A/N: I have no idea where this is going but I'm happy to explore wherever it takes me. It was originally supposed to be a one shot but I think I can crank out a few more chapters. This was fun. I hope you guys like it!
Sophia
Rick was a dead man walking, even from the grave George Augustus Grimes ruled with an iron fist. His face showed the displeasure at the ridiculousness of the quandary at hand. Even a week later it still sounded ludicrous. He shouldn't be in competition for something that was rightfully his. Especially as he'd been the only Grimes boy to help his mother with the runnings of Sweethearts plus oversee the general runnings of his own place, Serenity since his father's passing while his brother and cousin shared duties at Silver.
"Your daddy's will is clear as the water from the stream that runs behind my mama's house." Philip Blake, friend and lawyer to George Grimes said as he continued to face three scowls that belonged to George's two sons, Rick and Shane and lone nephew, Dwight.
Rick slammed his hand on the old cedar desk in his father's office, frustration oozing from his hands. "It ain't fair!"
"Now Rick let's not be hasty. Daddy was always a man with a plan. We gotta trust him." This was coming from Shane who was more than satisfied with Silver just getting by. If it wasn't for the subsidizing from Sweethearts there wouldn't be any Silver to talk about. The Triple S Ranch were connected but Sweethearts, Serenity and Silver were each their own entity.
"Don't tell me what to be Shane!" He yelled, forgetting for a moment his sweet mama was in the room in her husband's favorite recliner preferring to stay in the background while Phillip went over the clauses in her husband's will again.
"Sorry Mama." Georgia Grimes was a silver haired beauty who aged with a grace and poise a lot of women young and old envied.
"It's ok son. If I may interject boys. Your father and uncle wanted the best for all of you. He knew if left to your own devices you two -" she said pointing to Rick and Dwight, "Would never find a girl to settle down with. And you -" she looked determinedly at Shane, "Would have too much women!" She too wanted her sons and nephew to settle down but it had been like pulling teeth.
"So he's forcing our hands by making us marry just to get money that belong to us?" Rick couldn't understand the logic of his father sometimes.
"Aunt Georgia it ain't fair that this thing is a competition between us neither." Dwight was raised on the Sweethearts farm after his father Gary passed away from a riding accident. He was as much a son to Georgia as Shane and Rick were.
"Look boys. It's all here in black and white. The first one of you to marry gets a lump sum payment. The first one to bear a son within a year of their marriage gets one hundred thousand dollars. Now we've already lapsed two whole weeks so that race starts today. Georgia you call me if you need anything okay." Phillip closed his leather briefcase, straightened his tie, kissed Georgia and left, leaving the three grown men to ponder the severity of their situations.
"Hell I can get Andrea to marry me by the mornin'. And what woman wouldn't want to have my baby?" Shane was the over cocky, overconfident type, he'd been chasing Andrea for the past three years yet she remained the road runner to his coyote.
"Your father maybe unconventional in his methods but he means well. You don't have to do it but the money would help each of you in some way as you build your own place and make a name for yourselves. So think about it and see if you're willing to sacrifice your singleness for a chance at a home and family."
"I'm only doing this because I need the money and not because I wanna compete with y'all. Silver is barely keeping its head above water and without the funds we won't be able to pay the bills soon enough." Dwight didn't know who he would find to marry him but there had to be a girl out there.
"Sorry to tell you Dwight but you ain't winning this race. Neither are you Rick. I can't tell you the last time I've seen either of you with a woman. Don't you like to get your rocks off now and then? Jessie had her eyes on you for months now. Why dontchya roll with that? Mama I'll see you later Dwight and I got some deliveries to take care of." Shane and Dwight said there farewells and left.
Georgia saw the fizzle in Rick's stance since he entered the room. Out of all her sons Rick worked the hardest, starting early and finishing late but that's all he did with not much time for recreation but he had a goal in mind and when he put his mind to something nothing was going to stop him from achieving it. Only this time money was his hindrance, she'd seen the books on Sweetheart, she knew their drawbacks. Her husband had always been a prudent man believing in saving for a rainy day but she didn't think the only way to have access to those funds he had tactically saved was through a clause in his will. She was grateful for his life insurance but even that was dwindling.
