CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

After the trial there was a great deal of commotion for awhile as people pressed forward to shake Sully's hand and clap him on the back. Eventually, however, the church building emptied as people headed off to the saloon, the cafe or their homes. Dorothy rounded up the people she'd brought and headed off in her wagon. Judge Winthrop had packed up his things and stopped to shake hands with Sully and Peter. "Good luck, Mr. Sully. I have faith that you will be able to make things right. Nice, work Lawyer Taylor, you were a very convincing advocate." He tipped his hat to Roberta and Michaela who were waiting. "Good day, ladies. Sheriff Cooper." He shook hands with Matthew then headed out to catch his train.

As Matthew walked over to claim his prisoner, Sully shook hands with Peter. He leaned closer to him and said something else and they shook hands again. Michaela, Brian and Colleen all hugged Sully, rejoicing in the fact that they would all be together again in two weeks. If Sully seemed a little distant to her, Michaela blamed it on the fact that he'd been under a great deal of strain.

Roberta hugged Peter and said, "You were wonderful!" Peter smiled and hugged her back.

"Let's pick up the kids and your father and go get something to eat." As they headed for the door, Michaela stopped them.

"Thank you both, for all you've done" she said. "We can never repay you".

"It's not necessary" Peter said. "We were glad to help".

"Do you know what your plans are, now?"

Peter glanced at Roberta before replying. "We ...haven't really discussed it."

"Well, I hope before you head back East, or whatever, that you'll be able to join us for supper at our homestead."

"That would be lovely" Roberta replied. Then she and Michaela swiftly hugged each other. "We'll be sure to stop by before we leave town."

""I hope I'll be able to thank you, too" Sully said as Matthew prepared to lead him out.

They all said their good byes before going their separate ways.

******************************

Later that evening, Peter asked Roberta to go for a walk with him after the children were settled. They ambled down the quiet street (quiet except for the racket coming from the saloon) and out toward the meadow. As they walked they were greeted occasionally by passers by. They had come to know quite a few people in a short time.

"Preston was really upset with Dorothy this afternoon" Roberta told Peter. "You should have seen his face when he found out that she had sold every single issue of the "Colorado Springs Eagle" and had to print more!"

"From what I understand" Peter chuckled, "no one could see his face - it was all covered in black ink!"

"That's true," Roberta said. "I think he'll have a hard time reviving the Gazette. He's going to regret losing Dorothy!"

They had stopped on the bridge and Peter put his arm around her. "You really like these people, don't you?"

"Yes. Yes I do. I really like this town. I'm going to hate to leave. Oh Peter, promise me that we can come back here sometime?"

"Well ... " Peter gazed at the ground, then looked into his wife's eyes. "How would you like to live here?"

"Live here!? Do you mean that?"

"Bobby, you know we got restitution money from the people responsible for the fire. And I've had an offer for the house. It's a good one - we'll have enough for a good start here."

"Where would we go? Do you know of any land for sale?"

"Well, Sully told me about a piece of land adjacent to his homestead. It's actually part of his homestead but he doesn't use it. He wants to give it to us."

"Give it?"

"In trade for my being his lawyer. He's a proud man, Bobby. He wasn't willing for me to do it for nothing. It's a fair trade and we can use the money to build a house and get some stock and equipment. I'd like to get back to farming, just on a small scale - enough to provide for us."

"What about your law practice? You spent a lot of years learning the law!"

"Sully and I talked about that, too. He figures there's enough law business to keep me busy around here - people who really need a lawyer, Bobby, who won't get a fair chance, otherwise. I could be an advocate for the Indians, if there are any left, and also for the land. It's a shame what's happening to the land out here. They say the land is 'too valuable to leave in the hands of savages' but they're the savages. The Indians know how to care for the land, but these people coming in are just stripping it clean. I'd like to be able to do some fighting on behalf of that land."

"What about the children, school?"

"It won't be what they're used to, that's for sure, but they'll learn things here they'd never learn in Philadelphia and besides, look at Sully's and Dr. Mike's kids - Colleen is in medical college and Brian is a very bright boy, gifted musically and quite an accomplished writer. Samuel and Bonnie will be fine! So, how about it?"

Roberta threw her arms around Peter, squeezing him in a bear hug.

"I take it, that's a yes!" he said when he could speak again.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

A few weeks later, the Taylors went to the Sully homestead for the promised dinner. Dorothy was there, too and it promised to be a very festive occasion. Colleen outdid herself cooking the meal - she begged to be in charge as it was her last chance before she left to go back to school at the end of the week. Sully had been home for a week now and he and Peter sat, discussing the land he was giving the Taylors and how Peter would go about setting up the homestead. "I wish I could help you" Sully was saying.

"You've got enough to do" Peter assured him. "Besides, you've done enough just giving us the land".

"It was the least I could do" Sully said gruffly.

"It's good to see him talking with Peter" Michaela said quietly to Dorothy and Roberta as they helped Colleen get the meal ready. "He's been so moody lately. He's up and off before sunrise and never back until after dark, quite often not until after we've all eaten. He's very distant, even with me. He doesn't seem to want to be ... close ... anymore. He hardly plays with the children. I'm really becoming worried."

"You've all been through a tough time, Michaela" Dorothy comforted. "These last few months haven't been easy and the next few are likely to be harder still. Just give him time."

