WELCOME BACK TO THE WILD WEST!

It's probably been a while since you read Deputy Belikov, so here's a quick refresher...

When Dimitri returned Rose and Lisa home to Saint's Town, Sheriff Alberta Peterson appointed him as her deputy. Working side by side, Rose and Dimitri had to solve the mystery of Sonya Karp's disappearance, take down the outlaw James Nathan, and stop Victor Dashley's wicked plan to marry Lisa for her gold-rich lands. Amid all the drama, forbidden love flourished between Deputy Belikov and his Roza, and they finally consummated their love after their secret wedding night in the cabin.

The sequel is set a year later - November 1861 - when Sheriff Dimitri Belikov returns to Saint's Town with the new Deputy Belikov - his wife Rose!

Now we're all up to date, let us begin...

1. Reunion

'Christian! They're here! Come quickly!' the pretty blonde woman had been haunting the front window of her ranch homestead all morning in wait of important guests, the constant false alarms driving her reclusive husband into the safety of his study.

'Who's here?' Christian peered out from his hideaway, nursing a large snifter of brandy. The quality of the young gentleman's suit marked him as a person of class and wealth, but there was an air of rebellion about him, as evidenced by the dark mop of hair sweeping across his forehead and the brooding, intelligent expression in his eyes.

Ordinarily, Lisa O'Hara had the patience of a saint, but the round, hard swelling pressing uncomfortably against the waistline of her dress had significantly reduced her tolerance for her husband's dry sense of humour. She huffed in exasperation and hurried to the front door, throwing it open to reveal the person she had been longing to see.

'Rose! You're really here!' Mrs O'Hara squealed in excitement, wrapping the traveller in a tight embrace and nearly squeezing the life out of her. 'Or should I call you Deputy Belikov now?!' she added cheekily when she pulled back to look at her friend; taking in the smart riding habit and hat - both damp from the early November drizzle - and the gleaming brass star pinned to Rose's jacket.

'Depends if you've done anything I need to arrest you for!' the other girl grinned, peering beyond the doorway and into the house. 'Where's the freeloader?'

Lisa rolled her eyes. 'Just because Christian moved into my house when we got married doesn't make him a freeloader,' she scolded, unable to fathom the childish bickering that broke out every time her best friend and her husband were in the same room. 'He does have a job you know, and he's been working tirelessly to get the ranch ready for this little one.'

Rose's smile faltered briefly as her attention darted down to the bump between them, nearly hidden by her friend's puffy skirts. 'I still can't believe it. I'm so happy for you.' She meant it genuinely but her voice lacked the warmth she was trying to convey, so she made up for it with another bone-crushing hug.

'Thank you,' Lisa whispered, and the pair clung to one another a little longer, each hoping the physical closeness would somehow erase all the months they had been apart.

The last year had been hard on them both - separated by great distance and troubled by reports of a terrible war spreading in the southern states - and no matter how many letters had been sent and received in that time, there was so much yet to share that could only be spoken face to face.

'Actually, it's me who should be thanking you,' Rose disagreed, dropping her arms so the two friends were linking hands. 'Dimitri and I assumed we would still be living in Silver Springs when his family arrived from Russia, but then we got the news that Alberta needed us back in Saint's Town. I honestly don't know what we would have done with my hoard of Russian in-laws if you hadn't offered to let them stay with you at Cottonwood Creek. Are you sure it won't be a burden having so many house-guests, especially in your condition?' she motioned to the bump.

Lisa shook her head decisively. 'Quite the opposite. I've been looking forward to their arrival from the moment I received your letter. This house used to be so full of life before...'

They fell quiet for a moment, thinking of the wagon accident that killed Lisa's family and changed both of their lives forever.

'When Christian goes away for work I get so lonely here with only memories for company. It will be a pleasure having a family to share my home with again - however long they need to stay. Plus, it's an excellent excuse to get you to come and visit me - often, if you please!'

'Don't you worry about that, Lis,' Rose grinned at the wheedling tone she recognised so well. 'Now we live so close to one another again you won't be able to keep me away!'

