CHAPTER 35
"Marjorie! What are you doing here?" Michaela exclaimed, unconsciously moving a step away from Sully.
He immediately noted the change in her demeanor. Still he stood firm at her side, gazing at the woman standing several feet away with a hand on her hip, overly dressed, albeit a tad dusty, in her Boston finery, her red hair swept up under a stylish hat. He watched her lip curl in disgust as she allowed her eyes to rake over his appearance, and then her sister's. Sully bristled a little under her obvious condemnation, though more for Michaela's sake than his own.
"I am here in response to a telegram Mother received from a Mr. Horace Bing, informing her that her daughter could very well die of influenza," Marjorie replied sarcastically. "She received no further word and no replies to a return telegram, so I was elected to make the journey here to check on you," she added by way of explanation. "And may I say - seven days by rail, a six-day wait in St. Louis, then six more days on a stage coach - the trip was sorely lacking in the amenities!" she finished, glaring at her sister as if the discomforts were her fault.
Michaela stood dumbfounded, having had not the slightest inkling that her sister was on the way to Colorado Springs. Sully turned his head to look at her profile, noting the stunned expression.
"Michaela. Have you totally forgotten your manners since you came to this God forsaken place? Not to mention your dignity? Are you going to introduce this cowboy on whom you just threw yourself? Or are you just going to stand there and stare at me?" Marjorie asked in a decidedly arrogant manner, although by her tone it was obvious she couldn't have cared less who Sully was.
Michaela snapped out of her fog and cleared her throat, glancing quickly at the man at her side in silent apology and belatedly realizing the three of them had become quite a curiosity to a gathering group of onlookers. "I'm sorry Marjorie...this is Mr. Byron Sully. Sully, this is my sister, Marjorie O'Donnell..."
"Marjorie Quinn," her sister interrupted, causing Michaela's head to snap back to her sister in surprise.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I am in the process of reclaiming my own identity, not that the middle of a dirt street is the ideal place to discuss this," she stated with obvious disdain.
Michaela was speechless, but her sister's grousing took care of that problem. "Michaela, I am tired, hungry, thirsty, and in need of a bath and a rest. Now would you be so kind as to show me where the hotel is in this backwoods town?"
Michaela could feel Sully's temper slowly rising as he stood silently at her side and she knew he was fast forming an unfavorable opinion of her sister, not that she blamed him. Quickly, she reached out for Marjorie's arm and turned her toward the boarding house's door.
"Colorado Springs has no hotel, Marjorie. But Charlotte has some empty rooms here in the boarding house. Come, I'm sure you'll be very comfortable," she urged, now anxious to take any further discourse behind closed doors.
The Beacon Hill socialite tipped her head back and gazed at the extremely rustic exterior of what was to be her lodgings, complete with hitching post and horse trough.
"I suppose it will have to do," she sighed tiredly.
OOOOOO
Having received Michaela's promise that she would return momentarily as she disappeared inside the boarding house with her sister argumentatively in tow, Sully lowered himself tiredly onto the bench next to the door. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back against the wall with a sigh.
Several moments later, however, he opened his eyes again when he felt a presence. Daniel was standing nearby, leaning against a post with his hands in his pockets.
"Caught the guy, huh?" Daniel asked, mainly wanting to break the ice.
Sully glanced up at the other man, gauging his mood. Daniel's expression was carefully neutral. "Yeah. Took all night, though."
Daniel nodded, cleared his throat, and moved over to sit at the other end of the bench. He leaned forward, elbows on knees as he idly watched two men carrying a heavy timber down the street.
"So...who was that that got off the stage and lit into M...Dr. Mike?"
Sully's eyes immediately cut to Daniel's face at the mention of Michaela, but he swallowed and craned his head around, one hand rubbing the back of his neck to try and relieve a little tension. "Her sister."
"Mmm. Her sister, huh? Sassy, but kinda cute," the tall blond man returned with a half grin.
