Epic in length and content... I can't wait to hear your reactions!

Mild trigger warning: This chapter contains a flashback to Rose/Jesse's history which may distress some readers. Please skip if you prefer. (Beginning & end marked with a *)

22. Rivals

'Show me where the heart is,' Rose heard the deputy's voice at her shoulder.

Without hesitation, she swung around from her plate of salted pork and vegetables, and proceeded to stab him in the chest with her fork.

'Good,' he rewarded her with a wry smile, commandeering the instrument and using it to steal a mouthful of her lunch as payment for marking his shirt.

They had been at this game all morning, using a range of improvised weapons to revise the key strikes that would incapacitate an opponent. It was good practice for both of them, and also a welcome way to break up the monotony and restlessness that came with waiting for an attack that may or may not eventuate.

As it turned out, there was no sign of James Nathan or his cronies that day, and by mid-afternoon most of the townsfolk had started to go about their normal business, assuming the threat had passed – many even choosing to head to the saloon for an evening of drinking to celebrate their good fortune.

Not everybody was so relaxed, though. Deputy Belikov declined an invitation to join the revellers, choosing instead to remain at his camp outside the sheriff's office – waiting and watchful. Sounds of merriment spilt out from the saloon further down the street, at odds with the knot of tension in Dimitri's stomach, and the only moment of respite he got was a little after half past eight when Rose appeared at her bedroom window to bid him goodnight. Her face was pale and ghostly in the light of the candle she carried, her hair loose around her shoulders, and the deputy did the only thing he could do given the situation – he put a hand to his hat and lifted it in acknowledgment, wishing for a future where he was standing with Rose in a home of their own, looking out into the night together.

Alone once more, Dimitri took out his gun to clean it, taking meticulous care to inspect each part before rubbing it over with an oiled rag. He was nearly finished his task when he heard footsteps approaching from a distance. In seconds, the weapon was reassembled and in his hand, and he was already rounding the sheriff's building when he met Mason Ashford coming from the opposite direction.

'They're here,' Mason's voice was hushed and urgent. 'I was on my way out of the saloon when I saw three strangers on their way in. I'm pretty sure one of them was that Nathan man off the wanted posters. I was going to stay so I could help if things got out of hand but I thought you would want to know right away.'

'You did the right thing,' Dimitri was already making plans and counter-plans as he played out various scenarios in his mind. 'I'll take it from here. You go upstairs and make sure Miss Hathaway stays out of trouble.'

'But I want to help out at the saloon,' Mason protested. He was still young enough to have romantic ideas about outlaws and gunfights, and after seeing what Deputy Belikov could do with a revolver, he didn't want to miss any of the action.

The Russian was unimpressed. 'This is not up for discussion, Mr Ashford. You will stay here and make certain that Rose doesn't follow after me. Promise me – no matter what she says or how hard she fights you – promise me you won't let her out of this building until James Nathan is behind bars or dead. I don't have the luxury of time to explain this to you properly. All you need to know is that I love that woman more than anything in this world and the only thing I care about now is keeping her out of danger.'

Mason frowned deeply, taken aback by the intensity of the deputy's speech. 'You love her?' he asked in disbelief. 'How can you possibly think you love her? You only just met her.'

Dimitri grabbed the man forcefully by the arm, his voice soft and frightening. 'Because right now I'm willing to walk into that hotel and give up my life to protect her. Because every time I imagine the faces of my unborn children they look just like her. Because even though I wanted to hurl you out of the door the other night when you made that vile accusation about my Roza and Adrian Ivara, I refrained because you are important to her, and I would never take away something that made her happy - even if the thing that makes her happy is the friendship of another man. Do you understand?'

Mason understood. He wasn't happy about it, but he understood.

The deputy's grip loosened slightly and he looked toward the street as the babble of voices from the saloon dropped to a murmur. They knew. The trouble would start soon and he had to be there to stop it.

'Time's up, kid,' Dimitri glanced to the bedroom above the sheriff's office. 'If I don't make it back, promise you'll take care of her for me. Everything I own is hers. My horse, my gun, all of it. My mother's address is in the book in my saddlebag – get Rose to write a letter telling Mama I found my happiness, and to tell Vika that girls wear pants in America… well, one of them at least.'