And with that assurance, the easiness between them began to return, just like it always did - no matter how long or how far apart they might have been.

'I'll hold you to that, missy,' Lisa did her best to sound threatening. 'And I don't care how tough your sheriff husband might think he is - I was friends with you long before he came along, so he will just have to share you with me whether he likes it or not.'

The sound of footfalls alerted the women that they were no longer alone, and they both looked around with flushed, happy faces to see a tall Russian climbing the stairs to the porch, a carpet travelling-bag in each hand. He paused at the top of the steps to wipe his boots - trying to rid them of any last traces of mud and slush that had collected on his short walk from stabling the horses - then made his way over to stand by his wife.

'Good afternoon, Mrs O'Hara,' the handsome cowboy greeted their host, shifting both bags into one hand so he could remove his hat; dark, shoulder-length hair falling loosely over his face as he dipped his head in respect. 'It is good to see you looking so well.'

Dimitri Belikov seemed even larger than Lisa remembered him. While his towering height remained the same, the man had filled out a little over the past year - the ruddiness to his face a clear sign of a healthy man, well fed and cared for by a wife who loved him.

'Welcome back, Sheriff Belikov,' Lisa responded, flattered by the compliment and somewhat overawed by the big man's presence. 'Thank you for bringing Rose home safely. I missed her so much while the two of you were away in Silver Springs. Please tell me you're here to stay this time?'

'It's Dimitri, please,' the traveller amended quietly, 'and yes - as far as we know, we're back in Saint's Town for good,' he gazed down at the woman by his side; brown eyes meeting brown eyes, relaying the hopes and concerns they both shared for the year ahead.

While the sheriff was a man of few words, his wife was not, and she took over the lead in the conversation.

'Alberta had planned to retire and move in with Hank Croft on their twelfth wedding anniversary,' Rose explained, 'but then the war started and Hank signed up with the union troops stationed at Fort Douglas. He said the only person he could entrust Greenston to was the Great Sheriff Peterson, so she's there... and we're here. It's hard to say exactly what the coming months will hold for us, given the circumstances,' Rose glanced up at Dimitri once more, tucking her hand into his, 'but whatever happens we see our future here in Saint's Town.'

'Well, thank God for that,' a new voice spoke up, Rose's nose automatically crinkling as Christian O'Hara joined them at the door. 'I don't think I could go one more day listening to my wife read your ridiculous, sentimental letters aloud. Dimitri this, and Dimitri that...'

'At least I can write!' the offended party retorted in an instant. 'I'd be surprised if you've advanced beyond flinging your own faeces as a method of communication.'

Dimitri and Lisa glanced at one another, the same look of resignation on both of their faces. The relationship between Rose and Christian had been rocky from the onset, with the former thinking the latter an insensitive pig, and the latter believing the former to be a nosy, overbearing shrew. Hostilities cooled briefly when the deaths of Mason Ashford and Natalie Dashley hung heavily on them all, but the squabbling resumed the afternoon of Rose and Dimitri's wedding when Christian gleefully alluded to a certain treehouse tryst in his toast to the bride and groom.

'I'm not even going to dignify that with a response,' Christian shot her a look of disdain before turning his attention to the Russian cowboy, his mood livening up immediately. 'Welcome to our humble home, sheriff. I see your little wife there has a toy badge pinned to her jacket. Did you two open your Christmas crackers early this year?'

Dimitri was wise enough to stay well clear of the argument; watching on with mild amusement to see how Rose would respond to the insult. He would happily defend his wife's honour in any matter - great or small - but he knew she would want to take care of this tormenter herself.

Before Rose could launch a counter-attack, however, Lisa took charge of the situation.

'Play nicely, you two,' she warned, refusing to allow the reunion to get off to a bad start. 'I'm sure Christian is only speaking in jest, Rose,' the diplomat patted her friend's arm, 'And you,' she turned on her husband with a forbidding expression. 'Don't be forgetting that Rose is a real deputy now - with the power to lock you in jail or send you to the gallows if you really upset her - so keep a civil tongue in your head and we'll all get along just fine. Rose, darling, come inside and we'll get you something warm and dry to wear. Dimitri, could you keep my husband out of trouble for an hour or two please? Mrs Belikov and I will be unavailable until dinner.'

