A/N: Well, we're back! Time to see what's been happening with Beth and Daryl. Please forgive me if this isn't the best chapter and if the writing is kind of all over the place. As some of you may know, I live in the part of Texas that has had major flooding recently and I haven't had a lot of free time to write so this may seemed like I just threw it together.

But as always, please review!


Riding For A Fall

Beth looked down at her phone then tucked it back into her pocket and leaned back against her trailer.

"He hasn't called or texted yet?" Maggie asked, combing a brush through Nellie's mane.

Beth looked up at her sister and furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Oh, come on. Don't give me that look. You know damn well who I'm talkin' about."

Beth shrugged and pushed herself away from the trailer and said, "No, he hasn't called or texted but I really don't expect him to. He's busy, I'm busy, and it's not like we're together or anythin'. It's nothin'."

"Y'all went on a date, Bethie. I would hardly call that nothin'."

"For the last time, it was not a date. We were bored and sick of watchin' you and Merle so we went to get somethin' to eat. It didn't mean anythin'."

"Sure it didn't. You've been hung up on that guy since y'all went out. To be honest, I'm a little concerned."

Beth rolled her eyes at her sister and huffed. "What is there to be concerned about?"

"You've never shown interest in a guy and when you do, and don't you dare deny it because I can see it all over your face, you act like a lost puppy. First you tell me that nothin' happened, that all y'all did was get somethin' to eat but then I see you checkin' your phone every few minutes to see if he's attempted to call or text and obviously he hasn't."

"You're the one who kept pushin' me to go out with a guy and though I don't consider that a date or anythin', I went out with him."

Maggie shook her head, grabbed Beth's arm and smiled. "Let's forget about it for now. You have a run in a few hours and I have I date."

"You have a date?" Beth asked incredulously. "How the hell do you have a date?"

Maggie continued to smile as Beth followed her into the sleeper.


Beth tucked her shirt in and made sure her hair was pulled back enough under her hat that it wouldn't get in her face. She hardly ever wore make-up when competing but today they were taking pictures of the contestants for All-Around Cowgirl so she had decided to at least put on a little bit. She applied a little lipstick and rubbed her lips together then looked herself over in her small mirror.

"Maggie," she called out to her sister who was in the shower. "I'm goin' to get Nellie warmed up and get somethin' from the concession stand. You want anythin'?"

"No," her sister replied.

Beth rummaged through her purse that was on the bed and pulled out her bank card and turned to the door.

She opened it and took a step back.

"Well, hey there Darlin'. Is your sister 'round?"

Beth cocked her head to the side and stared down at the man.

"Uh, yeah. She's….um….she's gettin' dressed," Beth stammered. "Oh, uh, do you want to wait in here for her?"

The man nodded and when Beth took another step back, he stepped inside.

"This is a nice rig ya got 'ere," he drawled out, looking around the sleeper then back to her. "Ya ain't heard from my baby brotha, have ya?"

"He's not with you?"

"Naw," Merle shook his head. "Why tha hell would ya think he was with me?"

"Well he's…I just thought…."

"I see. You think I follow 'im 'round like yer sister follows you?"

Beth shook her head. "No. I just….that's not…."

"Quit messin' with her," Maggie said with a laugh as she stepped out of the bathroom.

"What? I cain't have a lil' fun?" Merle laughed.

"No," Maggie gave his arm a shove and glared at him though there was no real threat behind it. "She's a little sensitive because she hasn't heard from your brother."

Merle broke out into a grin and stared at Beth. "Is that right? Lil' Darlin' has it bad fer my baby brother?"

"I do not!"

Merle continued to grin and chuckled. "Alright. If ya say so. Ya 'bout ready, Bo-peep?"

"Yeah, just let me put on my shoes then I'll be ready to go," Maggie replied.

