Daryl decided he was in love with Theresa as he stuffed the third biscuit in his mouth and started to butter a fourth. He had never ate home-made buttermilk biscuits in his entire life and Daryl was pretty sure they were the greatest fucking things he had ever tasted.

"These are amazing," he mumbled, mouth full.

"Glad you like them," Theresa said proudly. She had stopped working to admire the passion with which he was poking the food she'd prepared into his mouth. In fact, he had drawn a crowd and was quite embarrassed when he realized it.

"Sorry," Daryl muttered, stepping back from the tray of biscuits so the others could have some.

"Jesus Theresa, how many did you let him eat?" Carol asked, eying the half empty tray. "We don't want him puking in the barns later. Got stalls to muck this morning." She bit her lip to keep from smiling at the look on Daryl's face when she mentioned the stalls. Carol patted his shoulder, "Everyone starts with the worst job, if you can handle that you can handle anything."

"It's just horse shit, how bad can it be?" Daryl said, trying to be confident. But with Cal and Andre snickering behind him his confidence was wavering. When Carol took him to the stables he was overwhelmed by the unfamiliar stench. It was bearable though and suddenly he felt sure he could handle it. But when she led the first mare out of the stall and handed him a shovel Daryl felt his stomach turn over. He was suddenly regretting the 6 biscuits he'd just devoured as he heaved the first pile of shit into the wheelbarrow.

Daryl was not going to give them any satisfaction though. No one was going to laugh while he puked up his breakfast - it wasn't happening. He got enough of that shit from his daddy. He shoveled until the stall was clean and moved to the next. Carol had led all the horses out while he worked so Daryl had 6 stalls to clean. When he was done the wheelbarrow was almost full and he lugged it outside. The fresh air was a welcome change and he took several deep breaths, feeling very proud that he'd survived.

Carol sauntered over to him slowly and Daryl took a minute to appreciate her beauty. She was dressed pretty much the same as the day before, jeans, boots and a different colored tee, but her short dark hair was covered with a bandana. For some reason it made her striking blue eyes stand out even more and Daryl found himself starting into them by the time she arrived.

"We might just make a cowboy outta you yet," Carol said, her eyes sparkling. "Not many survive the first time without at least dry heaving a few times."

Daryl shrugged. "I'm a hunter. There's no smell worse than a half rotted deer someone shot and couldn't track."

Carol nodded. "Listen, you did the worst job we have here, so this afternoon, after lunch, I'm gonna let you do the best." She didn't give any more explanation, just turned and started to walk away. But suddenly she paused and looked back, "you ride, right?"

Is she talking about horses? He wondered. If she was talking about a motorcycle the answer was a resounding yes, but he was pretty sure it was the former. "Yeah, of course," he replied. It wasn't until she walked away that he started to panic thinking of the one and only time he'd rode a horse. It was an epic fail that landed him in a sling, with a broken collar bone for 4 weeks. Daryl had been bucked off by a feisty stallion and had never been back on a horse since. It'll be fine, he reassured himself. I was doing great until the stupid horse spooked. The horses he'd seen Carol take out that morning all seemed calm and friendly.

Daryl dumped the wheelbarrow and went to learn a thing or two about milking until it was time to break for lunch. For some reason he was expecting a stool and a tin bucket but was quite relieved to find the cows were all hooked up to an automatic milking system. Andre was in the process of unhooking the ones that were finished so he showed Daryl how it was done and let him try the next few. The cows were obviously used to it, the barely noticed as he fumbled around with their udders.

By the time they were all finished Daryl's stomach was grumbling again. He was thankful when Carol wandered in to let them know that Theresa had lunch ready. The guys washed up and followed her into the house. Lunch consisted of grilled cheese sandwiches and home-made tomato soup. Daryl was finished every last bite before the rest had barely got started. He was delighted when Theresa refilled his bowl without asking. It was the best soup he had ever tasted. Much better than the cans of Campbell's he would make for himself at home.