Shocked into impressed silence, the two men watched as their wives flounced down the hallway towards one of the guest rooms; their haughty departure made slightly less dignified by Rose, who turned at the last moment to poke out her tongue.

'Six months - I can't believe I haven't seen you since you were matron of honour at my wedding last April!' Lisa exclaimed, assisting Rose in stripping down to her petticoats and laying out her friend's damp hat and riding dress by the fireplace. 'So much has hap-,' she cut off mid-sentence as she returned from across the room, catching sight of three small tattoos on the back of Rose's neck. 'Another two?' she frowned, reaching out to touch the new crosses that stood like tombstones on either side of Natalie's mark.

The other woman stiffened at the contact, hastening to reach for the pale-green, winter day-dress that was laid out for her on the bed. It had taken months for Rose to truly come to terms with the fact she had killed Natalie Dashley - a girl she had once considered a friend - and she still didn't feel entirely comfortable talking about the lives she had taken.

'Who were they? Why didn't you tell me?' Lisa demanded. It wasn't meant as an accusation, but that's how it sounded.

'It was just a gang of cattle wranglers,' the deputy shrugged her dress on over her shoulders, glad - for once - of its high collar. 'There were five of them. We had them corralled up against a rock face and told them if they put down their weapons then nobody would get hurt. Their leader aimed his gun at me and Dimitri shot him in the chest. The others retaliated. So did we.'

Lisa's face was ashen.

Rose sighed, tightening the belt at her waist then moving to put an arm around her friend. 'This is why I didn't tell you, Lis. I don't want your worrying about me - it's not good for you... or the baby.'

'But...'

'And I don't want to hear any lectures about how I should stop putting myself in dangerous situations,' she added emphatically. 'Yes, being a deputy is dangerous work, but I have Dimitri to keep me safe, and I keep him safe too. We're both okay, really.'

Lisa still looked unconvinced but Rose wasn't going to let their first proper catch-up in six months turn into an argument.

'Anyway, enough talk about me and my crazy life,' she announced, her eyes coming to rest on the swollen curve of Lisa's abdomen. 'I've been dying to hear all about you!' she dragged the pregnant woman over to the guest bed and helped her up so they were sitting with their backs against the headboard, tuning in to face one another with cheeky smiles just like they had when they were younger. 'Tell me all.'

'Well...,' Lisa's expression was dreamy. 'Christian came back from a swim in the creek one afternoon and his shirt was all clingy, and...' .

The deputy's eyes widened in understanding then she gagged dramatically, raising her hands to scrabble at the air in front of her face in an effort to fend off the distressing images that were flooding to her mind.

'Ugh! Stop!' Rose implored her. 'Not that part,' she shuddered at the thought of Christian O'Hara doing his husbandly duty. 'I meant... tell me about the pregnancy. How are you feeling?'

Lisa blushed scarlet and fell into a fit of giggles at the misunderstanding, but eventually sobered up enough to talk.

'I'm well enough, considering. Five months along already. Doctor Sage said to expect a baby by the end of February - early March at the very latest,' a hint of concern flickered across her face.

'What's wrong?' her friend asked at once, alert to the sudden change in mood. 'Are you worried about the birth?'

'Not exactly,' Lisa toyed with her wedding ring. 'I'm prepared for the pain, it's just... I always thought my mother would be here to help me through it,' she looked up, searching for reassurance. 'I really wish she was here.'

'Oh, Lis,' Rose gave her arm a squeeze. 'I wish she was here too. I know it won't be the same without her, but you'll be well looked after. Dimitri told me his mother, Olena, has helped to deliver dozens of babies in their village back in Russia - including her three grandchildren - and Doctor Sage can be sent for if there are any signs of trouble.'

Lisa looked glum.

'The doctor won't be available. He's been drafted to serve as military doctor for the regiment at Fort Freemont - forty miles west of here.'