For half a second, Mason thought he saw the deputy smile, but as suddenly as his mood had lifted, it plummeted to black.

'Promise me,' his tone was hard and expectant, 'Look after her and be the friend she needs you to be.'

'I promise,' the young cowboy stood a little taller as he came to a sudden realisation. Dimitri Belikov was not a man to be feared. He was a man to live up to. Pausing a moment to watch the deputy melt into the darkness, Mason turned to face the sheriff's building, readying himself for whatever his best friend was about to throw at him.

When Rose awoke to the sound of the front door closing downstairs she knew something was wrong.

'Deputy? Is that you?' she called softly, already reaching for the trousers and blouse she kept hidden under her bed and dragging them on as quickly as she could.

If there was an intruder in the house, she sure as hell wasn't going to lie back and let him take what he wanted, or come upstairs and catch her vulnerable in her nightclothes. She took a minute to fasten her boots - fumbling once or twice in her haste - then grabbed Dimitri's knife from under her pillow and slipped out onto the landing at the top of the staircase, pausing to listen for any signs of movement below.

'Jesus Bleeding Christ!' she swore violently, raising her weapon as a shadowy figure loomed up the stairs towards her.

'Sorry to disappoint you, Rose. It's only me,' Mason called out to her in the darkness, taking the steps two at a time until he was standing before her. 'Will you put that knife down? You could poke someone's eye out with that thing.'

She lowered the blade, her fear giving way to displeasure as memories of the proposal dinner flooded her mind. 'What are you doing here? Have you seen Deputy Belikov? I think something's wrong,' she looked over his shoulder, motioning to pass.

Mason winced. Rose barely even noticed he was there; her whole mind focused on getting to him. The man she really wanted.

'Something is wrong,' he found his voice, resting a hand on her shoulder – partly because he couldn't bear the way she distanced herself from him when they were fighting, and partly to secure her if she flew off the handle when she heard what he had to say. 'The Nathan Gang are here – at the saloon. The deputy has gone to apprehend them.'

Rose's heart stopped then sped. 'Well what are we waiting for? Let's go and help him!' she exclaimed, trying to push past the six-foot-tall obstacle her way, but Mason was not about to let her get the better of him.

Using his free hand, he knocked the knife from her grasp as a precaution then gripped the top of her arms, steering her back towards the bedroom.

'What the hell, Mason?' she struggled against his hold, growing angrier by the second. 'Don't you get it? He's in danger. Everyone is in danger. We need to go and—'

'No, Rose!' he rebuked her, forcing her into her room and blocking the doorway with his body. 'I can't let you go.'

'What?! You don't get to choose for me,' she spat, lunging her weight against him in an effort to break out. 'I don't belong to you! Or didn't you get that message when I told you to leave the other night?'

Mason recoiled internally at her harsh words but he didn't step aside. 'I'm not choosing this for you. Deputy Belikov asked me to stay and make sure you didn't follow him.'

'He didn't!' she protested angrily, lashing out at his chest with her fists – desperate to be at Dimitri's side. Every second or third strike hit its mark and the young cowboy had his work cut out for him trying to contain her.

'He did so, and you know it,' he eventually managed to grab both her arms and lock them to his chest, holding her in place while she struggled and kicked to get free. 'He just wants you to be safe. He loves you too much to see you get hurt.'

Rose's movements became jerkier then eventually stilled as she realised what Mason just said. 'He told you that?' It was the first time she'd met his eyes properly since he arrived, and the man's heart went out her, seeing her confusion and distress.

Strong arms went around her back in a firm, reassuring embrace. 'Yes. And more,' he rested his chin on her hair, remembering the times he'd held her like this over the years, wanting there to be something more between them but knowing it wasn't meant to be.

Time suspended.

'Are you angry?' she whispered, listening to his heart – a half-beat quicker than normal.

Mason was quiet for a long moment. 'No. Disappointed, jealous, heartbroken, yes – but not angry,' he brushed a coarse hand across her hair. 'The deputy was willing to let me propose to you because he thought it might bring you happiness. Obviously that didn't work out the way I hoped, so I figure it's only fair that I give him a shot at making you happy too... Does he make you happy, Scout?'