"Rick. Look at me." Rick turned his eyes to his Mother her oceanic blue eyes matching his identically. She held his cheek as she spoke, "When your father and I met all we had was love and a dream but love doesn't pay bills. Daydreaming about your dreams doesn't make them come true, you have to go after them. I know what's in your heart and I think you should at least try. You never know maybe having someone to share your dream with is exactly what you need." She never lead him astray with her keen and timely adviceā¦.but a wife? A whole wife? He wasn't sure if he wanted or needed that kind of commitment in his already hectic life.
"I'll think about it mama." It was all he could think about for the past two weeks, now wasn't a time for thinking, now was a time for action.
"What's bothering ya?" Daryl noticed Rick had been distracted all morning. It took them twenty minutes to fix one hole in the fence and they never crossed ten. They had ten more holes to go and the ball of fire in the sky was threatening to disintegrate them with the thick heat it was dishing out.
"It's nothin'. After this I need you and Eddie to check the water pump something seems to be slowing it down." The pump itself needed to change, so did the fence they were mending. Everything needed a makeover and to do that he needed the chunk of money in his father's will. It was the only way he could turn the ranch around and make a profit. Right now they were running on bare minimum. While their vast land may be appreciating in value the continued operating costs were substantial.
Sweethearts, named after his father's nickname for his mother was a ranch specialized in raising young livestock for the purpose of selling or butchering but Rick wanted to expand their borders. To do all that he needed money, to get the money he needed a wife. There was nothing he could do to change that. "I need a wife." The words stilled the casual air between him and Daryl. Daryl was Rick's right hand man on the ranch and a close friend, they had weathered a storm or two together over the years.
"Yeah that's a good one." Rick was never good at making jokes but Daryl chuckled at this one.
"I'm serious. It's in the will. The first son to marry gets a lump sum. That kinda money could change everything around here."
"You're serious? Then you do need to get a wife." Daryl's observation annoyed Rick immensely.
"Isn't that what I just said?" He was barking which meant he was getting agitated so Daryl tried to soften his approach.
"Well I ain't seen ya with none s' all I'm saying."
"Well I'm gonna get one Daryl! That's the plan anyways." He just didn't know from where. He didn't mix too well with the women in Oakland.
"Jessie?" Daryl had all but grinded her name out between his pressed lips. He knew Jessie and Rick had something a few months ago but the weird owl lady never seemed right for his buddy. When Rick ended their brief non existent relationship Jessie didn't take it too well. Now she had gone from heartbroken to overbearing, dropping off cakes or pies every other day hoping to catch Rick's eye again and he was too nice to turn her away.
In Rick's defence for that err in judgement his father had just died suddenly and he wasn't the clearest thinker during his mourning period.
"Not Jessie." Jessie had been a bad decision one night when lust overpowered loneliness and while his heart was never involved in their two week affair hers was all in. When he ended it she was heartbroken. No Jessie wasn't the right woman for him, she never was.
He needed someone that was different to all the other women he knew, which meant she couldn't be found in Oakland Springs.
"Maybe you should talk to Carol."
Carol was the town's Jack of all trades, finding simple solutions for difficult problems when even the professionals failed. She was a liaison for the local office but moonlighted as an unqualified psychiatrist on the side. She had been a friend of the Grimes' for more than ten years and had pulled Rick out of a bind more times than he could count.
"Yeah I think I'll go see her."
"Otherwise you can always put an add out in the paper."
"And add in the papers? For a wife?" He could see it now -
Local cowboy seeking a wife to meet the demands of his dead father's will.
"I don't think I'm that desperate. Yet." He would go to see Carol, hopefully she could find him a decent girl to marry, preferably one who wouldn't mind sharing his bed and making a baby with him as soon as they were married.
Two weeks later
The dust the stuffy taxi left in its wake had finally settled around Michonne unlike her mind that was still in a state of unbelief over the fact she was going to marry a stranger. She assumed she was at the right house, the spread was large giving it that country feel and she knew she heard the distinct sound of cows mooing. Not to mention it was the only house for a few miles, she wondered if her city head could ever get accustomed to this type of desolation. The heat was palpable like a constant slap to her face, beads of sweat had gathered between her breasts and she was beginning to think the business suit she wore today wasn't suitable for her present surroundings.
Technically it wasn't a job interview, who interviews to become someone's wife?
Desperation had brought her to a new low but the bills that her hardened brother had stacked up before his murder had crippled her bank account and she had no money left to pay back her student loans. With a fresh business degree but no job, the qualifications but no experience she had been relegated to dead end jobs that barely kept her lights on.