During dinner Brian told the Taylor children, "You're gonna like living here. The school's real good. Dona Theresa, the teacher, is real nice." He glanced uncomfortably at Sully for a moment, remembering that part of his sentence was to repair her homestead. He decided to change the subject. "Since you're staying here, Miss Bobby, maybe you can get Ma to fix your face!" Then, realising he may have committed another blunder, he continued, I mean, if you want to".

Roberta smiled, trying to put Brian at ease. "That's kind of you, to think of that, Brian, but I think all our money will be going into the homestead, just at first."

Michaela spoke up eagerly, "No, I think it's a wonderful idea! It could be part of our repayment for all you've done for us!"

"Oh ... no" Roberta stammered. "You've already done too much giving us the land and all ..."

"Nonsense! I want to do it! A lot of new techniques have been implemented since I treated John, the engineer, and I'd like to try them out. I need to keep in practice if I'm to help other people. That is, if you don't mind being 'practised' on?"

Every eye at the table was turned on Roberta, eagerly awaiting her reply. Even Katie looked concerned. Roberta looked at Peter who nodded slightly. "Well, all right, then".

"Wonderful! Come down to the clinic sometime this week or next and I'll evaluate you and we'll set up a time for the treatments."

"Well, now that that's settled, how about some music? Brian, get your harmonica!" Dorothy said.

Sully sighed and got up from the table. He moved to the settlefront of the fire and began whittling. Michaela watched him with a worried frown and Colleen and Brian looked at each other before Brian went to fetch his instrument. Katie struggled in Michaela's lap to be put down and toddled over to stand at her father's feet and watch silently, fingers in mouth, as he whittled away. He didn't seem to be aware of her presence. But when he finished carving a little animal, he handed it to Katie who squealed in delight. "Woof!" she cried and sat down on the floor at Sully's feet to begin playing with it. Sully put his knife away and sat staring into the fire.

"You know," Roberta said, breaking into the uncomfortable silence, "I hardly ever think about my face any more. It's only when I meet new people and they stare that I'm even really aware of it. When it first happened, well, I was really angry. I was angry at Peter for taking the case and for defending it in a way that put our whole family at risk. I was angry at him for the death of ... Laura and for all that he had put his family through."

Brian came and stood in front of Roberta. "Miss Bobby? Did you get over feelin' angry?"

Roberta smiled. "Yes I did, Brian. I stopped being angry when I realised Peter couldn't have done anything else."

"What do you mean?" Brian asked.

"Well, the man my husband defended was innocent and he needed someone to speak up for him. If not Peter, who? Just as your mother is pledged to heal the sick, my husband is pledged to defend the innocent, even if it was an unpopular stand to take, even if it put his family at risk."

"Kinda like when Ma stood up to Mr. Bancroft about Robert E. and Grace," Brian said.

Roberta looked puzzled and Michaela explained, "We had a little run-in with the Ku Klux Klan awhile back. Sully and I stood up to the man who was instigating things and he threatened the children. But the children agreed that we should all continue to stick up for Grace and Robert E. no matter what."

"Then, yes, Brian, that's exactly what it was like. I realised that if Peter had backed down, or refused to take the case, he would not be the man I love, the man I married." She smiled at Peter.

Over by the fireplace, Sully turned and looked at Roberta and she realised he had heard everything, just as she had meant him to.

"Let's sing something!" said Colleen, breaking into the serious silence and Brian lifted his harmonica and began a rousing chorus of 'Buffalo Gals'.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

The days were getting shorter and cooler. Fall was fast approaching. Colleen had gone back to college - Michaela and Sully wouldn't hear of her quitting, despite their financial difficulties. School had begun after the summer recess and the Taylor children were taking to life in the one-room schoolhouse like ducks to water.

Michaela had almost finished Roberta's treatments and was very pleased with her success. The 'new face' Brian had promised her was coming along fine and the new techniques she had read about were a great improvement. She wished she were having as much success communicating with her husband.

He was quiet and distant when he was home, which wasn't much; up before the sun, home long after dark. He still kissed her, held her, told her he loved her - they even made love but she could tell his heart wasn't in any of it , not really. She found herself feeling lonely for Sully even when he was in the same room with her. He was always too tired to talk.

He had completed part of the work on Miss Theresa's homestead - the outside walls were done so at least she would have shelter. He planned to begin work on Matthew's house to try to get it to the same stage before the weather got really cold. Then he could use the winter months to work on the inside of both homesteads. After that he would work on the outbuildings.

Michaela wanted to ride out to the old homestead today. She had a plan. She remembered how Sully had always been the fierce guardian of their time together. He was much better than she at managing a balance between work, family time and their 'alone' time. Like her father, she tended to get wrapped up in her work, forgetting all else. Sully was always able to pull her back, helping to balance the family time and time for just the two of them. She smiled. Sometimes he'd even resorted to 'kidnaping' her if necessary, when she was being particularly stubborn. He always made sure they got away alone for a day or so at least once a month. He let her plan ahead as much as possible and in return, she'd learned to agree to an impromptu picnic or overnight in the woods for his sake. It had been a long time, now, since they'd had a day just for them and Michaela realised it was up to her, this time, to remedy the situation.

She got Becky to watch Katie and made arrangements for Brian to go home with Anthony after school, then she packed a picnic lunch and headed out to the old homestead.

As Michaela guided Flash down the wooded path toward the old homestead, picnic basket balanced carefully in front of her, her mind spun back 6 years to her first ride along this path, led by Sully on foot. Hard to believe he wasn't riding then. The house was ramshackle, by any standards and certainly in comparison to the luxury to which she was accustomed and it had been filled with memories that were not hers. Yet it had been offered in good faith by one of the only people to believe in her when she first came and it had become her home and filled with her own memories. That was why it was such a shock when she broke through the clearing to see nothing but piles of charred timbers. She pulled Flash to a halt and just sat there staring. There was still a sharp odor of smoke in the air.

