When Michaela found Zachary, he was sitting on the edge of the empty swimming pool that was in the backyard of the banquet hall. Sully had cleaned it, but he was waiting until the summer to retile the large in-ground pool and get the plumbing replaced. Zachary was sitting between the two round railings of the ladder that was used to get in and out of the deep end of the 20x40 swimming pool. He had his legs hanging off of the edge and into the dry pool.

Michaela sat down next to him, on the opposite side of the right railing, and hung her legs over the side too.

Once she sat down, Zachary ignored her at first. When he realized that his pouting wasn't going to get rid of her, he opened up, "My dad's a jerk," he finally said.

"You don't mean that," Michaela replied, now worried that not correcting Hanna could ruin Sully's relationship with his son, "Your father has never done anything but love and care for you."

Zachary looked at Michaela with a baffled expression on her face. After doing some figuring in his eleven-year-old mind, the boy responded, "I mean my real dad, no… He ain't my real dad. I guess he's my…" Having a difficult time explaining this, the boy began to babble, "I mean…um… they made us watch a video at school. Not at the academy, at the school we went to before. It was before Matthew came; I was still in the fifth grade. They made all the girls go into one room, and all the boys go into another room. They showed us a video about our bodies and where babies come from. It was kinda gross."

"You learned about reproduction," Michaela concluded aloud, now remembering that Zachary would be watching a similar video at the end of May, along with the rest of the sixth-grade class. The academy had informed the parents of that already. She had yet to sign the permission slip that allowed Matthew to view the video about reproduction. Michaela hadn't been sure that she was ready for that, but since she had learned that Zachary had already viewed something similar, she now believed it best that Matthew viewed it and then she could answer his questions.

"Yeah," he said, glad to now have the right word, "I know how it all works. I know what it means when people say that me and Mia have the same dad, and me and Hanna have the same mom. Because of reproduction. I guess Hank is my reproduction dad. I don't know what else to call him."

Michaela felt very relieved. She now understood that Zachary was calling Hank a jerk and not Sully. Perhaps she wouldn't come between Zachary and Sully after all. "How about when we are talking, you refer to Sully as Dad, like you always do, and you refer to Hank as Hank," Michaela suggested, "I'll know what you're talking about."

"I guess I can do that," Zachary agreed, "That's what Mia calls him. He's her reproduction dad too, so I guess I can call him what she calls him. Like I was sayin', Hank's a jerk. I remember him before he went away, but I don't remember anything good. All I remember is him and my mom fightin' all the time. My mom was always angry."

"That's a sad memory," Michaela remarked.

"Then Dad came into our lives, and everything changed," the young boy explained further, "My mom stopped bein' so angry all the time. She was happy. We were all happy, until she got sick and died," Zachary swallowed and then continued to speak his jumbled thoughts, "Mia never had anyone, except her mom. I don't think she wants to give Dad a chance. I promised her that Dad ain't like Hank, and if she just gave him a chance, he would be the best daddy in the whole world to her. Just like he is to me and Hanna."

"That's very kind of you to say," Michaela commented, her lips forming a small smile.

"Matthew agreed with me," Zachary informed Michaela, "He said that he has a crappy dad too, and we're really lucky to have our father. He thinks Mia should give him a chance too."

"I think you and Matthew are on to something," Michaela said, though hearing what Matthew had conveyed to Zachary, really hurt her heart. Everything about this was heartbreaking, but she lived through Matthew's trauma firsthand, and she hated that he had those kinds of memories. It made her feel as though she didn't do her job as a mother.

"When Mom married Dad, I was so happy," the eleven-year-old reminisced, "I couldn't wait to call him Daddy. I was only six, the same age that Mia is now. My mom didn't tell me to. I did it all by myself. Just like what Hanna just did with you. She called you Mommy all by herself."

"Although it didn't feel wrong when you did that with Sully, I take it that it upsets you that Hanna has started doing that with me," Michaela ascertained.

Zachary looked away for a moment. The truth was that it did make him upset that Hanna called Dr. Mike, Mommy. Nevertheless, he liked Dr. Mike, and he didn't want to hurt her feelings, " Matthew said that you make things better," he explained, "He said he has a reproduction mom too, except he didn't say that word. He called her his birth mom. He can't really remember her that good, but it's okay with him because he has you. He said that she wasn't bad though. If she ain't bad, then why does she deserve to be forgotten?"

Michaela blinked her eyes a few times and took in what Zachary had just asked her, and she believed he was mistaken, "I don't think that's what Matthew meant," she said, "He was trying to say that Charlotte, that was her name, was a very good and loving mother, but she isn't here anymore. I've always loved him and taken care of him as long as he can remember and that makes him feel like he isn't missing out on anything. I don't think he was saying that Charlotte deserves to be forgotten either. I believe he was simply stating that he can't remember her very well."

"Well, I do remember my mom! I miss her every day, " Zachary made clear, and then crossed his arms at his chest.

"Yes, Zachary, you do," Michaela replied, hoping that the boy hadn't just shut down, "But, Honey, you have to understand that you were considerably older than Matthew was when you lost her. Matthew was closer to the age that Hanna is now, he was three-and-a-half. Hanna, sweet Hanna, wasn't even a year old when she lost your mother. The long-term results are that you have very clear memories, Matthew has bits and pieces of rather foggy memories, and Hanna has no memory at all."