Sully glanced at him again, chuckling dryly and muttering, "If you say so."
Daniel chuckled too, both men lapsing into silence, thinking about their vicious row the evening before – wanting to bridge the gap, but not sure if they should bring it up.
Glancing at the other man's face and noticing the half healed lesions on his lips and other evidences of their encounter, Daniel reached up to rub his own injuries, murmuring, "You still pack a punch like a dang mule."
Sully rubbed his own scraped face, his mouth forming a tiny grin. "You ain't lost your touch, neither."
They lapsed into silence again, both struggling with their feelings toward each other and toward Michaela, and neither one wanting to upset the fragile beginning of reconciliation they had achieved so far. Several minutes went by as they both watched the town's comings and goings.
"Dan..." "Sul..." they both began simultaneously, breaking off with soft snickers.
Daniel forged ahead. "I'm sorry I lit into ya like I did."
"Aw, I started it," Sully shrugged. "I was determined ta get ya ta swing at me. I wouldn'a let up."
They both glanced around, uncomfortable, their friendship never having been tested quite to that extreme before.
Sully finally leaned forward, matching Daniel's posture, locking his fingers together and staring at them. He turned his head and met his best friend's eyes. "She's just...under my skin...you know?" Daniel nodded silently. He knew quite well.
Sully continued softly. "I...I fell for 'er, hard, the minute we met...even though she was engaged to another man and I was still feelin' guilty about Abby." He paused thoughtfully. "It's like...like I was meant ta meet Michaela. She's like...a fire in my blood. And the thought of her with you..." he paused again, shrugging as he tried to articulate his feelings. "It made me crazy."
Daniel met his friend's gaze steadily, seeing within a depth of feelings for the lovely lady doctor that far surpassed anything Daniel had ever seen in those familiar blue eyes before. He smiled softly. "She tol' me she wants her and me to be friends..." he paused and chuckled self-deprecatingly, philosophically shaking his head. "I gave it my best shot, but ya beat me again, buddy."
Sully chuckled also; relaxing in Daniel's presence for the first time since he came back from the reservation and found him camped outside Michaela's bedroom door. He reached over and clapped his friend on the back. "Aww, Daniel. Yours is out there. You'll meet her soon."
Daniel smiled sagely and nodded, remembering Michaela had told him the same thing.
Just then, the center door opened and Michaela stepped out on the porch, her eyes immediately going to the two men. Seeing them together, her heart skipped a beat, but she relaxed when she saw their jovial expressions.
Taking this as his out, Daniel stood up. Nodding and smiling sincerely at Michaela, he murmured politely, "Dr. Mike. Sully," before turning and ambling toward the saloon.
They watched him disappear through the swinging doors, and then Sully stood and faced Michaela. Their closeness from minutes before changed to an awkward awareness as they each strove to regain the lost ground.
Hank strolled out onto the porch of the saloon, a wide grin on his face as he watched the two 'lovebirds,' nodding with a wink when Michaela glanced his way. She blanched, and he chuckled and struck a match to light a cheroot.
Michaela wrapped her shawl tighter against the chill breeze and the barkeep's lascivious stare. "Would you, um, care to come in for...a while?" she asked Sully softly, indicating the clinic with a turn of her head.
Sully's lips moved into a soft smile, his eyes brimming with love as he gazed at her. "Sure."
His eyes watched her movements as he allowed her to precede him inside and through the clinic door, shutting it behind him. As she turned toward him to speak, he stepped close and gently gripped her arms, gazing down into those multi-colored eyes that had occupied his every thought and dream since their first encounter.
Mesmerized, she could only gaze back as he lifted a hand, his fingers softly touching her face. The blue of his eyes, as always, warmed her from her head to her toes.
Still smiling, he teased softly, "So ya love me, 'eh?"
She blushed and looked away from those knowing eyes, but remembering his virulent declaration the night before, she looked back.