Rose smiled to herself, looping her arms around his waist. It had been years since he'd called her that – a silly pet name he'd come up with because she always insisted on ranging ahead when they went out horse-riding together. 'Yes. He makes me happy.'

Another pause.

'Is he treating you right?'

A frown flickered across her features. 'What are you trying to say?'

'Don't look at me like that, Rose,' Mason defended himself. 'I'm not suggesting anything untoward has happened. I know I said some stupid things about you and Adrian Ivara the other night, and I feel awful about that, but that doesn't mean I don't still worry about you every damn minute of the day. Deputy Belikov seems like a decent kind of man but he's a lot older than you. I'd hate to think he was pressuring you to do anything you didn't want to do.'

Rose hid her embarrassment against Mason's chest. 'He's been a perfect gentleman,' her words muffled into his shirt.

Her friend heaved an internal sigh of relief but a familiar note in her voice made him pull back, a faint smile tweaking at the corners of his mouth. 'But you wish he wouldn't always act like such a gentleman, hey?' he teased, pushing down his own jealousy to share in his friend's happiness. 'Rose and the deputy sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I—'

'Shut up Mason,' she punched his shoulder, trying not to smile.

'You shut up, Scout,' he enveloped her in a one-armed bear hug, scruffing the top of her hair. 'I'm glad you've found the right one. He really does love the hell out of you.'

She beamed, glad to be at peace with him again. 'It'll be your turn next, Mace. We'll scour the lands and find you a pretty, red-haired farmer's daughter so you two can go forth and populate the earth with beautiful, ginger babies and—'

They both froze, Rose's stomach lurching sickeningly as the sound of a single gunshot echoed out into the night. Followed by another. And another.

When Dimitri entered the saloon all eyes shifted to him, and he glanced over the gathered crowd to see James Nathan sitting at the bar flanked by his two sidekicks, a row of empty glasses stacked up in front of them.

'Nothing to worry about here, Deputy Belikov,' Mr Ivara sung out cheerily from the bar, trying to keep things calm and friendly. 'Just making sure my new friends feel right at home.' He poured another round of drinks and slid them across the counter-top to his thirsty customers.

The deputy nodded imperceptibly. Adrian plying the outlaws with alcohol wasn't quite as useful as handcuffing them to their chairs, but with any luck they might be too drunk to shoot straight if it came to a fight.

'Belikov?' the man in the centre of the three turned slowly, his face sharp and calculating. 'Somebody told me I'd find you here.' He pushed his coat back to reveal the revolver at his hip but left it holstered. 'How long has it been, Dimitri? Two? Three years?'

'Something like that,' the lawman answered coldly. 'I hear you've been busy again, Mr Nathan. Two lawmen died in Argenta the day before yesterday. Colleagues of mine. People are saying it was you who killed them.'

The outlaw pulled an ugly smile, his voice was sugar laced in acid. 'How is it that I kill one or two men wearing a badge and suddenly I'm the bad guy. Look at yourself, Deputy Belikov - or should I just call you Bounty Hunter? You've probably killed more men than I have.'

He got down off his stool and began a slow advance, keeping his hand near his gun.

'You see, friends,' he announced theatrically, 'this good deputy of yours once lost someone dear to him – Ivan Zekeman was his name, wasn't it? – and ever since, he has hunted my nearest and dearest to the grave and gotten away with their murders scot-free – all in the name of justice,' he said the word like it was poison to him, turning his attention to his rival.

'Do you ever consider the lives you destroy, bounty hunter? Isiah was just a mistreated slave in search of a better life until you hung him from a tree. Donovan and Marlen's deaths left their elderly mother with no sons to provide for her. And Elena?' his speech took on a degree of self-righteous anger that bordered on insanity. 'You were too much of a gentleman to kill a woman, so you eased your conscience by handing the job onto others who had no qualms about beating and shooting a defenceless female. You repulse me!'

Hearing his own actions painted like that, Dimitri could see himself through the other man's eyes and the image shocked him. But not for long. The memory of Ivan's body – flies crawling out of the crater in his skull – reminded him of just the type of person he was dealing with. 'An entertaining story,' he responded, face emotionless as he took account of his three targets, each now pointing a gun at his chest. 'A shame you left out the most exciting part.'

