tried to back away from him. "No," she screamed as his hand reached out towards her. She tried to side step away from his as all the bad memories of her nights with this man came flooding back. She had thought all that was behind her, maybe this was just a nightmare but she thought not. Gradually she got herself under control.

"What are..you doing here William?"

He snatched at her arm and dragged her towards him.

"You wait till Marshal Dillon finds you," she said to help herself control her fear.

He laughed. "He won't be helping you."

The way he said it made her worry for her friend's safety.

He pulled her roughly towards the door and forced her onto the porch.

"Give me a kiss Jennifer," he said as he pulled her into his arms. She felt his hot breath on her and somehow managed to get a hand free and slapped it across his face. He laughed at her futile effort and trapped the offending hand.

"Come on now, make it easy on yourself, get up on the horse."  
He forced her up on his horse, then giving her no chance to get away, climbed up behind her, trapping her in his arms. She hated the way his hands were holding her, they were mean and cruel, trying to hurt her.

He spun the horse away from the ranch and off towards the open prairie. Ginny did her best not to let tears fall from her eyes. She would not cower towards this man.

-xx-

Matt came to on the floor of the barn. His hands and feet were tied, but whoever had done it had not done a great job. He had no idea what had happened except that someone had hit him over the head. Carefully he worked his wrists until he managed to get one hand out from the ropes – from there it took him no time to work himself free. Carefully he stood up rubbing the back of his head. There was no blood, just a painful lump. Slowly he walked around and looked at the empty stalls. Whoever had hit him had been smart enough to turn the horses loose. At last he found Diffy – he was still out cold, tied up in the tack room. He released the man's bonds and then suddenly the thought of Ginny hit him.

In fear he ran back to the house. He dreaded finding her gone, but that is what had happened. Where was she? Some one must have taken her, he knew she would not have left voluntarily. Carefully he searched through the house. The only clue he could find was a hairbrush lying on the floor with a large silver barrette. Kitty had given it to her – there was no way she would have thrown it on the floor like that. He went outside to search the ground around the front porch and found her small foot prints in the company of larger feet wearing boots. It appeared she was being partly dragged along. There were so many horse tracks out there that he could not make out anything special. Who would want to take Ginny? Then he remembered what Chester had told him about the young city man looking for the Marshal. Was it possible that William Taylor had found her? He knew for certain they had never caught up with him in Virginia or Washington and realized he only had himself to blame for not following up on the strange young man who had been seen in Dodge.

Now it was even more urgent that he find her fast, after what she had told him he knew the man would harm her, possibly even kill her. He had no choice but to find her.

He ran back to the barn to see Diffy stumbling through the door, one hand to his head.

"Someone's taken the girl, I have to go after them," he called to the stable man as he got closer

Diffy seemed a little slow to recover so Dillon scooped up a dipper of water from the bucket just inside the barn door.

"Here drink this, it'll help." The hired hand gratefully accepted the water, drank a mouthful then poured the rest over his head. It did seem to help.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Someone turned the horses loose, I need you to find them and saddle one for me. I'm going to see if I can find any tracks. You ride on into town and see if you can find Chester or Marshal Gilmore and tell them what's happened."

-xx-

The grey gelding belonging to Ward Burton was nowhere near as fast or as comfortable a mount as his own buckskin, but Matt knew his choice was limited.

He circled the area where the trail to the ranch met the main road to Dodge, he was looking for a fresh set of prints. Finally he found them, the tracks went deeper into the sandy track than most of the other prints, they were the freshest ones out there too. He figured they were riding double, that would slow them down. It was not an easy trail to follow and he had to keep getting down from the horse he was riding to check that he was still on the right track. They were going west, he kept searching his mind for a place they could be headed for, somehow he didn't think Taylor would want to venture too far from Dodge, he was a city boy and would not be comfortable out there on the prairie. Eventually he remembered and old nester's shack about 15 miles ahead. That would probably take him about two hours at the rate the horse he was riding was moving. He could move a little faster now that he had an idea where they were headed, even so he still dismounted and took a closer look at the tracks every now and again, just to be sure.