Sully was moving pieces of wood he could carry, placing them in a pile in the side yard. He looked up as she approached. "What are you doing out here?"

"I brought you some food, Sully. I didn't think you'd had time to pack a lunch."

"I ain't hungry, Michaela."

"There's enough for two. I'd hoped we could share. We haven't had a lot of time together, lately."

Sully looked away and then back at her. "Michaela ..." he said in a resigned voice.

Michaela said nothing but spread the blanket she had brought and began laying out the food. "Come on, sit down" she invited. Shaking his head and sighing, Sully walked over to the blanked and squatted down in front of Michaela.

"You don't want to be here," he said. "I seen your face when you rode in here. I know how you feel" he lowered himself to a sitting position. "Michaela, when Abigail died I wanted to burn this place down, myself, but I couldn't even bring myself to come out here. I hadn't set foot on the place until the blessed impulse that led me to offer it to you when you was lookin' for a place. But it turned out to be the right decision because when you were here the old memories began to heal and this became a new place to me, full of new memories with you and the children. Now it's all gone up in smoke!"

"But the memories are still alive, Sully - what began here, what we have now!" Michaela was encouraged that at least Sully was talking. "Sully, the day after tomorrow is Sunday. I want us to go away together for the day, just us. We haven't had a day to ourselves for a long time."

"Michaela, I don't know ..."

"Please, Sully?" she turned the full force of her gaze on him. "For me? For us?"

Sully shook his head and sighed. He would do anything for Michaela and when she looked at him that way is was impossible to refuse her. "Did you have somewhere in mind?"

Michaela breathed deeply. One hurdle down, time to go for the next one. "I want to go to Eagle Ridge" she caught his look and went on quickly, "Sully, when you took me there when we were beginning our courtship, you told me it was where you went when you were lost and needed to find your way again. Well, I think we're both a little lost right now. Maybe going there will give us a little better perspective. I already spoke with Matthew and he agreed going there won't violate your sentence."

Sully reached out and took Michaela's hand, feeling its smoothness, rubbing it with his thumb. There were tears brimming in hes eyes as he said, "All right".

Michaela, her own eyes filling, reached out and put her arms around his neck and they sat there quietly holding each other, surrounded by the charred remains of the old homestead and the mountains towering in the distance.

******************************

Sunday dawned clear and bright, a perfect fall day. Matthew had agreed to take Brian to church and to spend the day with him. They hadn't had a lot of time together lately and Brian was really looking forward to it.

Michaela and Sully rode out early and reached their destination by mid-morning. They spread a blanket on the ground and sat, taking in the magnificent view. It still took Michaela's breath away and she remembered the first time Sully had brought her up here, just at sunset, when they had agreed to set off together on the sometimes rocky road of courtship. She was the only other person he'd ever brought here and it still held special meaning for them.

They sat quietly for awhile and it seemed to her that Sully was relaxing a little, just enjoying the day. After awhile Michaela broke the silence. "Roberta was right, you know."

"Hmm?" Sully turned to her, puzzled.

"What she said about Peter that night. About how he couldn't have done anything else and still be Peter. Sully, what we do, the people we are, puts us at risk every day. I never know what illnesses I'll be exposed to but that can't stop me from treating people. When I make a mistake, a misdiagnosis, and a patient suffers, I have to learn from that mistake and go on. I'd never treat another patient if I let my fears rule me.

"It's the same with the things you do, the way you speak out against injustice to the Indians, or anyone else, the risks you take to help people - you can't let being afraid stop you.

"I realise that I've been taking our time together too much for granted and trying too hard to be protective of us, wanting to take fewer risks. But to what end? To be the people we are, to help and care about people, we have to take those risks. That's one of the strongest things we have in common, Sully, caring. I don't want to stop caring, even if it hurts. And I want to appreciate every moment we have together - moments that are that much more precious because of the risk."

Sully put his arm around her and drew her close. "I know what you're sayin', Michaela and it makes sense. I just wonder, though, has it all been worth it?" Seeing her quizzical look, he went on. "Look at all the trouble I'm in now for tryin' to help the Indians and in the end, it didn't help it only made things worse. I'm just afraid ... their way of life will be wiped out forever and there'll be no one left to remember. There's nothing more I can do. The government 'machine' is just too big, too powerful. They're gonna do what they set out to do and there's nothin' we can do to stop it!"

"Sully, there are things we can do and they might not change things right away, but down the road, when people have a chance to look back and see what they've lost."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, first of all, Dorothy must re-write her book - whatever she can remember. Maybe she still has some notes and I know her memory is phenomenal. She really must get it down on paper. I can teach Colleen what I know of the Cheyenne medicine, take her out and show her the herbs, bark and plants that can be made into remedies. I can gather together the papers I've written, write more so the world can see the value of what the Indians gave us. And you - you've already begun to teach Brian the Cheyenne ways of surviving in the woods - hunting, fishing, building a fire. If you can pass that knowledge on plus other wisdom you've learned from them - we need to pass that knowledge on to Colleen, Brian, Katie and Matthew."

