A/N Hello my Merle lovers! Sorry I haven't had a story for you lately, I'm trying to make that up, at least a little bit. This is something that has playing around in my head a while and I finally put it on paper. I hope you'll enjoy it.

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He just stood there with his arms hanging at his sides, feet spread apart, eyes focused straight ahead and jaw clinched tight, while she beat on him.

Her tiny hands were clinched into fists and she was hitting his chest as hard as she could. She was strong but a little thing like her wasn't causing Merle Dixon any real pain, at least not physical pain. Her words were painful, they hurt and he couldn't deny they cut real deep. And he'd never heard her talk like that, use those words, cuss him out that way, but he was glad for it. He wanted her to hate him, he wanted her to walk out that door and never look back, never regret having left him.

"You son of a bitch, how can you be this way, how can you be so cold?! You said you loved me and all that time it was a lie? You were just feeding me a lot of bullshit so you could what? Play with my feelings? Play with my heart? Get another notch on your bedpost? I never thought I'd be capable of hating anyone but I hate you Merle Dixon! I'll go to my grave hating you."

He was good with that, oh he didn't want to hear it, not ever did he want to hear those words coming from her lips. But he wanted her to have those feelings toward him, to hate him just that much. It was what came next that nearly killed him, nearly made him take it all back, nearly made him tell her why it was that he'd said those things.

Because suddenly she quit hitting him and just stood there in front of him, crying hard. Her whole body was shaking and never had he wanted to hold her more, scoop her up in his arms and tell her how much he loved her, but he couldn't. In his mind it was because he loved her that he was doing what he was doing. He never thought of himself as being a noble guy, in fact he was pretty sure he was about as far from noble as a man can be. But for her, for Beth, he was trying to do the right thing.

It hadn't always been like that…

The first time he'd ever seen her she was young, way too young for him. That didn't mean he didn't have trouble keeping his eyes off her. But he wasn't the kind to go after little girls and this girl couldn't have been more than 15 or 16. He was 26 at the time.

He'd gone over to the high school that day to get his younger brother Daryl. Their no-good Daddy had been killed in a bar brawl some time in the early morning hours and he wanted the kid to hear it from him, not hear about it through town gossip.

Someone was off to get little brother out of class while Merle waited in the school office, that's when she came in. She had a note from her Mother, something about being late because of a doctor appointment or some such thing. That didn't matter. What mattered was how beautiful she was, and how off limits.

After that it seemed like he suddenly began seeing her around. Had she always been around and he just hadn't noticed? Or maybe it was that she was just now old enough to get a job, whatever it was he saw her damn near every time he went in the grocery. That was his job, he drove a truck for a local beverage distributor and he delivered those beverages, mostly beer and soft drinks, to the various groceries, convenience stores and bars in the county.

She worked in the bakery section of the big grocery there in town. He supposed it was an after school job. He'd see her back there pulling loaves of bread, rolls or pies out of those big ovens. His favorite was when she was decorating cakes. Something about it seemed to make her happy and she always had a big smile when she did that. He liked seeing her happy.

He never spoke to her. She wasn't counter help, even at her young age they kept her in the back baking and decorating. He remembered thinking she must be real good at it.

One day he saw her in the drug store looking all serious as she was deciding over some kind of makeup. He wanted to tell her she didn't need that, she was a natural beauty. Of course, he didn't, he never spoke to her. She was off limits.

He had girlfriends. They were nothing like her, they were like him. Older, experienced and looking for a good time. The truth was he kind of "went through them," a new one every month or so. He was hard to please, hard to handle, and real hard to love. The combination of those things definitely didn't enhance the prospects for long term romance. That was all fine with him. A little partying, a little belly bumping and a lot of moving on. That covered Merle's relationship needs.

A girl like that little one, she'd be a whole different kind of girl than he was used to. She'd be the kind a guy had to be real careful with, treat her right and reel her in slow, before he got a chance to break her in. Yeah, that would be some serious fun, then he'd cut her loose so she could find herself the kind of fellow a sweet thing like her ought to be bedding.