Carol was sitting to his left and when he finished the second bowl of soup she picked up half her grilled cheese and held it out to him. "I'm not that hungry today," she explained. "Don't want to throw it out." Daryl took it, mumbling a quick thank you, wondering if she really was full or if she was just being nice. Either way, he was thankful for more food. The hard work and fresh air made him incredibly hungry.

Carol's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Cal, can you saddle up Cherokee and Pookie? I'm gonna let Daryl run them with me this afternoon." The mention of riding made Daryl's stomach flip flop. He'd survived the stall mucking without embarrassing himself, but would he be so lucky with his next challenge? Cal left to get the horses ready as Daryl finished up his lunch.

"Ready?" Carol asked as he finished chewing his last bite. Daryl nodded and followed her outside. She walked up to a beautiful chestnut mare and stroked her gently, "this is my baby, Cherokee Rose." Carol moved to the other horse, a large white mare, "and this is Pookie." She laughed at the look on Daryl's face at the name. "She's very gentle and kind, the name suits her." She handed him the reins and quickly mounted her horse. Daryl watched the graceful and easy way she hopped up into the saddle and was both envious and nervous at the same time.

Daryl awkwardly stuck a foot in the stirrup, like she had done. This horse seemed bigger than the last one he was on. He struggled a bit to get the reins situated and he grasped the saddle horn and swung his leg over. Okay, that wasn't so bad, he thought. The horse seemed to know what to do without much direction on his part. She automatically started to follow the other horse and soon he was right beside Carol as their mounts walked together.

She didn't say a word to him until they were out of earshot of the others. "You don't ride do you?" Carol asked him.

"I've rode before," Daryl shot back defensively.

"Once? Twice?" Carol asked, raising her eyebrows.

Daryl sighed, defeated. "Okay, it was only once. And I might have ended up with a broken collarbone," he added, looking at her sideways with a sheepish grin. There was something about her that made him feel like he could be completely honest and she wasn't going to judge him. Carol made him feel calm and relaxed.

Carol laughed and the sound of her laughter made him feel happier than he'd felt, maybe in his entire life. He could tell she was special. "Well don't worry, Pookie knows exactly what she's doing. I didn't know how much experience you had so I figured I'd give you the best to start."

They moved farther away from the barn and the house, until Daryl could barely see them when he looked back. "Listen, I get the sense that you have a lot of pride," Carol said seriously. "I can teach you… to ride I mean. No one else had to know that you're a beginner."

"Ok," he replied simply. Daryl wasn't sure how it was so easy for her to read him. It would have annoyed the fuck out of him if it was anyone else. But for some reason it felt almost natural with Carol.

"You eat every meal like it's your last," she teased him. "Have you never had home-cooked food before?"

"Nope," Daryl said truthfully. "Not that I remember anyway. Maybe when I was a kid, before…"

"Before what?" Carol prodded.

"Nothing," he said, clamming up.

She knew enough to drop it and they continued in silence for a moment. Daryl got nervous she might start asking him more questions he didn't want to answer so he decided to deflect before she did. "So seriously, how does a 25 year old woman end up with 90 acres all to herself?"

Carol pulled the reins to stop her horse and Pookie automatically stopped too. "Maybe someday I'll tell you the whole story, but for now all you need to know is that my husband was an asshole. But he was a rich asshole and when he died I got all of this." She said something else quietly that Daryl couldn't quite make out, but he guessed it was 'and I deserved it.'

"Hold on," she said, with a wicked smile. Daryl was confused until she gave Cherokee a kick and took off. He had just enough time to get a grip on the reins before Pookie took off after them. Daryl held on for dear life, more than a little terrified at first.

