Rain still fell when I woke. What sunlight there was was smothered by the thick layer of clouds. A few of the town's residents moved about the street below, though the main road was more mud and puddles than a solid surface. I had a feeling that we wouldn't be leaving that day.

I dressed, brushed my hair and tied it with my new ribbon. Dimitri's tie was carefully placed in the pocket of my coat, and the necklace he bought was around my neck.

I touched the stone and smiled. Dimitri wanted me, but I needed to find out what reasons held him back. The logical side of me knew I shouldn't dig; I should let it be. It wasn't as if we could be together… I wasn't exactly available.

A flash of green eyes appeared in my mind, and I shook it away.

I packed my satchel with what I needed, leaving the dress on the bed for another to take if they wanted. I doubted we would leave the tavern for another night, but just in case, I wanted to be prepared.

It was still quiet in the tavern, barely the sound of a wooden board squeak. Opening my door, I halted and stared at the man still asleep on the floor. Though Dimitri said he was sleeping in the hall, I didn't believe he would have spent the whole night. I crouched beside him, arms wrapped around my knees as I watched him sleep.

It couldn't have been a comfortable position.

His hat was tilted down, covering most of his face, but from the side, I could see his closed eye. His fingers rested on the hilt of his revolver even in his sleep, always prepared for danger.

I didn't know what age he was, but Dimitri didn't appear old. He carried the weight of someone who had lived a hard life, but it didn't age him as it would others. Still, when he slept, the harsh lines on his face faded, and his appearance became youthful.

My eyes were drawn by his lips. I rested my cheek on my hand and sighed—I wished he had kissed me the night before.

Dimitri's eyes snapped open; his body became tense for a second before his eyes met mine. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, "Rose?"

"Morning," I greeted; I didn't move away from him even as he sat up straight. "Why don't you sleep on the bed? You need some decent sleep."

"I've had worse than this," he mumbled and dragged a hand down his face. Dimitri stood from the floor, twisting his back and stretching his arms. I remained crouched, watching without care for if it was improper. It wasn't as if he didn't know I held feelings for him.

For a man that I hadn't formally announced my intentions for, Dimitri had seen a lot of me that would be considered scandalous. Marriages had been arranged for less. It made me wonder if Dimitri would marry me to protect my reputation—or what was left of it—he swore to protect me, but I wondered how far that promise went.

Dimitri glanced at me, a guarded expression and a hesitant offer of a hand towards me. "How are you feeling?"

I took his hand, squeezing his fingers with mine. "Considering I almost finished the bottle by myself, I'm better than I expected. Marcas must be watering it down."

"Don't let his patrons hear that." There was a pause. "About last night–"

I stepped closer and angled my head back to see his face properly. "If you want to kiss me, Dimitri, you can. I won't stop you."

Desire flared in his eyes, making them darken. I held my breath.

His guarded expression returned, and he released my hand. "I–"

"Don't stress yourself," I cut him off with an easy smile, "I like a challenge." With that, I brushed by him, leading the way down the hall and to the stairs. Only a few people sat in the chairs downstairs, though one was asleep and I wondered if he had been there all night. Once I reached the last step, I realised it was Eddie. "Do none of you sleep in a normal bed?" I asked over my shoulder.

Dimitri raised his eyebrows, then looked where I nodded and frowned. He marched over and patted Eddie's back none too kindly, and instantly woke him. Anger pulled at Dimitri's features and Eddie shrunk back from the look. "Is this you keeping watch?"

"It wasn't my turn," Eddie defended weakly, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Ivan went first, then he disappeared upstairs. It was meant to be Spiridon's turn now."

"Where is he?"

Eddie spun his head before looking back at Dimitri with a shrug. "He was here when I fell asleep. He and Marcas were talking."

Dimitri's brow furrowed; his jaw ticked, something I only saw him do when angry. "Fine. Get some more sleep, we can't leave until the weather improves."

"Are we staying another night?" I questioned.

His jaw twitched again. "I don't know, but I don't want to. Spending too long in one spot…"

"So there are more after me?" I never confirmed it the night before, but it would explain why Dimitri slept outside my room.

"Marcas heard that someone was looking for hired help to track down a girl. I don't have specifics, but it's obvious enough to assume."

I couldn't understand why someone was so desperate to get rid of me. To continuously send men after me mustn't be cheap. It didn't make sense to me that they even put in the effort of selling me off hundreds of miles away when they could have rid themselves of me very easily in the city.

A hand squeezed my shoulder and drew my attention; Dimitri ducked his head to meet my eyes, promising, "I'll get you home, Rose."