"I want Hanna to remember her," Zachary confessed, "My mom loved her too."

"She can't," Michaela explained, glad that Zachary was still willing to confide in her, "It's terribly sad, but she can't. It's not that she doesn't want to. Her brain wasn't developed enough to sustain those kinds of memories."

"I think you're a really good mom, Dr. Mike," Zachary complimented, "But my mom was really good too. It's not fair."

"I know," Michaela sympathized, "You are absolutely right, Zachary, it's not fair. You are lucky that you have memories of her and that you get to keep them. You know what it's like to feel a mother's love. Unfortunately, Hanna doesn't. She could have that, a mother's love I mean. If she were to get that, I'm sorry, but it wouldn't be from the mother you both lost, but it could be just as good, just as fulfilling. Do you really want her to miss out on that? Is that fair to your sister?"

"No," Zachary admitted, uncrossing his arms and looking at Michaela again, "but I don't want to forget my mom either. Even if my dad marries you."

"Do you think that your father and I want you to forget her?" Michaela questioned. She hoped not. She would never expect anything so unreasonable.

"I've never thought about it before," he replied, "I don't think you want that, but I do think you want us to be one big happy family."

"Yes, we do want that," Michaela agreed, feeling that she could speak for Sully in regard to this, "Being one big happy family would be ideal, but that does not mean that I want you to forget your mother. I don't want that or expect that and neither does your father. He told me about Christmas. He told me about you bringing that fresh wreath to her grave. I wasn't part of that, but I would have supported it. Does that sound like we want you to forget her?"

"No," Zachary confessed, "I'm just so sad. How do I stop being sad?"

"I'm afraid that this is a situation that is always going to be sad," Michaela said, reaching through the railing, and squeezing Zachary's shoulder. He didn't start crying, but he was clearly hurting, "There is no way of getting around that. Zachary, there are going to be bad things that will happen throughout your life, things that you can't stop, although you want to. The only thing that heals that kind of sadness is time. That doesn't mean that you forget your past; having those memories of your mother is a precious gift that you should cherish. But we can only live in the present and take steps forward, we can't go backward. I think that's the best way to get through it. Move forward, and in time it will get easier."

"Are you gonna marry my dad?" Zachary blurted out.

Michaela froze. She stopped talking and thought about the young boy's question. She wanted to be truthful but didn't know how to answer that question.

"You're kinda actin' like you're married already," he commented, "not always, but sometimes, like lettin' Hanna call you mom."

He was right. They did act like they were married sometimes. Allowing Hanna to call her mommy was only something that she should've encouraged if she were married to the little girl's father. She allowed it because Hanna just did it so naturally. It was heart-warming and she didn't want to correct the sweet toddler or tell her to stop. It made her feel good; however, it would become very confusing for any of the children, not just Hanna, if she and Sully didn't get married eventually, and they had no official understanding as of now.

"Your father and I are not getting married," Michaela finally stated, "because he hasn't asked me. I feel that we are very committed to one another, and if he ever does ask me, I will say yes."

"Why don't you tell him to ask you?" Zachary questioned, "Or why don't you ask him?"

"Because he has to decide that on his own," Michaela responded, "He knows how I feel about him. Your father is more traditional in nature about certain things, and I just don't think that he would appreciate it very much if I denied him the chance to propose." Moreover, she didn't want to propose. She wanted Sully to ask for her, but she wasn't going to tell Zachary all of that.

"Maybe he's scared," he replied, now wanting to fix his father's love life, "At the church Christmas party, when everyone was dancin', I was afraid to ask the girls to dance. When one of them asked me, it made it easier."

Michaela smiled, "That's not exactly the same thing."

"But you would say yes if he asked?" Zachary questioned for confirmation.

"I certainly would," Michaela confirmed a second time, "However, this is between your father and me. You must promise me that you'll stay out of it."

Zachary deflated. He was already planning to tell his father all about what they had talked about, and he was going to insist that Sully propose as soon as possible, "I promise," he vowed. He just wished his father would get a move on.

"Thank you," Michaela said, "I know that I can trust you."


After Church, Snowbird and Loren invited Sully, Michaela and the children out to lunch. Michaela and Sully agreed and also promised the children that they would still get to go horseback riding that afternoon.

As the party of ten entered the Cracker Barrel Restaurant for lunch, Sully pulled his son aside, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," the boy answered, "I'm glad that we're havin' lunch with Grandpa and Grandma."

"I mean about earlier. After breakfast, when you stormed out," Sully reminded him. Michaela was the one who'd talked to Zachary after that, but he still hadn't. She told him that his son was okay, but Sully wanted to touch base with him anyway.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Zachary said, "Dr. Mike is really nice, and she said that Mom is still important, even if things change."

"Yes, always. Son, Mom is very important," Sully replied, feeling like he'd dropped the ball. Luckily for him, it sounded like his partner had picked the ball up, "and I'm glad Dr. Mike got you to see that."

"She did," Zachary replied, "and I think you should marry her." He did promise Dr. Mike that he'd stay out of it, but he didn't consider telling his father how he felt, personally, to be breaking that promise.