Sully sighed deeply and looked pained. "Matthew" he said. "I don't know what to do about Matthew. He is so angry. And I can't really blame him. Michaela, I promised you we would never lose the homestead and I don't know if I'll be able to keep that promise, with the mortgages and all. I know it's hard for you to ask cash money all the time for your doctorin' and you shouldn't have to. This sentence is just takin' too much of my time and our money and I'm not carin' or providin' for you and the kids the way I should. Sometimes I think you'd all be better off without me."

Michaela pulled back, grasping his hands and gazing intently into his face. "Don't talk like that, Sully. 'What happens to you, happens to me'. That's what you said when I had to burn everything in the clinic and it holds true now. When we got married, one of the things the Reverend said in the service was that one of the purposes of marriage was to provide 'mutual support'. I married you for better or for worse, Sully and don't you forget it!"

"It's just that all you and the kids are getting lately is 'worse'..."

"Sully, it doesn't have to be that way. Brian can hunt and fish and trap. You taught him well and he's been doing a fine job of keeping food on the table. I can fish, if it comes to that. Sully, I can live without the homestead, without the clinic, I can live in a lean-to in the woods. What you need to understand is, our home, my practice, the children - they're all a big part of my life, but Sully, you are my life, a part of me. None of the rest has any meaning if it means being without you. I do want to share with you what you are going through - I don't want you to withdraw from me. We can do more together than we ever could apart!"

Sully turned and gazed at her then he couldn't resist and leaned forward and kissed her. "So where do we go from here? Things are just movin' too fast, Michaela, the changes, they can't be stopped."

"I think maybe Peter means to try to slow them down a little".

"I guess if he can get things tied up in the proper channels, but Michaela, you know how that works, people just go ahead and do what they want while we're waitin' to hear from those 'proper channels'. I'm afraid people ain't gonna realise what they're losin' until it's too late."

"Maybe when these two years are up, it'll be time for us to move on."

"Where to, Michaela?"

"North, maybe?"

He smiled a little and took her hand again. "I'm afraid the same problems will be all over. Besides, we don't know what the judge will do when he comes back, he may still sentence me to prison, or ... Michaela, let's talk about this some other time."

So they had their picnic and talked of happier times, of the children and Michaela's patients. As the air grew cooler with the afternoon chill, they huddled under a second blanket and just enjoyed being together and when the sun began to set behind the distant hills, they watched it together, lost in their memories. Then they packed up and headed back to town together.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

The days passed swiftly and Thanksgiving was just around the corner. Michaela was feeling the old excitement she always felt at holiday time. "The Taylors will be here," she told Sully. "and Dorothy. Colleen will be home, and Matthew promised to come, too. Everyone is bringing something and Brian has his eye on a turkey out in the woods that he's promised to shoot for us. It will be so good to have everyone together. Peter has almost finished the outside of their homestead and there will be so much to celebrate!"

"I ain't sure I can be there, Michaela" Sully broke in abruptly.

"What do you mean?" Since their outing in the woods they had communicated so much better - Sully had been talking about his feelings and worries. But obviously something was going on he hadn't told her about.

"Michaela, I'm behind schedule on my buildin'. Some of the supplies got held up and things just ain't been goin' the way I expected. Even with Brian comin' out and helpin' me weekends, I just can't seem to keep up. Robert E. had some work for me but I was so far behind on the homestead, I had to turn him down."

"Sully, you're doing enough already - too much! You don't need..."

"Michaela, we are three weeks behind on our mortgage payment. I have part of it but not enough. You know how Preston is ..."

"I suppose I could try to insist on cash from my patients ..."

"No! You don't wanna do that, you know most of 'em can't afford it and the fruits, meats and vegetables they give you help out a lot. No. I've just got to get caught up on the work so I can do some work for money. It's just hard with the days bein' so short now and all."

"We'll find a way, Sully, we always have. Maybe it would be easier just to give up the homestead, to ..."

"No. You know you don't mean that. It just means I gotta work harder - work Sundays and holidays until the job is done."

"It's just that I counted on you for Thanksgiving. The children... we were all looking forward to being together."

The holiday light had gone out of her eyes and Sully hated to see that. He walked over to her and put his arms around her. "I'll try, Michaela, but I ain't promisin' anything. I ain't in much of a holiday mood, anyway."

******************************

Thanksgiving arrived and with it, Colleen home from school for the holidays. She got right to work, baking pies. Brian shot his turkey and Michaela had dressed and stuffed it and it was roasting away. The Taylors arrived with cranberry sauce and potatoes and Dorothy had made her own special succotash. The homestead smelled wonderful with all the cooking smells, plus the good fall smells wafting in the window, open because of all the heat inside.

Brian was setting the table and Michaela was trying to figure out where to seat everybody when Matthew arrived with a jug of Grace's special cider. He greeted everybody and went over to give Michaela a. "Happy Thanksgiving" he said.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Matthew" she replied. He was looking better than he had in awhile and she was glad. "You're looking quite well!"

"Yeah, well, I went off by myself for a few days. Came to terms with a few things, worked some stuff out."

Michaela was familiar with the Cheyenne custom of vision quest and although some of its practices still worried her, she had learned to see its merits. "That's fine, Matthew" she said.

"Where's Sully?" Matthew asked, looking around.

"I don't know if he'll be coming, Matthew" Michaela said in a low voice.

Matthew's face hardened. "Where is he?"

"Matthew, he's worried about getting behind in his work. The mortgage is overdue - he's paid part of it but Preston keeps hounding him. He just felt he ought to keep working. He may get here later, after dark ..."

"Keep a couple plates warm" Matthew said and before Michaela could stop him he slammed his hat on his head and hurried out.

