Michaela woke the next morning with a smile on her face. She was in the arms of the man she loved, albeit she was at the clinic. The family had stayed at the clinic with Matthew so he wouldn't have to be moved just yet. Horace had sent word to a marshal, and the town was expecting a judge in a few days. Hank and Jake offered to look after the prisoner until that happened.
Michaela pressed a kiss to a sleeping Sully's lips, and he woke to her touch. She pulled away and smiled at him.
"Good morning," she whispered.
"Mornin'," he replied back with a loving grin. His hands moved to stroke her belly. "How ya feelin'?"
"So much better," she admitted. "I'm glad you're here in my arms this morning. I'm glad that our children are safe with us. I'm glad our babies are moving around and kicking me, because I know they're getting stronger by the day." Sully kissed Michaela and they sat up in bed. Michaela yawned and stretched.
"It's getting late. I hope the children know they don't have to go to school today. They've been through a lot. Holly Tucker is willing to give them the week off."
"Yeah," Sully said with a nod. "I told them they didn't have to go." Michaela sighed and leaned against Sully's chest.
"Sully?"
"Hmm?"
"Matthew asked me last night if he could call me 'ma.'"
"He did?"
"Yes," Michaela replied with a smile.
"He called me 'pa' last night. I think the children are finally comin' around to sayin' it 'cause they know we're family. They know we'd go to the ends of the earth to help 'em." Michaela nuzzled Sully's cheek with her nose and breathed in the scent of him. She had missed him while he was gone, and even though it hadn't even been a full day, she was still so relieved to have him back. She was grateful to him for bringing their children back safe and sound. She only wished that Matthew hadn't been shot, but she also knew there was nothing any of them could have done to prevent that. "Come on. We better get up and get ready to take Matthew home." Michaela nodded.
Sully helped her pull herself out of bed, and she groaned as she felt her weight in her ankles. Her feet were very sore, and Sully made a mental note to give Michaela a nice body massage at bedtime.
He helped his wife with her shoes, and handed her the brush so she could brush her hair.
"I'll be right back. I'm gonna go check on the kids." Michaela nodded her thanks and watched Sully leave the room. She finished her hair and went to join her husband.
Matthew was asleep, and Ingrid was sleeping in the chair next to his bed. Brian was curled up under his blanket, and Colleen, too, was fast asleep.
"They must be exhausted," Michaela whispered. "Let's not wake them." Sully nodded in agreement and took Michaela's hand. They started down the stairs.
"You hungry?"
"A little."
"Will you join me at Grace's for breakfast?"
"I would be honored, Mr. Sully," Michaela replied with a grin. She kissed his cheek and they started across the street. The morning air was hot and sticky, and Michaela immediately knew she was in for a horrid summer. But the time she was nine months pregnant, September would be here, but she would still have to endure the agonizing heat of summer while carrying around two small people inside of her.
Just as they were heading over to the café, Cloud Dancing came riding into town. Sully and Michaela turned quickly to see him. The look on his face was one of pure panic, and Michaela's thoughts immediately went to Snow Bird.
"Cloud Dancing?" Michaela asked as he stopped his horse before them.
"It is Snow Bird. She says the baby is coming."
"I'll go get the wagon," Sully offered. He rushed over to the livery.
"It is too early."
"She is due in June," Michaela thought. "She can't be more than two weeks early. I'm sure this is normal." She knew that the Indians did not have the same kind of technology that everyone else had, and that they were more susceptible to disease. She hoped that Snow Bird's labor was a routine and normal one. She didn't know what she would do if she had to tell her friend that his wife and child had died.
Sully arrived with the wagon, helped Michaela up, and they quickly followed Cloud Dancing out to the reservation.
Several of the Cheyenne were gathered outside of Cloud Dancing's teepee. The father-to-be was waiting nervously, pacing as he heard the screams of his wife. This would be their first child since the death of their son three winters ago. Cloud Dancing was nervous, and Sully was trying his best to calm his brother down.
"She's takin' good care of her," Sully promised.
"It's too early."
"Just by a couple of weeks," Sully explained. "Dr. Mike says that everything should be fine. Everything happenin' to Snow Bird is normal." Cloud Dancing swallowed hard.