"Oh, you do, do ya?" Sully questioned with a laugh. If his son only knew the plans he had to make that happen, "How about we focus on lunch instead?"

"Can we get somethin' new here?" Zachary asked as the two of them entered the restaurant to meet up with everyone else. They were walking through the gift shop part of the restaurant, currently, and a few items had already caught Zachary's eye.

"We'll see," Sully said, urging his son to move forward. He knew there was a reason why he didn't like this restaurant. He liked buying presents for his kids, but when he went out to eat, he didn't want to be bombarded with trinkets and novelty gifts.

Sully and Zachary joined their family at the table. It wasn't just one table; it was four small tables pushed together. When Loren saw Zachary, he signaled for his grandson to sit next to him. Once Zachary was seated, there was only one chair left. It was across from Michaela, and between Matthew who was sitting on the left, and Brian who was sitting on the right, but at the end of the table in a highchair.

Sully took his seat in the empty chair, but his eyes immediately scanned for Hanna. He found her sitting on the other end of the table between his mother and Loren. Next to his mother were Mia and then Colleen.

Michaela gestured for him to lean forward, and when he was close enough, she whispered, "I hope you don't mind, but Loren requested to have Hanna and Zachary close by. I knew Zachary wouldn't care. I was a little worried about Hanna, but she appears to be fine, although she has gravitated a little closer to Snowbird."

"I don't mind," Sully whispered back, but part of him did mind. He understood that Hanna and Zachary were Loren's grandchildren, but once he and Michaela were married, he wanted all of the children to be treated the same. He knew his mother wouldn't have a problem with that, but could Loren do the same? That was what Sully wanted, but he wasn't sure if he could ask that of Loren.

As they ate lunch as a family, Sully studied Loren's interactions with everyone at the table. The first thing Sully noticed was how attentive he was to Snowbird. Sully was still uncomfortable with them dating, but he couldn't fault that.

Loren certainly favored his daughter's children to everyone else, but he also took the time to at least ask each of the other kids at the table a question. He was trying to get to know them. Sully thought that this could be his mother's influence, which made him feel somewhat relieved.

Once lunch was over, Loren said to the table, "How about after I pay for lunch, these six children pick out a gift from the gift shop?" Then Loren made eye contact with Sully and said, "It's on Grandpa."

The children soon erupted with cheers and when Loren got up, they all did. Loren lifted Hanna out of her highchair and then set her down on the floor and held her hand.

"Perhaps I should go with you to help," Michaela offered. She was fine with Loren giving the children gifts, but they were still children, and this could easily get out of hand.

"Fine," Loren said, "You start by helpin' your son get out of that highchair."

Michaela lifted Brian out of the highchair and then she followed everyone into the gift shop.

Once they left, Snowbird and Sully were alone at the table.

"This is the happiest that I've ever seen Loren," Sully commented. He had never seen Loren so willing to fork out that much money. Loren also seemed more carefree than he'd ever seen him, "Looks like you're doin' him some good."

"He's doing me some good too," Snowbird confessed. Then she got up from her seat, and sat down across from Sully, where Michaela had just been sitting. It was time for a talk between mother and son.

"You were unhappy?" Sully asked.

"I was alone for eighteen years," she stated as if Sully should have known that she was unhappy already, "Not alone, but without a man. Without someone just for me. I haven't been miserable every single day, and I know how to hide my sadness and loneliness better than most. Better than Loren for sure. But everyone needs someone, Sully."

"I'm sorry, Ma," Sully stated mournfully. That news really made him feel terrible. He had no idea. Snowbird had done a great job hiding it.

"Don't be sorry," she replied, "Be understanding and supportive. I know this is awkward for you."

"How did it happen?" he inquired.

"It started on Christmas," his mother explained, "Olive invited me over for dinner and said that I can be Loren's date. She was kidding when she said that, but that's what ended up happening. Everyone was coupled. Olive and Patrick, Dorothy and Marcus, and Loren and I. We didn't come as a couple, but we sat together."

"And what happened?" Sully probed further.

"Marcus was actually behaving himself," Snowbird explained, "I am glad that they're getting divorced, don't get me wrong, Marcus is a jerk, but he was behaving himself that night. Patrick didn't know anything about Marcus and Dorothy's problems, and he struck up a conversation with him about the Broncos. Eventually, Dorothy and Olive joined in. They're all football fans. I don't know anything about football, so I stayed quiet. Loren knows quite a bit about football, actually, but he was more interested in asking me about the kids. So, while everyone else at the table was discussing football, we were discussing our shared grandchildren."

"I see," Sully said.

"At the end of the night, I asked him if he'd like to attend a new group at church," Snowbird continued, "It's a group for men and women, over 60, who have experienced loss. I'm not quite 60 yet, but Emily from my women's group invited me. Loren wasn't crazy about the idea, but he came to our first get together in January. We meet twice a week. Loren sits next to me at our meetings. The group has really helped him to open up. Not to everyone, but to me. After our third meeting, he asked me if I wanted to go out to dinner with him that night, but he prefaced it by saying that he really didn't feel like going home and cooking, so I didn't take it as a romantic gesture. I told him I didn't either and I agreed."

"Still sounds like a date, Ma," Sully interjected.