When Matthew rode onto the old homestead he was surprised to see how far Sully had gotten. When Sully had begun work there, Matthew had abandoned his lean-to for the boarding house. He now saw that Sully had cleared the area, repaired the foundation and the frame was mostly built. He had begun with the house and was leaving the barn for later. Matthew dismounted and walked over to where Sully was consulting his plans.

"Hello, Matthew" Sully greeted him.

"Sully," Matthew replied, "how come you're not home for Thanksgiving?"

"Too much work to do. Guess I'm not in much of a thankful mood."

"Seems like there's always something to be thankful for," Matthew said. "Remember when we came home from Boston around this time and there was that drought? You and Dr. Mike had just started courtin'".

"We almost stopped, too" Sully grinned. "But things worked out. Then the Indians brought food for the feast and in the middle of dinner, it rained!"

Matthew smiled at the memory. "Then the next year, you and Dr. Mike were away and the kids and I tried to get dinner for when you came back - that was almost a disaster, until Cloud Dancin' rescued us!"

"And meanwhile, your Ma and I, along with Kid Cole and Sister Ruth had our stagecoach hijacked and were almost killed by Indians!"

"The next year I had a real hard time bein' thankful" Matthew went on, "because Ingrid had just died. But then we found out Dr. Mike was gonna have a baby, so we all had somethin' to be thankful for!"

"And last year," Sully remembered, "that bad storm came through - tornado touched down at Preston's resort. But we all came through safe and sound and we were all together, even if it was a day late. But this year ..." he shook his head. "I'm in debt, we might lose the homestead. I'm workin' all the time and it don't put a bite of food on the table. Your Ma's workin' extra hard and I hardly ever get to see her or the kids ..."

"Which is why you should be home now" Matthew urged. "It's just one day, Sully. You're out of jail, you weren't executed, you're all healed and you have your family waitin' for you. Your family needs you. Katie loves you - she's just beginning to really know who you are. Brian needs you, he's growin' up and more than ever needs someone to look up to. Colleen needs you - you've always been a real Pa to her. You know Dr. Mike needs you ..."

"You've always known that, too" Sully remarked. "From the beginning you always tried to get us together"

Matthew grinned sheepishly. "Well, yeah. And there's something else."

"What's that?"

"There's me. I need you. I love you, Sully"

Suddenly they were embracing. "I love you, Matthew" Sully said. And as his tears blended with Matthew's, he could feel the healing begin.

*****************************************

After dinner, Sully, Matthew and Peter volunteered to clean up, shooing everyone else out of the house. Colleen took Katie up to put her to bed, Brian and the Taylor children took turns riding Sully's velocipede in the yard and Dorothy, Roberta and Michaela sat on the porch and talked.

"Dorothy," Michaela said, "do you still have any of the notes from your book on Cloud Dancing?"

"I suppose I have some of them, why?"

"You've got to try to rewrite the book, at least as much as you can remember!"

"Oh, Michaela, I don't know. What if I can't remember right? I haven't got Cloud Dancin' here to consult with and I don't want to get anythin' wrong. He was so adamant that the book had to meet with his approval ..."

"Maybe it won't be the same book" Michaela said, "But we could help you. Sully and I were talking. The only way any of the Indian ways will be remembered is if we pass it on. Now, we can do this by telling others, but it also ought to be written down - the history of the people, that Cloud Dancing told you, and the medicine he taught me. The customs, the rituals, the language that Sully knows. If we all got together we could combine our knowledge into a book, couldn't we?"

"It sounds like a wonderful idea!" Roberta said. "I'd certainly like Bonnie and Sam to know about the history of all the people of this land, Indians included. And I've seen firsthand the way their medicine works!"

Roberta and Michaela turned to Dorothy who was looking thoughtful. "You know," she said, "it might work. It just might work!"

**************************************

That night, Michaela and Sully cuddled together in bed, talking over the day.

"I'm glad you and Matthew were able to talk" Michaela said.

"It's a start" Sully replied. "A step toward healin'"

"Is something bothering you?" Michaela asked, sensing a tension in him.

"Michaela, I'm still behind schedule on the homesteads and we still owe Preston half of November's payment. December is due in a few days. He spoke to me again yesterday. He wasn't very nice."

"Is he ever?"

"Then, on top of that, there's the restitution owed the families of those soldiers." Sully had talked with them as promised and they had agreed to accept some free medical care, including inoculations, as well as a cash settlement.

"They've been in to see me a few times, and I gave them all their inoculations" Michaela said.

"But the cash settlement," Sully said, "I don't see how I ..."

"I took care of it, Sully. The last time they were in. The agreed sum has been paid in full."

"Paid? But how... we don't..."

"I sold some of my father's books."

"Your father's books? But you gave those to the town!"

"Not these. These were special, rare first editions, some of them signed. I didn't want to leave those in the library."

"So you sold them?" Sully sounded almost angry.

"There was a bookstore in Boston, run by an old friend of my father's. I knew he would appreciate the books and treat them with proper respect. I sent them there and he gave me a fair price."

"You shouldn'ta done it, Michaela. I would've found a way..."

"Sully, you had enough to worry about. This is our problem, remember? I took care of it and I don't want you to think about it any more. It's done. I was glad to do it. Let's not talk about it any more."

Sully looked at her, then leaned over and kissed her. "Thank you," he said simply, though it seemed an inadequate response. He knew what her father's memorabilia meant to her and he knew what it had cost her to do this.

"You're welcome" she replied, returning his kiss with interest. And then they didn't talk so much any more...