Beth waited a few minutes after Merle and Maggie had left before she found the courage to leave the trailer. She was so embarrassed by what had just happened. Her sister knew how easily she got embarrassed and yet, she didn't seem to care. In fact, she seemed down right amused by the fact that she had a crush on some guy she didn't even know. And yeah, she can admit to herself that it is a crush. What else could it be?

She started thinking that maybe Maggie was right. Maybe she should take her sister's advice and just hook up with some guy. It wouldn't hurt anyone and it would probably help her get over this silly little crush.


Once she had turned the last barrel and headed for the alleyway, she relaxed and let herself smile. Nellie didn't stumble, she didn't touch a barrel or knock one over. She did really good, better than she had been doing, and she was proud of herself.

She came out with a 14.3, it wasn't first place but at least she had tied for second and that made her happy.

She was taking her saddle off of Nellie when she heard her sister laughing somewhere close by. She shook her head but looked around anyway. Maggie may have been the one there to keep an eye on her, to make sure she was okay but most of the time she was the one having to babysit Maggie.

"That was a hell of a run there, Lil' Darlin'," Merle called out as he and Maggie came around the trailer to where Beth was.

"He's right," Maggie said, approaching her sister and putting her arm around her. "You did so good today!" She took her phone out of her back pocket and held it up, pressing play on the video of Beth's run.

Beth smiled once again as she watched the video. She was slightly shocked that her sister had actually recorded her run when she was usually occupied or simply wouldn't do it.

Her smile faded as she pulled away from Maggie and busied herself with Nellie.

"Bethie, what's the matter?" Maggie asked.

She shrugged. "Nothin'."

Merle watched the sisters for a moment, he was a little amused at how they interacted but he also knew what was wrong, even if Maggie didn't see it. He'd been in Maggie's shoes a time or two with Daryl. It was always about him, every time they were together so he couldn't have been bothered with recording Daryl's rides so he could watch for mistakes he had made. All he knew was that if Maggie didn't start talking or showing some kind of interest in her sister, Beth would end up pushing her away just like Daryl had done to him and he'd be damned if that wasn't the worse feeling in the world.

"Where y'all headed next?" Merle asked just to break up the silence.

Maggie glanced at him and shook her head but Beth looked up and stared right at him.

"We're headed to Austin," she said somewhat coldly without looking away.

Merle grinned. "Well, I guess I'll be seein' y'all there. Can't wait ta see run again, Lil' Darlin'." He tipped his hat and walked away, leaving the two sisters alone to work out whatever problems they had.

Maggie groaned and grabbed Beth's arm once Merle was out of sight. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothin," Beth answered.

"Oh God! Would you stop sayin' that?! Somethin' is wrong and no matter what I do, you keep actin' like a…."

"Let's go out tonight," Beth interrupted her but kept her focus on her horse. "I mean, if you're up for it. I guess bull riders can't be that bad. Huh?"


Daryl was pissed. He'd been bucked off the last two broncs he was on and he just couldn't figure out what the hell was wrong with him. He'd damn near broke his back in Fort Worth and went against the doctor's recommendation of taking a few weeks off to rest to ride in Lubbock. He wasn't hurting, he didn't feel a twinge of pain but for some reason he couldn't make a decent ride and he didn't know why.

But what he did know was that he had a week and a half off before he had to be in Austin and he sure as hell wasn't going to let it go to waste. What good would he be if he laid up in a motel room resting until then?

He heard someone whistle but didn't pay any attention to it as he stuffed his rigging into his duffle bag and started towards his truck.

"Hey, Daryl!" he turned around to see Lane Woodson running towards him so he stopped walking.

"What ya want?" he asked once the man had reached him.

"Fuck, man. Jessica dropped my ass again an' I was wonderin' if ya could give me a ride out to San Angelo since we got some time off. Hell, I'll do most of the drivin' an' by the gas. I just gotta get there an' get my shit out 'fore she burns it all."

Daryl shook his head. "Sorry man, but I ain't headin' out that way."