The outlaw smiled. 'And what part is that, Mr Belikov? How I came to a no-name, piece of shit town and slaughtered the most notorious bounty hunter in the west?'

'Not quite.' The deputy wanted to take James Nathan alive, but he couldn't do that if his own chest was riddled with bullet-holes. It was time to even the odds.

There was a flash of movement as Dimitri drew his gun, and a pair of shots rang out. The two men that had been standing near the bar slumped to the ground; one shot through the head, the other clutching desperately at a gaping hole in his neck.

Amidst the chaos of people scrambling for cover, two figures remained calm and steady.

'You think I care about them?' James Nathan let out a taunting laugh. 'They're dispensable, replaceable,' his mood darkened suddenly and he took another step closer, his gun trained on Dimitri's heart. 'But Elena wasn't replaceable. She was my sister, you Russian sonofawhore. You handed her over to be killed and now I'm going to make you pay in kind. You know what I'm going to do, Mr Belikov? I'm going to find the person most important to you in the world, and I'm going to kill them slowly and painfully – right here for you to watch. Now, I wonder... who is most special to you? A mother? A sister? A lover?' his eyes widened with intrigue at something he saw in the deputy's face. 'Yes. A lover. Of course.'

He darted out suddenly to grab a servant-girl who was huddled under the nearest table, dragging her out and putting his gun to her head. 'Is this the lucky lady?'

Deputy Belikov knew he had to take the man down quickly, but the outlaw was using his prisoner as a human shield. 'Don't hurt her,' he warned, lowering his revolver and placing it on the floor.

James Nathan tilted his head with interest, looking from Dimitri to the whimpering girl at the other end of his gun then shaking his head. 'No. Too placid, I think. You'd like a woman with a bit more fire,' he said decidedly, dumping the servant on the ground and kicking her out of the way. 'Never mind. I've got all night. I'll just have to keep going till I find her.'

There was a fraction of a moment's pause, then three things happened at once, though it was impossible to tell which came first.

Dimitri lunged, the gunman pulled his trigger, and a third party joined the fray, smashing something heavy over the back of the outlaw's head. Shrieks and shouts rang out from the customers huddled on the floor, and then there was silence.

'Are you alright, Deputy Belikov?' Alberta stood over the prone form of James Nathan, the neck of a whiskey bottle still brandished in her hand, the remainder of the bottle in sticky pieces on the floor.

The deputy lay still. Five seconds. Ten seconds.

There was a muted groan and Dimitri's hand twitched to life, coming up to cup his cheekbone, which was oozing with blood from where the bullet had taken a long, shallow bite out of his skin. 'Never better,' he mumbled, heaving himself off the floor. 'Now let's get this piece of trash behind bars.'

Mason had an angry purple mark on his cheek that matched a dozen bruises already developing on his midsection and arms, yet somehow – by sheer grit and determination – Rose was still in his custody when the door to the sheriff's office opened and Deputy Belikov entered the room, carrying the unconscious body of James Nathan.

'Rose.' Dimitri turned to the red-haired cowboy as soon as the outlaw was locked securely in his prison cell. 'Where is she? She'll want to know I am safe.'

The younger man smiled grimly. 'I had to lock her in her room in the end – to protect my family jewels. Here's the key,' he handed it over, his eyes wandering to the prisoner in the cell. 'What happened to the other two?'

'Dead,' Dimitri didn't want to waste time on details when his Roza was waiting for him. 'Could you head over to the hotel and check if Sheriff Peterson needs any help?'

'Of course,' Mason was gone in the blink of an eye, eager to find Eddie and catch up on what he'd missed.

Doing his best to ignore the throbbing sensation in his cheek, Deputy Belikov turned Rose's room key over in his fingers and headed for the stairs, but he was detained when the front door opened and a certain dark-haired young woman entered the office wearing a too-big blouse and a pair of men's trousers. Dimitri glanced from the girl to the key and back again. He really shouldn't be surprised by now.

'Window?' he asked, placing the key on the table and holding his arms out to receive her.

Tears of relief prickled at Rose's eyes as she hurried into his embrace. 'Obviously. It would take more than a locked door and a six foot tall cattle rustler to keep me away from you.'

