A/N:Thanks again for sticking with me, hope you enjoy this next installment!

Chapter Sixteen

Having checked the beach and Wheeler's cabin, Linka finally located her quarry watching television in the lounge.

"Hey Babe," The American favoured her with a quick smile but his attention was focused on the Hockey match.

With an easy confidence Linka walked to the settee and straddled his legs, careful not to block his view as she brought her lips to his neck, and murmuring "Hi", even as she began to work on his skin.

Sliding the palms of his hands along her thighs before reaching around to her rear to stop her falling backwards, Wheeler laughed, his eyes still on the TV. "What are you after?"

"That is not a nice thing to say Jason," She replied, nuzzling the crook of his shoulder and trailing her fingers over his chest.

Wheeler dropped a kiss to her shoulder and pulled her closer, not minding her pressing gently against his healing tattoo. "You're not fooling anyone Beautiful. Open affection in the common room in the middle of the day? What is it? Did you drop your ring in the garbage again?"

"Nyet," she replied wryly, pulling away far enough to look at him and sitting back on his legs. "Gi has gone off to survey something in the eco-sub and I need someone to go shopping with me, assuming you want to eat tonight?"

The Fire-Planeteer pulled a face but said, "Why don't you try convincing me some more then, and I'll think about it?"

She laughed and planted a brief kiss on his lips. "I need to go now before it gets too busy. Name your price Yankee moy, I will pay it."

Wheeler grinned and his eyebrows rose in challenge, the hockey forgotten. "How about I do a little shopping too then?"

His friend looked confused, "Are you suggesting I buy you something?"

He chuckled, "No, I'll pay, you just have to agree to use whatever I get."

"Use… what?" Linka was looking wary now, half guessing where the conversation was going but not wanting to jump to conclusions.

"Clothes maybe," he grinned, "... maybe toys. It depends on what they have, I've got a few ideas though."

Now decidedly uncomfortable the Russian asked, "Are you... bored with me?"

"What? No!"

"But you feel the need to make it more interesting..."

"Nooo," he sighed. "I'm teaching you to play, remember? Don't look so worried, I'm not going to ask you to do anything weird, besides you'll be with me to veto anything that goes too far. I wouldn't want to get anything that makes you uncomfortable."

"Being in that sort of shop would make me uncomfortable!" her cheeks were flaming.

Wheeler smiled wryly, realising that she was right. He lifted one hand to gently stroke her hair out of her face. "Sorry, I guess I didn't think it through. I won't mention it again, it's not important. You were in a good mood and now I've screwed that up too. Sorry."

That made Linka shake her head and she smiled at him, "Nyet, I am ok… you know that I trust you. I do not mind experimenting a little if it is just for fun, and I will wear whatever you want me to. I really do not think I can go in the shop with you though, the thought that someone might overhear while you explain what everything is for... nyet!"

"Wow Babe, you must really want to go shopping!" He laughed loudly and received a playful swipe across his shoulder.

"Is that a yes?"

He kissed her softly, "When do I ever say no to you?"

She climbed carefully to her feet with him steadying her, but as Wheeler was switching the television off they heard Gaia's voice calling them to an alert.

"I guess you just got a reprieve." Linka teased but she found herself being pulled into a secure embrace.

"What makes you think I wanted one?"

She relaxed into him, her body responding automatically, "You hate food shopping."

"But I love spending time with you. Even food shopping." A brief kiss and then he added, "We both know you didn't really have to bribe me, right?"

Linka nodded shyly, "And we both know that you only have to ask when it comes to… to the bedroom, da?"

He laughed softly, "Sex."

"Da." She blushed again.

"Say it."

The Russian laughed and shook her head, pulling out of his arms but not trying to get away from him, "We are keeping Gaia waiting, we can discuss this later."

"This being?" he asked hopefully.

Linka cast him a look of amusement over her shoulder, "Sex."

