Graceful Landings

© 2013 by dqmwartist

Chapter 1: Butterflies

Sully (to Michaela): "There's only one thing I know about women - you gotta be lucky enough to find the right one, and then never let her go."-Fathers and Sons

Michaela turned to watch Sully as he retreated into the night. Her lips were still swollen from their passionate kiss. She could still feel the warmth of his body against her skin and the hint of something more. Love with a man used to frighten her, but with Sully she forgot about everything else but his kisses and the tender ways he touched her, igniting fires all over.

Walking over to the rocking chair, she picked up her shawl, and wrapped it around her. The warmth of it helped to replace Sully's absent body heat, as she slowly made her way to bed.

As Michaela lay in bed, wrapped in the warmth of a quilt, she pondered all the things she'd learned from books and those she hadn't. Books taught her to be a doctor, but it was the experience that made her into the person she was. Love, the beautiful emotion she found coursing through her daily for Sully, wasn't found in a book.

Closing her eyes, Michaela let sleep overtake her as she dreamed of where life had brought her up until now. How sometimes in life, those things that weren't planned brought the most joy. Even what you read and learned in a book couldn't compare to experience.

Sully could still smell the scent of roses in the air as he walked back to his lean-to. He could drown himself in Michaela's scent any day, wanting more than anything to linger. The look on her face as he'd pulled away from the kiss made him want make love to her right then and there. But it wasn't the time or the place for enthusiasm just yet.

He and Michaela had had their differences recently about teaching Brian the birds and the bees. While Sully had been more relaxed in his approach giving Brian the reins, Michaela seemed to want to give him a scientific explanation. In the end he was sure Brian had gotten more than an earful.

Sully had even told her that, "Not everythin' ya need to know comes from a book." Michaela's face had flushed pink at his words, making her even more desirable. He was lucky to have found Michaela, to be able to share life and enthusiasm with her.

When he reached his lean to, he hunkered down to light his campfire, and then settled back into the relative confines of the structure, staring into the flames. Sully waited for the flames to lull him into sleep and dreams of his Heartsong.

Colleen stared in the mirror as she brushed through her long hair, reflecting on how much her body was changing. She was developing a chest where her girlfriends didn't have one yet, and boys were noticing. That made her uncomfortable at times and even more so when it was her own brother. Boys weren't something she was interested in right now. Someday she wanted to marry, but she dreamed of having a man like Sully.

Putting down her brush, Colleen gathered up her things and slipped in a book she had purchased from Mr. Bray. Colleen liked to read at lunch when there was time, rather than run around with everyone else. After school she was always busy with her Ma, another activity she very much enjoyed.

Colleen was also thankful to have Becky as a confident; they'd had their ups and downs but emerged stronger than before. Becky didn't get the attention that Colleen did, but she seemed more interested in boys. She was her best friend, the one who always listened and never laughed like Alice.

During lunch, Colleen enjoyed the uninterrupted solace of her book, while Becky looked over the meadow at the boys playing ball. Brian was out there playing and she could hear his voice cheering every once in a while. Before too long the bell rang and they all filed back inside.

After school was over, Brian was waiting for her outside. They had had their share of ups and downs recently too, and even with being forced to talk, Colleen had to admit it was nice to have her brother back. Even though he could be a pain, she still loved him.

"Tell Ma I'm goin' fishin' with Sully. I'll be home for dinner."

"Ok, I'll tell her," Colleen answered as she watched Brian smile before taking off. His books still slung over his shoulder as he got further away and disappeared through the trees.

Once at the clinic, Dr. Mike was busy rolling bandages as Matthew came in with a box of supplies to unload. "This just came for ya, told Horace I'd bring it over." He set the heavy crate on the examining table before departing. Colleen quickly forgot about the message she was supposed to deliver as the rush of the afternoon came and went.

With supplies to unload, bandages to roll, and patients coming and going, Colleen was exhausted by day's end. She loved the busyness of the clinic, but on school nights it was hard to keep her eyes open to do her work after long days. There were some nights when Dr. Mike found her sleeping on her books at the table from studying all night.

"Time to close up," Michaela called out as the five o' clock hour struck. Colleen finished what she was doing, grabbed her books and left the clinic with Dr. Mike.

Sully was seated on the porch waiting for Michaela to return home, Wolf by his side. He'd caught several fish for dinner. Brian was supposed to have joined them but he never showed and Sully was worried.

Relief flooded through him when he heard the wagon approaching, replaced by anxiety when he saw Brian wasn't with them. Where had he gone? Surely he wasn't running away again?

Michaela's cheeks flushed at the sight of Sully, as her thoughts drifted ever so briefly to their kiss the night before. "Is something the matter?" she asked after Sully helped her down from the wagon. She had noticed something troubling in his eyes. "Brian was supposed to go fishin' with me today, but he didn't show."

"Oh, no!" Colleen gasped, "I was supposed to tell you that he was going fishing today, so sorry I forgot." Michaela looked over at Colleen's troubled face and back at Sully. Wherever Brian was he hadn't gone fishing like he said.

"I'll go look for him," Sully volunteered, "You stay here in case he returns while I'm gone." Michaela nodded, as Colleen gathered the fish and disappeared into the house to prepare dinner. Wolf followed Sully, as Michaela watched them both disappear from sight before she turned and headed inside.