'You're an obstinate, stubborn, reckless woman, Roza,' he pressed his mouth against her hair, so grateful she was safe.

'You're welcome,' she squeezed him tightly, then pulled back to examine the bloody wound on his cheek. 'What have you done to yourself, cowboy?' her fingers stretched up to stroke his face.

'Well, well, well,' a man's voice interrupted their reunion, and Rose whipped her head around to see Jesse Zekeman standing in the doorway, drunk and looking for trouble. 'It looks like you're certainly enjoying the perks of the job, deputy.'

Dimitri bristled, releasing Rose from his arms and placing himself protectively in front of her. 'What are you doing here Mr Zekeman? Do you require assistance?'

'Actually I came to talk about the untimely death of my Uncle Ivan. I heard the property manager got away without a scratch while everybody else was killed, but I didn't realise that was you. You owe me, Belikov. If you'd done your job properly, Ivan would still be alive and wealthy, and I would still have a share in his inheritance.'

The deputy held back an urge to smash him in the face. 'You're inebriated, Mr Zekeman. Come back in the morning and I will be happy to discuss your concerns.'

'Oh, I will,' the man teetered in the doorway as if he was about to leave but he changed his mind at the last minute, stepping into the room. 'Some free advice, deputy. This one likes to play rough,' he smirked at Rose's horrified expression.

The Russian looked livid. 'I'm afraid I don't understand your meaning.'

'Oh, didn't you know that Rose and I used to be… intimately involved? It's incredible the lengths she took to get my attention. I only gave her what she was asking for, don't get me wrong,' he held up his hands to ward off the deputy's menacing stare. 'But tell me – man to man – has she let you have a feel of her—'

Dimitri had heard enough. He stormed forwards, pushing the stumbling drunk across the room and using his overbearing size to pen Jesse up against the back door. 'You will not speak of Miss Hathaway that way again,' he struck out viciously, his punch landing on the wooden door-panel only inches from Jesse's face, warping it beyond recognition. 'And if you ever,'

Bam! The panel splintered, sending slivers of wood exploding out into the room,

'ever,'

Bam! Dimitri's fist went right through the door, and when he drew it out again there was blood trickling from several deep abrasions where the ragged fragments had torn his skin,

'even think about laying a hand on her,' he brought his fist to Jesse's cheekbone, teasing him with a soft, threatening nudge, 'I will hunt you down and—'

'Stop! You need to stop!' the voice he loved snapped him out of the bloodlust and when he turned to glance at Rose he sucked in a harsh breath. She looked shaken and frightened. But not because of Jesse. Because of him.

'Look at him, cowboy,' she begged, shocked to see him so far out of control. 'He's weak and unarmed. He wants you to hit him so he can have charges laid against you. Don't hurt him. He's not worth it.'

Dimitri stayed his hand but he couldn't bring himself to back away – the girl's pleading eyes the only thing keeping him from using Jesse's head to carve a bigger hole in the door.

Seeing him pause, Rose knew it might be her only chance to bring the situation back under control. 'What are you waiting for Mr Zekeman? Leave!' she shouted, willing the deputy to keep himself together for just one minute longer.

Jesse must not have been born with an instinct for self-preservation, because he ignored her advice, squaring up to the giant Russian like he was going to give him a piece of his mind. Rose was beginning to think she might have to physically eject him from the room when another voice spoke up from the front door.

'Leave. Immediately,' Sheriff Peterson advanced upon the insolent sot, her presence so chilling she didn't even have to raise her voice, 'or I'll let Deputy Belikov go to town on you and then I'll testify that you hit him first. Now GET OUT!' she roared the last two words right in his ear, and the arrogant weasel of a man tucked his tail between his legs and ran.

When the three of them were alone, the old sheriff watched her deputy carefully. She didn't know what had set him off, but she figured Jesse Zekeman must have done something especially heinous to warrant such an extreme reaction from the quiet man.

'Are you alright, deputy?' she asked for the second time that night, glancing from him to Rose, who looked like she was about to be ill.

Dimitri just stared at the splintered hole in the door, his chest still heaving with each angry breath, then he mumbled something about a man named Boris and exited the room.

And then there were two.

