Rescuing you

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in Dr Quinn Medicine Woman. The rights to those characters and the show belong to the creators not me. This is just a story for fun.

Chapter 18

The New Homestead

Sully had sent Mathew off into town to buy more supplies for the homestead and in the peaceful solitude he cut more wooden planks. The sun was beating on his back making him warm. The days were getting warmer as it was approaching mid spring. He stopped and took a swig of his canteen. He wiped his brow.

He heard an approaching wagon. It was Abigail Bray. She came to a stop in front of the homestead with a wide smile. She hopped down and grabbed a basket from the back.

"Hey Sully, I was passing and thought I'd stop and say hi..." She looked him up and down in his sleeveless shirt. Beads of perspiration on his face and chest, he looked delectable. She gulped "I...ah have some of my pecan pie here. I thought you and Mathew might like some?"

"Mathew isn't here. I asked him to go into town," He wondered what she was doing here and where she had been heading for her to be out this way. It was exactly close to anywhere.

"Oh right, well can you take a break? It is really good," She grinned.

He didn't want to be rude so Sully nodded and gestured to the shade of a tall oak nearby. What could it hurt if he stopped to have a piece of pie he wondered.

Michaela rode her horse up to the edge of the property. She stopped and hopped down. She wanted to surprise Sully so she didn't ride her horse right up to the homestead. She stopped when she saw Sully sat under a tree with another woman. She was sat very close to him.

Michaela stopped in her tracks and watched the couple. She felt frozen to the spot her heart hammered against her ribs. She felt like her stomach turn upside down. She shook her head shaking herself. He wasn't doing anything wrong; he was just having something to eat with a friend. Ok she was a very pretty friend she thought but none the less.

Abigail moved closer to Sully. "What do you think?" looking through her lashes at him.

"It's real good Abigail. You're a good cook," he smiled biting into another piece.

"Oh you have crumbs down you," She brushed at his shirt.

Michaela watched this woman touching her fiancé. Jealously raged through her, she had never felt anything like it before. It was all consuming.

Sully moved a little trying to brush some crumbs from himself. Abigail moved closer. She looked up and touched his lips. "You're a very handsome man Sully...anyone ever tell you that?" She said seductively trying to use all her feminine wilds. She moved ever closer she was almost near his lips.

Michaela couldn't breathe; she couldn't move she was rooted to the spot. Her hands shook, her world was falling apart in front of her. Here was Sully with another woman about to kiss him.

Sully quickly moved back out of Abigail's reach. "What are ya doing?" He said angry.

Abigail almost fell over and ended up putting her hand in the pie when he moved away from her. "Sully!"

"I suggest ya leave," He stood and pointed to the road back to town.

"You know you like me Sully. We have a connection...I see you look at me when you're at the store," Brushing off the pie from her hand she tried moving towards him again.

He held her shoulders at arm's length. "No Abigail...It's all in your head. I like ya as a friend and that's all. I'm gonna marry Dr Mike," He tried to get his point across.

"Dr Mike?" She exclaimed finding the thought of the pair of them together ridiculous.

"Yeah...I'm building this house for her. For us," He knew his words would hurt but they were the truth.

Abigail stepped back like she was burned by fire. Her face screwed up like she was about to cry. "You Sully are nothing but a mean horrid person. She's welcome to you," She grabbed her basket and stormed over to her wagon and rode off.

Sully watched her go wondering what the hell had happened in the past couple of minutes. He turned around and that's when he saw Michaela stood not far away her face was white as a sheet. She was rooted to the spot holding the reins of her horse in one hand and a basket in the other.

"Michaela?" He made his way to her but she let go of all she was holding and turned on her heel and walked away from him.

Sully jogged to catch up with her. He pulled the back of her coat making her stop in her tacks. He turned her to face him.

"Michaela what ya doing out here?" He asked.

"What am I doing? I think the more apt question would be what were you doing?" Her eyes glistened with unleashed tears.

"I wasn't doing anything! Abigail came on to me!" He stated in surprise at her accusation.

"Why was she here?" She stepped closer to him. Her anger was replacing her hurt.

"She said she'd been passing and wanted to stop and say hi. Now I know she was only trying to get close to me," He sighed. Looking back up he saw that Michaela lowered her head. He quickly closed the space that separated them. He wrapped one arm around her waist and lifted her chin with the other. Stroking the soft skin of her cheek he looked into her eyes.

"Michaela there is nobody but you in my heart...Abigail was a friend. She saw things different though. She made this up in her head. I don't like her in the way she wants me to. My heart is yours,"

His blue eyes penetrated her soul and she knew that his words were true. She felt foolish for thinking he would stray from their love. "I'm sorry," She swallowed over the lump in her throat.

"Nothing to be sorry for. I'm just sorry that no one seems to know you're going to be my wife," He grinned. Glad that she believed him.

She reached up to brush his hair back from his forehead. Feeling herself relax in his arms, she had never been so scared in her life. If Sully ever strayed from her she didn't know what she would do.

Sully felt her shiver slightly and rubbed her back gently. "I have something for ya," He moved them towards his workbench. Letting go of her briefly he went to his satchel nearby. She looked on curiously.

He stood before her once more he took her left hand then he slipped a glittering diamond onto her finger. "I think this will let everyone know that we belong together,"

"Oh Sully it's beautiful," she was breathless. Touching the diamond she then looked into his eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Sully enthusiastically responded.

Eventually pulling back Sully grinned looking very pleased with himself. "I'm almost done with building our homestead. I think it's time we set a date,"

Michaela felt she could marry him tomorrow. "The sooner the better," She chuckled.

"I guess you'd better contact your parents so they can their way here. Soon as they get here we'll get married," He felt as if he was light as the air. Life couldn't get better than this he thought.

"I'll telegram them as soon as I get to town," She lifted an eyebrow flirtatiously.