Colleen walked up the steps to the homestead in a daze. What a week it had been! When Patrick Collins had arrived in Colorado Springs with the intention of courting her, she had been shocked to say the least, but she would also be lying if she said that she wasn't initially flattered. She didn't know much about Mr. Collins, but she knew that he was a handsome man from a wealthy family and all the women at college had eyes for him. The fact that he would pick her had suprised her greatly. Her feelings; however, quickly shifted from flattered to frightened when he began following her and forcing his company, and eventually his affections, on her. He certainly was nothing like Andrew.
Andrew... just the thought of him caused her heart to skip a beat. At first, she had thought that they were just resuming their friendship, but his increased attention was a welcome reprieve from that of Mr. Collins. Then there was how he had, very literally, come to her rescue when Mr. Collins had gotten physical with her. It was a frightening experience, but the way Andrew had defended her and made her feel safe.
And then, of course, was the kiss. She had gotten so caught up in her emotions, that she didn't even realize what was happening until the kiss was over. One moment she was tending to the laceration on his lip, and the next his lips were on hers in a sweet, gentle kiss... nothing like the harsh kiss Mr. Collins had forced on her. She was; however, much more acutely aware of their second kiss when he brought her home. Their first kiss was all she could think of as he drove, so when he leaned in once more before she left his buggy, she willingly reciprocated. As much as she had desired the kiss for so long, she knew that it shouldn't have occurred. He hadn't even asked her to court, and she was most definitely not the type of woman to kiss men casually. Certainly Andrew didn't see her as such, but then why hadn't he asked her to court him when he told her he loved her...?
"Hello, Colleen," Michaela greeted her oldest daughter from the sink as she entered the homestead.
Unfortunately, Colleen was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice that someone else was in the room, much less talking to her.
"Colleen, are you alright?" Michaela said, now slightly concerned.
"Oh!" Colleen exclaimed, slightly startled when she realized she wasn't alone. "Yes, I'm fine."
"How did things go with Mr. Collins?" Michaela asked, trying her best to keep her voice neutral in spite of the fact that she had been worried about the prospect of Colleen willingly going to see him on her own.
"I gave him back the bracelet and asked him to not call on me anymore," Colleen spoke softly.
"Colleen, did something else happen?" Michaela asked when she saw her daughter start to crawl into the shell she had as a teenager. "I know I was a bit outspoken earlier, but you know you can tell me anything. I want us to be able to talk."
"When I gave him back the bracelet, he... he got very angry with me..." Colleen stammered. Andrew had made her feel safe after the incident, but remembering it still unnerved her. "And he grabbed me by my arms..."
"He what?!" Michaela exclaimed, immediately heading for the door.
"No, Ma. Don't," Colleen gently grabbed her mother's hand when she saw the look on her face that said she was going to find Sully and have him "take care of" Mr. Collins. "Andrew happened to come out of the château just as he grabbed me and fought Mr. Collins off. I'm fine. Andrew took the brunt of it and ended up with a split lip, but he's gone. Andrew told him that he was no longer welcome here and he left."
Michaela breathed a sigh of relief, but still had one question to ask her daughter, "Colleen, did he try to hurt you?"
"No," Colleen replied softly.
Finally knowing that her daughter had been frightened, but not harmed in any way, Michaela took Colleen in her arms and held her close. "I'm so glad you're alright," she whispered softly.
"I'm just glad he's gone," Colleen said, resting her head on her mother's shoulder.
"Sit," Michaela said gently, "I'll make you some tea."
Taking a seat at the table, Colleen let out a sigh, relieved that she had told her mother what had happened. Mr. Collins behind her, her thoughts drifted to Andrew once more...
"Here's your tea," Michaela said, placing the warm cup in front of her before taking her seat.
"Thanks, Ma," Colleen smiled, and the two women sat in comfortable silence drinking.
"We should have Andrew over for dinner, to thank him for making certain you were safe," Michaela finally said, trying to broach the subject of Andrew.
"We should!" Colleen said a bit too enthusiastically as her face lit up before she could stop herself. "I would... I mean he would appreciate that."
Michaela smiled at Colleen's reaction.
"Ma, I don't mean to pry, but..." Colleen trailed off nervously.
"Colleen, I told you that I want you to be able to talk to me about anything. It's not prying," Michaela gently encouraged her.
"Looking back, when Pa kissed you on your birthday before you were courting, was that alright?"
Michaela was stunned. She had no clue that anyone had known about that kiss other than Dorothy. "How do you know about that?" she asked.
"Matthew, Brian, I were around the corner watching," Colleen giggled, fairly certain that enough time had passed that Michaela would find it humorous rather than being upset.
"I should have known," Michaela chuckled as she blushed.
"Well?" Colleen prompted, waiting for her answer.