"I know you will," I replied without a second thought. The fact that Dimitri would achieve what he set out to do was never a doubt in my mind; it was everything else I worried about.

"Why didn't they just kill me when they had the chance?" I voiced; the question caught Dimitri off-guard. His hand squeezed again.

"I don't know, but that might mean that whoever they are wants you alive."

I grimaced. That made me feel worse.

"Come on," he encouraged gently, pulling a chair out beside Eddie. "I'll find someone to make you some food while I check on the horses. Just stay here."

I smiled at the plea in his tone, deciding to ease his stress a little for the day. "I won't wander off."

It was worth it to see his face light up. Dimitri gave Eddie a hard look before he left us at the table, first disappearing into the kitchen, then emerging a few minutes later and venturing into the rain. I followed him with my eyes and continued to stare out the doors even after I could no longer see him. He had a lot on his mind, and I felt like a majority of it was because of me. I only wished he shared some of it with me.

"Glad you two stopped fighting," Eddie commented, eyes half closed and chin in his hand.

"Why don't you just sleep?" I changed the subject. "I'm fine on my own."

He laughed, forcing himself to sit up and be alert, "If I did that, Dimitri would skin me. Alive. I'll wait until he returns."

I resisted rolling my eyes and settled into the chair instead. "Suit yourself."

Not long after, Macas appeared from the kitchen, two plates in hand and a grin directed at me. "I heard you were hungry."

A wave of regret washed over me for playing along with his flirtation the night before. Without the push of the alcohol to convince me it was a good idea, I found myself more uncomfortable under the lustful gleam in his eye. It reminded me too much of the men from the ranch. I pushed the unease down; if Dimitri trusted him enough for us to stay in his tavern, then I should be safe.

I hoped.

I assumed the second plate was for Eddie, but instead, it was Marcas'. He pulled out the chair opposite me and placed the plates, another wink at me before he began to eat. Eddie's disappointment showed plainly on his face.

My plate was filled with pieces of bacon and cooked eggs, topped with some freshly sliced bread. I used my fork to add an egg to a piece of bread, and some strips of bacon, then passed it to Eddie. "I can't eat so much food," I told him when he looked ready to deny it.

It wasn't a lie. My stomach still constricted if I ate large servings. Even my plate from the night before was only picked at before I pushed it towards Ivan. It would take a while before I could eat like I used to; unlike most women, I wasn't afraid to embrace my appetite and would eat like any man. The ranch ruined that.

I had lost weight over the past month. I noticed just how much when choosing clothes the day before—more skin and bone than before.

"I heard you'll be here another night," Marcas broke me from my thoughts, speaking to me with a mouth full of food.

"Who said that?" Eddie inquired. He was wide awake now, upright in his chair and with one hand on his hip. I tried not to bring attention to the fact his fingers rested over the butt of his gun. Either Eddie was ensuring his firearm was still there, or he felt the need to be ready to draw.

Marcas ate without a care, barely glancing Eddie's way as he ate. "Spiridon."

"That's not for him to decide."

"I don't think you will make it far in this weather," Marcas laughed, "All of the roads out of town are flooded, and you'll find more landslides."

A frown crossed Eddie's face.

"Besides, to put a lady through that is cruel. Isn't that right, Miss Hathaway?" Marcas' eyes glinted, his chest puffed out in pride as if he was a grand gentleman for considering me.

I didn't give him the pleasure of being right. "Actually, I would rather continue on. The rain doesn't scare me; it's only water."

A glower replaced the pride in his eyes. "Go out there, and you're likely to die. Only a fool would risk it."

His words didn't sit right with me—I couldn't decide if it was a friendly warning or a threat.

The doors swung open, footsteps crossing the room until they stopped beside me; Dimitri was drenched again, his hat in hand as he pulled the wet strands of hair off his face.

Marcas' expression became relaxed, finishing the last of his meal. "I should get back to work. Let me know if there's anything I can get you, Miss." Marcas excused himself and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Dimitri paid him no attention, muttering in Russian under his breath as he removed his duster and laid it over the back of a chair. He sunk into a seat and nodded at Eddie, "Go sleep, Castile. When Spiridon finishes his watch, you and Ivan will do the supply run."

We were left alone at the table. I pushed what was left on my plate to Dimitri; he understood that I couldn't eat much.

"Are we leaving today?" My hopefulness was obvious in my tone. While it was nice to have a bed and a break from being on the back of a horse all day, I was eager to leave the town. Something gave me an unease—it was like eyes were always on me.

"I would like to," Dimitri frowned, "If not, I want to be prepared to leave at first light. Even if we can only make it a few miles out of town, I want to be moving again." He rested in his chair with a pensive expression; hair still clung to his neck and jaw despite how often he pushed it back.