Forty miles... The deputy ran a few sums in her head. The journey to Saint's Town would take nine hours by coach or over three hours on horseback - and that was even if the doctor could be excused from his duties at the fort. If there was a serious complication in the birth, that wouldn't be fast enough.

'I only found out a few weeks ago,' the pregnant woman went on to explain. 'The Union army is so desperate for medical personnel on the frontlines that Doctor Sage has had to pull his daughter Sydney out of medical school so she can assist him as a volunteer nurse. The doctor said if I had any concerns about the birth I should speak with Mrs Mastrano next door, but I wouldn't feel comfortable discussing personal matters with Emily,' she winced at the thought. 'I've tried to be warm and welcoming towards her, but I have a feeling she doesn't like me very much.'

'You think Jill's mother doesn't like you?' Rose's eyebrows shot up. 'Whatever gives you that idea?'

'She just... looks at me strangely,' Lisa wrinkled her nose, making her friend laugh.

'Don't worry about her then,' Rose advised decidedly. 'You still have Olena, and Christian, and I know literally nothing about babies, but you have me too. You won't be alone. We can do this together.'

Lisa's face relaxed a little and she looked at the girl beside her through grateful eyes. 'I've always been able to count on you, Rose. You don't know how much it means to me to have your support.'

They shared a moment of quiet friendship, simply listening to the crackling fire and the muted sounds of Dimitri and Christian talking down the hall, until Rose finally spoke up; a strange, almost vulnerable tone to her voice.

'So... how did you know?' she asked, eyes cast down on her knotted fingers. 'How did you know you were expecting?'

Lisa looked at her curiously. 'Well, I had my suspicions when I missed one of my monthlies. When the second month passed without the usual signs I knew that was it. Why do you ask?'

'The monthlies...,' Rose struggled to put her thoughts into words. 'They haven't been the same since... since that day. At the church.'

That day. The day Victor Dashley tried to force Lisa to marry him so he could steal her lands. The day they discovered Sonya Karp was alive. The day Mason was shot dead. The day Rose killed Natalie and lost her mind to darkness from the shock of it all - until Dimitri's love brought her back.

'Not the same how?' Lisa quizzed gently, aware of her friend's discomfort.

'Sometimes they come. Sometimes not,' Rose explained hesitantly. 'If they do, it's lighter, shorter. Not even enough to need a girdle. The first time it didn't happen I thought I might be...,' she eyed off Lisa's belly by way of explanation.

'But that was two months before you and Dimitri got married,' the blonde woman looked confused.

Rose glanced up at her, a wince of remorse on her face.

'Oh,' Lisa blinked in shock. 'Okay. So you and the sheriff...' she coughed. 'You two were... familiar before he left for Silver Springs and you thought you might have gotten pregnant.'

Rose looked listlessly into the fire. 'I thought it was possible. I prayed I was wrong. I couldn't bear to bring shame on Alberta - having the town talking about me like they did about Camilla Contez after what Jesse Zekeman did to her,' she scowled at the memory of the man she had once admired. 'I kept on waiting for the bump to show and when it didn't I was so relieved. But then six months passed, then a year, and there's still no sign of a baby... I... I think there's something wrong with me.'

'Have you told Dimitri about your concerns?' Lisa asked carefully. She wasn't an expert on the reproductive process, but she knew enough to realise no monthlies would result in no babies.

'Not as such,' Rose's jaw tensed. 'He touches my stomach sometimes when we lie down at night, like he's searching for the swelling, but he never asks and I can't bring myself to tell him outright. We talked about starting a family when we were first married. He even told his mother to bring his christening gown from Russia because he hoped it would happen soon. I just can't help feeling like I'm letting him down... like he's going to despise me when he figures out I can't give him children.'

'Oh, Rose,' Lisa couldn't hold back any longer, wrapping her arms around her friend and holding her close. 'He would never do that. He loves you more than anything on this Earth - babies or no babies. You must be able to see that.'

Rose was brave in all things but her next confession was so close to her heart she could only muster a whisper to voice it. 'I think God is punishing me for sharing Dimitri's bed before the wedding. He's punishing me for not wanting to be pregnant then, by stopping me from having a child now.'