She began to jog towards the Crystal Chamber and he had to laugh, in spite of himself. He couldn't help thinking that they'd been on the verge of confessing something more important though. Maybe we can discuss that later too…

Five chestnut quarter horses were waiting for them when they arrived at the ranch, each beautifully proportioned with slightly different markings making them as unique as their personalities. The Paradise Ranch cattle drive had done its job and sustainable ranching was beginning to take off… to that end their friends there had recommended the Planeteers to help on another cattle drive, for a larger undertaking.

Wheeler eyed the fresh horses dubiously and rather uncharacteristically asked if they were safe. His friends all looked surprised since the mounts Stone Hill Ranch had provided were clearly well trained and the others had already moved to take possession of them from the ranch hands.

"Safe enough for an experienced rider." Hank, their Trail Boss frowned. "If you're nervous, maybe you should stay behind."

"I'm not nervous!" The American said indignantly, "I can ride anything."

Rather than set the mind of their temporary leader at rest, his hasty answer seemed to re-enforce the impression Hank was getting of a rather inexperienced and reckless young man. Seeing that reflected in his eyes, Kwame quickly (and quietly,) took him aside and assured him that Wheeler did indeed know how to ride and would take good care of his charge.

The American mean-time had walked over to the horse Linka was getting to know and started double checking its tack, "Yankee? What are you doing?"

"Just making sure it's ok."

"I can do that myself," She pointed out, "And the people here know what they are doing, if you are concerned perhaps you should check your own ride?"

"I'll do that after." There was something in his voice she couldn't identify.

Patting the horse so as not to alarm it, she moved closer to her friend and spoke quietly, "What is the matter Jason? You are behaving a little strangely."

He sighed and stopped what he was doing to meet her gaze. "If you fall you're gonna land on your tat… hell you shouldn't even be out here, we won't be able to clean it properly for days."

Linka glared, feeling her temper rise but forcing herself to keep her voice down. "I am not likely to fall off, and a few days will not hurt at this stage. You are being over cautious, besides I can make those decisions for myself. I do not need you to look after me."

"Don't I know it!" He grumbled under his breath, but not quietly enough.

"What is that supposed to mean?" The Wind Planeteer was a little sharper than she had intended and had to reassure her horse.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter."

She looked daggers at him, "Clearly it does."

Wheeler sighed again, but said firmly, "You don't need me, I know that, I have no rights where you're concerned. It doesn't stop me worrying about you though, and I'll be damned if I'm going to apologise for caring."

The Russian was still feeling irritated by his interference but she tried to answer reasonably anyway, realising that he did mean it well. "Caring is not something anyone needs permission for, it is how you go about showing it. You know I like knowing that you are there for me, but that does not mean I am going to let you decide what I can and cannot do. No one will ever have that right but me."

"I didn't tell you what to do." He pointed out.

"Nyet, you are just fussing like an old woman because you have decided that it is too risky for me." Linka was torn between a need to comfort him and her own independence. "I worry about you too but we are here to do a job, a job that is less dangerous than the one we usually do. We cannot let… anything that has happened between us interfere with that, we need to trust each other to do what needs to be done or everyone else will lose confidence in us too."

Wheeler looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn't. Instead he turned and walked away to where his assigned mount was tied and began speaking to it as if the previous conversation had not taken place.

Linka watched him go noting, with an irrational spark of jealously, the gentle way he spoke to and petted the beautiful steed. He is driving me crazy… this is part of the reason I did not want to get involved in the first place, but if I cannot turn off my feelings how can I expect him to?

Hank called for them all to saddle up and she did so, trying not to think about anything but the task in hand as she followed the group out of the stable yard.

Before they began they were assigned positions around the herd and given brief instructions on their duties. Ma-Ti was given a wrangler position, both due to his age and his uncanny ability to control the spare horses. Kwame and Gi were in opposite positions to the other two Planeteers - Linka was put towards the front in the right swing position while Wheeler ended up on the left flank with a young cowboy called Ned. It meant that it was impossible for them to keep an eye on each other but while it meant a constant low level nagging worry, for the sake of the drive, they both privately thought it might be for the best.