"That's what it turned into," she said, moving forward, "I agreed to go fully expecting to pay my way, but at the end of the night he wouldn't let me. I thanked him, and still expected that to be it for the night, but it wasn't. Once we were outside, the moon was full and pink, I think it was a blood moon. We stopped to look at it. The restaurant was near the park, and there was a bench nearby, so we both decided to sit down for a moment. After a few minutes, we ended up making out on that bench." Snowbird stopped talking but then burst out laughing when she saw the look on her son's face.

"Let's skip that part," he begged, "Please."

"That's pretty much it. We've been seeing each other ever since," she said, "We go to our church group twice a week. We have dinner together afterwards, and on Saturdays. It's been really nice. Life's just too short, Sully. I'm very happy about this."

"I'm glad," Sully said truthfully, "But I do feel it's my duty as a son to say that if you're happy, I'm happy. That also means, if he ever makes you unhappy, I'll get Wolf on it."

"Thank you, Son," Snowbird laughed and shot him a genuine smile. Seizing an opportunity to talk about something else that was bothering her, Snowbird added, "If you really want to see me happy, you could call Daniel. That would make me very happy."

Sully didn't say anything, but he did narrow his eyes. He didn't expect the conversation to turn to that, but he couldn't hide from it now.

"When's the last time you spoke with Daniel?" she inquired.

"Christmas," Sully replied.

"And you haven't sent him a single text message since?" she asked.

"He hasn't sent me one," Sully responded, not willing to take responsibility for that breach.

"Fine," Snowbird said quickly, wanting to move on, "As I said, life's too short, and I want my boys to talk again."

"Did he tell you what he did?" Sully questioned, wondering what kind of sob story his brother was filling their mother's head with.

"Yes, he did," she informed him, "He isn't proud of that."

"Good," Sully responded, "He shouldn't be."

"Is Michaela still upset?" Snowbird asked.

"We haven't discussed it," Sully explained to his mother, "But knowin' her warm-hearted nature, she probably forgave him right after it happened."

"You have a warm-hearted nature too, Sully," his mother reminded him.

"Betrayal is hard for me to get over," he reminded his mother. Snowbird knew that about him already, "I'm not sayin' it's impossible, but it's gonna take some time."

"Well, can I tell you some news about Daniel?" she requested.

"Sure," he answered with a shrug.

"He's met someone new," she informed him.

"A stripper?" he questioned sarcastically.

"No, Smart-Mouth, not a stripper," Snowbird replied, "She's a Cheyenne woman."

"How'd that happen?" Sully inquired. Snowbird's news about Daniel was actually quite a surprise.

"After he told me what he did, I told him that I think he needs some direction in his life. I explained to him that the reason why he likely found himself so attracted to Michaela, was because she's a serious woman. She isn't some floozy or ditz that he typically sleeps with. I couldn't even bring myself to say dates. He really doesn't date them. He thought I made some good points, so I made arrangements for him to go to a Cheyenne retreat. You've been to those before," Snowbird said, "I asked him to please go, and he agreed."

"Yes," he answered with a nod, "I've been to those before. What happened at the retreat?"

"Daniel met a serious woman for a change. Someone worth her salt in many different areas of her life. Her name is Lenore Shen. She goes by Nora," Snowbird informed him with pride.

"Shen ain't a Cheyenne name," he pointed out.

"No, it's not. Her mother is Cheyenne," Snowbird explained, "Her father is part Chinese, Norwegian, and Portuguese on one side. On the other side, he isn't sure, but he has ties to the Muscogee Nation down in Oklahoma."

"That's quite a mix," Sully remarked.

"Daniel sent me a photograph of the two of them and she looks Cheyenne," Snowbird pulled out her phone and showed Sully the picture that Daniel had sent, "Look."

"She's pretty," Sully commented. It was the truth; this Nora Shen was very pretty, and she did look Cheyenne. By the looks of the picture, she and Daniel had gone for a hike. It was hard to tell from just a picture, but she looked down-to-Earth, and his brother looked happy.

"He sent me some other pictures, scenery shots mostly," Snowbird reported.

"What does she do for a livin'?" Sully inquired.

"She works as a sales rep. for a company called Top Squad," Snowbird replied.

"What's that?" Sully questioned.

"I've heard of them because they sell to most schools throughout the country," Snowbird informed him, "They sell team uniforms. They sell uniforms for cheerleading, mostly. As luck would have it, she lives in Boulder City and sells to all of the schools in that area. It's about thirty miles from Vegas. That's how she makes her money, but she does much more than that in life, Sully."

"Good, I'm glad he's met someone who makes him happy," Sully said, and he meant it. His brother had been drifting for far too long. He needed the love of a good woman to keep him straight.


The family of eight had gone home and were now standing in the large corral that was near the horse stables on the ranch. Sully had brought out Goliath and was currently riding him around the corral. The purpose of his demonstration was mostly to show Mia what proper horseback riding looked like. Everyone else was familiar with it at least. Mia was amazed by the giant horse. She'd seen horses on the ranch, but never close up.

"What I'm doin' is called ridin' bareback," Sully said to the group, but focused his attention on Mia, "You'll have a saddle, everyone will. I will have one too. I'll saddle Goliath up before we leave to go on the trails."

