Author's Note:

I am job hunting now, hoping to find full time employment, so updates won't come twice a week like they were before. So sad…..I just want to stay at home and keep reading and writing fanfic.

Not to mention that it took me so long to figure out how to post my first chapter on this new-fangled technology I just kept writing until I was able to, which allowed me to work ahead. I'm happy to report that each time, I am faster at posting, so there is hope for me yet with computers.

Just a little reminder that there will be smut in the story, as soon as I stop blushing long enough to write it, heheheheh.

Thanks so much guys for your reviews, favorites, and follows!

Chapter 10-Madison, GA

Whew! Olivia had nearly forgotten how much work was involved in a move. She lived at her Santa Monica home pretty much right after she graduated and found employment. And that was only a move from a city that was about 20 miles out. This cross-country move was just killing her!

The men from the moving company arrived about two days after she did. Boxes and boxes of stuff were still piled into each room. Godiva was having a ball, with so many new scents filling her with curiosity, as she sniffed one box after the other, tail waving to and fro.

Olivia was glad she had Mabel, the young college girl, come by to clean before they arrived. This way, once the boxes came, she just needed to unpack and not worry about cleaning. She knew she had to hurry up and put her things away to make room for the piano that was coming. Olivia had decided to rearrange the living room furniture so that the piano could be placed in a corner, but she would need Daryl's help.

Hopefully, when school started everything would be put away by then. She really wanted to be settled in already. That gave her about 2 weeks.

While Daryl was minding the house when she was gone, the textbooks she ordered had arrived. She asked him to put those boxes on the kitchen counter, separate from the moving boxes that would be placed on the floor. She was glad he remembered. What a nightmare it would be if those packages got lost in all this chaos.

A small smile appeared on her face as she thought of Daryl. He's just so sweet. She really appreciated his help and she treated him to their Chinese dinner the other night as a way to show her gratitude. He offered to take care of their meals, but Olivia insisted, as a way to repay him for his trouble. After shooting him a raised eyebrow in answer to his scowl, he conceded and she ended up taking care of the bill.

The auto transport company called and informed her that her car would be arriving some time tomorrow afternoon, much to her relief. She disliked calling a taxi. Daryl, when he wasn't working, brought her around town to do errands. Though she enjoyed spending time with him, a part of her missed her independence. She liked not having to depend on someone else, but if she were completely honest, she also liked having someone to depend on as well. It was a good feeling, knowing that someone was there for you.

By 11:45, her stomach decided to rumble out a complaint. Last night, she placed some of the lasagna that was in the freezer to defrost in the refrigerator and she was eagerly looking forward to a nice Italian lunch. While the lasagna was cooking in the microwave, she prepared her salad, by adding tomato wedges to the greens she poured from a bag of pre-packaged salad and rinsed through twice. She topped it with some sliced onions and few croutons. A little ramekin held Italian dressing so she didn't have to pour it on top.

The day after Olivia arrived, she headed out with Daryl to pick up fresh produce and milk, so her refrigerator was well-stocked. He didn't think a taxi would have been a good idea and had offered to take her to the Ingles Market. Olivia was slightly disappointed since she would have preferred to go to the Whole Foods, but the nearest one was in Johns Creek; over an hour away and she didn't want Daryl to go through even more trouble because of her. Back in Santa Monica, she lived close to three of them and had her pick on which one she shopped at. Perhaps she was spoiled….

After lunch, Olivia managed to unpack everything for the kitchen, bedroom, and bathrooms. As much as she wanted to leave things the way they were, she couldn't help but feel that she should personalize her new home instead of leaving it the way her Gran had decorated. So, with that thought, she had unpacked her favorite cutlery set and butcher's block and lovingly boxed up the set that her grandmother had used for nearly a decade. Olivia moved about the kitchen, setting out her own mixer and putting away Gran's. She sighed. A part of her was sentimental about replacing the items. She just might keep these up in the attic until she decided what to do with them. She could always donate them to Goodwill. It would be a shame to just let them sit up there when there could be people who needed them.

The rest of the day was spent shopping for any school supplies that Olivia needed: notebooks, binders, paper, and some extra pens. She was hoping this was the last time she would need a taxi. Olivia still had her backpack from college. Luckily it wasn't too banged up and she would be able to reuse it. Usually, Olivia didn't like spending money unless it was necessary, although she splurged on an item or two here and there. Yeah, the pack was more than ten years old, but she didn't mind. She didn't have to have the newest clothing or the latest trend. It was just a plain navy blue Jansport with a leather bottom. It was sturdy and it would serve its purpose. That's all that mattered to her.