No one in the city was hiring, things had been rough after the storm of 2016 destroyed the infrastructure and crippled the economy. People were still recovering two years later and she had been collateral damage in it all. When her mother's friend Carol contacted her to see how she was doing she shared her dire straits story with the woman she had known growing up. Carol didn't hesitate to tell Michonne about the opening of a position at a Ranch in Oakland. Carol didn't tell her everything upfront, that the position was for a wife to a one of a kind Rancher named Rick Grimes who needed to be married to her for a year. She didn't want to consider the offer at first but she couldn't leave things up to chance. The sizeable compensation was necessary and it persuaded her to sacrifice a year of her life to get out of the outlandish amount of debt she inherited from her dead brother. Michonne called Carol back after a few days of debating telling her she decided to do it. Carol had given Rick her number and they had been chatting daily about the feasibility of their plan and the benefits involved.
The picture he had sent via email mail made him look like an old time western outlaw. He was rugged and looked like the type to act now and ask questions later but there was a gentleness in his eyes that struck her core plus she needed the money and his references had checked out.
What did she have to lose in being Rick Grime's wife for a year? From what he told her his father's will said he needed to be married for a year to get, as he put it, his rightful inheritance. Carol said he checked out, she trusted Carol.
So what did she really have to lose besides her self respect?
She had no clue what she was going to do with a husband? What do you feed them? How often do they eat?
She hoped she was at the right place, she had been here all of five minutes already and despite the constant honking of the taxi that was now long gone no one had stepped outside to welcome her. Her clothes and other belongings were stashed in the two large suitcases at her feet. This is what her twenty six years of life had summed up to; two suitcases and a hopeful prayer that Rick Grimes wouldn't turn her away. She needed him more than he knew.
The porch door swung open and she allowed her hand to shield the glare from the sun away as she took in the man's form that was sauntering towards her on two bowed legs, determination on his face. Pictures didn't do him justice, he was much more attractive in person. If she could find a way to bottle him and sell him on the market she wouldn't have to work another day in her life.
Rick ate up the dusty ground between them quickly and stuck his hand out without ceremony.
"You're late. You said you'd be here an hour ago."
She also pegged him for a brute and she wasn't far off. Up close he was too strong. Too forceful. Too damn handsome. His voice was deep and there was a distinct southern twang to it. His green plaid shirt was snug across his chest and his wranglers made her bite her lip.
"The taxi stalled apparently that happens when you live behind God's back." She wasn't going to let him intimidate her, they both had to benefit from this arrangement.
"You look... different in person." He observed her business like attire and her smooth dark skin. She was stunning and to be honest he wished she wasn't.
She ignored his assumed insult and stuck her hand out, "Nice to finally meet you Rick Grimes." Nice was too strong a word but she was gonna marry this jerk come hell or high water.
He took her hand in a strong grip, "Nice to meet you Michonne Marshall." He grabbed up both her suitcases as though they weighed no more than a feather. "C'mon, let's get you outta the sun." She felt a condescension in his tone but she brushed it off after he turned and gave her the sexiest one sided grin she had ever seen on a man before.
She was on the verge of melting in the intense heat so she followed behind him and was too busy watching his strut she missed a small hole in the dirt beneath her feet and stumbled, twisting her ankle in the fumble. She caught her balance quickly not willing to deal with any embarrassment from a fall.
"Nice choice wearing high heels to a ranch..." He said irony dripping from his pretty pink lips. He looked like he wanted to say more about her daring footwear but he held it back.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah well you forgot to include appropriate dress code in your emailed marriage proposal."
He was ready to drop everything to help her but her spicy retort held him back. He noticed she hadn't hurt herself, she found her footing just in time. Her body was every man's dream and he had to try his best not to stare at her sexy form. Even the ugly brown business suit she wore couldn't hide her allure. He had to keep his head in the game the last thing he needed to be doing right now was lusting after his future wife. The situation was complicated enough, he wasn't going to add feelings to the melee.
Still he couldn't deny Carol had made a good choice, he always trusted her.
They stepped up to the wrap around porch and walked through the screen door.
She underestimated the external view of the house. It was beautiful inside, with an enormous carpeted rug spread in the common room and sheer curtains and a slew of family pictures on the yellow painted walls.
"Who else lives here?"
Rick had gone to the massive kitchen while she took a look around. By the time she called out the question he was pouring her some water from a mug, she appreciated his thoughtfulness.