"I do not like to wait. The spirits say my daughter will be healthy, but Snow Bird is in so much pain. I do not like seeing her in pain."
"It's all natural," Sully replied, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. He couldn't help but think of Abagail giving birth to Hanna. He hoped that nobody would ever have to go through what he went through. It was one of the most painful situations he had ever been in, and he was glad that he had still been able to have a family of his own.
A moment later, the cries of a newborn Cheyenne were heard throughout the reservation. The Indians began to celebrate, and Cloud Dancing looked at Sully. He laughed with joy and the two men shook hands. Michaela came out with a smile on her face.
"Your daughter and wife are waiting for you," she said with tears in her eyes. "They're both healthy." Cloud Dancing quickly went to join his wife, and Michaela walked over to clean her hands and arms. When she was finished, Sully put his arms around her.
"You did good today," he whispered.
"Snow Bird did all the work."
"Yeah, but in a few months, you'll be doin' the same thing as she did." Michaela sighed heavily and kissed Sully's cheek.
"Snow Bird said they will call her Early Sun, because she came before she was due to arrive."
"I've never seen Cloud Dancin' so proud."
"I can't wait to see the look on your face when you hold our children in your arms for the first time."
"That'll be the second proudest day of my life."
"Second?"
"The proudest day of my life was the day I married you."
"Hank? Where are ya takin' me?" Myra asked as Hank held her hand and practically dragged her through the woods. She couldn't stop laughing, because the look on is face looked as if he was nervous and angry at the same time. "Hank!" Hank stopped and turned to her.
"Don't ya trust me?"
"Of course I do. I'm just a little confused, is all."
"It shouldn't be too much longer."
"Can ya give me a hint?"
"Nope. It wouldn't be a surprise then." Myra sighed with exasperation, and they continued through the woods. Hank's grip grew increasingly tighter, and Myra knew it wasn't on purpose.
"Hank! Stop for a minute!" Hank paused and let go of Myra's hand. Myra could see that he was trembling. "What's goin' on?"
"I didn't squeeze your hand too tight, did I?" he asked.
"No," she giggled. "What are ya doin'?"
"I'm tryin' to find this tree that I marked earlier. It was s'pose to be special."
"What?" Myra was completely confused, and didn't know what the heck Hank was talking about.
"It was this big willow tree that I thought was perfect for this, but I guess that I'm gonna have to do this here since I can't find it."
"Do what?" Myra asked. Hank's face was pale and his hands were shaking and clammy. He wiped the sweat off of his palms on his pants and swallowed hard. He slowly pulled a small box out of his pocket and knelt down on one knee. He cleared his throat.
"I know I ain't the nicest guy in the world. Hell, I don't know how you put up with me. But somehow you see through everything that people hate about me, and you see how I feel about you. Myra, I love you, and being with you brings out the best in me. Will you be my wife?" Myra's hand had gone up to her mouth while her eyes went wide the moment Hank revealed the beautiful ring. She was speechless! "Myra?"
"Huh?" She couldn't take her eyes off of the ring that Hank was offering to her.
"You haven't said anything yet."
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry. Ya just caught me off guard." She looked into Hank's eyes, and suddenly, he was the only thing that mattered in the world. "Come on. Stand up. You're gonna get your pants all dirty." She sniffled and wiped her nose. Hank stood shakily. She took his hands in hers, and smiled as her fingers laced with his.
"Myra?"
"We are two completely different people, Hank. We come from different places, and we have different opinions on most things, but that doesn't seem to matter. We love each other, and that seems to cancel out all those other things. I love you, and I would be honored to wear your ring, take your name, and be your wife." Hank breathed a sigh of relief, and pulled Myra into his arms, happy that she had accepted his proposal. He couldn't wait for her to be his wife. For the first time in his life, he actually had something to look forward to.
Matthew leaned on both of his parents as they helped him into the new homestead. Ingrid had accompanied the family to the homestead, and she was helping Colleen prepare his bed.
Once Sully and Michaela had their son safely in bed, Ingrid went on home while Colleen and Brian sat with their older brother. Michaela and Sully finally had a little quiet time to themselves. Michaela could feel pressure in her back, and she leaned onto her hands as they massaged her sore back muscles. Sully saw Michaela wince.