He thought he had this, he thought he'd be in the driver's seat, but Merle Dixon got caught by surprise.

He might have thought he was just there to play but instead he fell, and he fell hard and fast.

How it Started…

He dreaded going, it just wasn't his kind of deal, but he mustered up every bit of love he had for little brother and showed up for graduation. He didn't think he'd be so proud, but when Daryl got that diploma he stood right up and hollered, "Hell yeah little brother!" That got some attention. Someone else got their diploma that day too. He didn't stand up and holler for her, but he wanted to real bad.

He saw her folks, he knew who they were. Good people that lived out on a farm, church-going types. That little honey was a good girl, a farm girl. That just made the thought of getting with her even more enticing. Breaking in the sweet little farm girl with the golden hair and the pretty blue eyes.

Graduation day was a big deal for Merle in another way, little brother was 18 now, little girl must be the same. Time to make a play.

He was scheduled to deliver at that grocery where she worked three days a week. Friday to get them well stocked for the weekend, Monday to replenish the stock sold over the weekend, and Wednesday, also known locally as sale day.

He had a little plan and he planned on it working. It just required some patience on his part. Patience was not something Merle Dixon had much of, but he was going to use every bit of what he did have to try and make this happen.

Now that school was out he figured she was working full time, and he was right. He started off by making it a point to be at that grocery every morning before he even began his route. He'd walk right back to the bakery counter and make a purchase. A muffin, a donut, a roll, something, anything just to have a look at her and try and make eye contact. When he did he'd smile broadly and wink at her and after a week or so she started smiling back. It was a shy little smile and she always looked so nervous, or maybe embarrassed, but she smiled and then she'd cast her eyes down.

He'd pay for his purchase and when he was out of sight of her he'd toss it in the waste can, while he made his way to the truck.

He was pals with the store's butcher and one day he casually mentioned, "Damn that's quite the sweet little thing workin' over in the bakery."

"Yeah she is a pretty little thing ain't she though? Shy as the day is long and real, real quiet. I'd sure like ta see her nice little ass in sumthin' besides her baker's uniform." Merle wanted to deck the guy.

Instead he asked, "She work here every day? I ain't noticed her before."

His pal replied, "Far as I know same as the department manager, Monday through Friday, 6:00am to 2:30pm." Then he snorted, "Ya dirty old bastard, don't you go gettin' no ideas about that little taste, she's mine." Merle laughed right along with him, but again he felt that urge to deck the guy.

After three weeks she started to smile more openly and she held his gaze just a little longer before she looked away. After four weeks he made his big play.

It was one of his regular delivery days, Monday. He'd restocked everything and then he waited in the delivery truck right near the stores' back entrance. At 2:40 when she walked out that big steel door he hurried from his truck and over to where she was just getting ready to unlock her car door. "Hey there girl, nice ta see ya outside a the bakery. Here now, lemme get that door for ya."

Her little face was so flushed and she didn't meet his eyes when she handed him the key, "Thank you. You're Daryl's brother, aren't you?"

He never suspected she might know who he was, but this wasn't his first surprise in life and he hid it well, "Why yes I am, name's Merle Dixon. Now ya have an advantage over me, can I ask your name?"

She stammered just a little and her voice definitely sounded like she was fighting nerves, "Beth, Beth Greene. I feel like we're sort of friends, I mean I see you every day and all."

It was going better than he expected. "Well I'd like nuthin' better than ta be your friend. I'll tell ya what, how about I come by an pick ya up Friday evenin an we go have us a friendly bite ta eat? Would ya want to?"

Her face went from a pink flush to a deep red blush and he saw her hands looked to be trembling just a little. Even though he could barely hear her answer it was music to his ears, "Um oh, well yes, I think I would. What time?"

Hot damn it was going to happen. He figured a farm girl was probably used to an early supper, so he suggested, "I could pick ya up at six, would that work for ya?"

"Yes."