I reached into my pocket and stood. Dimitri's eyes locked on me and followed as I moved to stand behind him. He didn't speak, though I heard his sharp inhale when I gathered his hair. I might have lingered when the tips of my fingers brushed his neck; he had stubble on his jawline and I briefly wondered what it would feel like against my cheek.

The moisture in his hair dampened my hands, but it made it easier to gather it neatly. I combed through the strands with my fingers until I had it all pulled back at the nap of his neck; I tied the leather piece he had given me around his hair.

"Is that better?" I questioned.

Dimitri was silent at first. He reached back and brushed the ponytail; our hands touched. "Yes. Thank you."

I returned to my seat, the end of my braid caught between my fingers; it wasn't the same braid he did, but the memory made me smile. "I wanted to return the favour."

His eyes didn't move from me. "The necklace looks good on you."

"Thank you, Dimitri."

The air between us was charged. I found myself unable to break eye contact. I didn't want to look away and lose his full attention. The confession by the candlelight had changed the relationship between us, but I wasn't sure how far he would allow it to go.

There are many reasons…

I broke the connection and turned to the windows to watch the rain. "How shall we pass the time?"

Dimitri hummed, adjusting himself in his seat, "How does a card game sound?"

I peeked at my hand again; my bottom lip caught between my teeth as I chose my hands. Dimitri maintained his mask, his four hands already laid face down on the table. He had an uncanny ability to mask his thoughts, better than most I had played against, but I could see the hint of nerves in his eyes. Fingers tapped the first set of cards.

I only needed two more points to win.

I was accustomed to a range of games, yet I hadn't played thirteen-card brag before. Luckily for me, it was similar enough to what I knew. It was wrong of me, but I played the part of a confused first-time player perfectly and purposefully lost the first two games. In the third game, I showed my true colours.

Eddie and Ivan had been down not long before, knowing looks in their eyes after I had boasted the previous night about robbing Mason of his purse in a card game. They were well aware of my pretence and chose not to mention it to Dimitri.

He was on guard, having realised his mistake in underestimating me.

I didn't bother with feigning uncertainty when I placed my hands on the table; instead, I smirked. "Feeling lucky?"

The corner of his lips twitched. "I should have known you knew how to play."

"I hadn't played this one, but it was easy enough to figure it out." I batted my lashes, "Your teaching was most beneficial."

"I feel swindled."

"We haven't even placed bets," I laughed, my hand hovering over the first set of cards, "Unless you would like to?"

Dimitri met my eyes, a relaxed smile on his lips that made my stomach flip. "I have learned never to bet against you, Roza." My name rolled off his tongue, his native language slipping out as it had many times before. I wanted to hear it again.

My composure almost slipped—the bubbling girl inside who wanted to declare her feelings, desperate to speak words of love. "How about the winner gets a drink from the bar?"

His eyebrow lifted. "It's not even noon."

"It's more water than alcohol," I shrugged with a wicked smile.

"Fine. But I will make sure it's the good stuff."

We turned four hands, and by the end of it, I had won. I laughed, taking joy from the playful glower from Dimitri. He shook his head with a deep sigh, "I was right—I was swindled."

I stood from my seat and leaned across until there was only a foot between us, "And your men knew you were and didn't say anything," I teased, then brushed past.

A few more people had gathered in the tavern, but still, nothing compared to the day before. I hadn't even realised it was Sunday until I heard the church bells earlier. The rain had eased off, but the dark clouds remained, and the smell of moisture stayed in the air.

Dimitri called over his shoulder to ask where I was going. I pointed at the bar, "I'm choosing my winning drink."

I didn't miss how he watched me, peering over my shoulder to find his eyes still on me as I walked. The trousers did show more of my figure than the dress did, and though Dimitri had seen me in a state of undress, he was careful with how he stared. The man was a gentleman, that much was true. It was a reckless decision and no doubt would cause a stir from anyone with a sense of propriety. With his eyes still on me, I leaned over the bar and grabbed the bottle of wine I had spied the night before.

When I stood back up, Marcas was in front of me.

"Oh," I gasped, putting on a sweet smile and tilting my head, "I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not, Rose. You are welcome to it." I froze when he said my name, and then he lifted a shotgun. "You can drink as much as you like once I've killed this bastard."

If you follow me on Facebook, this is the chapter that I mentioned I had spent an hour researching card games, taught myself how to play, and then played a game against myself just so I knew the outcome and each hand.

When I say I deep dive the wrong stuff when researching, this is what I mean lol