The older man watched the way each of the Planeteers handled their charges, paying special attention to Wheeler, but he had to concede that they moved naturally together. The American had a quiet confidence in the saddle and his horse responded well to him, and it wasn't long before Hank forgot to treat his new recruits any differently from his own men.

Like Hank, Ned was wary of 'the city boy' to start with but once he saw that the Planeteer was following the instructions he'd been given very closely, and was willing to take extra instructions from him, they began to work well together. Wheeler had just redirected a couple of strays back to the herd when the trail narrowed and he found himself riding close to his assigned partner.

Ned nodded to him, "Lady Di likes you."

"I love her." Wheeler grinned over at him, rubbing the chestnut's neck. She'd been named for the white diamond just above her muzzle and her aristocratic bearing. "I wish we had room for horses back home, I don't get to ride enough."

"New York." It was a question but it sounded more like a comment.

The Fire Planeteer shook his head, "I grew up in Brooklyn yeah, but I haven't lived there in years. What about you, I'm guessing you grew up around here."

Ned grinned, "Yep, I've been riding since I could walk."

"You're lucky." Wheeler told him with feeling and got a nod of agreement in return before his companion indicated another stray and moved off after it.

After a hard day of riding, Linka was regretting her earlier attitude. There were no sabotaging eco-villains on this trip but it was rough work all the same. She felt hot and grubby and would have loved to find a shower and a comfortable bed waiting for her… instead there was only a snug sleeping bag on the very firm ground and a chance to quickly rinse her face and hands in the creek.

Making her way over to where the cook was dishing up their evening meal, Linka looked around for her friends. Kwame was helping to serve but there was no sign of the others.

"I hope you are hungry." He told her with some amusement, while handing her a plate containing something that looked rather unappetising. "You will need to be."

"Starving," she confirmed, acknowledging his warning with a wry look but accepting the food anyway. "Have you seen the others?"

He nodded, beginning to dole out another dish, "Gi volunteered to join the first night herder shift and I think Wheeler is helping Ma-Ti rub down the horses."

"Oh." Night herders she knew, would circle the camp in shifts to protect the herd from predators and keep them together, she probably wouldn't see her friend again before the morning.

Others were arriving but at that moment the lovely Russian was feeling very alone amongst the group of drovers. Not recognising anyone else but Hank, she moved in his general direction and was relieved when the woman at his side gestured for her to join them.

"I'm Maisy, I work point with the Boss." The older woman told her.

The Russian sat carefully and replied with, "Linka… I am pleased to meet you."

"I'm hearing good things about you and your friends," Hank said, by way of a greeting. "And my men aren't easy to impress."

"Spasiba… uh, thank you." She forced herself to speak English.

Maisy agreed, obviously counting herself as one of the 'men', "We're an unsociable lot really. We don't mean to be unfriendly, and we'd welcome you to our homes as readily as the next cowpoke, but out here you learn soon enough who you can rely on and who you can't, and well… let's just say we can be a bit wary of folks we don't know."

As if to give lie to her statement, Wheeler, Ma-Ti, Ned and another cowboy came into camp just then, laughing and joking together as they made their way over to Kwame and their cook.

Hank grunted, "That's unusual."

"That is Wheeler. It is the effect he has on people," Linka said with a mixture of affection and pride, adding conscientiously as certain past incidents rose rebelliously to mind, "… most of the time."

"Ah." The older woman smiled knowingly, making the Planeteer blush, though she didn't try to deny a closer relationship.

Oblivious to this exchange their trail boss started asking what Linka thought of life as an outrider, recalling her attention from her handsome colleague.

As it happened, after too many hours with time to think, the American was more worried that Linka would begin to withdraw from him than he was about the possible consequences of their mission. He'd feel terrible if she got an infection because she was unable to clean her tattoo properly – seeing as it was him that decided where it should go – but he'd feel far worse if she wouldn't let him help take care of her.

She was right, I got carried away… even if we were a proper couple she wouldn't put up with that. But at least if we were a couple I could have just told her I was worried about her coming out here, without worrying about being shut out of her life for overstepping our agreement.

All the same, he didn't rush to join her, unsure of his reception and not wanting to make things worse by drawing attention to them.

Ned introduced the two American Planeteers to a couple of his friends and they began a lively, if slightly work related, conversation. Wheeler had been completely focused on the task at hand all day, not even making jokes or 'playing' cowboy, so it felt good to relax a little.

Sierra moved closer to the Fire Planeteer while Ned was describing a rodeo, and laid her hand lightly on his arm, saying quietly, "I'm told this isn't your first time?"

He grinned automatically, a look that was more attractive than even he realised, "No Ma'am, I've spent plenty of time in the saddle."

"You're pretty confident." She smirked, "Maybe when we get back to the ranch we should do a little private practisin', just so your skills don't get rusty?"

It was at that point Wheeler realised what he was doing. It was one thing to do a little harmless flirting but the attractive cowgirl clearly meant business, and while technically he was a free agent, his feelings for Linka made that technicality null and void. His expression didn't change but he said, "That's some compliment, if circumstances were different I'd take you up on it, but I.. er, think we'll be heading home as soon as we get back."

She smiled, backing off a little, "Understood. You know where I am if you change your mind though."

He nodded in acknowledgement and then excused himself from her and their friends, seeking to join the group that was growing around Hank.

Sitting on the ground beside Linka he responded to the other's greetings and tried not to make it obvious that he wanted to speak to her.

"It's been a good day." He replied to their Trail Boss with a nod, "It's hard work but it's honest… I've always preferred a more physical lifestyle."

"I bet." Maisy murmured, her gaze openly appreciative but not predatory.

Wheeler's slight blush made Linka giggle and his heart soared with hope. It was still some time before he could address her individually however and he couldn't be completely comfortable until he had.

"Are you still mad at me?" He asked quietly, hoping his words would be covered by the other's conversation.

Linka looked up, a radiant smile lighting her face as his behaviour really had settled her fears for once, "Nyet."

Visibly relieved he tried not to grin too broadly, but applied himself to his food, feeling much better. After a couple of minutes he pointed at his dinner with his fork saying conversationally "Any idea what this is?"

"I thought it better not to ask." The Russian replied with amusement, relaxing further.

Wheeler tilted his head in a kind of nod, acknowledging that she had a point, but he ate it anyway.

They were soon drawn into the wider conversation again and didn't get any further chance to speak privately before it was time to turn in for the night.

It actually bothered Linka that he hadn't been paying much attention to her, though she reminded herself that it was what she would have told him she wanted. She was irresistibly drawn to him however and for some reason it was harder to not be in contact with him there, than it usually was at home… perhaps because she knew that unlike on Hope Island, they would not be spending any time alone together that night or for the next few days.

The only thing that made her not completely despair was his setting his sleeping bag next to hers, still technically with enough room between them for another person, but much closer than the others felt the need to get.

The camp gradually settled down into silence, only the sounds of the local wildlife disturbing it.

Linka lay on her stomach in her sleeping bag, her head cradled in her arms… not very comfortable but unwilling to lay on her tattoo. She watched the gentle rise and fall of her companion's chest… it was oddly soothing though she was too well attuned to him to think he was asleep.

After a while Wheeler opened his eyes and smiled as his gaze met hers under the moonlight.

The Russian smiled back, and then reached a hand out over the distance between them, a silent plea for contact. He took it immediately in his own, gentle despite the strength in his grasp, and warm despite the chill of the night air. It was familiar and safe, but it also sent a thrill of excitement through her body.

He will always have that effect, she decided, still gazing into his eyes.

Wheeler watched long after her tired eyelids finally drooped closed, guarding her into a peaceful slumber, before he himself surrendered to sleep.

To be continued…