He was starting to worry she might faint, "Well Honey I'ma need your address an phone. I'll tell ya what, why don't ya take my phone here an put your number in. I'll send ya a text an you can send me your address. How's that?"

"Okay." A women of very few words.

This was looking to be even more interesting than he'd hoped for. He'd never known a woman so shy, the idea held a little excitement for him. Helping her through that shyness, while teaching her a thing or two, it was going to be even better than he'd first thought.

Over dinner that night she told her folks she had a date Friday evening. Their eyebrows were raised as they looked at each other across the table. Their daughter didn't date. Boys had come around, and there was a nice young man at church they knew for a fact had asked her, but she wasn't interested. They worried she might be a little afraid of boys, but when they tried to ask her about it she'd get upset, she'd say she wasn't scared at all, that she just hadn't met one she cared enough about to give her time to. She didn't want to talk about it any more than that. They didn't want to push it.

Beth's truth was that she was indeed very, very shy and she was maybe just a little afraid of boys and their rough and loud ways. She'd heard them talk and they could be so vulgar, some of the things they said, the way they talked about girls. It was all kind of frightening.

Merle Dixon didn't seem like that at all. She remembered when she'd first seen him, that day he'd come for Daryl. Later she learned why he had. The rumors had gone around for years, that Daryl's Daddy was the meanest drunk in six counties and that Daryl had suffered more than one beating. She couldn't even imagine a Daddy being so cruel and hateful. And she realized Merle must have been mistreated in that same terrible way. It hurt her to think of it.

But that wasn't all she thought about Merle that day, or all that she thought about him in the time since. She couldn't tell you why, she wasn't sure herself, but as shy as she was and as reluctant as she'd been to ever have anything to do with any boy, she wanted to have something to do with him. She wanted that very much. There was something about him, well maybe there were a lot of things about him.

He was older and that didn't bother her at all, in fact she liked that. The boys her own age were so immature. And he was so handsome in a kind of rough and masculine way. Yes, that was it, manly, very manly. He was big, strong. She tried to be sneaky as she watched him move those heavy beverage cases around like they were nothing. It gave her a tingling kind of feeling just to see it and watch his muscles move, flexing as he lifted.

Her Daddy asked, "With who Bethie, who have you finally said 'yes' to?"

"His name is Merle, Merle Dixon."

Daddy and Mama both felt their hearts go to their throats, but they tried to look calm, like everything was normal. They knew exactly of whom she spoke. "I see. What time will he be coming after you, and where is he taking you exactly?"

"He's picking me up at six and I'm not sure which restaurant or anything, but we're going out to dinner."

Mama just plastered on the best smile she could manage, "Well that sounds nice. I look forward to meeting him."

It was later as her parents lay in bed, that's when they quietly spoke about what was going on. They had concerns, he was so much older than Beth. Daddy guessed him at about 28. Not that he didn't approve of his daughter dating an older man, he was after all 20 years older than her mother. It was that Merle, well he seemed so rough and he came from such a rough and hard family. A family that had a certain reputation, and as hard as Daddy and Mama tried not to sit in judgement, it was a fact that just wouldn't be ignored.

Did he drink hard like his Daddy did? Was he violent like his Daddy had been? Mostly they worried about their daughter's safety with him, and her innocence.

In the end they agreed, she was of age, she'd obviously been very choosey about who she was going to date. She was sweet and she was smart and they had to trust her decision. "I don't know what else to do Annette, I'll just have a quiet word with him before they leave."

"Alright Hershel, I don't know what else we can do either, short of locking her up and throwing away the key." Her laugh was soft and not at all happy. "I just pray it will all be okay, that this Merle Dixon is the good man our daughter seems to think he is."

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A/N I guess we'll all find out soon. Thanks so much for reading along, and as always I'd appreciate seeing your comments / reviews. The chapter photo is posted on my tumblr blogs gneebee and bethylmethbrick, please check that out. This story will post on Thursdays and I hope to see you back here next week. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee