5. In the Public Eye
The elation Dimitri felt at Alberta's job offer was quickly dashed by what he saw as he emerged out into the main saloon area of the hotel. A young man was sitting next to Rose, eyeing her with unabashed interest, with his arm rested casually across the back of her chair. Meanwhile, Rose was openly sipping from the flask of whiskey in her hand and laughing at something the stranger was whispering in her ear.
'Would you care to introduce me to your friend, Miss Hathaway?' the newly appointed deputy spoke icily as he approached the pair. There was a lethal glint to his eye as he drew himself up to his full height, using his body to shield the unfolding drama from patrons at the nearby tables.
The girl looked up at Dimitri in surprise then her face cracked into a wide grin. 'Who died and made you sheriff?' she giggled, earning a steely glare in return.
If Rose knew the man better she would have noticed the subtle warning signs seeping through his controlled façade; the tightening of the jaw, the way he angled his head slightly to loosen the tension that was building in his neck.
Dimitri's masked expression didn't fool Rose's companion, however, and the handsome, green-eyed man quickly removed his arm from Miss Hathaway's chair, reaching a hand out to the Russian giant as a peace-offering. 'The name's Adrian,' he drawled, charming and self-assured. 'Adrian Ivara – the owner of this fine establishment. And you are?'
'Leaving,' Dimitri blinked dismissively. 'You too, Miss Hathaway,' he ordered, grabbing Rose by the elbow and steering her out the front door.
He didn't know anything about the hotel's owner, save what he'd just witnessed with his own eyes, and he didn't care to make his acquaintance either. What kind of a man would act so freely with a young, unaccompanied woman in the full view of all and sundry? And how could Rose be so foolish? She would never preserve her good reputation if she insisted on behaving so brazenly in the public eye.
'What is your problem, bounty hunter?' Rose glared at him when they were outside, trying (but failing) to wrench her arm from his grip. 'I'm not a child. You have no right to just drag me off like that! I wasn't doing anything wrong.'
'Oh, really?' he challenged her, unable to hide the accusation in his eyes.
Rose met her captor's gaze defiantly, her growing indignation fuelled by whiskey and embarrassment. 'You said I could have a drink to relax,' she justified herself, 'and Mr Ivara was a perfect gentleman, if that's what you're worried about. He only wanted to introduce himself. He said he's been making a point of getting to know everyone in town since he moved here a few months ago, but I'm one of the few ladies from around here he hasn't had the chance to meet yet.'
'I don't doubt it,' Dimitri's stern expression deepened to a frown, and he urged Rose quickly towards the sheriff's office down the street – only stopping once they were closeted inside, away from prying eyes and ears.
'Do you have no decorum at all, Miss Hathaway?' he rebuked her as soon as the door was closed behind them, standing opposite her with his arms folded. 'You've been back in Saints Town for less than two hours and you're already flaunting your poor behaviour for everyone to see. A nip of whiskey was what I said. Not half the flask. And that Ivara man had more on his mind than just saying hello, believe me – not that you were doing much to dissuade him.'
Dimitri didn't raise his voice, but the force in his words hit Rose like a slap in the face, and she abandoned the heated reply that had been hovering on the tip of her tongue, stunned into shocked silence. She might have had a little more than one nip of whiskey, but she certainly wasn't drunk. And she didn't mean to encourage Adrian Ivara either. The hotel's proprietor may have been attractive, but that wasn't why she'd talked to him. She only meant to be polite and then his easy conversation had helped her to forget her troubles for a little while. Surely there was nothing wrong in that?
But clearly Mr Belikov didn't agree, and the judgement and disappointment written across his face cut Rose to the core. She didn't know why the bounty hunter's good opinion should even matter to her, but losing it hurt her more than she could have imagined. The pressure of the past few days – mixed with the faint haze of alcohol and an overwhelming sense of tiredness – finally caught up with her, and she stared unseeingly at a point on the far wall, all the fight gone from her spirit.
When Dimitri saw tears glistening in the girl's eyes he knew he'd gone too far, and a pang of guilt tickled at his conscience. Technically, Rose hadn't done anything wrong. It was Mr Ivara who approached her, not the other way around, and if anyone was to blame for the whiskey it was Dimitri himself. He just wished she hadn't been so informal with a man in a public place. People in small towns loved to talk, and he didn't want them talking about Rose for the wrong reasons. She'd had a hard enough year without adding malicious town gossip to the list.