'Rosemarie Belikov,' Lisa's commanding tone made the owner of the name look up in surprise. 'God is not punishing you. You are the most amazing, loyal, loving wife and friend imaginable. If God can't see that, then... then he's an idiot!' she finished dramatically.

'Mrs O'Hara!' it was Rose's turn to be shocked. 'That's blasphemy!'

The pregnant woman didn't seem concerned for her eternal soul. 'No. That's the truth. Now I need you to promise me you'll forget this ridiculous idea of being punished. Falling pregnant will happen for you in time, just like it happened for me.'

Rose was struck by a pang of remorse and her eyes dropped to the bump beside her. 'I can't believe how selfish I'm being,' she shook her head to clear it. 'I should be congratulating you on your happiness, not moaning about my own problems.'

'Don't be silly,' Lisa reassured her. 'You've stood by me through the darkest moments of my life. It's only fair that I get to support you as well,' she shifted to swing her legs over the side of the bed. 'Now, I realise we might not have seen one another very much lately, but you're still my best friend and I know exactly what will cheer you up.'

'Oh yes? And what's that?' Rose quirked an eyebrow - a skill Dimitri had inadvertently taught her on their first night together in the cabin at Silver Springs.

A knowing smile broke out across Lisa's face. 'Food, of course. Come on. The boys have been left to their own devices for long enough. Let me check on how Mrs Carmack is going in the kitchen, then we can summon our husbands to join us for dinner.'

'Is there anything else I can do to make your family feel comfortable when they arrive tomorrow?' Lisa enquired of Sheriff Belikov, as Mrs Carmack - the housekeeper - appeared from the kitchen to clear away their dinner plates. 'I'm afraid some of the bedrooms are a little cramped.'

Dimitri stretched out his legs and leaned back to relax after the huge meal. 'My childhood home was much smaller than your house, Mrs O'Hara,' he replied with a grateful smile. 'I'm sure everyone will be more than happy with the space you have provided. I can't thank you enough for welcoming my family under your roof.'

'Having them here is a benefit to us as well,' Christian reminded him, his manner unusually earnest. 'I'm heading out on a new survey mission in a few days time. The job may take up to three months, weather depending, so I feel a lot happier knowing Lisa will have company while I'm away,' he caught his wife's eye, telegraphing a silent apology.

It was the nature of Christian's work to travel for long periods of time, but now that Lisa was expecting a child it was even harder for him to leave her. It wasn't just the idea of missing the arrival of their baby that worried him. With the possibility of misadventure, wild animal attacks and hostile encounters with Shoshone Indians, there was a high chance he wouldn't come back at all.

'Isn't it a little late in the year to be setting out?' Rose queried, a chill creeping through her body at the thought of camping out in winter. 'Surely it would be better to wait until the weather is warmer?'

Christian picked up his tumbler of brandy and swirled the amber liquid as he considered her question. 'Normally I'd agree, but the Governor of California wants a southern pass across the Sierras as soon as possible and he's paying handsomely to get it,' he raised the glass to his lips then turned to Dimitri with a dangerous look on his face. 'Speaking of California... have you heard from Aunt Tasha lately?'

Rose stiffened. She had nothing against Christian's aunt exactly, but she sometimes wished to God that the woman from Dimitri's past would damn well stay in the past.

Dimitri's hand crept under the tablecloth to rest on Rose's knee, reminding her with a touch that she was - and always would be - the one for him. 'Natasha sent me a letter soon after James Nathan's arrest was published in the newspapers,' he admitted.

'Oh yes?' Christian's eyes twinkled. 'And what did she have to say for herself?'

The sheriff shifted uncomfortably.

'Your aunt wanted to remind me I was welcome to stay at her lodgings if I wished to return to San Francisco,' he ignored Christian's knowing smirk. 'I replied immediately to inform her of my engagement to Rose. The only other correspondence I've received since was the announcement of Natasha's marriage to a politician by the name of Anthony Badica. I'd never heard her mention him before, but she seemed very taken with him. I suppose true love always finds a way,' he looked over at Rose and gave her a brief smile of encouragement.