Finally the light was starting to fade, but by now he was even more certain where they were headed.

-xx-

They were moving fast along the road heading away from Dodge. She could feel Taylor's hot breath on her neck but was determined not to show fear, that would only make him worse. They seemed to ride forever until he pulled the horse over into the trees. He had seen a cloud of dust ahead and knew there were riders coming in the opposite direction, he didn't want to be seen. It would also be a good chance to rest the horse and inspect his prize.

He dismounted and dragged her after him. She wanted to run back to the road and signal the other riders but his hold on her was too firm.

"Let me look at you now Jennifer." He was holding her arm and pulled her towards him, planning to indulge in a long breathtaking kiss. Ginny lifted her foot, clad with the new leather boot with sturdy heels that Kitty had bought her, and brought it firmly down on his instep. She had seen that he was wearing thin city boots – not the thicker cowboy style that most of the men around Dodge wore. The sudden pain startled him and he loosened his grip. She took the opportunity to break away and ran back towards the road. If she had been wearing "Jimmie's" clothes she could have made it, but these skirts made her stumble, she fell to the ground and almost instantly Taylor was on top of her.

"Come on Jennifer, you know what I want." The smell of his breath as he kissed her neck was making her heart beat faster with fear, but she did not want to show it.

"No not here," she tried to speak calmly, "you never know who might come along. Tell me where are we headed? Maybe you have somewhere more private in mind. I could please you better if it was somewhere more private."

He calmed down a little. She was playing for time, hoping someone would be coming to look for her before they got too far away. She had no idea what had happened to the Marshal and Diffy, but the way Taylor had spoken they could both be dead. She had to presume that she was on her own.

He thought about her offer, maybe she was right but on the other hand he had been waiting so long for this moment. He thought of the quiet little cabin he had found, there would be no interruptions there, and no one to hear if she screamed.

"Get back on the horse," he ordered her, "we're moving on."

She had won a battle – but it had only brought about a temporary delay. She would have to stay alert for any opportunity to escape from this evil man.

It was at least another hour before Taylor pulled the horse up to a half demolished hitching rail in front of a dilapidated shack. By the look of things it had not been much of a structure to start with – but now it looked as if a puff of wind would bring it to the ground.

He pushed her inside through the front door that looked like it had been worked on recently. There were new hinges and she couldn't help but notice the bright new lock, which looked out of place on the run down shack. The inside was dark, there was one window but it had been partly boarded over with a shutter fastened firmly on the outside. It looked more like a prison cell more than anything else.

He pointed to a bucket, mop and broom which were propped in one corner, other than that there was a pot belly stove, a very dirty looking metal tub for a sink and an old mattress on the floor in a corner. There was a table and two wooden chairs. The place looked like nobody had lived there in years.

"You can start cleaning this place up," he told her, "we're going to be staying here a while." Her heart sank. The place sent chills through her, it was so dark and smelled stale and earthy. There was barely any natural light getting into the single room, and the dungeon like atmosphere quickly overtook any fresh air that happened to find its way inside.

She noticed that there was a single rocking chair on the porch – if you could call it a porch, and after he had pushed her inside with instructions to start cleaning he went and sat out there. She wanted to sit down and cry, but knew that wouldn't help. She stood there just looking around in horror. In a few minutes he yelled at her that she either start cleaning or he would be in there with her.

-xx-

Matt had followed the tracks left by the horse Taylor and Ginny were riding. The fading light made it difficult – but he knew where they were going now and wasted no time in urging the animal he was riding into a slow lope.

At last the old shack was in view. He had to be careful now if he wanted to avoid any harm coming to the girl. Getting down from his horse well away from the shack, he worked his way closer on foot. He thought he could see glances of light from an oil lamp coming through chinks in the walls of the building. He worked his way around to the side of the house and got up close to the wall. He could hear voices from inside – not well enough to make out words, but he could definitely distinguish Ginny from the other sounds. At least she was alive.

-xx-

Ginny made a great effort to sound like she was busy cleaning, banging the mop and broom around but not actually accomplishing much. It was getting darker and she called to Taylor that she needed some light, and a fire might be nice if it got much colder.