"Thank you." She said taking a greedy sip, the heat had left her mouth dry. What she also needed was a change of clothes.
"For the most part it's just me and my two dogs. But the ranch is never lonely. I've got five ranch hands and someone who comes in twice a week to clean." He took a seat on the sofa his long legs stretching out in front of him.
"Can we get down to business? I've got some thangs I need to take care of."
"Certainly." She assumed they had talked about everything over the phone and through email. What more did he need to say?
The front door opened and a perky blonde walked in boldly holding a freshly baked pie in her hands. She too wore a blue plaid shirt with blue denim jeans and what Michonne assumed were cowgirl boots.
Lord, was she ever going to get accustomed to all this plaid and denim?
"Hi Rick. Baked you an apple pie. Who's this?" Blondie asked mid stride, not even noticing Michonne upon her initial entry.
Michonne was pulled against Rick's firm chest as he wrapped his arms around her petite waist.
"Jessie this is my fiance. Michonne." His proud tone was convincing.
"F...Fiance?" Jessie almost dropped the pie out of shock, out of horror. Rick knew Jessie was aware of his late father's will and she assumed after their brief affair a few months back she would've been his obvious choice but she was sorely mistaken.
"Yes fiance. I'm Michonne. That pie smells great." Michonne didn't want any enemies so she was trying to play nice even if Jessie was side eyeing the hell out of her. She also couldn't avoid the way she felt up against Rick's chest. If Rick was a lifeguard she would pretend she was drowning everyday just to be thrusted upon his firm chest.
"Well...umm...let me get outta here. I'll uh...I'll see you around Rick. Nice meeting you Michonne." Jessie looked defeated when she left, like she found out she didn't even place in the finals in a race she entered.
"Why didn't you marry her? She seemed totally taken with you. Like she'd do whatever you ask." Michonne sensed there was a story there.
"Maybe I like my women with a little sass." His hot breath hit her face and she needed to get away from him otherwise she couldn't be held accountable for her actions. She needed to pull herself together, while she was glad they had a weird kind of chemistry there was no room for feelings or emotions for Rick Grimes. She had to treat this marriage as the business arrangement it was.
"Thank you for paying my rent. I had every intention to do it as soon as I get my advance." She took a seat on the couch again after stretching her legs. Her feet weren't trustworthy at the moment.
"It's nothing. I know what it's like to have debt over your head. Carol said you have a business degree? Maybe we can see how we can put it to use."
"So you're gonna marry me?" She forgot he too was desperate for her services.
"You're here aren't you?"
"So?"
"Based on everything we discussed on the phone and what Carol told you do you think you could live here for a year? Do you think you could marry me, live with me in this house? You'd have to share my bed. The marriage has to be consummated, we can't have an annulment. You okay with that?"
Carol had filled her in on most of the fine print, including the sleeping arrangements. In reality it would look like a real marriage, on paper it was a business arrangement.
"...Yes. Are you going to throw me over your shoulder and drop me on the bed? Or can I expect a little patience in that area?" She never lived with a man before, there were so many things she didnt know. It filled her with dubious amounts of trepidation.
"Only if you're into that kind of thing darlin'" His laughter was cynical in nature. "And there aren't any secrets you're hidin' that may come back to haunt us is there?"
"No." She had given herself mendacious autonomy but she was lying to herself too. Hopefully her jaded past wouldn't trace her back to Oakland.
"Well it's all settled."
"Not so fast Mister. What about you?" She wanted to know the story with Jessie and how much of a threat her unexpected arrival was to the box dyed blonde.
He stepped closer to her, they were almost chest to chest and for a minute she forgot blinking was customary. "What..what about you? Anything you need to tell me?"
He was lost in the brownness of her eyes, it reminded him of the horses he loved so much. She was a beautiful woman and he was going to make her his wife, on paper of course.
He hesitated before he shook his head. His father always said lying had a way of catching up to you.
"Ok then. So when is this marriage taking place?" She figured she had a few days to get used to the idea she was marrying a brute, a damn sexy one at that.
"Hope you've cleared your schedule Michonne because before sundown today you'll be Mrs. Grimes." He had no time to waste. He liked that he had the ability to take her breath away. Maybe having a wife was going to be fun after all. Now all he needed to do was explain to her the baby clause and persuade her to have his child but he'd do that when she was nice and settled and bore his last name.
Michonne swallowed visibly, she thought she had time but she didn't.
How was she going to tell her soon to be husband he was marrying a virgin?