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

A few days later, Roberta and Michaela were walking through town, having just joined Dorothy at Grace's for lunch. A huge banner stretching across the main street proclaimed the upcoming "Sweethearts' Dance". Michaela pointed to the sign. "Are you and Peter going?"

"Oh, yes" Roberta laughed. Peter is all excited - he's like a child about the special things here, the town gatherings. I mean, there were things to do in Philadelphia, too, but it was all much more formal and more ..."

"Impersonal?" Michaela suggested.

"Exactly" Roberta replied, remembering Michaela had grown up in Boston. "Peter is working harder than he ever has and I do believe he is enjoying it more. Every day he wakes up saying how glad he is we moved here. Are you and Sully going to the dance?"

"I don't know," Michaela replied. "I'd like to, but, well, Sully doesn't really enjoy these things on his best days, though he'll go to please me. And lately he's been so down and so tired, with all the work he's doing."

"It must be hard," Roberta sympathized. "Peter said as soon as he gets things ready for winter on the homestead, he'd like to help out where he can."

"That's kind of him," Michaela said. "Brian and Matthew have been helping and I know he appreciates it.

"The Sweethearts' Dance was one of the very first things we did together back when we started courting," Michaela remembered. "He didn't want to go and I tried to teach him how to dance. All he wanted to do was kiss and I just wasn't ready for that yet."

"Oh dear" Roberta smiled.

"We were just feeling our way, you understand, neither of us really knew how to proceed with the courtship. Then he started going to Dorothy for dancing lessons and I thought there was something else going on ... It was all so confusing ..."

"When Peter and I were courting, he kept talking to my best friend. He was trying to find out what things I liked, what I liked to do, but I thought he was more interested in her than he was in me." Roberta said.

"Then you know how it is. We ended up at the dance together and we had a wonderful time. I felt silly for having been so jealous. Every year since then, though, he's asked me to go. But this year ..."

"Why don't you ask him?" Seeing Michaela's surprised look, Roberta went on, "Things have been tough for both of you, lately, with all that's happened".

"But we've been talking more, lately, expressing our feelings more..."

"Still, I'll bet Sully can't express to you how guilty he feels about all you and the children have been through because of what he did. Have you talked about that?"

"Well, not in so many words ..."

"Talk with him, let him know you want to be with him!"

"I will!" Michaela replied. "Thank you, Roberta. And by the way, I'm glad you and your family decided to stay, too!"

"Thanks!" Roberta grinned. And leaving Michaela in front of the clinic, she headed on up the street.

That night after supper, Michaela brought a cup of coffee to Sully on the front porch. "Thanks" he said as she joined him there with her own cup. After they had sat in silence for awhile, he said, "Penny for your thoughts".

"I was just thinking about last year," she said, "remembering how you 'kidnaped' me, took me off into the woods".

"Seemed like the only way to get you alone" Sully replied, grinning.

"You'd been offered the Yellowstone job" she went on. "We agreed that you would take it. But then you turned it down. For me."

"For us," he said. "All of us. I have no regrets about that."

"We drove out to the Red Rocks and you told me you were going to stay and fight for this land. Then you asked me to the dance. Sully?"

"Hmmm?"

"This year I want to ask you. Will you do me the honor of going to the dance with me?"

"Michaela, you know I'm not much for these things, and this year..."

Michaela felt tears in her eyes, remembering last year, dancing close to Sully, the way he had looked at her, had held her... "Sully, there's something I need to say".

"What's that?"

"Sully, I thought it went without saying, but maybe it needs to be said. I know you feel bad about everything that's happened the past several months ..."

"Michaela ..."

"Hear me out, Sully. I won't deny that I've been through a lot of pain and hurt and yes, even anger because of what happened. But I want you to know that I forgive you for your part in that and ... and I believe you did the right thing. And I'm asking you to forgive me for not making it clear to you before. Until now, it wasn't even clear to me."

Sully put his hand on her cheek and gazed into her eyes. "You an' me, Michaela" he said smiling.

Michaela put her hand over his and smiled back. "You and me, Sully. Now, about that dance ..." And suddenly laughing, they embraced each other until their laughter dissolved into their very own private dance...

CHAPTER THIRTY It was the second week of December and beginning to look a lot like Christmas around Colorado Springs. People called friendly greeting to one another as they passed in the street, decorations were beginning to go up and Loren was running a special on candles.

Michaela had stopped to chat with Dorothy and Grace when she was accosted by Preston. "Michaela, I need to speak to you for a moment" he said severely.

Dorothy and Grace exchanged glances as Michaela said, "Yes, Preston, what is it?"

"I'm sure you don't want to let the whole town in on your business, so if we might just step over here a moment ..." he indicated the walk in front of the clinic. he glanced briefly at Grace and Dorothy then took Michaela's arm and steered her over to the walk. He bent his head and looked into her face as he said "I've spoken to your husband about this, but he seems unresponsive, so I will speak to you, as well. You are in a very precarious position regarding your mortgage. November has not yet been paid in full and December's payment is already overdue. Much as I regret it, I will be forced to begin foreclosure if November, December and January are not paid in full by December 24."

"January?!?"

"It is a gesture of good faith in bad risk cases. You're fortunate I'm not calling the entire loan, given your very unreliable payback history."