"Ya ain't goin' on to Austin?"

"Naw. I'm goin' out east ta catch a rodeo."

Lane grinned. "Shit. You're goin' out there to see that girl, ain't ya?"

Daryl shrugged and turned to walk away but Lane stopped him.

"Mind if I go with ya? I wouldn't mind a change of scenery."

"What 'bout yer shit?"

"Ain't nothin' worth anythin' 'cept my saddles an' buckles. 'Sides, maybe she'll cool down an' take me back when we get to Austin."

Daryl snorted. "You really think she's gon' take ya back this time?"

"She always does."

"Alright, fine. But yer still doin' most a tha drivin' an' helpin' out with gas."

He didn't say it but all Daryl could think in that moment was that Jessica and Lane were two of the most stubborn people he'd ever met and he had met quite a few. If he had a girl that was willing to put up with all of the shit he does and was by his side through everything like Jessica was for Lane, ain't no way in hell he'd be skipping town just because she was pissed.


They had made the drive to Lufkin in no time without making any unnecessary stops. Well, no time may not have been right. They pulled up to the arena around one in the morning but they were still there quicker than Daryl had expect them to be.

He'd texted Merle a couple of times because he knew he would be there but he never did get an answer. It wasn't like he expect him to answer though. He was probably at a bar or motel somewhere with whatever buckle bunny he had found that night.

"Think we should jus' park here an' wait 'til mornin'?" Lane asked with a yawn.

"Naw. Merle's 'round 'ere somewhere," Daryl said as he took out his phone and tried calling his brother this time.

"Well damn, boy. 'Bout time ya pick up that phone ta call someone," Merle answered on the second ring, much to Daryl's surprise. "Where ya at now, baby brother?"

"I'm in Lufkin," Daryl stated. "Where ya at?"

"Aw fuck. Where 'bouts are ya?"

"At tha arena but I cain't get in."

"Ain't no need for ya ta get in there right now. I'm down at the Wild Horse Saloon with some fine lookin' gals. C'mon down an' I'm sure one of 'em would be willin' ta show ya a good time."

"That ain't why I'm here, Merle."

"Oh, I know exactly why you're here, baby brother, an' let me tell you, that's one fine ass woman you're chasin'. But c'mon down 'ere an' when we're done we'll go back ta tha arena an' see if we can find you that girl," Merle chuckled.

By the time Daryl made it down to the bar, Lane was passed out in the back seat but he didn't care. He went on inside to find his brother. He wasn't looking for the girls Merle had been talking about, he just wanted to find him and get out of there as fast as he could.

The place was loud, louder than he had expected it to be but he wasn't that surprised about it. Anywhere there was a rodeo, nearly every place in whatever town they were in was going to be loud and packed. Despite the loudness though, he could hear Merle's laugh and he followed that sound.

He quickly found his brother by the pool tables, he was pressed against a girls back and helping her find a good grip on her pool cue.

It was obvious the girl had had a few drinks by the slight slur in her voice and her uncoordinated movements but she acted as if she was having fun. And if he knew his brother, he was probably enjoying the way she was leaning against him.

The she laughed and spun around, looking off to the side so he couldn't really see her face.

"Magsie!" She yelled out and a familiar woman stepped towards her.

"I'll be damned," he muttered to himself as he recognized the girl was Beth and he took a few steps towards them.

Maggie was the first to notice him but all she did was give him a smile and tap Beth's arm. Merle spun around before Maggie could move to take her sisters place in front of him.

"Baby Brotha!" Merle shouted, taking two steps and grabbing the back of his neck. "Let's get ya a drink," he slurred with a grin and pulled him towards the two girls.

Beth covered her mouth with her hand and hiccupped when Merle and Daryl stepped over to her and Maggie.

Maggie smiled and held onto Merle's arm though she clearly wasn't drunk and Daryl didn't think she had even had a drink.