"Colleen, I told you before, when a man kisses you, it's only appropriate if you want him to, it doesn't matter if you're courting, or even married," Michaela reiterated her earlier statement. She had seen Andrew kiss Colleen as they drove up, but the mother in her couldn't shake Mr. Collins' behavior, so she wanted to make certain she wasn't still talking about him.
"I'm not talking about Mr. Collins, Ma. I'm talking about Andrew," Colleen confessed, blushing.
"Oh," Michaela said in relief. "Well, when your father kissed me for the first time, yes, I wanted him to, for some time actually, but it also left me quite confused as he hadn't yet told me his feelings or asked me to court him. In Boston, a kiss like that would only occur when a couple were engaged."
Engaged? Colleen had secretly wanted to marry Andrew for some time, but they weren't even courting yet. Colleen began to panic, her thoughts racing faster than before.
"Colleen, why do you ask?" Michaela gently prodded, seeing the look on her face.
"Well... when I was cleaning Andrew's lip... he kissed me..." Colleen said, embarrassed.
"Was it something you wanted to happen?" Michaela asked.
"Andrew would never force himself on me. He's nothing like Mr. Collins," Colleen said, not directly answering her mother's question.
"I didn't think so," she assured Colleen, trying to hide a smirk.
"After the kiss, he told me that he loves me," Colleen continued.
"What was your reaction to that?" Michaela inquired.
"I told him I love him too," Colleen blushed.
"I see." Michaela said, processing the information. "But he didn't ask you to court him?"
"No," Colleen said, disappointed.
"I didn't think so. He hasn't come to your father to ask for permission either," Michaela informed Colleen.
"Were we wrong, Ma?" Colleen asked, worried about how her mother would answer, especially considering her proper Boston upbringing.
"While I would have preferred that you and Andrew began courting before choosing to show your feelings for each other, but I'm also very relieved that Andrew is nothing like Mr. Collins. He's a fine man and he's proven that he would protect you. Do you think; however, what what happened today between the two of you might have happened because of Mr. Collins and not because you're both truly ready?" Michaela chose her words carefully.
Colleen genuinely thought for only a moment before replying, "No, at least not for me. I've cared for Andrew for some time, and I can tell that he cares for me. I've just been waiting for him to tell me."
"Colleen," Michaela said, using a slightly more serious tone. "Why do you love Andrew? I mean, you don't just love him because he supports your career, right?"
Colleen shook her head, "No. I love him because he's kind, talented, we share the same interests and views, and he always tries to help people."
"Those are all the right reasons to love someone Colleen," Michaela said. "I was just worried that you might think you love Andrew only because you want to make a good match."
"I could never marry a man just for his money, Ma. I don't care if Andrew is rich or not," Colleen said, missing Michaela's point.
"That's not what I mean Colleen," Michaela clarified. "As a woman who's chosen an unorthodox path for your life, I didn't want you to feel like you had to compromise yourself by marrying the first man that came along that supports a career just because you want both a career and children. I didn't want you making the same mistake that I did."
Colleen looked at Michaela confused, she knew that she truly loved Sully.
"I was already in my late twenties when I met David, well passed the age that was socially considered to be a spinster, and that was something that my mother and most of my sisters reminded me of daily," she begain to explain. "While I had wanted to be married with a family since I was a small child, I also knew that I would likely need to sacrifice that for my career, something I wasn't willing to do. That was, until I met David. David showed a romantic interest in me and also supported my career, but I didn't feel the same. I knew he was very focused on his career, as well as himself. He showed interest in me because he thought I would approve of him spending all hours at the hospital. Unfortunately, I thought that marrying David was the only way that I could make both of my dreams come true. As much as it hurt at the time, David's abandonment was the best thing that he could have done for me. It gave me a much better family than I could have ever had with him."
"I still know that I love Andrew for the right reasons, but I never thought of making a good match in that way before," Colleen said thoughtfully.
"Whether it's courting Andrew, or any other choice you make in life, never compromise yourself to make your dreams come true... because then they won't truly be your dreams."
"Thanks, Ma," Colleen said sincerely.
"I can tell Andrew genuinely cares for you as well," Michaela assured Colleen. "But he needs to go about things properly. You deserve a man who tries to win your heart honorably."
Colleen nodded, not only accepting her mother's statement, but agreeing with it.
"Your father will be home later this evening. You'll have to have a talk with him," Michaela stated.
"I know," Colleen said, her apprehension slightly evident in her voice.
"He loves you Colleen. He wants only the best for you," Michaela reassured her.
"I know," Colleen repeated, this time grinning as she thought about how Sully was so different from Ethan.
"You've had quite an afternoon, why don't you go upstairs and rest for a while," Michaela gently encouraged.
"That's a good idea. I have a book I'd like to finish," Colleen said before refilling her cup of tea, kissing her mother on the cheek, and making her way up to her bedroom.
As Michaela watched Colleen ascend the stairs, she couldn't help but wonder how Sully would react to the news of Mr. Collins and Andrew.