'I'm sorry. That wasn't fair,' he dropped his arms to his sides, suddenly aware of how intimidating he must have looked. He had become so used to dealing with hardened criminals these past few years that he had to remind himself Rose was just a teenager. 'I'm sure you weren't intending to encourage Mr Ivara,' he continued, shoving his fists into the pockets of his duster and making a conscious effort to keep his voice calm. 'I've just seen the kind of trouble men like him can cause and I would hate for anything like that that to happen to you.'
A few choice memories flashed through Dimitri's mind but he pushed them back, focusing on the mission at hand. If he had any chance of succeeding at Alberta's task to mentor Rose, he needed to show her she could trust him.
When Rose finally looked at him again there was a shadow of hurt behind her eyes, but she appeared to accept the apology. Dimitri heaved an inward sigh of relief and proceeded to lay out his terms for a truce.
'Listen. It's been a long day and both of us are tired,' he said, removing his hat to push back a few strands of hair that had come loose from his ponytail. 'How about we call it a night and start fresh in the morning?' he suggested, tilting his head down in question and softening his words with the faintest ghost of a smile.
'The morning?' Rose echoed uncertainly. 'I thought you'd be moving on as soon as you collected your bounty money?'
'Would you prefer it if I moved on?' Dimitri asked quietly, his forehead dimpling with a slight frown as his eyes searched hers. He needed the job Alberta had offered him, but he wasn't willing to take the girl on as his charge if she didn't want him around.
Rose dipped her eyes – feeling nervous and exposed under Dimitri's gaze – then forced herself to look up at him. 'No,' she admitted, her voice husky and strange in her own ears.
The man's expression melted into a brief but genuine smile. 'Good,' he murmured, nodding once and placing his hat back on his head in preparation to leave. 'Well, it's getting late so I should be going. Until next time, Miss Hathaway,' Dimitri put a hand to the brim of his hat and ducked his head in farewell then crossed the room without further delay.
It was only when he'd made it to the front door that Rose found her voice and called out after him. 'Where are you staying, Mr Belikov? Do you need a bed for the night?'
He paused with his hand on the doorknob and looked back at her indecisively. He was tired, and it would have been oh so easy to accept her offer. He could bring his bedroll in and sleep on the floor of the sheriff's office while Rose was safe in her bedroom on the upper floor. But no. He mustn't. No matter how innocent his intentions might be, anybody else would be appalled if they found a grown man sleeping unsupervised in the same house as an unmarried woman. It wasn't worth the risk.
'It's very kind of you to offer, but I'll just make my camp outside,' he answered, with an apologetic smile. 'You know me. The road is my home.'
Probably for the best, Rose thought to herself, in a rare moment of clarity. 'Goodnight then, Mr Belikov,' she moved to mount the stairs to her room. 'Sleep well.'
Dimitri watched her go then opened the door and stepped out into the cool night air, rounding the building and setting up his camp some distance away. When the fire was ready he sunk down before it and gazed back at the town with heavy eyes. The upstairs window of the sheriff's building was illuminated by the soft, flickering light of a candle. As he watched, a shadow moved across the room and the light was snuffed out.
'Sleep well, Miss Roza,' Deputy Belikov whispered into the night, then hunkered down beneath his leather duster and into the welcome arms of sleep.
When Rose awoke the next morning she kept her eyes closed, taking a minute to enjoy the softness of her bed. A shaft of sunlight washed across her feet, and she could tell by the bustle of activity outside that it must have been at least eight o'clock.
The girl would have liked to stay in bed longer, but a sudden desire to check on Lisa pressed to the forefront of her mind. Rousing herself, she hurried to get dressed – choosing a simple, floral day dress that was considerably more comfortable than the plaid frock Natalie had selected for her when they'd arrived in Greenston. Fixing her hair in a plaited bun and slipping on her favourite pair of button-up ankle boots, Rose headed downstairs to the kitchen, but she paused in the doorway to the sheriff's office when she spied an unexpected figure sitting at Alberta's desk.
'Mr Belikov?' Rose asked curiously. Their awkward conversation from last night repeated in her mind and a flood of shame washed over her. If she'd been caught fraternising with a member of the opposite sex by anybody else she wouldn't have cared, but she really didn't want Dimitri to think she was that kind of girl.
