As Sully made his way back to the stables, his mind was jumping through hoops over his mother's new choice of companion. He couldn't believe this. Of all the men that Snowbird could date, she picks Loren. She's disliked Loren since the first day she met him. What happened to that?

What if they started sleeping together? What if they already were? No! That's the last thing he wanted to picture them doing.

What if it got even worse? They could get married. Would that make him and Abagail brother and sister? Even though she was gone, he still didn't want her to become his sister posthumously. Well...No. Even if they did marry, it wouldn't mean that.

He had to stop thinking this way.

Loren was a cranky old man, but Snowbird was a grown woman. He should be supportive, especially if Loren made her happy. He didn't know how that was possible, but maybe it was.

Or...

Instead of accepting this, he could simply sick Wolf on Loren and then find a place to bury him on the ranch. He had plenty of land.

Nah, he couldn't do that. He had to get a grip!

He made it to the stables and was glad to be getting back to Michaela. He could hear the music playing from a few yards away from the stall that he'd set up. She was listening to Van Morrison's Crazy Love. Perfect timing, he thought. Especially because she was at the part of the song that he felt the most strongly about.

"...She got a fine sense of humor when I'm feeling low down, and when I come home to her when the sun goes down, takes my troubles all away, take away my grief, take away my heartache, in the night like a thief. She gives me love, love, love, love, crazy love…"

Well, he needed to be honest, and his mother dating his father-in-law wasn't that bad that it caused him grief and heartache. He wasn't going to be overly dramatic about it. He did love and trust Michaela, and if there was anyone that he could confide in about this, it was her. But not tonight. Tonight was about spoiling her, not asking her for advice, and he surely didn't want to ruin their evening.

"Hi," Michaela greeted him, shooting him a loving smile when she realized he returned.

"Hey," he returned her greeting, taking in the loveliness of her sweet smile. Her beautiful, genuine, crooked little smile. The way it made her eyes light up... Gosh! It made him feel weak in the knees.

Sully held up the corkscrew that he'd run to the house for and then used it to pop open the bottle of champagne that he'd purchased for her birthday.

"Woo!" she cheered when she heard the cork pop.

Sully filled both of their flutes and brought them with him to where she was sitting. He handed her one of the glasses, and then lifted the blanket that was covering her, so he could sit next to her. Then he made sure they were both covered well with the blanket.

"Happy Birthday, my love. Thirty-Five looks good on you," Sully said, toasting to her and touching his flute to hers.

"This tastes good," she commented, after taking a sip, "I don't think I've had red champagne before. I've always been served white."

"It's a Roscato. A nice, sweet, sparklin' red. Kinda like your lips," Sully flirted with a mischievous gleam in his eye, "and now your cheeks." Sully used his free hand to lift her chin. Then he gently pressed his lips to hers.

She accepted the kiss, but then asked him, "Why do you like to make me blush so much?" She knew she was easily embarrassed when he discussed things that were of a sensual nature, but she was starting to think that he was saying these things to cause her to blush on purpose.

"'Cause watchin' your cheeks light up gives me butterflies in my stomach," he confessed, "and I like that feelin'."

Michaela smiled, biting her bottom lip. She felt she was ready to take Sully back to her place now. She wanted to have her way with him or allow him to have his way with her. They had dealt with so much in the last few months, but those words he just spoke reminded her why she fell in love with him in the first place.

"I don't know why you don't think you have a way with words," Michaela expressed, "You certainly do."

"The only part of English that I liked when I was in high school was the poetry," Sully explained, "I love readin' it, but I can't write for anything. I don't think of myself as an eloquent speaker or writer. I talk with a lot of slang. To me, it's best to just be honest. I like tellin' you what's in my heart, even if I don't think it sounds pretty."

"I think your words are beautiful," she confessed, "With all of my heart.

Neither of them were big drinkers. Once they were finished drinking their individual glasses, they were done. Sully quickly put their empty champagne flutes back on the industrial cart, and then got right back under their blanket to be close to Michaela.

"Do ya wanna open your gift?" he asked.

"Not yet," she replied, leaning backward. She leaned on her elbow facing him, supporting her head with her hand, "I want to know how you put this playlist together."

"You like my music choices," he commented. He leaned backward himself, facing her and mirroring her pose, "I just picked the songs that made me think of you."

"They're all love songs," she noted aloud, scooting a little closer to him.

"Does that surprise ya?" he asked, he didn't think it should, "I've told ya how I feel before. I tell ya I love you pretty often," he placed a hand on her hip, wanting to be close, "Ya know my Cheyenne father taught me that when a man loves a woman, she becomes his Heartsong. That's what you are to me. You're my Heartsong."