The next morning, Olivia was pulling out a casserole from the oven when Daryl strolled into the kitchen, carrying Godiva in his arms while she wriggled around and tried to lick his face.

"Mornin'," Daryl said, with a quirk of his lips.

Olivia turned to look at him, with a smile. "Morning to you too. Almost ready here."

"'Kay." Daryl set the puppy down on the floor, who made a beeline for its feeding bowl while Daryl turned to wash up at the sink. He pulled out orange juice and milk from the refrigerator and started the coffee maker for himself. He didn't feel like having juice this morning.

"Somethin' smells good here," Daryl complimented as he took in an appreciative sniff.

"Cheesy Ham and Hash Brown Casserole. And…..got something special for you since you've been such a tremendous help to me. Can't thank you enough," Olivia said as she walked over with a plate that was covered with a paper napkin.

Daryl's eyes followed her as she lifted the napkin off with a dramatic flourish, like the ladies on The Price is Right when they uncovered what was under the box. He saw fresh biscuits with steam still coming off them and….Holy fuuuck….chocolate gravy.

"You like?" Olivia asked, giggling to herself when she saw Daryl's eyes glaze over. She knew cheese was one of his favorite foods and that he was quite the fiend for chocolate. Maybe it was overload to give him two treats in one sitting.

Daryl didn't answer. He didn't hear her. He just planted himself on the barstool, still in a trance-like state. It had been so long since he had that. His grandmother had made that for him and Merle a few times, but that was ages ago. The woman had died when they were still young. Daryl's own mother was too concerned about her liquor and where her next drink was coming from to cook much. Many of the memories Daryl had left of his mother consisted of her puffing on her Virginia Slims and chugging whiskey from the bottle.

Olivia smiled at him, noticing the look of longing on Daryl's face as he eyed the highly coveted treat. "Here, let me get you a plate." She scooped up a generous amount of the casserole and placing the biscuit on a smaller, separate plate, poured chocolate gravy over it. She brought it to Daryl, who picked up the fork that was already placed at his table setting and dug into the biscuit. "Mmmmm." Daryl dipped two fingers into the warm chocolate sauce and scooped them into his mouth, licking and sucking every drop of sauce.

"Gross," Olivia admonished, laughing. After a short moment, she felt a weird feeling deep in her belly that she couldn't or didn't want to explain. She tore her eyes away from Daryl and went ahead and prepped her own plate. Then she brought over a cup of coffee for Daryl and poured herself a glass of juice. It seemed that Daryl forgot all about the orange juice he took out of the refrigerator for her and she ended up serving herself. But she didn't mind at all.

After breakfast, Daryl headed out to repair part of the wooden fence. The wood was old and rotten and it broke away very easily when one of the horses bumped it yesterday.

Olivia put away the leftovers, not that there was a lot left. Daryl had 2 servings of the casserole and 2 biscuits with gravy this morning. There was enough for 2 or 3 more portions and about five biscuits left. She wrapped everything up, including the chocolate gravy, so Daryl could take it home, thinking he could enjoy it tomorrow or share it with Merle.

A phone call interrupted her while she was just closing refrigerator door. Rushing over to her phone, she saw that it was the auto transport company. The man on the line told her the car would be there in the afternoon, around 2 pm. That was certainly great news!

All she needed was to have her beloved Dumbledore here and everything would be complete. Her thoroughbred was expected to arrive in 4 days, according to the email the horse transport company sent her last night. Olivia had interviewed several companies to be sure she found the right one to take care of her pet on the long journey across country and she was confident in her decision.

When the stove and oven were cool enough to clean, Olivia wiped the surfaces down quickly to get rid of any grease and food particles. She looked out the window and noticed that it was such a beautiful summer morning, while an idea came to mind…..

Twenty minutes later, she was walking out barefoot in a large, oversized T-shirt, with a towel under her arm. Olivia was heading to the lake, recalling the fun she had she had as a kid. Back then, there was a rope swing that was attached to a thick and sturdy tree limb hanging over the lake. She and her sisters would swing off the rope, drop down into the lake and constantly do it over and over again while laughing their heads off. It was one of their favorite activities to do at their Gran's, being a close second to horseback riding.

Summers were always so carefree for them, but in addition, the time spent was also educational as well. Granddaddy would take the girls into the woods and while on their walks, he would point out edible plants, teach vital observational skills and how to track the animals that resided there. As the girls grew older, he went on and explained how the animals and plants were part of the ecosystem there and how each component was a crucial part of the whole cycle. This tied in with what the girls had studied in school. They were rapt listeners, giving their grandfather their undivided attention.