Thank goodness the bounty hunter seemed to have forgotten the incident, and he quickly turned to greet her; placing his book down on the table-top next to his hat and rising to his feet. 'Good morning, Miss Hathaway,' he tipped his head respectfully. 'I hope I'm not intruding, but Sheriff Peterson asked me to drop by. She has something she would like to tell you and asked if you could join her for breakfast.'
'Is that an invitation or an order?' Rose clarified dubiously, glancing past Dimitri to the door. She'd hoped to grab something quick to eat so she could be on her way. It was a half-hour ride to Lisa's ranch, and that was only after she figured out how to get her hands on a horse.
'What do you think?' Dimitri raised his eyebrow meaningfully, and she groaned in frustration.
This would set back her plans for the day by at least an hour, but on the upside she'd get to eat a proper cooked meal so she decided not to make a fuss.
When they arrived at the hotel, Dimitri led Rose through the main saloon area past nearly a dozen customers finishing their breakfasts, and a few others who were still slumped over the bar from the night before. Passing along a hallway that led to the guest quarters, they arrived at Alberta's room to find her sitting up in bed with a tray on her lap. She had polished off every last morsel – clearly her injuries hadn't affected her appetite – and once Rose had moved the empty tray to the bedside table Alberta indicated for her guests to sit down.
'I was going to wait until you arrived but you took too long,' the woman announced, wiping her mouth with a large napkin.
The sheriff was extremely fit for someone in their early fifties but the passing of time had left its mark on her; her skin freckled from the sun, her forehead lined with deep wrinkles, and her sandy hair shot with streaks of grey (from the stress of raising her foster-daughter, apparently).
'I was starting to think you'd already flown the coop, Rosemarie.'
Rose rolled her eyes. Alberta had a way of forgiving without forgetting, and the girl expected she'd be paying for the offense of running away for the rest of her life. 'What was so important it couldn't wait until lunch?' she asked churlishly.
'That's enough lip out of you,' the older woman began, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door.
'Mail,' a man's voice called out, and Alberta urged him to enter.
The courier was filthy from his ride, and a swirling cloud of dust puffed up into the room as he opened the flap of his satchel and handed the sheriff a letter. Alberta unfolded the paper silently and read its contents with a gruff expression, raising her eyebrows at one piece of news and scowling deeply by the time she'd reached the end.
'Is there a reply?' the courier asked nervously, hovering his pencil at the top of a fresh page. There were a lot of things to enjoy about working with the Pony Express, but dealing with Alberta Peterson when she was in a disagreeable mood wasn't one of them.
'Eat dirt and die, old man,' the sheriff barked out, making the messenger jump half a foot in the air. 'Not you, fool – the letter,' Alberta clarified, motioning for him to write the message down.
The poor courier hurried to scribble the words as she dictated them aloud.
'Eat dirt and die, old man,' Alberta enunciated slowly and clearly. 'Keep your filthy flea-bitten paws off the draft horse. He's mine. That's it. Now make sure it gets to its destination,' she ordered with finality, and the courier happily made himself scarce.
Dimitri – who'd been sitting quietly on a chair near the foot of the bed – had watched the whole exchange with a mildly bewildered expression, but Rose appeared to be more interested than concerned.
'That was a letter from Hank Croft – the sheriff over in Greenston,' Rose explained to him when the courier had left. 'Alberta and Hank have a special kind off… rapport. They've been insulting one another for so long now, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they decide to get married.'
Alberta threw Rose a scornful look. 'He wishes,' she huffed, but there was a tinge of pink to her cheeks as she said it.
'So, what did he say?' Rose pushed, ignoring the older woman's surly attitude. 'It clearly got a reaction out of you.'
The sheriff winced slightly as she adjusted herself to sit higher against the pillows. 'It appears someone has been busy, Rose,' she began, fixing a beady eye upon the girl. 'The night your party stayed at the hotel in Greenston there was a brawl during the early hours of the morning. The perpetrators damaged a fair amount of property in the saloon and were on their way upstairs to ransack the hotel rooms when they were apprehended by a lone vigilante. Hank turned up to work at first light to find three brutes gagged and bound outside his office, covered in cuts and bruises. When he asked them who was responsible for their injuries they said it was a devil from hell.'
A look of excitement crept across Rose's face. For all the fuss city-folk liked to make about the violence and depravity in the West, she'd rarely seen it first-hand. It was thrilling to think that while she was upstairs sleeping peacefully, there was a life and death battle being played out in the saloon below. 'Did they tell him anything else?' she asked eagerly.