Christian's smirk turned into a chuckle and Lisa glared at him.

'It's not funny.'

'It's a little bit funny,' he muttered, eyes laughing as he looked across at Dimitri. 'I've seen my aunt in love and trust me, Dimitri, this is a marriage of convenience. Senator Badica is twenty years her senior and not an attractive man. Still, Tasha doesn't seem to mind. She's got what she's always wanted; power to influence the business matters of the state senate, and one other little thing…'

Rose frowned as Christian got up to retrieve a photograph from an envelope on the mantlepiece, bringing it over to the table for them to see. A grizzled man in his mid-fifties stood with his arm resting on the back of a chair, looking down on his much younger wife who was smiling proudly, a new baby cradled in her arms.

'My cousin, Louis Badica,' he declared. 'Louis…'

'Christian…,' Lisa's voice was sharp with warning but the man couldn't stop himself.

'…Louis Dimitri Badica!' his face shone with mirth. 'Aunt Tasha couldn't tempt you to marry her, so she made a Dimitri of her own!'

Rose's fingers dug into the back of her husband's hand and an angry breath hissed out of her. How dare that woman take Dimitri's name for her child?! Of all the selfish, presumptuous, indecent things...

'You couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you Christian?' Lisa's usual composure quickly dissolved into a full-blown maternal rage. 'I told you not to mention it, but no. You had to open your big mouth and...'

She would have continued to tear shreds off him but there was the scrape of wood across bare floorboards and Dimitri rose from his chair, his hulking frame throwing a dark shadow over the table.

'Congratulations on the birth of your nephew, Mr O'Hara,' his words were polite, but his voice devoid of warmth. 'Now, if you will excuse us, Mrs O'Hara, my wife and I are in need of some fresh air. Come, Roza. Walk with me?'

He offered Rose his hand and she took it in a daze of bitterness and loathing - too worked up to see the look of embarrassment on Lisa's face as Dimitri led her from the room.

Rose followed Dimitri out the back door and into the twilight gloom, barely registering the cold bite of the evening air on her nose and cheeks. Too furious to speak, she dropped her husband's hand and roamed away from the house - needing to distance herself from Christian O'Hara and the memory of his horrid aunt.

'Roza,' Dimitri stepped up beside her, catching her elbow and forcing her to look at him. 'I'm sorry. If I was aware Natasha was going to do that I would have told her to choose another name. That was supposed to be the name for our son, if we had one.'

'Why are you sorry?' she fumed, tugging her arm away from him. 'It's not your fault some over-zealous woman from your past wanted to honour her child with your name. I should be the one that's sorry,' she threw her hands in the air in frustration.

'What?' the man looked genuinely confused. Rose thought she had something be sorry for? This was a bizarre leap in logic, even for her.

'Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. We've been married a year,' she waved her wedding ring in his face. 'I should have given you a baby by now. We've been trying and trying and nothing ever happens. If you'd taken Natasha's offer and married her instead, you would probably be a father by now.'

'Oh, Roza,' Dimitri sighed, enveloping her in a tight embrace. 'It doesn't matter to me if we have children or not. I just want to be with you.'

'Even if I'm… barren?' she said bitterly.

'Don't say that. It's only been a year.'

'A year and two months if you count the cabin,' she corrected.

'A year and two months then. But that doesn't mean we can't have children. It just means the timing isn't right yet. If we are meant to have a baby it will come when it's ready.'

Rose glared at him in response. 'Are you listening to yourself right now?' she ranted. 'You sound like one of Reverend Mastrano's sermons.'

The sheriff let out a low chuckle, dropping his lips to her ear. 'Well, how about this idea instead. Maybe God is trying to tell us we should be putting more effort into practicing making a baby?' he dropped a playful kiss to her mouth, nipping at her lower lip with his teeth. 'Do you want to practice with me, Roza?'

She pulled back in annoyance. 'Stop trying to distract me. I'm angry. Christian's horrible aunt stole our baby's name.'

Dimitri knew his wife very well. Sometimes, when reason failed, it was easier to bring her round with a more physical approach. 'Maybe we'll have a girl?' he suggested, sliding a hand down the front of her dress to cup one of her breasts and giving it a firm squeeze.