Beth hiccuped again and Maggie ordered her a glass of water.

"How does your brother manage to drink so much but still be able to play pool?" Maggie asked him as Merle and Beth continued their game.

Daryl shrugged. "How has your sister not passed out yet?"

Maggie glanced at him then smiled as she looked at her sister and laughed. "We're Irish."

"That explains a hell of a lot," Daryl muttered loud enough she could barely hear.


An hour later Beth had her head laying on the table, groaning and mumbling to herself. Daryl and Merle were busy trying to out drink each other and Maggie was right along with them, matching them shot for shot.

Maggie took one last shot and looked over at Beth. "Looks like I better get 'er back to the trailer 'fore she throws up everywhere," she mumbled then turned back to Merle and Daryl. "Guess we'll be seein' y'all in Austin."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Merle staggered towards her. "Why don't ya stay 'ere an' baby brotha can take Lil' Darlin' back ta tha trailer. That sound good to ya, 'cause it sounds damn good ta me?"

"I got a better idea," Maggie said as she leaned up and whispered in his ear.

Daryl watched as she pulled away from him and they both grinned then Merle turned to face him.

"Darylina," Merle mumbled. "Ya get yer sorry ass over there an' help Lil' Darlin' up an' get 'er outta 'ere. Me an' Bo-Peep is gon' stick 'round a lil' while longer an' have us some more fun."

He thought they were crazy. Neither one of them needed more to drink then they already had but judging by the way Maggie started pulling on his shirt, he was guessing they wouldn't be sticking around for the drinks.

After watching Maggie and Merle walk off towards the dance floor, he went over to the table where Beth was and tried to ease her up out of her seat.

She groaned and mumbled for him to put her back down but before he could, she bent over and threw up. He winced at the sound and tried to keep himself from doing the same.

He had managed to get himself and her out to his truck without any more incidents. He opened the passenger and helped Beth get in but as he was shutting the door, Lane yelled out for him to shut the door.

Beth jumped out of the truck, falling right into Daryl and causing them both to hit the ground.

Once Lane had quit laughing and Daryl and pulled himself and Beth up off the ground, Lane drove them back to the arena but stayed in the truck to catch a few more hours of sleep and Daryl helped Beth inside.


The sleeper of Beth's trailer wasn't what he expected. He was used to seeing them done up in a western style or maybe just dark colors, factory stock kind of things, but not Beth's.

There was a bright yellow comforter on the bed, the couch was factory brown but it had two yellow throw pillows on each end that matched the comforter and a purple blanket draped across the back. The comforter on the bunk above the couch was darker but it was still very girly.

"Ya act like ya ain't never seen colors before," Beth muttered from where she had sat down on the couch.

"I have. Jus' ain't used to seein' these colors in horse trailers 'fore."

Beth smiled and let out a small chuckle. "That's because this isn't a horse trailer. The back is for horses, this is my home away from home so I wanted it to feel like home."

He simply nodded in understanding. He never really had a home or at least not want he wanted to call home but he understood the need to make someplace feel like home, especially when you spend so much time there and aren't able to really settle down anywhere.

His thoughts were interrupted when Beth stood then stumbled back down to the couch.

"Damn, you really cain't hold yer liquor," he said to her as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the couch. "Ya got any coffee?"

She nodded and without opening her eyes, she pointed to the counter and mumbled, "The coffee pot is right there. The coffee, cups, and sugar are in the cabinet above it, creamer is in the fridge."

When the coffee had finished he poured them each a cup, not bothering to put sugar or creamer in either cup.

He handed one to Beth and watched as she took a sip and grimaced at the taste.

"You couldn't have put a lil' sugar in mine?"

"Nope. Drink it black. You'll thank me in the mornin'."

She rolled her eyes but kept sipping on it.


Beth slowly awakened and opened her eyes but closed them when she couldn't focus in on her surroundings. She wasn't sure when she had fallen asleep or what time it was now, all she knew was that her head was pounding and there was someone snoring close by.

She listened to that sound for a moment before she shot up from where she had been laying and jerked the blanket off of herself, sighing in relief when she saw that she was fully dressed, minus her boots and belt but still dressed.

She tried to stand up again but groaned as everything started spinning.

"Ya best take those ibuprofen an' drink that bottle a water," a gruff voice said quietly.

She groaned again, thinking that Maggie had managed to bring some guy back to the trailer and they were sleeping in her bed but then she recognized him as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Why are you in my bed?" Beth asked.

""Cause you passed out on tha couch an' yer heavier than ya look."

He grinned as Beth raised her hand and flipped him off.

"Did you take my belt and boots off?" she asked, watching him as he climbed off of the bed and grab the bottle of ibuprofen off the counter, shook out some and handed her two along with a bottle of water.

He shrugged. "Belts hurt like a sum-bitch when ya sleep in 'em an' ya had horse shit on yer boots."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Beth spoke.

"I thought you were in Lubbock, why did you come all the way to Lufkin?"

He shrugged again and looked down at his bottle of water.

"That's not an answer, Daryl."

"I don't know. Figured I'd come watch ya run while I had some time off 'fore tha next rodeo an' I knew Merle was gon' be 'ere."

"But you came to see me," she stated, clearly surprised by it considering she hadn't heard from him in weeks.

"Yeah. Told ya I like ta watch ya ride," he muttered, half hoping she didn't hear him.


Merle rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. Maggie stirred beside him, still laying on her stomach and raise her head to look at him.

Merle looked over at her and chuckled. "Think baby brother an' lil' Darlin' got lucky last night?"

"I doubt it," Maggie mumbled. "In case you haven't noticed, Beth's a little inexperienced when comes to things like this."

He groaned as he sat up. "So is baby brother but I'd be willin' ta bet they got luckier than us."

Maggie pushed herself up and laughed. "Well, if you hadn't of passed out last night maybe we would've gotten lucky."

"Pfftt…me passin' out didn't have a damn thing ta do with it. If ya hadn't a decided ta spend so much time throwin' up all the money we spent I wouldn't a gone ta sleep."

She flipped him off and stood up. "We should get back to the arena so we can check on them and make sure they didn't get into any kind of trouble."

"Maybe a lil' trouble is exactly what those two need," Merle quipped.

"I would love for my sister to find a good guy that would be able to handle her running' off to rodeos but I don't know if she would be able to handle a guy who does the same. When I said your brother and my sister should meet, I didn't exactly mean it should turn into something' serious. I just thought they'd have some fun together and that would be it."

Merle chuckled and shook his head. "Damn girl. You're colder than me. Guess I shoulda warned ya though, Daryl ain't tha type ta drive hours jus' ta see a girl if he wasn't thinkin' there could be more to it than fuckin'. I only ever saw 'im go outta his way fer one woman."

Maggie sat back down, raised an eyebrow and stared at Merle, waiting for him to continue.

He got the hint and started telling her Daryl's story but at the end, he grabbed her, pulled her close and said, "Ya cain't say nothin' 'bout this ta no one, 'specially Lil' Darlin'. She may be sweet an' all but that kinda shit ain't somethin' ya jus' tell someone an' expect 'em ta understand. If Daryl wants 'er ta know, if he thinks she's worth tellin' that to, then let him be tha one ta tell 'er."

She agreed and they hurried out of that motel room.


Daryl, Beth and Lane were sitting outside of the trailer, eating a very small breakfast when Maggie and Merle pulled up.

Lane grinned and laughed but Daryl and Beth frowned.

"Y'all are late," Beth said at the same time Daryl said, "We been tryin' ta call y'all."

Beth sat her plate of food behind her inside the door and stood up on the step. "Maggie, can I talk to you for a few minutes?" Maggie nodded and stepped up into the trailer, trying her best to avoid Lane and Daryl.