Alberta's eyes slid across to the man sitting sedately by her sick-bed. 'Yup. They said the man that attacked them was as big and angry as a bear, and he had a funny accent.'
'That was you?' Rose asked incredulously, her attention snapping to the bounty hunter. 'I mean, I know you've got all of those tattoos, but I just thought… I mean… but you're so polite,' she finished lamely.
Dimitri chuckled, a low, delicious bubbling sound that sent a warm shiver through Rose's belly. 'A man can be strong without fbeing ill-mannered, Miss Hathaway,' he chastised.
The young woman surveyed him curiously for a moment longer then shifted her focus back to the figure on the bed. 'That was a very entertaining story, Alberta, but I'm still not sure what it has to do with your reply. What draft horse were you talking about?'
The sheriff smirked. 'That draft horse,' she said, nodding towards the muscle-bound Russian. 'I don't care how much Hank grovels – Mr Belikov is mine.'
Rose caught the flash of quiet amusement on Dimitri's face and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. 'What do you mean he's yours?' she frowned, annoyed that she'd been left out of the joke.
'You'll find out soon enough,' Alberta told her archly. 'Now Belikov. Help me out of bed. I need to make an announcement.'
'Ladies and gentleman,' the saloon fell silent as the sheriff's commanding voice rung out across the room. 'As you all know, I've been staying here in the hotel while recovering from my recent accident, thanks to the generosity of Mr Adrian Ivara,' she nodded to acknowledge the man and he lifted his glass to her, flashing a magnanimous smile. 'As there's no telling how long these blasted ribs will take to heal, I've decided to appoint a deputy.'
The news sent a ripple of excitement through the crowd. Saint's Town wasn't big enough to warrant a full-time deputy and it had been months since Sheriff Peterson last put out the call for assistance. Several of the younger men straightened in their chairs, hoping to be selected for the honour.
'Allow me to introduce to you… Deputy Belikov,' she announced, indicating for Dimitri to step forward.
Rose's eyes nearly bugged out of her head, and an uncomfortable hush fell over the room as the townsfolk realised an outsider had been chosen over one of their own.
'Yes, he's not from around here,' the sheriff added quickly 'He hails from San Francisco, and Russia before that, but he's provided his services to the sheriffs in several local districts and comes with the highest recommendation.
There was a dissatisfied mutter from one corner of the room.
'Shut your trap, Jesse,' Alberta turned on the source of the commotion, realising she needed to bring them around to her side quickly. 'I know this whole this town. Nearly half of you are Irish, and just about every one of you has a relation so fresh off the boat that they still smell of seawater. Your beloved Mr Ivara comes from Europe and you don't have any trouble taking drinks from him, do you, so I won't hear of anybody using Mr Belikov's background as a reason not to heed him. This badge,' she said, holding up the six pointed star for all to see, 'says Deputy, and it carries the full authority of the state.'
She paused to pin the star to the lapel of Dimitri's duster before delivering her cutting final remark.
'If anyone is thinking they might cause the Deputy Belikov some trouble, be aware that I've instructed him to carry out his job to the full extent of the law... So in other words – don't piss him off.' It was a crass way of putting it, but Alberta often found it was easier to talk to cowboys in their own language if she wanted them to take her seriously.
The news was not well-received. A swell of angry mutterings broke out, and the noise was only halted when Sheriff Peterson stuck a finger and thumb in her mouth and whistled shrilly.
'There's one final matter I need to inform you of,' the sheriff said, when she was sure she had their attention again. 'Most of you know my foster daughter Rosemarie.'
Somebody wolf-whistled, but the sound ceased quickly at Alberta's withering glare.
'After a long absence, Rose and her young friend Miss Lisa Draymore have been returned to us, for which I'm sure we are all very grateful. Regretfully, my girl will no longer be attending Cottonwood Creek Ranch for tuition with Madam Kiroy…'
Rose gasped in horror, unable to believe what she was hearing.
'…so I have been left with a dilemma,' Alberta continued. 'Considering the fact that Rose has no other family to keep an eye on her while I am currently indisposed, I have charged Deputy Belikov to take custody of the girl until I am fully recovered. I am aware that this is an unusual arrangement, but if I hear of anybody – anybody at all – questioning my decision on this matter then they will have to deal directly with me.'
There were a few shocked faces in the room but everyone kept their mouths shut, and Alberta thought the matter was closed until a woman called out.