The woman's eyes widened in surprise and shock. They were standing in full view of the house but Dimitri wasn't even attempting to hide the movement of his palm as it rubbed possessively over the rise of her chest; his thumb and forefinger finding the stiffening peak of her nipple through the tightly-woven fabric and pinching down hard. Rose was seething with nervous energy - her husband was offering her a way to release it.

Her breathing shallowed under his expectant gaze, and it only took the slow raise of his eyebrow for her to crack.

'Treehouse,' she hissed, glancing over her shoulder to the line of cottonwoods by the creek, then she turned on her heel and ran.

Dimitri Belikov was famous for his reserved temperament in public, but when he was alone with his Roza a part of her wildness crept into his soul, and he would stop at nothing to please her, to take pleasure in her. With the memory of their first treehouse encounter teasing his senses, Dimitri took up chase, and by the time his wife reached the tree-line he was upon her. Rose let out a very un-deputy-like squeal as large hands locked around her waist, and the next second she was pressed up against the nearest tree; Dimitri's mouth demanding upon her lips, one hand already dragging her skirt up around her knees.

'Treehouse... too far,' he whispered hoarsely; his kisses deep and persistent, his fingers burrowing into her hair.

Rose was on the verge of giving in to him, but she chanced to look up at the exact moment a dark shadow appeared in one of the windows of the ranch house - probably Lisa checking to see if they were alright.

'Not here,' she gasped for breath, struggling to break free of his grip. 'They might hear us.'

'We'll be quiet,' Dimitri was determined to make her yield to him - teasing her with his mouth on her neck and his knee thrust firmly between her legs - but the figure remained at the window so Rose was forced to take matters into her own hands.

'Not here!' she insisted, jabbing her knee up to connect with the soft flesh of his inner thigh, and using the moment of surprise to take off again, deeper into the darkness.

'Come back here, deputy,' Dimitri grunted, a look of pain and admiration on his face.

Nothing made him prouder than knowing that Rose was capable of overpowering him if the situation demanded it.

'If you can catch me, you can have me, sheriff,' she shot back, heart racing with exertion and excitement as she arrived at the giant cottonwood that was home to their treehouse, scrambling to hoist herself up into the tree's lower branches.

There was an exclamation of triumph from below, and Rose kicked out wildly against the vice-like grip around her legs.

'You'll have to try harder than that,' she puffed, clinging onto the branch as tightly as she could. 'I can hang here for hours.'

Her efforts were pointless. With one mighty yank at Rose's dress, Dimitri brought her toppling down into his arms; twisting her around to face him and sandwiching her between his chest and the trunk of the tree.

'You want to give me a baby? Then practice with me,' he urged her, his lips pleading and demanding against hers.

This time she didn't resist, and he reached down to snake a hand under her skirts; trailing it up the back of her thigh as his other worked to free himself from his trousers, a few deft strokes quickly bringing him to full attention.

'If you insist,' Rose whimpered in consent, boosting herself up to wrap her legs tightly around his waist; her fingers dragging at his hair as she found him through the opening in her underclothes.

A muted groan echoed through the man's chest as his straining flesh met her welcoming heat. The couple had known one another countless times in their one year of marriage but Dimitri Belikov was certain he would never tire of being nestled between his Roza's thighs. This was where he belonged - worshiping his wife with his body and soul for as long as they both could stand it.

'I insist,' he whispered against her lips and he pushed into her, burying himself to the hilt.

Rose moaned with pleasure, squirming against the tree trunk to push herself even further onto him, and Dimitri responded in kind; beginning a slow, delving assault then increasing in speed and power until she was panting his name. Rose's hair was snagged against the rough bark of the tree and there was an icy draft lapping at her exposed thighs, but none of that mattered right now.

'I will plant my child in your belly, Roza,' Dimitri was muttering against her ear, the breath coming out of him in ragged bursts as he built to his climax. 'Will you carry my child?'

'Yes,' she gasped, the tickle of his hair against her cheek and the allure of his whispered promises sending tremors surging through her body.