'Give him a few minutes then go after him,' the sheriff instructed her daughter sagely. 'He's had a rough night. Right now he needs to let off some steam, but when he's done I'm sure he'll want somebody to talk to. He could do with a bit of patching up as well.' She rummaged through a few cupboards and made up a bag of medical supplies for Rose to take with her. 'Nice duds, by the way,' Alberta commented as she worked, eyeing off the trousers. 'I assume there's a good reason?'

Rose looked away. 'Deputy Belikov has been teaching me how to fight. This seemed more practical than a dress.'

The sheriff raised an eyebrow. 'Maybe you'll start a fashion,' she joked drily, pushing a lantern into her daughter's hands along with the medical bag, and shooing her out the door.

'Cowboy?' Rose called out as she rounded a clump of trees, stopping abruptly when she spotted him.

He was standing stock-still in front of Boris, who lay decimated on the ground. The canvas bag was flecked in Dimitri's blood and split down one side, flour spilling out like powdery snow.

'Cowboy?' she stepped up behind him, resting a tentative hand on his back.

The touch made him spin around, his eyes dark with anger and pain. 'What really happened with Jesse Zekeman?' he seized her shoulders, kneading them almost roughly as he tried to read the truth on her face. 'I won't judge you – I promise – I just have to know. Did he hurt you? Did he…?'

She dropped her eyes, unable to meet his probing gaze.

* 'I was fifteen and stupid,' she explained tightly, her emotions nearly choking her. 'Mason let me take a ride on his horse and I spotted Jesse at the fence-line watching me. I dismounted and we chatted for a while. He told me I looked pretty and it went to my head. Then he said he'd been interested in me for a long time but had only just worked up the courage to ask me to be his sweetheart. I was so thrilled I didn't even think twice when he asked me to kiss him.'

Dimitri blinked in slow-motion and Rose's heart broke with that one tiny movement. He was ashamed of her. But there was no point stopping now – he might as well hear all of it. She turned away from him and made her confession to the night.

'He pretended to be sweet and caring at first, but then he told me that if I wanted to be his girl then I had to prove I was up to the job. I didn't know exactly what he meant, but I guessed soon enough…'

'What did he do, Roza?' Dimitri prompted quietly, reaching out from behind her to catch her fingers.

'He touched me,' she couldn't say the words aloud.

'He touched you where?' the deputy's voice was forced.

'Here,' she winced, smoothing a hand across the back of her trousers. 'And here,' she indicated the curves on her chest. She turned to look at him then, imploring him to understand. 'When I realised what was coming next I fought back and tried to get away, but he overpowered me and pushed me onto the ground. I was just lucky Mason realised I'd been gone too long and came searching for me. He pulled Jesse off me and made sure I got home without anybody finding out what had happened – I made him swear never to tell a soul or Madam Kiroy would have found out that I was an unsuitable friend for Lisa and I would have been sent away like Camilla Contez,' she cast her eyes downwards in shame.

* 'Rose. Look at me.'

She shook her head, blinking back bitter tears. 'I'm sorry. You deserve somebody better than me – somebody who would know better than to get themselves into a situation like that. I understand if you don't want me now you know.'

Dimitri sprung into life, enveloping her in his arms and dropping his lips to her ear. 'I told you once before - nothing will change my opinion of you, Roza. Nothing,' he insisted softly, his hand stroking her hair in reassurance. 'You weren't to blame for any of that. He was older and it was his responsibility to treat you with respect.'

The young woman let out an unsteady breath, clinging to him and to the knowledge that he accepted her despite her past, and she remained there in blissed silence until her secret lover pulled back to look at her, disturbed by a niggling thought.

'You know I would never treat you like that, don't you? I'm not like him. You have nothing to fear from me.'

Rose met his honest, worried gaze, with an expression that told him she trusted him completely. 'I know,' she said simply, reaching up to touch his cheek. 'Come on, cowboy. Let's get you cleaned up.'

She could have taken him back to the sheriff's office to treat his wounds, but neither of them were ready to face the real world just yet, so Rose drew her deputy across to sit with his back against a fallen tree log and knelt beside him to tend to his injuries. Choosing to begin with the abrasions on his knuckles, Dimitri's nurse took the damaged hand in both of hers and spent the next fifteen minutes picking splinters of wood from his open wounds. It was just like the night that he removed the cactus spines from her palms, only this time their roles were reversed.