He came inside and looked around, finally lighting the one lamp, which in Ginny's mind made the place look even worse.

"It doesn't look like you've done a whole lot," he complained to her, "maybe I need to teach you some wifely duties."

"I am not your wife, and never will be," she cried defiantly as he grabbed her arm.

"Now I've got you and you better treat me right." He threw her down onto the mattress and she could feel his evil anticipation.

She screamed, "No William you are not doing this to me again. She began to beat on him with her fists wondering if there was anyway she could escape. Taylor was so intent on his prize that he barely responded when the door crashed open. Ginny realized she had closed her eyes and she opened them in horror at the new sound and instantly recognized the dark form filling the doorway.

"Marshal!" she screamed in relief.

Taylor was quick to understand what had happened, he hauled the young girl to her feet and held her in front of him as a shield.

"You can't shoot me now Dillon, you'll hit the girl." Taylor was thinking fast, he had a gun but he had left it on the porch when he came inside to light the lamp. Stupid mistake, he thought, but not irretrievable if he could work his way out there. He was easing his way towards the door keeping the girl between him and the lawman. He had one arm round her neck and the other holding her body. As he got closer to the doorway Matt decided he had to do something, the man had no gun, he could take him in a fist fight.

He launched himself at the man, wrenching his arm from around the girls neck and yelling at her to get out of the way. Dillon and William Taylor were wrestling on the floor. Ginny was scared – she could hear the multitude of punches as they landed but in the poor light could not see who was on the receiving end. Matt was slowed a little by his recent injury, and Taylor managed to roll out onto the porch. His gun was were he had left it by the chair where he had been sitting. He fired it at the Marshal but the big man managed to roll out of the way and grab his own gun from its holster. Taylor fired again but Matt was faster and the young apprentice fell to the ground. He managed to bring his gun around to fire one more time causing Matt to fire a second shot – this time the printer's apprentice did not get up.

"It's all right Ginny." Matt was slowly getting to his feet, and made his way towards the body. He stood looking at the man for a few moments before taking the gun from the lifeless hand.

"He won't bother you any more," he told her as she ran towards him.

Epilogue

A week had passed and Matt was standing looking over the batwing doors of the Long Branch. His eyes came to rest on Doc and Kitty sitting at one of the tables at the back of the saloon. They were laughing, and seemed to be enjoying some private joke, because when they looked up and saw him, it was with straightened faces. Reluctantly he pushed his way between the doors and made his way through the gathering flock of evening drinkers to join them. Earlier that afternoon they had all stood at the Depot and watched as Ginny together with her Aunt and Uncle boarded the west bound stage to start their journey home to San Francisco. Matt felt alone once more now that they had gone. The couple had decided to spend a few days in Dodge getting to know their niece and preparing for the return trip to the west coast. He had spent the time showing them around the town and taking them out to Ginny's favorite fishing hole at Silver Creek. It had given him chance to get to know these people and conclude that they would be good to Ginny and give her the home she deserved, they in return seemed genuinely excited to have the young girl join their family. At the Ginny's request nothing had been mentioned about William Taylor. She had told Matt and Kitty that she might tell her aunt in time, but not now. She wanted to get to know these people first, and let them get to know her.

Now that they had all left, Matt was wondering what he would do for the remainder of his forced inactivity. He lowered himself into the chair next to Kitty as Clem set a welcome mug of beer in front of him. The three of them sat talking for a while about nothing in particular until Chester and Tom Gilmore came over to join the little group.

"I thought I'd find you here Matt," Tom looked at the Dodge City lawman. He gave a sly look to Doc and Kitty while Matt noted that Chester was hopping around as if he could hardly contain himself.

Doc wiped his hand over his mustache. "Go on Tom, put him out of his misery."  
Gilmore reached in his vest pocket and pulled out a familiar tin badge and handed it to Matt.

"I'm heading out of here in the morning so I guess you'll be needing this."

Matt took it – a small grin developing on his face. Carefully he pinned it to his shirt. Kitty reached over and lightly touched his arm, "Happy now Cowboy?" she asked quietly.

End


End file.