'Will you be the mother of my children?'

'Yes!' she bleated, louder than before, her voice carrying out across the still, quiet night.

'Yes?' he goaded her, his thrusts forceful and erratic.

'Yes, Dimit-,' she froze against him, feeling the length of him throb inside her; rendered speechless as her body greedily took from him what he freely gave. She gripped onto his neck for dear life and whimpered as he rocked up into her once more; spending himself entirely and burying his final groan of release into her shoulder.

It took a while for their breathing to steady, each exhale hanging like tiny puffs of cloud against the cool winter's air.

'Well, I'm glad we've come to an understanding on the matter,' Dimitri's mouth pulled into a lazy smile as he extracted himself from his warm nesting place and lowered his wife to the ground; each of them fumbling to fix their clothing before returning their attention to one another.

'No more worrying, you hear me, Roza?' he held both hands up to her face, skimming his thumbs across her flushed cheeks. 'I will put a child in your belly... and any time you might be feeling doubtful about that fact, beautiful wife, you come straight to me and I will remind you again.'

'Yes dear,' Rose gazed up at him with a sinful, sated expression before letting her eyes fall closed; her head lolling gently in the supportive cradle of his fingers.

They stood like that for a few moments until an especially brisk gust of wind made Rose shiver, and she stepped closer to her husband for warmth.

'I suppose we should get inside or all the necessary parts for producing offspring will get frozen off in this chill,' she suggested, a cheeky smile on her lips.

Dimitri laughed, kissing her one last time then turning them back towards the house.

'We certainly can't have that, Mrs Belikov. I plan on making use of those parts again very soon.'

'Mr Belikov!' she pretended to be shocked. 'Twice in one night?!'

He quirked an eyebrow. 'If you're angling for a third I'm sure it can be arranged.'

Rose smacked his arm - apparently scandalised - but her grin gave her away and they quickened their pace, hoping Lisa and Christian hadn't grown suspicious about why they had been gone so long.

A few hundred yards away at the Mastrano homestead, the new reverend had been seated quietly on the back veranda partaking in his evening devotions, when he laid his bible down on the small wooden table by the rocking chair and tilted his head to listen. His eyebrows raised a little at the unexpected yet familiar sounds coming from the trees down by the creek, and he headed quickly inside – devotions forgotten – in search of his wife.

.

Author's Note:

Howdy, fine readers! It is my great pleasure to share this story with you at last. Thank you so much for checking out chapter one :)

Yep. A lemon in the first chapter - I went there!

This sequel is based on themes from Blood Promise-Last Sacrifice, including sex & violence. 'Mature' scenes will not be marked in text, but rest assured, I will do my best to handle these issues sensitively, and will not make characters suffer more than they can bear... Happy endings are my M.O.

I can't commit to a specific posting schedule as my writing time is limited, but I'll aim for one chapter per fortnight. (I've planned this story carefully from beginning to end but haven't written the chapters in full - will be posting chapters as I complete them.)

If you want a sneak preview of where the story is going, check out my Pinterest page (Username - Llaria6). I've got LOTS of photos up already. By the way, did you have a look at the cover image for DB:CW? I was really proud of that effort :P

Some thoughts about reviews:

* I love reading your feedback/ideas so please don't be shy - REVIEW and tell me what your think!

* If you take the time to leave a review, I will take the time to reply. Fanfiction is a conversation between fans - so let's talk :)

* It's okay if you disagree with something I write - but please log in before leaving constructive criticism so I can get back to you and clarify what you meant if I need to. (We got through the last story without a single nasty review - so THANK YOU for the positivity.)

* Like last time, I will be sending out a preview inbetween chapters to readers who review. Feel free to ignore or reply :D

Finally, here's a shout-out to Lea0014 for keeping me on-task with my planning & NB313 for keeping me off-task (my yin and yang of writing inspiration!) And of course, I must acknowledge Richelle Mead for creating the VA characters we love so much - and for putting Dimitri in a duster to inspire this cowboy-themed AU!

Romitri hugs & cowboy kisses to you all,

Laria6