"I can't wait," Mia whispered to Colleen.

"It's so much fun," Colleen whispered back.

"Every one of you children will be wearin' a helmet," Sully stated firmly as he dismounted his horse. While he was climbing down, he heard his cell phone beep. He quickly looked at it, and then placed the phone back in his pocket, "Bad news," Sully announced, "It's gonna rain."

"Does that mean we can't go?" Mia asked, immediately disappointed.

"No," Sully replied, "We can still go, but we can't stay out for a long time. A couple hours at most."

"Okay," Mia responded. That was news she could live with.

"That also means I better get us ready as soon as possible," Sully elaborated, and then gave directions, "Son, please bring out the saddles and helmets. I told my overtime crew to have them ready for us, they should be on the blue flatbed cart."

"Yes Sir," Zachary answered respectfully and went in search of the flatbed.

Sully went back inside the stables and retrieved one of the new mares.

"This is Flash in the Sky. We call her Flash," Sully said. He met Zachary, who had returned to the corral with the flatbed, and retrieved a horse blanket. He placed it on the mare's back, and then he retrieved Michaela's saddle and saddled the horse up, "This one is for you, Darlin'," he told Michaela, "She's a runner!" When he saw the frightened look on Michaela's face, he added, "She's tame with female riders. None of the men around here can get her to do anything, but the women can."

"How many women do you have working here?" Michaela asked, to her knowledge it was just Olive who already knew how to handle a horse.

"Olive," Sully stated, confirming what Michaela already knew, "But Flash's previous owner was a sweet little girl. The family was from up North in Montreal. They had to leave Flash behind because they decided to move back home and couldn't keep a horse in the city."

That news made Michaela's tensions ease up, but she still didn't move. Her niece had been a seasoned rider by the age of twelve. This little girl, Flash's previous owner, could have had similar training, she didn't know.

"'Chaela," Sully said with a smile, patting the saddle seat.

"Get on, Mommy," Colleen encouraged. The little girl was getting very excited, and she wanted her mommy to love horseback riding as much as she did.

"Why not put the children on first?" she questioned, her nerves taking over.

Sully smiled widely, "Because I'd like ya to get accustomed to your new saddle before takin' ya out on the trails."

Michaela reluctantly walked in his direction.

"Zac," Sully called over his shoulder as he moved Goliath out of Michaela's way, " Go get the ponies, and start saddlin' them up."

Zachary didn't reply, he simply got to work, and walked back into the stables to get the ponies.

Michaela got close to Flash and began petting her muzzle. She was very pleased that Flash appeared to like it. She gave the horse a small kiss on the muzzle, and then traveled to where Sully was standing.

"Put your foot in the stirrup," he directed, "It's strong, it will hold your weight. Use it as a step and swing your other leg over to get on. I will be right here to help if you need it."

Since this wasn't Michaela's first time on a horse, she felt more confident getting on. She was able to successfully mount the horse with just a little bit of help from Sully.

"That was good," Sully praised, "You're gettin' the hang of it. Try to get comfortable while I am helpin' the kids."

"The saddle feels nice, Sully," Michaela commented. It felt like it was specially made for her. Michaela stopped to think for a moment. She supposed it felt that way because Sully did have it specially made for her.

"That's good," He responded with a small grin, "Just relax while I am gettin' the other horses saddled. Then I'll watch Colleen ride with Mia, and make sure they're okay. We'll get goin' on the trails soon."

Michaela nodded, starting to get used to the feel of the saddle and to being on Flash's back.

"Dad," Zachary said, "I can't get the Pony stall open."

"Alright, I'm comin'," Sully replied. Sometimes the stall doors got stuck and Zachary didn't have enough strength to open them.

As Michaela was getting comfortable on Flash, she heard Mia's voice, "Ew! There's a snake!"

Michaela was about to respond, and tell the children to stay away from it, but then…

Flash let out a loud nay and reared straight up in the air, it was all Michaela could do to hold on. She wanted to scream but was in too much shock. When Flash's front hooves were back on the ground, Michaela thought she'd heard a loud crunch, but she didn't have time to process anything. The horse jetted off in a sprinted gallop, taking Michaela with her. The gate to the corral was closed, but that didn't slow Flash down. The young and wild mare jumped and flew over the corral fence. Then she continued to run in fear through the open field.

"Mommy!" Colleen screamed.

"Mom!" Matthew yelled.

Neither of the children knew what to do next.

"What happened?" Sully asked. He heard Flash squeal loudly and then he heard the children yelling for their mother. He ran back to them as fast as possible and expected to find Michaela on the ground after having been bucked off.

"There was a snake," Matthew was the first to answer and then he pointed in Michaela's direction on the field.

"Horse got spooked," Sully said under his breath. Grateful that Goliath clearly hadn't seen the snake, Sully jumped on his back, not stopping to saddle him first. He kicked Goliath's sides and got the horse to sprint to the far side of the corral, and then Goliath jumped the fence as agilely as Flash had just done.

Zachary got into action next and ran back into the stable. He came back with a large ax that his father kept there, "Where's that snake?"

"I think the horse got it," Matthew said, pointing to the ground.