"I love you, Sully," Michaela replied, with watery eyes. His words truly touched her heart, but it was more than that. Everytime she thought she'd heard the most incredible thing that a man has ever said to her, he topped it with something else. "I love you so much."

The next thing she knew, Sully was on top of her with his mouth fused to hers. He rolled her onto her back, and her hands found his long hair. She ran her fingers through his hair and massaged his scalp, while he continued to kiss her steadily with an open mouth. Their breathing became labored, but that did little to slow their current make-out. They continued on as the music played.

"...Give me love, love, love, love crazy love…"

Michaela awoke. The first thing she saw was Sully's sleeping face next to her. The first thing she heard was Kenny Rogers singing Through The Years. She felt the cold night air, she smelled the hay through the blankets beneath her, and she could still taste the champagne that they'd sipped on. Then it occurred to her, she was still outside.

She sat up and looked around. She was definitely still in the stall that Sully had set up for them. She could see the candles that he lit earlier had melted down to nubs. What time was it? She looked around for her phone, then she realized that she'd left it in his truck along with her purse. So she found his phone instead.

"Sully," she said, gently rubbing his shoulder.

"Hmm," he answered, his eyes were still closed, and his voice was groggy.

"You were sleeping soundly, I'm sorry," she apologized, wishing she hadn't disturbed him.

"It's alright," he replied, but he still hadn't opened his eyes, "What's wrong?"

"It's 3:00 in the morning," she informed him, "We've nearly spent the night."

Sully blinked his eyes open. Then he sat up and stretched, letting out a yawn. He hadn't planned on them falling asleep, but when they started kissing, they got really relaxed and comfortable.

"We can still go back to my house if you want," Michaela said, "We can probably get a few more hours of sleep. Your mother is still taking the kids to school, right?"

Sully had forgotten all about his mother. Now that Michaela had mentioned her, he remembered walking in on her and Loren, and he still wasn't crazy about the idea of them dating. He hadn't told Michaela about that yet, or about the little disagreement that he and Snowbird had on the previous night.

"Yeah, she's still takin' them," Sully informed her. Snowbird would take the kids to school. She wasn't going to hold an argument that she had with him against them, "We can go back to your place, but I want ya to open your present first."

Michaela nodded and got up. The first thing she did was zip her coat up all the way as she was greeted with an early morning chill.

Sully stood up next and placed his hand on the small of her back, gently guiding her towards her present that was still covered with a blanket and had a bow on top.

"Ya cold?" he asked. He stepped behind her and rubbed up and down her suede covered arms.

Michaela reached forward, and first removed the bow.

"I'll take that," Sully offered. When she gave it to him, he placed the bow on the cart behind him, next to the nearly burnt-out candles.

Michaela removed the blanket next, allowing it to drop on the pile of blankets that were already there, "Oh my goodness!" It was a saddle.

"I had it made for ya," he said, wrapping his arms around her from behind, "I wanna get ya out on a horse again. I've been wanting to for a while."

Michaela reached out and ran her hand over the brown leather saddle that Sully gifted her. It was beautifully made, and it looked like the seat was just the right size for her.

"You put my name on it too," she remarked, reading MICHAELA along the side of the saddle.

"I thought it was a nice touch," he replied, "Do you like it, Darlin'?"

"Indeed, I do," she said, "But I'm still not much of a rider."

"We can change that," he promised, kissing the back of her head. He took in the delicious scent of her hair as he touched the silky tresses with his nose and mouth. Even with the smell of hay and horses nearby, her hair still held on to the scent of eucalyptus and green tea. He'd been smelling her hair for months now, and there was always a third scent present that he couldn't identify. As much as he tried, he could never figure it out. However now, with his nose buried in her hair, he believed the final scent was lilac. It had to be.

The mix of scents was so intoxicating to him that he wanted to get bottles of her shampoo and conditioner and wash his sheets and pillowcases with it, just so he could smell it all the time. Now that he thought about it, there were better ways of getting her special scent in his bed, than just doing his laundry. He could find a way to sleep with her every night instead. His bed would be perfumed with her scent forever if he could do that.

"Sully," Michaela said, as they walked into her home, "You were very quiet on the ride here. Is something bothering you?"

Sully closed the door behind him and led her to the sofa. He made sure he sat himself on the side where he'd hidden her final gift.

"Or are you just tired?" she asked. They woke up at 3:00, and it was only 3:45 now, so he could very well be tired.