He was pretty sure that most beginners don't get to attempt a full run their first time out and as his ass slapped awkwardly on the saddle he muttered several swear words under his breath. He felt like someone was kicking him in the nuts over and over again and Daryl couldn't take it anymore. He yanked hard on the reins and Pookie immediately came to a halt. So quick that Daryl almost fell off. "Fuck," he said out loud, climbing down to tend to his aching nuts.

Carol galloped back towards him and Daryl glared at her. "What the fuck? Are you trying to permanently destroy my balls?" he asked, cupping them gently. "Not to mention my ass!"

"You passed the first test," she replied, smiling at him.

"What are you talking about?" Daryl growled.

"You took charge," Carol explained calmly. "Pookie knows what's she doing, but she also needs to know that you're the boss." Carol patter the horse's nose and hopped off her own. "If you don't teach her that right from the start, she'll walk all over you." Daryl started to wonder if she was still talking about horses, thinking back to the day before in his room where she had asserted herself very clearly. "Let's walk them for a bit, and when you're ready we'll get back on and head home."

They wandered silently while Daryl cooled down. He was amazed that she knew he needed a moment. Most girls he'd hung around never knew when to just shut the fuck up. But Carol wasn't a girl, no, she was most definitely a woman.

Daryl wondered what she thought of him. Did she see him as just another kid? Or did she realize he'd been a man for most of his life. She was friendly and polite, but did she treat him any different than anyone else? Probably not. Don't her your hopes up asshole, he told himself. You haven't got a shot in hell with that babe.

~.~.~.~.

Carol took a quick peek at the young man walking beside her. He was handsome, very handsome. But he's 17, she reminded herself. Soon to be 18, another voice crept it. Either way, he was an employee and she knew she shouldn't be thinking about how good looking he was.

There was something about him that intrigued her though and she couldn't let it go. He came in with this chip on his shoulder and she assumed he was just going to be another redneck asshole that wouldn't last a week. They'd had their share of kids come out and give hard work a try only to high tail it back home a few days later.

Daryl was different. Whether he really did have a strong work ethic or was just incredibly stubborn Carol felt certain he'd be around all summer. She'd be spending a lot of time with this handsome stranger who already had her attention.

Since her husband Ed had died almost 2 full years ago she had been focused solely on the farm. Carol was hell-bent to make it on her own. She had gone through an incredible transformation in that time, with the help of close friends like Theresa and Cal. He was the closest thing to a father she had.

There had been no time to think about guys. Though she was only in her mid-20s, she'd experienced almost 8 years of marriage. And now, even though it was over, she still had huge responsibilities.

But late at night, when she was laying alone in bed Carol wished there was a warm body beside her. She wanted to feel that passion and thunder again. It had ended early with Ed though. It wasn't just the years since his death - she hadn't experienced true passion since long before that.

She snuck another glance at Daryl. He seemed to have calmed down so Carol finally spoke. "Hey, I'm sorry for that. I wanted you to learn to take charge just like you did. But it was mean. Are you okay?"

"Well I might have to put my ass and testicles on ice when we get back, but I'm sure I'll live." It came out as a grumble but Carol detected no heat behind it. She felt a blush creep into her cheeks picturing the scene he just described.

She quickly changed the subject. "Listen, tomorrow night there's a barn dance, over at the neighbours. Everyone within 20 miles shows up. Happens once a month. We usually finish early and everyone goes for a bit. You don't have to..." Carol let her voice trail off then quickly added, "but it's a lot of fun."

"Sure, why not?" Daryl agreed.

"Great," Carol smiled at him. "So you ready to try riding back in? We won't ride again until Saturday. You're gonna be sore."

"No shit," Daryl replied stopping the horse and doing the same awkward mount he'd done when they left. She made a mental note to help him figure that out next time, away from the others.

Carol climbed on Cherokee and started her walking slowly. She had to take deep breaths the entire way back to avoid bursting out laughing at the cuss words coming out of Daryl's mouth with pretty much every stride.

Yes Daryl Dixon definitely had her attention, whether she wanted to give it to him or not.