Zachary looked at the ground and the snake was dead, its skull was crushed, "Flash or Goliath must've stomped on it without knowin'. I'm gonna get a shovel. We've gotta bury it," Zachary explained to Matthew.

"Please stop!" Michaela begged with tears in her eyes, as Flash continued to run frantically, "Please stop!" She held onto the reins as tight as she could.

"Giddy-up boy!" Sully yelled, kicking the sides of the horse, "That's one fast little horse we've gotta catch-up to."

Goliath was much bigger than Flash so he could cover more ground when he really got running. He soon caught up to Flash. As they caught up, Sully saw how tight Michaela held the reins and figured that the best way to stop the horse was to weigh her down. He got in position, said a quick prayer, and then jumped off of Goliath and onto Flash's back. He was behind Michaela now, and he reached around her and took hold of the reins. He was stronger and could jerk the reins harder to get the horse's attention.

"Make her stop! Make her stop!" Michaela cried. She was overwrought with fear.

"She's gonna stop," Sully tried to speak soothingly. He yanked on the reins, "Whoa, girl! Whoa, Whoa."

"She's still going!" Michaela cried again.

"She's slowin' down," Sully whispered in her ear, "She'll have to stop soon. I'm just grabbin' the reins so hard to get her attention. This horse ain't big enough to support the weight of two human adults and keep runnin'. Together, we're almost 300 pounds on her back. She will stop, trust me."

As Sully predicted, Flash soon slowed down, and then came to a stop. Sully quickly got off her back. He came around and then reached for Michaela, helping her climb down.

Once Michaela's feet touched the ground, she threw herself into Sully's arms in an instant. She wanted his safe arms, his warmth, and his protection. As soon as she felt safe, the flood gates opened. Then she burst into tears and began weeping in his arms.

"Oh Sweetheart. I'm so sorry that happened," he said tenderly in her ear as he held her. He rubbed her back, and tried to explain what had just happened, "I know that was scary. Horses are scared of snakes. Our girl, Flash, got spooked. She could've bucked you off, but she didn't. She was runnin' real fast, but you stayed on, you didn't get thrown. That's a good thing," Realizing that Michaela wasn't listening to his explanation or his praises, he stopped talking, but kept his arms around her. He continued to rub circles into her back.

As if she could sense Michaela's anxiety and fear, Flash trotted over and tried to stick her nose in-between Sully and Michaela.

Michaela let go of Sully and backed away, but Sully held on to her hand, not letting her get too far. He patted Flash's muzzle and said, "She's sayin' she's sorry, look at her. I think you should give her a second chance. She wants you on her back."

"Sully, I know you love these horses, you trust them, but I am not getting on one by myself ever again," Michaela said sternly. Her eyes and cheeks were still red.

"Don't say that," Sully tried to reason with her, "You need to get back on."

"After that?" Michaela questioned in disbelief. How could he want her back on a horse, any horse, after what had just happened?

"Yes," he insisted, "Some seasoned riders would've been thrown after all that, but you weren't. You stayed on. Now the horse is tryin' to make-up with ya."

Michaela was still unsure, so Sully continued to try and talk her into it.

"I will order you a helmet if you want," he promised, "But this is your horse. She's taken to you."

As Michaela was contemplating her decision, they heard thunder crack and then it started to rain.

"Mia is going to be so disappointed," was the first thing that Michaela said. Though, Michaela didn't think it was particularly horrible that Mia and the other children were going to miss out that afternoon. What if their horses got spooked? They could break their necks.

"She'll be alright," Sully countered. The weather report did say that rain was expected later in the day, but he couldn't control that it came early, "I'll get her on a horse soon enough. In the meantime, we need to get out of this rain and ridin' these horses is the fastest way to do that."

Michaela didn't want to get back on Flash, but she did want to get out of the rain.

"I'll hold on to your reins if you want," Sully vowed as his clothes were getting soaked, "This rain ain't goin' away anytime soon."

The rain was getting heavier, so Michaela made a decision quickly. She decided to get back on the horse. The next thing she knew, she and Sully were riding side by side, in a very controlled manner, back to the stables.


It was now Sunday night. Michaela had a feeling that it would be hard to say goodbye to Sully after she decided to spend Saturday night with him, so she prepared herself ahead of time. She packed herself an outfit for Monday morning. She packed school uniforms for Matthew and Colleen, and some fresh clothes for Brian. Then she made sure that the children's backpacks and schoolbooks were ready to go in her SUV. Now was the time that she got to reap the rewards of her preparation.

All of the children were down for the night, and she currently found herself relaxing with Sully in bed. He was shirtless, and in his boxers, and she was in her navy-blue nightgown again. They snuggled in the middle of the bed, with the covers pulled all the way up to their necks to keep the chill out. They lied together, silently, listening to the sound of the rain outside.

"I'm glad you decided to stay another night," Sully said, breaking the silence, "I think bathtime was a little difficult; I need another bathroom in this place."

"We made it; and everyone will be ready for school tomorrow," Michaela replied, looking at the bright side, "You and I can shower in the morning."

"Together?" he asked mischievously, he already knew the answer to that.

"No, not together," Michaela replied. The thought of sharing the shower with him was appealing, but they had too many kids in close proximity. "I agree with you though, about the bathroom situation. I think, until you get another bathroom put in, the next time we have a slumber party weekend, we should have it at my house."

