Kitty Love

Originally Aired: February 19, 1961 Gunsmoke #463, "Kitty Love," begins with Matt Dillon disappointing Kitty Russell by canceling their plans to attend a town social together. He must ride to Springfield to pick up a prisoner, leaving Kitty hurt and frustrated with the unpredictable life of depending on a marshal. The next morning, while riding with Doc Adams, Kitty discovers a wounded man on the prairie. The stranger, Dean Murdoch, claims he's a former Texas Ranger carrying his trail herd pay money to California when someone tried to rob him. Doc removes the bullet at a nearby homestead, and Kitty volunteers to stay and nurse the injured cowboy while Doc returns to Dodge. As Kitty tends to Dean through the day, a connection develops between them. He even suggests she sell the Long Branch and join him in California with their combined money. But when a rider approaches the homestead on a pinto horse, Dean recognizes him as the man who shot him the night before. With Dean too weak to defend himself and danger at the door, Kitty finds herself in a perilous situation far from Matt's protection.