'I have a question,' Rose's voice was dangerous, and an angry frown marred her features.
The sheriff shot her a warning look and turned to Dimitri. 'Take your charge in hand, Deputy Belikov, before she makes a scene,' she ordered him quietly.
There was a loaded silence as everybody waited to see what would happen. Rose's quick temper was notorious and most of the onlookers were expecting the young woman to scratch the deputy's eyes out, but Dimitri approached the girl swiftly and whispered something in her ear, and the pair of them marched silently from the room.
Just before they reached the door, a man's voice broke through the eerie quiet. 'Good luck, Deputy Belikov!' he announced bawdily, and the whole room erupted into laughter.
Rose flushed scarlet and Dimitri tightened his grip on her arm, hurrying her out the door.
'Alright, alright. You've had your fun. Now pipe down, the lot of you,' Alberta's voice carried out through the door behind them. 'Mr Ivara? Help me back to my room.'
Rose was seething. How could Alberta separate her from Lisa? It was nothing but a cruel joke. And why did the Belikov man need to be in charge of her? Rose had survived a whole year without anybody telling her what to do. She was old enough to take care of herself.
'Trust me, Miss Roza,' Dimitri whispered into Rose's ear, leading her from the room before she had time to respond. 'Let's get some fresh air.'
She went without a fight – not because she wanted to go, but because she knew she'd probably punch somebody if she stayed. The sheriff was her primary target, but right now the new deputy looked pretty good as well.
Walking briskly away from the saloon towards a cluster of stunted pinyon pine trees, Rose looked up at the man beside her and decided that Deputy Belikov's chin was as good a target as any. Drawing her free arm back in preparation, the angry woman unleashed all her fury in one blow.
Disappointingly, the attack was blocked before she could make contact and a vice-like hand closed over her wrist.
'I wouldn't want you to regret that later, Miss Hathaway,' Dimitri breathed, pinning her arms to her sides and steering her towards the relative privacy of the tree-line. 'How about you tell me what's on your mind, instead of showing me with your fist?' he suggested, easily containing the girl despite her struggles to free herself.
She reminded him of a young filly; wild and headstrong but easily spooked. He would need to use a careful hand – not a heavy one – if he wished to tame her.
After a minute or so, Rose relaxed against his patient hold and eventually took control of her breathing enough to speak. 'So, suddenly you're the deputy, and I'm trapped in your custody as punishment for running away? How could you keep this from me?' she demanded. 'It's bad enough that Alberta organised this behind my back, but you too? I thought I could trust you!'
Dimitri loosened his grip slightly and looked reassuringly into the young woman's eyes. 'You can always trust me, Miss Hathaway. And please don't think of this as a punishment. The sheriff only wants to keep you safe. I want to keep you safe.'
When Rose thought about it she realised Dimitri was probably right, but she was still angry that she hadn't been consulted about something that would have such a big impact on her daily life. 'Well if it's not a punishment, then what is it, Deputy Belikov?' she challenged him.
'I'm willing to negotiate on that,' he offered, after a pause. 'It seems that we're going to be stuck together for the next month at least. What would you like to achieve in that time?'
Rose paused, surprised. 'I get to choose?' she asked slowly. Even when she'd been taking lessons with Madam Kiroy and Miss Karp, Rose had been granted very few freedoms. It was possible that being the deputy's prisoner might not be quite so bad as she first imagined.
'I can let you choose some things,' Dimitri's lips twitched with a hint of a smile. 'I will still have official deputy business to attend to, so I guess you'll need to tag along for that, but otherwise I am happy to discuss options for activities to do in our spare time.'
A dozen emotions warred across Rose's face as she considered her current situation, but when she finally spoke there was a conniving gleam in her eye. 'So… if you're the deputy and I'm going to be your sidekick for a while, then what does that make me? Assistant Deputy? Vice Deputy?' she asked hopefully, beginning to warm to the idea.
Dimitri raised an eyebrow and shook his head slowly. 'That makes you in trouble, Miss Hathaway,' he warned gently. 'And just remember... I'm willing to make things comfortable for you, but if you step out of line, keep in mind that I'm the only one of us with the keys to the jail cells.'
.
Author's Note:
So... Adrian! Surprise! I realise Adrian isn't technically in VA until Frostbite, but as this story exists in an alternate universe I'm taking the liberty to mix things up a bit. Characters will stay true to their original behaviours, relationships etc.