In spite of herself, Michaela was frightened. She knew there was no way they could get together that kind of money in less than two weeks. If Preston took the clinic, she would have a hard time earning money. As it was, she wasn't bringing in enough to pay the bills. Despite her brave talk of living in a lean-to, she really didn't know what they'd do if they lost the homestead. They couldn't go anywhere until Sully had completed the terms of his sentence and he was needing more supplies than the loan money had bought. Despite her feeling of desperation, she would not let Preston see her cry. "Thank you, Mr. Lodge," she said. "I will speak to my husband and we will work something out."

"Your husband, yes" Preston said mockingly. "I would have thought by now you'd have given him up as a bad job. You know, I never did understand that match-up. Here's a beautiful young lady from the best of Boston society. Educated, too. Yet she leaves her lovely home and its plethora of eligible bachelors to make a home in the backwoods town and marries an ignorant, shiftless mountain man. Were you that desperate, Michaela? Would none of those fine, young Boston bachelors have you?"

"It was not about desperation" Michaela said quietly. "It was about love. But you wouldn't understand that, would you? I feel very sorry for you, Preston. Sully is the most honest, upright, caring person I know and I'd rather have him and the knowledge that he loves me than all the money, clinics or homesteads in the world!"

"He's a convicted felon, Michaela!" Preston said loudly. "And we'll see if your love is enough when I've foreclosed on the clinic and the homestead and repossessed the rest of the supplies and your precious Sully is hanged because he is unable to complete the terms of his sentence!" He stalked away, leaving Michaela shaken and trembling outside the clinic.

*****************************

The next ten days flew by as Michaela tried desperately to come up with some way to pay the two and a half months' mortgage. They hadhalf, but that wasn't going to be enough. She racked her brain over and over trying to come up with something worth selling, but it was no use. Her medical instruments were the only things of value she had left and they'd never bring enough. Besides, without them she was deprived of her means of making a living. She and Sully had agreed that they couldn't call on her mother again for help but she was so tempted that she even walked down to the telegraph office one day. Horace, who was very busy at the telegraph, raised harried eyes to her and said, "If ya wanta send a telegram, Dr. Mike, there's a long wait. Seems everyone is sendin' messages, what with the holidays and all!" and she had caught herself and turned around and walked away.

One of the worst things about this time was the way she felt abandoned by her friends. She hadn't wanted to burden them with her troubles, but being with them, even just to chat, helped her forget things for awhile. But Grace, Roberta, even Dorothy seemed to have made themselves scarce, lately, and when she did see them they were gathered in a tight little group, whispering and eyeing her and often as not quickly disbursing when she approached.

She mentioned this to Sully who just shrugged. "Sometimes other folks' pain is just too much to bear. They don't know what to say to you so they don't say anything."

"That doesn't mean they have to avoid me" Michaela protested.

"Maybe to them it does" Sully answered.

Now Christmas Eve was upon them and she and Sully were awaiting that dread knock at the door that meant Preston had come with the foreclosure and to serve them with the eviction notice.

Michaela had asked Matthew to take Brian and Colleen to church and Christmas Eve 'doin's' in town. Colleen had insisted that Katie go with them so she could see the pretty decorations.

Sully was looking lower than Michaela had ever seen him. She remembered he had told her how his father 'gave up' and died when he lost his farm. She knew Sully was strong and that together they would weather this. She just couldn't see how at the moment. He was looking all around their house, now, walking from room to room, touching the walls, the furniture. She knew he was thinking about building the homestead and his promise to her that they'd never lose it.

"Sully," she said, "I know what you're thinking. But it's not the boards, the nails, the furniture that have meaning. It's the love that went into making them. That can never be taken away no matter what happens to the things. That's what's important!"

Sully gave a half-hearted smile and turned to his wife, his treasure. She had come from the lap of luxury, from a family and culture where things were important, where things were the mark of who you were. But he knew she meant what she said and he found himself, as always, thankful for the day he had met her, for whatever Power had brought them together. He wrapped his arms around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. "You and me, Michaela" he said, "we been through so much. Together we always seem to make it".

"Sully, maybe this is a sign. Maybe we're meant to move on, now!"

"Michaela, I can't leave now. You know I've gotta keep workin'. The judge'll be comin' back. We'll just have to try to talk Preston into holdin' off. Maybe I can do some other work for him - somethin' at the bank, maybe ..."

A sudden noise outside distracted them. Had Preston arrived? It sounded like a wagon, or really, more like several wagons. Was that the sound of Christmas carols? Michaela and Sully peered out the window then ran to open the door. Wagons filled with people were pulling up outside. Michaela saw Grace alight from a wagon and start handing platters and bowls to Anthony and Robert E. They struggled through the door with their burdens, Grace bringing up the rear with a tray of pies. Seeing Michaela's and Sully's incredulous looks, Grace said, "Since you folks wouldn't come to Christmas, we're bringin' Christmas to you!" and she set about laying the food out on the table.

Loren was trying to affix a wreath to the door and was having a terrible time until Jake lent a hand. Hank sauntered in and slammed a bottle down on the table. "What's Christmas without a little cheer?" he said to no one in particular.

More and more people were crowding into the house, bringing food, decorations, some with musical instruments such as fiddles, guitars, harmonicas. Some hung garlands and other decorations about the house and there were bursts of song here and there as people began to sing carols. A grinning Matthew, Colleen and Brian burst in, carrying a gurgling Katie.

Dorothy sidled up to Michaela who was watching incredulously and whispered, "Surprise!"

"That doesn't begin to cover it," said Michaela, whose eyes were suspiciously moist. "I don't know what to say. I thought ... I thought..."

"What, Michaela?"

"I don't know, it's silly, but I thought you all didn't want to have anything to do with us, anymore.