Sully had been quiet. The reason was a little bit of both. He was tired, and something was bothering him. When they left the ranch, they drove past his home, and he noticed that Loren's car wasn't there. He was happy that Loren hadn't spent the night, but seeing that the car was gone, just reminded him about what had happened earlier.

"When I went back for the bottle opener, um corkscrew, I walked in on somethin'." he admitted.

"What did you walk in on?" she inquired; her curiosity piqued.

"Remember when I saw Loren's car earlier?" he reminded her.

"Yes," she replied.

"When I walked in, my mother was sittin' on his lap and kissin' him," Sully explained what he saw in the tamest way possible. In actuality, what he saw was more intense than that. They were really making-out.

"So, he's her boyfriend?" Michaela concluded.

"Yeah," Sully confirmed.

"Well, I think it's great that they've found some happiness together," she said, "But I thought they disliked each other. I mean, your mother has always referred to him as 'the old goat'."

"I know," he agreed, "I don't know what happened to that."

Michaela let out a small giggle, "Sully. I don't think it's a bad thing. They probably have a lot in common."

"Like what? Drivin' me crazy?" he questioned.

"They're grandparents," Michaela reminded him, "Who happen to share the same grandchildren. They are both of a certain age–"

"He's way older than she is," Sully pointed out.

"How old is she?" Michaela asked. Snowbird only looked to be in her mid to late forties. However, based on what Michaela knew about Snowbird, she was likely older than that.

"She's 57," Sully said.

"And Loren?" she questioned.

"65," he answered, "I guess they're not that far away in age. But still–"

"It makes you feel uncomfortable," she concluded.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, "I still don't know how this happened. I made some nasty comments when I walked in on them, and I don't think she's gonna wanna tell me how it happened."

Michaela scoffed and laughed at the same time, "I'm sure she'll forgive you for that. This is understandably awkward for you, but I do think you should give it a chance and be supportive. From what I've seen, other than the occasional temper flare-up, Loren is a nice man. I certainly wouldn't call him a jerk that would treat your mother poorly."

"No, he wouldn't, you're right," he admitted.

"I think you should talk with her about it," Michaela suggested, "Allow her to tell you her feelings. She deserves your love, support and respect."

Sully closed his eyes and nodded his head. She was right. Snowbird deserved all those things, and he believed he also owed her an apology.

Glancing over at her grandfather clock that now read 4:00, she asked, "Do you want to go back to bed, or should we just stay up for the day? I can make us some coffee if you'd like."

"Sure, I'd like that," Sully agreed, "After I'm done spoilin' you. I have somethin' else."

"There's more?" she questioned with a laugh. What else could he have planned? He already took her out to eat. He gave her a necklace and a saddle. He made her a personal playlist with all of that beautiful music and treated her to a nice glass of red champagne.

"Yeah, there's somethin' real important and special to me," he proclaimed. Standing up, he lifted the couch cushion that he'd been sitting on, and he retrieved the small box he'd hidden there.

Michaela's heart started beating hard and fast. This wasn't just any small box; it was a box that held a small piece of jewelry like a ring.

Sully sat down next to her and placed the box in her hand. Then he waited for her to open it.

She opened the box, and there was a ring inside, but it wasn't an engagement ring. It actually looked like Princess Diana's, now Kate Middleton's, wedding ring, except it had a smaller center stone. The stone was surrounded by small diamonds. The biggest difference was that the stone wasn't a sapphire, it was an amethyst.

"My late mother's birthday," Sully stated, he didn't know why, but he got nervous all of a sudden, "My mother, Kathleen…um… her birthday was February twenty-ninth. She was a leap-year baby. She usually celebrated it on the twenty-eighth. She could've picked March first, but she said she didn't because she liked amethysts better than aquamarines. My father gave her that on her last real birthday, on the twenty-ninth. And…your birthday is in February…um…it's really special and I wanted to give it to someone special."

Michaela was touched again. He spoke to her soul. She lifted her hand and caressed his cheek and bearded jawline. Then she drew him in for a kiss.

"I love it," Michaela vowed, "I've loved every gift, but this one is very special, and I will always treasure it."

Sully grinned and removed the ring from the box. He lovingly slid it onto her right ring finger, wanting to leave her left hand free for the future, for a different kind of ring.

To be continued. Please review. =)

I know! I know! The saddle is supposed to say DR. MIKE not MICHAELA. I just couldn't imagine Sully (in this story) putting Dr. Mike on the saddle, especially at this point in their relationship.