'Do you want to tell me about Ivan?' Rose asked quietly, trying to distract him as she poured alcohol over the raw flesh.

Dimitri took a long time to answer, and when he did speak his words were filled with self-reproach. 'The fact is, everything that Mr Zekeman accused me of is true. If I had done my job properly then Ivan wouldn't have died. Maybe none of them would have died.'

Rose finished bandaging his hand then moved to clean the cut on his cheek, pushing his hair back from his face to get better access to the wound and listening silently as he unburdened his soul.

'I should have been there to stop James Nathan and his gang but I was out having lunch with Natasha O'Hara.'

The girl drew a shallow breath. Natasha. That name again.

Dimitri sat up straighter and took possession of Rose's left hand, playing nervously with her fingers as he spoke. 'I didn't lie to you about the nature of my friendship with Miss O'Hara, but I didn't tell you the whole truth either. The day of the attack she'd arranged to dine with me to make me a job offer. I was more than satisfied with my position as Ivan's property manager, but Natasha was a friend so I felt I owed it to her to hear what she had to say.'

'What was the job?' Rose asked thickly.

'She wanted me to be her personal bodyguard. Her political opinions were attracting unwelcome attention and she feared some who opposed her views might resort to physical violence to silence her.'

Something in his expression made Rose nervous. 'Okay...'

'Except it came with a catch,' he squeezed her hand, praying she would understand. 'Natasha wanted to start a family, but she'd just turned thirty and felt her time was running out. She was worried that men found her scarring unattractive and nobody would want to marry her, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. She asked if I would be willing to marry her and give her the children she desired.'

'What was your answer?' Rose whispered. Not yes – please not yes! she screamed in her mind.

'I told her I'd think about it. She kissed me farewell and I headed back to Ivan feeling like a traitor. By the time I got home everyone was dead. The next day I set out on my first mission as a bounty hunter – to find the outlaws that murdered my friends and make them pay for their crimes.'

Small hands cradled large ones – Rose's jealousy replaced by empathy for his suffering. 'You might not want to hear this, cowboy, but you can't blame yourself for their deaths,' she counselled gently. 'The attack could have happened at any time – it was just a coincidence that you weren't there to help. And who's to say you wouldn't have been killed along with the rest of them if you were at home that day? To be honest, I want to give Miss O'Hara a medal for keeping you out of danger,' she lifted a hand to his cheek, stroking her thumb along the line of the wound left by James Nathan's bullet. Another inch to the left and... it didn't bear thinking about.

'So you forgive me?' Dimitri asked - just to be sure - trying not to get distracted by Rose's wandering touch, which was now concentrated on the worry lines on his forehead. 'For Natasha? For keeping the truth from you?'

'There's only one thing I can't accept,' she continued to study him, a finger trailing down his cheek to graze the corner of his mouth. 'The last person to kiss your lips shouldn't be Natasha O'Hara. It should be me.'

'Don't tempt me, Roza,' the man groaned weakly, closing his eyes to block out her expectant gaze. 'You know why we can't.'

Rose knew all the reasons why he wanted to take things slowly, but she was tired of waiting. 'Stop me if you have to,' she whispered, drawing closer and pressing her lips softly to his. Just once, brief and sweet.

He didn't stop her. He never wanted to stop her again.

.

Author's Note:

Everybody okay? I feel a bit breathless myself. Romitri, MasonXRose, MasonXDimitri, James Nathan, Ivan, Jesse, Tasha. Is there such a thing as too much drama?!

I hit a new and ridiculous word-count of just under 6000 words – didn't want to split it into two chapters though, as I want to get onto some serious make-out goodness in chapter 23. *Insert heavenly music here*

No more Tasha from here on – so if you hate her character you can breathe a sigh of relief!

Historical note – if a young woman from the mid-1800's engaged in any sexual activity (i.e. even if she got assaulted) she would be considered 'damaged goods' and shunned by all polite society. There was no law to protect women from unwanted attention at this time in history. Poor Rose :( And that makes Dimitri an extra honey for understanding.

Remember to review for a sneak peek at the next chapter! It's a peach ;)