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed, dropping a kiss on his girlfriend's forehead through her bangs.

Michaela became giddy all of a sudden, and hugged Sully tighter as they snuggled under the covers. She was rewarded with the feel of his arms tightening their hold on her. However, they soon settled into a more relaxed position; still holding one another, but not as tight. Michaela kept her head resting on his pec. She relished in the feel of his chest hair caressing her cheek.

"I'm proud of you," Sully mentioned, "Gettin' back on Flash, after everything. I had no idea that she'd reared up like ya said. I had a feelin' that she'd hopped the fence though. She was in a panic and the gate was closed. I'm glad you held on."

"I didn't know what else to do," Michaela admitted, " and the ride back wasn't so terrible. I think I like her."

"I think she likes you too," Sully commented, dropping another kiss on her forehead.

"I understand now," Michaela remarked, "I understand why you enjoy riding horses. I understand why my niece enjoys it, why our children enjoy it. It's an adventure."

"Yeah," Sully replied, "Some people get the same feelin' from a motorcycle. I think ridin' a horse is different. I've always liked it more."

"Have you ridden a motorcycle?" Michaela asked; she was just curious.

"Yes," he answered, "Not in a while. I road one all the time in my twenties. That was just for fun. Ma couldn't stand it."

"From the point of view of a mother, I agree," Michaela said, "It's frightening to think of your child weaving in and out of traffic without protection. I know you wear a helmet, but that isn't the same as a car."

"That's a scary thought for a father too," Sully stated, "I think it's a catch 22 thing. I don't want the kids hurt, but I don't wanna hold them back either. That's one of the most difficult parts of this parentin' thing."

"Yes," she agreed.

As they snuggled in each other's arms, Sully's mind drifted to his proposal plans. Then his mind drifted to the future, and finally, his mind landed firmly on their home. He still had his sketches that he'd drawn based on what he'd seen in his visions. He hadn't worked on those sketches for a while, and what he'd seen in his dreams was never complete. Now was as good a time as any to get a few things cleared up with Michaela.

"So," Sully said, being the one to break the silence for a second time, "Say I'm buildin' a house…"

"You're building a house," she joked with him.

"Funny," he replied and did let out a small chuckle, "Let's say I'm buildin' that house for you-"

"For me?" she questioned, liking where this was going.

"Yes, for you," he confirmed, "Now humor me. How would you like me to build it?"

"How?" she asked.

"I mean, the size, the special features, the decor," Sully explained.

"I think it should be a large house," Michaela replied, silently agreeing to humor him, "It needs to accommodate a lot of people."

"Keep goin'," he encouraged.

"It would need to have several bedrooms," she continued.

"For all of the people livin' there?" he questioned.

"Yes," she said, "and there would also need to be some guest bedrooms. I have various family members back East. I would want them to have a comfortable place to stay."

"Lots of rooms," he repeated, as if he was creating a checklist, "Are you opposed to a guest house?" If he built them a large house in the back of the ranch, he would still have his bungalow, in the front of the ranch, to use for a guest house. He would likely need to invest in some golf carts for the guests to travel back and forth from the main house to the bungalow, but he didn't think that was unreasonable.

"No," she replied, "I think that would work well for some members of my family. My sister Marjorie, for example. She likes to stay out late. It would be nice if she had a place to go when she was done with her vacation nightlife. She could do whatever she wanted, no matter how late, and she wouldn't bother me or the children in the process."

"Ya said for some members of your family though," Sully reminded her, "Are there other members of the family that you would want to stay in your great big house?"

"My mother," she answered, snuggling a little tighter into Sully, "I imagine Christmas morning. If she came to visit, she would want to wake up and join us for coffee, breakfast, and she'd want to watch the children open up their presents."

Sully imagined the house that he'd "awoken" in when he was fully immersed in his dreams of the future with Michaela. He'd seen the kitchen, though he had not explored all of the features. He'd seen their bedroom and their living room, but he didn't see everything there either. He only saw the snapshot like images that played out in his mind.

He imagined if he was going to build a house for them, there would have to be room for everyone. He thought of a two-story home with a finished basement. He knew that her finished basement was something that Michaela liked in her home now, so he wanted to include a basement for her. Furthermore, he knew that he wanted the rooms for the immediate family to be upstairs on the second floor. He imagined a luxurious bedroom for the two of them with a large en suite bathroom, complete with his and hers sinks. He assumed that she would enjoy a large closet as well. For himself, he always wanted a fireplace in the bedroom, which was a feature he'd insist on for the house. He couldn't see her rejecting that idea. Why would she?

In addition, he could see building sets of bedroom couples for the kids. Each bedroom couple would be attached to a bathroom, jack and jill style. Perhaps he'd build a huge loft upstairs for the family to be together and watch movies or something.

On the first floor, he saw a living room, family room, kitchen, and dining room. Maybe a mudroom near the garage, so they had a place to take off their shoes when they entered the house? Maybe a laundry room? Or maybe the laundry room should be placed upstairs so it would be a shorter distance for everyone to put their clothes away after they were washed and dried.

Now that Michaela had told him that she'd like a place in the house for her mother, and other family members, to stay that was inside the house, he believed he would need to included guest room or two in the build. Those rooms would be downstairs.