"Yes," she whispered with a tiny smile. "And you love me, hmm?"
"Yes," he confessed with a whisper. His eyes caressed her with such forthright emotion she tingled all over.
"I guess this means we're offish'ly 'courtin', hm?" he asked wiggling his eyebrows.
"I suppose it does," she returned, smiling again, totally lost in the overwhelming headiness of his close proximity. "Why did we wait so long to say it?" she wondered out loud.
He shrugged, his closed lips still curved in a sensual smile. "Don't know."
"So many misunderstandings could have been avoided," she pressed.
"Yep," he agreed.
She grinned teasingly, raising one eyebrow. "It was foolish."
His eyes twinkled. "Yeah, it was."
Her eyebrows furrowed in mock frustration as she murmured teasingly, "Must you agree with me all the time?"
Still gazing at her lovingly, he leaned in, touching his lips to hers softly, gently as their eyes fluttered closed. She melted, raising her hands to his chest to feel the firm muscles beneath the material of his shirt. He pulled back for a moment, but her eyes were shut, wanting more. He leaned in, pressing soft kisses to her lips again and again, the last one long and heavenly. Ending the kiss, Sully wrapped his arms around her, one hand to the back of her head as he pulled her close. She wound her arms around his torso, fitting her forehead into the curve of his neck and sighing blissfully.
Michaela's heart was so full of love for this man, she felt as if it would fairly burst. She was so very grateful to have him in her arms, and that the longed for declaration had occurred at last. At that moment, if a genie told her she could have three wishes she wouldn't have been able to think of a thing, so complete was her contentment.
Sully's heart also felt full to bursting with a fierce, protective love for the woman in his arms. He was overwhelmingly thankful and relieved that she had pursued him the evening before and insisted he tell her his true feelings. He almost shuddered to think of the alternative. If he had walked away, he may very well have pushed her directly into Daniel's arms. The thought was too disturbing to consider. He tightened his grip and sighed, quietly satisfied and happy.
After several long moments, Sully pressed a kiss to the top of her head, murmuring, "Now I'll show ya my world."
She pulled back a bit and gazed up at his face, a wry half smile on hers. "I've seen your world. I live here, remember?"
He grinned teasingly, pressing a quick kiss to the tip of her nose. "Ya live in town. I wanna show ya my homestead, and take ya out to the reservation so you can meet Cloud Dancin' and Snowbird."
She smiled happily, thinking she would go anywhere with him. "I'd love to."
He immediately released her and grasped her hand. "C'mon, let's go."
She resisted with a gasp. "You mean now?"
"Yeah, sure. C'mon," he returned with a toss of his head toward the door.
"But...my sister just arrived...and I could have a patient..." she blustered, unable to embrace such a 'spur of the moment' foray. Suddenly the prospect of being alone with an amorous Sully seemed quite...risqué. This would be quite different from spending an unchaperoned afternoon with Lieutenant Sully.
He tugged on her hand, using every ounce of persuasion he could muster, as he suddenly had an uncontrollable desire to get her away from everything and everyone. To do some serious 'sparking.'
"They can wait. 'Sides, it'll give us a chance to be together...alone," he urged, his tone sensual, reflecting his thoughts.
That sent a wild current of electricity shooting up and down her spine, but still she resisted. "But...you want to go both places now?"
He grinned as he realized part of her problem. "Naw, we'll go out to the reservation another day. I wanna show ya my homestead, tell ya my ideas for improvin' it." He tugged on her hand again.
Michaela was torn between what she had always been taught about propriety...and the strong desire to give in to his request. The pleading, little-boy look in his eyes finally succeeded in melting the last of her reserve and she smiled and nodded in acquiescence.
After she had gathered her things, stuck her head in the kitchen door to let Charlotte know where she would be in case of an emergency.
Collecting Flash from the livery, they set off on the road to Sully's homestead, each one excited about the prospect of spending the next few hours in one another's company, uninterrupted.