"What's wrong?" Maggie asked once she was inside and Beth had shut the door but all her sister did was cross her arms over her chest and stare at her. "I can't read you mind, Bethie, so you have to tell me what's on your mind or we'll be standin' here forever."

"Are you and Merle serious? I mean, whatever's goin' on between y'all, is it serious?"

Maggie slowly smiled and shook her head. "No. We're just having fun. Why?"

For a moment, Maggie could have sworn Beth looked embarrassed but that quickly faded and she stared her down again.

"I'm asking because you wanted me to find someone and I really enjoy spendin' time with Daryl. I don't know if it's anythin' but it's got to count for somethin' that he drove all the way here just to watch me ride. Even if we just end up bein' friends, I don't want whatever happens between you and Merle to come between us."

Maggie stepped closer to her sister and wrapped her in a hug. "Oh Bethie. I would never, ever do anythin' to stand in the way of your happiness. Even if, like you said, y'all just end up friends. Besides, I have a feelin' that Merle feels the same way. He wants his brother to be happy."


Maggie and Merle both ate what was left of the MacDonald's breakfast the other three had been eating and were soon helping Beth load everything up and make sure Nellie was secured in her stall in the trailer.

"Alright, here's tha deal," Merle blurted out. "Me, Lane and Bo-Peep is gon' take tha rig out ta Austin. Baby brother, you take Lil' Darlin' with you but make sure y'all stay close so we can all make tha same stops."

Beth didn't say it, and neither did Daryl, but they found this all to be a little strange. Somehow they had all ended up on this trip together even though they hardly knew each other. Well, they were sure Maggie and Merle knew each other in ways they didn't care to know about but still, they were all in for a strange trip.

Beth had slid into the passenger's seat of Daryl's truck and they waited until Merle pulled her truck and trailer out of the arena parking grounds to follow behind them.

They drove in silence for at least a half hour before Beth reached over and tried to pick up a station on the radio.

When that failed, she reached into her bag and pulled out her phone and a cord.

"Do you have somewhere I can plug this in?" She asked.

Daryl simply pointed and Beth plugged in her phone and turned up the radio as music began to play. She hummed along with the music at first but then the words seemed to slid right out of her mouth and he was mesmerized.

"He's packed up his boots and his saddle
Seventeen, headin' out on his own
And he'll rodeo from Cheyenne to Texas
Dreamin' of one ride in Vegas
One ride in Vegas"

"Lonely nights in rundown motel rooms
Aches and pains from yesterday's ride
It's takin' more than he thought he could give it
But he's holdin' on for one ride in Vegas
One ride in Vegas"

"And he's riskin' it all, driven by a hunger
That never will let him give up
And with fire in his eyes, he dances with thunder
Till one day his day finally comes"

"His heart beats fast with anticipation
Brighter lights than he's ever seen before
He's waited his whole life for the next eight seconds
And he'd do it all again for one ride in Vegas
One ride in Vegas"

"He's an old man now, four times' world champion
A modern day legend, every cowboy knows his name
He's settled down on his ranch down in Texas
But he'd trade it all today for one ride in Vegas
One more ride in Vegas"

He glanced over at her when the song ended and she had finished singing along with it but she was staring out of the window.

Though he wasn't going to say it out loud and he didn't want to admit it to himself, he had hoped this would turn into something or maybe they could be friends but seeing her reflection, he could see the hunger in her eyes the very same one as in the song she was just singing.

He had always heard songs about guys leaving their girls to chase their dreams from one town to the next but if time, and Merle, had taught him anything, it was that rodeo girls weren't worth holding onto.

But Beth, she was something different and he hoped like hell he was right about that.


A/N: The song used in this is "One Ride In Vegas" by Chris LeDoux (there's going to be a lot of his song incorporated in this story so you better get used to it). As for the story itself, I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again but I promise you I will. And please, please leave reviews.