Wow, this house was going to be the biggest building project of his life. It was worth it for his family, but it did mean that he was going to need a lot of help and he needed to start saving the funds now.

The good news was that he and Mr. Barry had finally come to an agreement. The average price of cattle was currently very pricy at $2000 per head. Mr. Barry couldn't afford that price for the entire herd, but he would be willing to buy the entire herd if Sully would accept $1750 per head. Agreeing to that would earn Sully, nearly half a million dollars, which he could certainly live with, so he agreed to the deal. However, his agreement was contingent on another item that was to be written in their contract. Mr. Barry must agree to rent his land for the next five years, earning Sully approximately $150,000 per year. After that, Mr. Barry could rent his land or not, but Sully would have the benefit of advertising his ranch as a true land rental business. He would rent out this land to people that needed to house cattle for whatever reason.

This new venture would make him more money than he ever dreamed of. He'd have plenty for himself, his family, and he'd be able to take care of his workers. He was already doing that on roughly $80,000 per year, though that figure wasn't based on a steady monthly income. This new deal would allow him to continue living and also save some money for a rainy day. Another added benefit was that his monthly income would become regular.

The downside was that he felt that he was betraying his father and ancestors somewhat. This wasn't the type of business that The Sully Ranch was built on, but he had to evolve. He didn't know how to make a steady income based on what they had always done. He was maneuvering the world that he lived in currently, and he had to make the most reasonable decisions based on what was best for himself, his family, and the ranch now.

Moreover, if he wanted to continue on this endeavor to build this gigantic house for the family, that half-a-million, which was probably closer to $400,000 after taxes, would certainly come in handy. He already had money in savings too, always believing that it's better to be safe than sorry.

"What kind of special features do ya like?" he asked, coming back to reality, "I don't mean the bedrooms and bathrooms, I mean things that don't come standard with a tract home."

"I do love my custom cabinetry in my home," she informed him, "I love having a place just for the indoor trash and recycling."

Sully smiled and dropped another kiss on the top of her head. He knew that her custom cabinetry would at one time become a feature in their shared home as soon as he saw it the first time.

"I fell in love with my fireplace when you lit that fire in it during Thanksgiving. Do you remember when the storm happened? " Michaela said, reminding him of that, "I haven't lit a fire in there since, but I loved it when you did it."

He would light all the fires that she wanted. He would teach her to light a fire too, though he did believe that she would like him to do that for her. But what if she needed a lit fire and he wasn't home to do it? He wanted her to learn. He'd still light most of them, but it would be good for her to know how in a pinch.

"Anything else?" he asked, eager to keep the conversation going.

"I don't know, Sully," she replied, "What would you like in a house like that?"

"I like fireplaces," was his immediate response, "I like everything that you said. I think I'd like a large driveway too, and not just for parkin' my truck. Hanna likes to draw with sidewalk chalk. I want a safe place for that. I want a nice patio in the backyard. It would be good to sit outside for dinner or just to look at the stars. Maybe I'd get a barbeque and cook out."

His mention of Hanna brought Michaela back to her conversation with Zachary earlier that day, "Sully?"

"Yes Love?" he answered.

"Should we be correcting Hanna?" she asked, "I mean about when she calls me, Mommy. We're not even–"

"Married?" he interrupted.

"I was going to say engaged, but yes," she answered, "we're not married."

"I was thinkin' the same thing when Colleen asked to call me Daddy earlier today," he replied and revealed something new to her.

"She did?" Michaela questioned aloud. Colleen had never once mentioned that to her, "I guess we know where Colleen and Hanna stand. What was your answer to Colleen?"

"I said I'd talk to you about it," he replied with a small chuckle.

"I wouldn't see it as a problem if we were at least engaged to be married," Michaela said, hoping to nudge him to give some sort of hint as to if and when that could happen.

Sully was willing to be nudged, "We're not engaged to be married, yet," he said as if he were correcting her. He wanted to drop a small hint, without giving away his plans.

Michaela's eyes lit up, and her heart fluttered when she heard the way he said, yet.

"I don't see why we need to hurt the kids' feelings because it hasn't happened, yet," he replied, now hoping to get across that he wants to ask her, but he isn't fully prepared at that particular moment. He did plan to be prepared by April 1st.

Michaela took his response to mean that an engagement and eventual marriage was something that he wanted for their future. She could live with that, for now, as long as yet didn't mean years. She wanted yet to mean days, perhaps weeks, she supposed she could live with months, but this wasn't something that she wanted to wait years for. She decided that she would need to have a very serious talk with him about this, but it would have to wait until after she returned from Boston. She didn't want to have that talk and then be thousands of miles away soon afterward.

"Perhaps for now," Michaela said, "You can treat Colleen, the way that I am going to treat Hanna. If she calls you, Daddy, accept it. Don't hurt her feelings, but also don't encourage it. If she calls you, Sully, don't correct her and say she must call you Daddy. This is a learning process. I suppose it could lead to more confusion, but that is the only idea I have right now."

"Okay," Sully agreed, "I guess that will work, for now."


To be continued. Please review. =)

This is the longest chapter I've written! I hope you enjoyed it. Again, thank you everyone for your support.