"Michaela?"
"It's nothing. I'm just tired."
"Here, sit down," he urged. He helped Michaela sit back into one of their wing-backed chairs. He pulled a footrest over and she propped her feet up on it. Sully removed her shoes as he crouched on the floor, and he began to massage her feet.
"That feels nice," she moaned. Sully smiled.
"You've had a busy day." Michaela nodded slightly. A smile crept over her lips.
"Early Sun was so beautiful," she whispered.
"Yes she was. Cloud Dancing and Snow Bird are very lucky."
"I can't wait until our babies are here, Sully. I want them to stay in there as long as they need to, but I can't wait to hold them see what they look like."
"Me neither," Sully admitted. "It's gonna be a madhouse around here though."
"I know," Michaela laughed. "But I can't wait." Sully's hands began to massage farther up Michaela's legs, and his sensual touch made Michaela's spine tingle. His fingers seemed to send sparks to her very center, and she wanted to melt at his touch.
His hands traveled farther up her legs, Michaela's cheeks blushed red. She looked around and bit her bottom lip.
"Sully! The children are right upstairs. We can't do this here." Sully kicked his boots off and kissed her hand gently. He pulled her up into his arms. Michaela was still amazed that he could carry her in her condition. He carried her outside and across the yard to the barn. Sully helped Michaela climb up into the loft.
"Lay down," he whispered huskily, giving her a passionate kiss upon the lips. Michaela felt the heat beginning to rise within her. Sully removed his shirt, and she stared at his gorgeous features. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but he climbed down the ladder before she had a chance to touch him. Sully walked over to shut the doors and put a board in the two metal hooks in order to hold them shut. He didn't want any interruptions.
As Sully climbed back up into the loft, his eyes locked with Michaela's, and he could see her blush with excitement. He crawled over to her, and captured her lips with his own. He couldn't put into words what Michaela could do with him with one little glance or one little caress. She was beautiful and had the powers to bring him to his knees.
Sully's hands worked at Michaela's dress, unfastening the buttons and exposing a little more flesh at once. His lips caressed her silky skin, and traveled farther down with each unfastened button. He looked up into Michaela's eyes when he saw that she was wearing nothing under her dress. She blushed and looked away.
"I was uncomfortable and too warm to . . ." He turned her head with his fingertips and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"No need to explain," he said with a grin. He kissed her again. He helped her out of her dress, and threw it off to the side. He leaned back to take in his wife's beautiful features. The flesh on her breasts was even more sensitive due to the pregnancy, and he could see her body slowly starting to perspire from her short, quick breaths. Her breasts heaved beautifully before his eyes, and he laid her back into the soft, clean hay. "You're so beautiful."
"How can you think that?"
"I don't have to think it. I know it. I see it every day. You're perfect." His fingers grazed over her breasts, and her nipples hardened at his very touch.
"Sully," she moaned softly. She wanted to tell him how much he meant to her, how much he pleased her, but the words weren't there. She wanted to show him, but she was too overcome by passion to even move when Sully's hand slid between her legs. She shivered, and finally relaxed when he began to stroke her. Her eyes closed, and her back arched a bit. "Sully!" The sound of her calling his name that way made his passion grow. He suddenly became aware of the discomfort his pants were bringing him. He brought his hands to unbutton his pants, but Michaela sat up and began to do the job herself.
As she worked, her eyes locked on Sully's. His hands moved to caress her back as she leaned forward. As soon as he was about to free himself from his pants, he stood and stepped out of them. The sight of her naked husband before her drove Michaela through the roof. She wanted to reach out to him, but she was a bit shy to do so. She had been with him several times before, but sometimes, believe it or not, she didn't feel bold enough to take charge. Michaela leaned back into the hay again, and Sully began to kiss her beautiful face. He kissed her forehead, each of her eyes, the tip of her nose, her lips, and her neck. His tongue darted out to went her honey skin. Sully's hands began to caress her belly. He loved the feel of her belly against him when they made love. He knew she felt very self-conscious about her body, but he thought she looked gorgeous. She was in amazing shape, and her porcelain skin looked even more beautiful when she was pregnant.