"Why, Michaela, you know better than that!"

"Well, what was I to think when you all started ignoring me?"

"We just didn't want to spoil the surprise!" Roberta, who had joined them, said.

But Grace had stood up on a chair and was waving her arms. "All right, all right everybody, now quiet down! The Reverend is goin' to say a little prayer for us and then we're gonna eat!!"

There was a murmur of enthusiasm and then a rustling as the men removed their hats and everyone bowed their heads.

"Dear Lord," the Reverend began, "we've come together tonight in thanksgiving. We thank You that we are all gathered here tonight and we thank You for the lives of Dr. Mike and Sully without whom many of us wouldn't be here. We thank You for the food and for the hands that prepared it and most especially we thank You for Jesus, Your Son, Whose birth we celebrate tonight. Amen."

"A-a-a-men!" was the enthusiastic response.

"Now before y'all start loadin' your plates," Grace cried before the silence following the prayer was broken, "we got one other little piece of business to take care of. Robert E? Where is that thing?"

"Right here, Grace." Robert E. stepped forward and handed Sully an envelope. "It's from everyone - all of us around here and people all over the country who've known you. Horace sure had the telegraph wires hummin'!"

Michaela came and stood by Sully as he opened the envelope. Her face must have registered the same shock as his as she saw the contents. It was their mortgage.

Sully looked up, still not comprehending. "It's ..."

"All paid off!" Grace said. "And don't you even think about not takin' it or about payin' it back, hear? It's a gift, you understand?"

Sully swallowed, unable to speak. Michaela, through her tears could barely utter "Thank you, thank you all" before she buried her head in Sully's shoulder. Someone in the room started to clap and soon everyone in the room joined in. As the applause died down, one of the men stepped forward. He was one of the homesteaders from Cripple Creek.

"Sully," he began, "well, some of us men got together and, well, you know things is slow on the farms this time of year so we kinda decided we'd come in and give ya a hand with the buildin' and repair work you're doin'. That is, if you want us to."

Sully found his voice at last. "Thank you," he said, "I'd like that." Then he began shaking hands all around and people slapped him on the back and the women were hugging and chaos reigned for awhile until Grace hollered,

"Come on folks, food's gettin' cold. Let's eat!"

"Might's well break out the Christmas cheer" Hank drawled and opened his bottle and filled cups for himself, Jake and Loren.

Later, after having said good-bye to most of the guests, Michaela took a moment to stand by the little creche she'd set up on the mantle. Roberta, who had been helping with the cleanup detail came and stood beside her. "I always believed in people's goodness" Michaela said.

"I've always tried to look for the good in everyone." She indicated the Baby in the manger. "He believed in people's goodness. That's the miracle."

Roberta smiled. "I always kind of thought the miracle was that He knew about our badness and loved us anyway."

Michaela stared at her a moment as she thought about all that had happened, then said, "Perhaps you're right, Roberta, perhaps you're right."

*******************************

Over at the bank, Preston A. Lodge III sat at his desk, biting his lip and holding the foreclosure statement on the Sully homestead in his hand. He stared at it without really seeing it, then ripped it to shreds, throwing the pieces in the air. "I don't get it," he said to himself, "I truly don't get it!" No, he didn't 'get it' and sadly, he probably never would.

EPILOGUE

It was a couple of days after Christmas and Michaela was on her way home from a long day that had included a late call to one of the outlying homesteads. Her heart sang as she rode. It was worth all they had been through to have seen the look on Sully's face as he had accepted that wonderful gift on Christmas Eve. And she knew it wasn't the gift, itself, that meant most to him, but the esteem in which the people held him, held them that mattered. That was what had enabled him to swallow his pride and accept the gift. At the party Horace had handed her a bundle of paper saying, "These are all the cards, letters and telegrams from the people that contributed. There's even one from... from Myra. Folks sure think a lot of you and Sully, Dr. Mike." It was a thick bundle. It would take them quite awhile to read through them all. They wanted to savor each one.

She rode into the barn and unsaddled Flash, rubbing her down for the night. She was surprised no one came out to greet her. Usually Sully or one of the children appeared, especially when she was late. Perhaps they were all seated at supper already.

She went inside, but they weren't gathered around the table. In fact, there was just Sully, in one of the armchairs waiting for her. He rose as she walked in. Something smelled delicious. "It's awfully quiet," she said, "are the children in bed already?"

Sully walked over, removed her cloak and hung it up. Then he took her hands. "Nope" he said as he kissed them. "Colleen's stayin' at Becky's, Brian's with Anthony an' Roberta and Peter have Katie."

Michaela was surprised. "Roberta's all right with that?" She had noticed that although Roberta seemed very fond of Brian, she shied away from spending time with Katie who was the age her daughter would have been.

Sully replied, "Yup. Roberta said her face wasn't all that was gettin' healed around here." He was massaging Michaela's hands, now. "I told them we'd take their kids one day so they could have some time alone," he was working his way up her arm with his kisses as he spoke. "But for now ..." he began taking the pins out of her hair, "...there's a fire in the bedroom ..." he shook her hair loose and combed his fingers through it "...I've fixed us a little supper..." he kissed her neck, "...an' I thought we could use ..." he kissed her lips this time, "...a little time alone ... ourselves." He drew back, breathed deeply and looked at her in his special way and she looked at him and smiled the smile she smiled only for him.

"You thought right!" she said quietly and she reached over and put out the lamp and together they headed upstairs.

THE END (and the beginning)