Rick dragged his tired body into the formal dining room of his family's expansive ranch. His brothers Shane and Daryl watched him exchanging knowing glances and smirks. "Rick, did you forget what time breakfast is served, son?" Their father, Herschel asked.
"No sir, I did not," Rick replied his thick Texas drawl laced each syllable as he spoke. "It won't happen again." Hershel insisted their family shared breakfast and dinner together. He used mealtimes to talk to and connect with them, and they all knew it meant a lot to the older man so they made it a point to oblige him this one request.
"You and Lori had a late night?" Shane questioned, smiling at his younger brother.
Narrowing his gaze at his brother, Rick replied, "Mind your own business, Shane."
The younger of the Green boys, Daryl snickered, "Who did you catch her with this…"
"Shut up!" Rick seethed. The last thing he needed was hearing another lecture from their daddy about how Lori Stevens was wrong for him.
"Can you please tell me what you see in…"
"Daddy, Lori and me weren't together last night. We broke up. I was at Lucille's with Glenn and Tyreese.
The news of their breakup drew everyone's undivided attention. "It's about time" Daryl mumbled never the one to hide his dislike for the tall skinny female who had it her selfish head that she would become a member of their family.
"Hi, all! Daddy, I'm sorry I'm late. The girls and I stayed out longer than we planned last night catching up with Michonne," Maggie the youngest and the only Green daughter announced.
Hershel's face lit up at the sight of his daughter. Looking at her was like looking at his beloved late wife again and it warmed his heart to see Maggie becoming her own woman but having so many traits of her mother. "How is Michonne?" he asked sincerely interested in the young woman he knew was better suited for his son.
The sound of her name sent a chill through Rick's entire body. Michonne was back home. She had been gone for 2 years and he'd counted every day that they'd been apart. When the opportunity for her to study art abroad presented itself, she was going to pass up the chance so she could stay home to be with Rick. He knew she would resent him later if she didn't go, and neither of them was keen on a long distance relationship, so he set her free to experience life outside of the town of Sutter, Texas population 5,000 and some.
Breaking up with the love of his life had sent Rick into a tailspin of drinking and chasing women for a few months. After a pregnancy scare, with some random girl and his daddy threatening to disinherit him, he got himself together and poured all of his time into their family ranch, The Rolling Green, with his brothers.
The Rolling Green ranch was the envy of the small town, and the Green siblings were the most sought after singles in town. Except Maggie, having 3 roughneck brothers and the man who owned most of Sutter for a daddy made most guys scared to talk to her. "She's great on her way to visit Crossbow," Maggie announced. No one was surprised Michonne would be visiting, but they all doubt it was just to see her horse.
Rick's head snapped up in the direction of his little sister. "Chonne's coming here?" he breathed. Maggie nodded knowingly. In an instant, Rick bolted from the table and out of the dining room.
"Was it something I said?" Maggie asked laughing.
Shane threw his cloth napkin at her, "pretty sure it was you little punk," he cackled.
"Ya'll cut it out!" Hershel demanded. "Your brother was in a bad place when she left. I don't want to see him like that again, and I expect the three of you to keep an eye out on him."
"Yes, sir." The trio complied fighting to contain their amusement but failing.
Rick ran to his room and shaved making sure to put on the after-shave Michonne liked him to wear. Grabbing his cowboy hat, he hurried out of the huge house and drove down to the stables to start work. By the time Shane and Daryl made it to the stables, he had paid all of the invoices and was helping the ranch hands unload bales of hay that had been delivered late the day before.
"I'm taking Daryl with me to repair the fence over on the south end of the ranch," Shane announced.
"How 'bout you ask me if I wanna go with you," Daryl shot at his oldest brother.
Even though Shane found Rick's reaction to Michonne's homecoming comical, the last thing their brother needed was Daryl hanging around to witness the reunion between him and the love of his life. "I ain' ask," Shane snapped. "Gon' and get the tools."
"I swear you ain' the boss of me!" Daryl argued before he went into the storage room to get the tools they needed.
Rick nodded at Shane his appreciation. The older of the two stepped closer to his younger brother and lowered his voice. "Don't be a selfless douche bag this time. Get her back and don't let go. A blind man can see ya'll are meant for each other."
"What if she's moved on?" Rick asked.
"Serves your stupid ass right for letting her go in the first place," Daryl quipped, returning with the tools and shoving them in Shane's chest.
"Watch ya' mouth boy," Shane chastised.
"Shut the hell up," Daryl pouted, marching to the jeep and jumping in propping his feet up on the dashboard.
"I swear Imma punch his lil' annoying ass in the throat one of these days."
Rick shook his head at his brothers laughing. All of the wind escaped his lungs when he saw Maggie and Michonne walking towards the stable door. He drank in the sight of her in a pair of cut-off shorts that were too short for anyone but him to see, a white tank topped with a long sleeved plaid shirt that she'd claimed from him years ago, and her favorite pair of cowboy boots. Her locks were longer and her legs were as long as and chocolaty as he remembered.
Shane slapped Rick on his chest to draw him out of his private thoughts before running over and swooping Michonne up in his arms spinning her around. "Hey, girl! Welcome home!"
"Whoa! Hey, crazy man!" Michonne laughed heartedly.
"Put her down Shane, so I can get a hug!" Daryl griped running over to them.
Michonne hugged the younger Green and kissed him on his cheek, "dude, you have gotten fine!" she teased, causing him to blush.
"Getting"? I've been fine," he joked pulling her into another hug.
The other ranch hands greeted her while Rick stood in the stable entrance gawking. Michonne finally made her way over to him, "Hey cowboy," she smiled pouring her brown eyes into his blue eyes with her hands stuffed in her back pockets for fear they would find their way into his hair.
Rick took a step closer to her, invading her personal space, "welcome home, baby." He cupped her face with both his hands and looked for a sign she didn't want what he was about to give her. When he didn't see any resistance there, Rick put his lips on hers and kissed her like a starving man.