"Hey, is there anybody here?!" Maude Bray knocked at the door for the third time.


Finally, Sully appeared from behind the house, holding a wet and soapy cloth in his hands. His hair was disheveled and his shirt was soaked and unbuttoned. Maude barely stifled a laugh, Sully looked as if he just had a bath in a laundry tub himself.


"Morning Maude," he said, "I been doing the laundry."


"Yes I see. Morning, Sully, Loren is in Manitou today, so I decided to come out and visit. You need a hand?"


Sully tried to fasten his shirt, but the wet soapy cloth slipped out from his hands to the ground. "I'm afraid I'm not so good at laundry," he sighed, trying to shake it off as he looked helplessly at Maude.


"Don't worry," Maude assured him, "That's not very easy, especially for men, I mean someone who ain't done it before. Let me do it for you?"


"No thank you." Sully answered, "I want to learn …that's Colleen's job, but she has so many daily chores even without this. She's only 13 and she needs some time to play with her friends."


"Well," - Maude offered, "Let me just help you a little. You'll learn very quickly."


"I have a lot of things to learn now." Sully agreed.


Maude put her hand on his shoulder, "I don't care what Loren says, I want you to know, you're a good father for them, Sully, and I'm happy to see you having family again…"


"She wiped a tear from her cheek and added, "I believe our Abby would be proud of you. Now, let's go, I'll help you."


A month passed. Sully and the Cooper children lived happily in Sully's homestead.


Colleen cooked meals, sewed and looked after Brian. She didn't have much free time, but was very proud of her "housekeeper" role.


Sully had a lot of carpentry work in town and Matthew often helped him. He liked to feel himself as the growing man, who feeds his family.


Brian enjoyed his new life. Certainly, he missed his mother, and sometimes cried, but Sully was the best father he ever could wish for.


Sully knew a lot of Indian legends and stories about the nature and wild animals. He taught Brian Cheyenne and sign language, and Brian could talk a little with Cheyenne boys, when he visited the reservation.


Brian was the proud owner of a large collection of wonderful wooden toys, carved by Sully, but most important was that Sully answered all his questions.


Sully sat near Brian's bed when he had nightmares, and understood him even without words.


All of them were happy, but the townsfolk still were outraged by Sully's decision to raise Charlotte's kids. In their opinion, he was too strange and different for this. The only person who defended him, Maude Bray, died from a heart attack.


Olive Davis was informed about Charlotte's death when she came back to Colorado Springs.


"Poor children," she told Loren, "who takes care of them?"


"Sully," he answered reluctantly, "Can you imagine?"


"Sully?!" her eyebrows raised, "And just how does he manage this?"


"Just fine!" Brian exclaimed, bouncing in her hands.


"It's good that you're back." Loren said instead of answering, not paying any attention at little boy's words, "You're their godmother, Olive, and they must live with you!"


"I'll say," Jake agreed, "or they'll grow like them savages, and they'll be just like him!"


"That's my problem, not yours," Olive told him, "You know, some clients have been sitting near your barbershop for a long time. You're wasting all your time at Loren's instead of doing your job, you'll lose customers."


"I just want to say that Sully isn't fit for this, he's crazy."


"Sure he is," Hank appeared from behind the shelves, "Have you ever seen any man taking care of kids who aren't even his own?"


He put a dozen of cigars on the counter. "In your opinion the real man is the one who drinks and plays poker in your saloon all day long." Grace, Olive's housekeeper said, "To me, those kids look very happy, that's all!"


"That'll be One dollar, twenty," Loren told Hank, then turned to his sister,


"I seen a few weeks ago how one of Hank's whores was walking around with Brian. What do you think about that?"


"Miss Myra just offered to look after me while Sully was translating for the Army." Brian tried to explain, "She's an awful nice lady."


"She's not a "lady" Brian." Loren said, "She's just a…."


"Stop it, Loren!" Olive interrupted him, "I 'll see…Brian, what if I go visit you tomorrow?"


"Sure!" Brian was happy, "Colleen will bake an apple pie!"


"What are you talking about?!" Loren outraged, "we need to summon the town for a meeting and forbid Sully to raise up these kids!"


"Are you doubting that I'll do my best to make my best friend's children happy?" Olive asked her brother, "Don't get me angry Loren Bray!"


Colleen opened the front door, "Evening, Miss Olive! I baked a pie for you!"


"Colleen, how nice, let me taste it." Olive responded as she came in and glanced around the room which looked clean and cozy, as it had long before, when Abagail was still alive. The textured curtain, now half- opened, screened-off one of the corners. There were a couple of ragdolls, a hairbrush and small mirror on the shelf, so Olive guessed that was Colleen's "room". She smiled a bit, noticing a large amount of beautifully carved animals and birds on the mantelpiece and a small bow and arrow near the large one on the wall. She was aware that Sully did his best to settle the kids as comfortably as he could.


"Supper is ready." Colleen announced and the family sat at the table.


"Charlotte taught you good," Olive told her, tasting a slice of pie, "this pie is quite good, and gravy as well."


The kids exchange the looks and giggled "It wasn't Colleen who made the gravy!" Brian explained, still giggling, "It was Sully!"


"Sully?!" she was surprised, "Where'd you learn this?"


Sully shrugged, "Ah, long time ago in the mining camps, there was no cook."


"Not bad, not bad at all." Olive said.


They finished their supper. Brian ran out to the backyard, and Colleen began to clean the table and wash the dishes.


"Well, it's time to go home. Thanks for the supper." Olive walked to the door. Sully followed her, "Miss Olive. I know, you love these kids, and Charlotte was your best friend, but please.. don't take them from me, I beg you."


"Truth is," Olive confessed, "When I came here, I was sure I'd have to take them, but now, now I'm not so sure. I don't know, Sully. I need to think about this. Well, I need to leave next week, and we'll talk later, after I'm back. So let them live with you at least until then."


Sully looked at her with gratitude, "Thank you Olive."


"You're welcome. Just want you to know, I 'm not on Loren's side in this battle."


She found Brian near her wagon feeding the horse candies.


"Hey, do you want to spoil her teeth?" Olive asked him in mock anger.


"Just wanted her to taste this." Brian started to explain, but noticing a smile at her face, he smiled also.


"Miss Olive," he suddenly said, "let us live with Sully, please?!!"


"You'll stay with him until I come back from my Mexican ranch. Oh, Brian , I nearly forgot tell Sully I really enjoyed his gravy."


"Thank you, Miss Olive!" Brian yelled and, jumping, gave her a smacking kiss on her cheek.


" Did you tell him that they'll live with you?" Loren asked his sister.


"No, I didn't. I'm not sure that would be right." She responded.


"WHAT?!!" Loren yelled, "Are you crazy, Olive?! What the hell are you doin'?!"


"Stop yelling at me, Loren Bray!" she yelled, "I'm a grownup and can manage without your advice."


Then she added more softly, "Loren, it's time to stop blaming Sully for Abby's death. Stop venting your fury upon him."


"I'll never stop blaming him! If he didn't steal her from me, she would be alive, happily married to Martin!"


"Nobody knows what could be happened." Olive shook her head, "That's God's will and I can tell you just one thing, Martin would never mourn of her as much as Sully has. I've told him, I'll make a decision after I'm back from New Mexico. And, Loren, don't bother him anymore till that time.promise?"


"Promise." Loren muttered reluctantly.