He saw her blushing again, and he kissed her belly, keeping his eyes locked on hers.
"You are the most beautiful woman," he whispered. Those words made Michaela want him even more. She pulled him up onto her, spreading her legs so he could lie between them. One of his hands moved up to caress her cheek while the other slid down the side of her leg to massage her thigh.
"I love you," Michaela whispered as she boldly reached down to guide Sully inside of her. She moaned as he penetrated her, and his own breaths became ragged. He buried his head on Michaela's shoulder for a moment, and she moved her hands to run through his hair. "I love you," she repeated. "Sully . . ." She needed him now, and her hands began to caress his back. He looked up into her eyes and began to move slowly, making love to her with a gentle ease that carried them both into higher realms of pleasure. Their cries were muffled by each other's kisses, not wanting the children to hear them and come running out to see what was going on. They were completely focused on making one another happy, and didn't want to stop. After awhile, the pleasure grew so intense that both were nearly to their individual peaks.
"I love you," Sully cried out as he finally reached his climax. Michaela, too, reached hers and they collapsed into each other's arms. Sully rolled off of Michaela as to not crush their children under his weight. She rolled onto her side and he pulled her into his arms. Michaela smiled as she looked lovingly into her husband's eyes. She loved how spontaneous this had been, and was a bit frightened by her desires. Sully saw a glint of worry in her eyes.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked, worried that perhaps he had hurt her or the babies.
"No," she whispered, kissing his forehead. "I'm just so overwhelmed. Sully, my desire for you seems to grow even more every time we make love."
"I feel the same way," he replied. "What's wrong with that?"
"It's lead to this spontaneity."
"So?" he asked with a chuckle.
"I'm just worried that we might feel the urge to act on our desires, and we'll get caught." She blushed and Sully kissed her softly.
"There ain't nothin' to be ashamed of. Makin' love is a part of life. I love bein' with you, Michaela, and I will never be ashamed to display my love for you."
"I'm not ashamed," Michaela pointed out. "I'm just saying that we should be careful. We have three children at home, and soon there'll be five. My parents are having a house built out here, and soon, we'll have hardly any privacy."
"Don't worry," Sully replied. "If we ever want some privacy, we'll just let each other know." Michaela grinned and kissed Sully. She loved the way he could ease her worries.
The babies began to kick again and Michaela laughed.
"Feel here," she whispered, bringing Sully's hand to a certain spot on her belly. Sully laughed.
"I think we woke 'em up."
"Perhaps we should get back inside. The children might need us." Sully nodded and kissed his wife again. They quickly got dressed, and he helped her down from the loft. He pulled her close and pulled a piece of straw from her hair. Michaela laughed and her cheeks flushed red again.
"C'mon." He kissed her once more and they started back toward the house.
Sully was out chopping firewood while Michaela checked on Matthew later that evening. Colleen had just finished cleaning the dinner plates, and Matthew had finished two plates of dinner. Michaela was glad he was getting his strength back.
When she walked into the young man's room, Brian was sitting at his side.
"Ma?" Brian asked.
"What is it, sweetheart?"
"We have to talk to you as soon as Colleen gets up here."
"Oh?" Michaela asked, wondering what her children would have to talk to her about. "What about?"
"We have to wait for Colleen," Matthew replied. "Earlier we had a talk and we have an idea, but we have to go over it with you first." A minute later, Colleen walked in.
"Ya didn't say nothin' yet did ya?"
"Nope. We waited for you," Brian replied. Colleen sat down beside her brothers. The children faced their mother, and she wondered what was going on.
"If this is a family meeting, shouldn't Sully be here?"
"Well, this is kind of a surprise for him," Matthew replied.
"What do you mean?
"After what happened with our real pa," Colleen began, "we knew that he wasn't a father. Sully is the best pa we've ever had, and we want to make that official." Michaela furrowed her brows.
"How do you propose to do that?" The children looked at each other.
"We love our real ma, and we always will, but havin' the last name of Cooper means carryin' around our real pa with us forever. What he did to us wasn't what a real pa is supposed to do," Matthew explained. "We want to change our last names to Sully."