Their Gran taught the girls to appreciate good food, and gave them an understanding of cooking principles: heat transfer and the effects of it, food preservation and preparation, and proper selection and storage of food. Although the sisters had a tremendous amount of fun with their grandparents, they actually had been receiving science lessons over the years.

Oh, it's still there! Olivia saw the huge tree and the rope swing as she got closer to the lake. A smile spread across her face as she remembered their childhood adventures.

Daryl saw Olivia walking towards the lake, and wondering what she was up to, headed up to join her. He just couldn't stay away. Before he got there, he noticed her stop by the edge, and drop the towel onto the ground. In the blink of an eye, her hands grabbed the hem of her T-shirt and yanked it up, revealing her dark orange strapless bikini.

Oh….fuck….me….Daryl's mind was at a loss. All he saw were tits. Round, luscious, and full tits. Definitely enough for a handful.

He watched her climb onto the rope swing and swing herself out, letting go of the rope and dropping into the lake below. She was laughing heartily when she came up out of the water. By that time he was already at the lake's edge.

Olivia looked over at him and gave him a smile. "You should join me. The water feels great. It's such a hot day already."

Daryl was chewing on thumbnail. "Nah. Got work ta do."

"Maybe later then?" Olivia asked.

"Maybe," Daryl agreed. The water did look very inviting and it was hot as hell in the Georgian heat. He wasn't going to take off his wife beater though. He refused to let Olivia witness his shame. Even though he trusted her, he couldn't bear the thought of that beautiful girl laying her eyes on something so horrible, so disfiguring. Nobody ever saw the scars that marred the surface of his back.

Olivia swam closer to the edge and started to walk out. Daryl was in a near panic. Shit, she's gonna be all wet and nearly naked.

She was almost completely out of the water when suddenly, she gave a cry of distress and crumpled, lowering herself to the ground. The young woman sat down immediately, in about 5 inches of water, holding her right foot up in order to inspect it.

Daryl immediately ran over to her, not giving a shit if his pants and boots were getting soaked. He kneeled down next to her, partially in the water, checking over her foot. The bottom of her foot had a cut about 2 inches long, but luckily it didn't appear to be deep. He pulled the red bandana from his back pocket, and after rinsing it out in the lake, he wrung out the water from it and tied it around Olivia's foot.

Using one his hands, Daryl carefully explored the surface where she was just walking, to see what caused her injury, and finally felt the sharpness of one of the rocks lining the lake's edge. Angrily, he hurled it towards the woods before helping Olivia up to her feet.

Daryl placed her arm around his shoulders, helping to support her weight. She walked gingerly, limping on her injured foot. "Hold up," Daryl instructed, removing her arm from him. He got in front of her and turned his back to her.

"C'mon, hop on," he directed, pointing to his back.

"Huh?"

"Ain't got all day, girl," Daryl grumbled. "Piggyback."

"Serious?" She asked, with a tiny smirk.

"Serious piggyback," Daryl replied. "Now git on."

Daryl lowered himself slightly so Olivia would have an easier time getting on his back. As soon as she hopped on, he truly regretted his offer.

The first thing he noticed was the soft skin on the back of her thighs, where he was supporting her with his hands. Never before had he ever felt such softness. He would never have believed that a woman's skin would feel that soft. Daryl noticed a weird sensation in his belly and he pushed it away.

With a blush creeping across his cheeks, he realized her soft, yet firm breasts were pressed up against his back, the wet fabric of her bikini soaking into his shirt. Each step he made caused her and her breasts to bounce against his back. Ah, shit. And to make things worse, Daryl was feeling an uncomfortable sensation in his pants as his cock began to twitch. Good Lord, gonna have ta go walkin' 'round the farm with a fuckin' hard-on…..Daryl blew out a breath hoping his cock would behave. He tried to think of all sorts of things to get rid of his pesky growing erection. Merle's hairy white ass, Mrs. Kendall….damn, even back in 3rd grade she looked like she was pushing 90, flesh-eating zombies….. Nothing worked. His erection was growing harder by the second, he noted with horror, and he tried shifting his body as his pants tightened uncomfortably. Daryl attempted to focus on anything else, not knowing what to do, so he said the first thing that came to mind to deflect the situation. He grunted out, "Unngh, yer heavier than ya look."

"Oh stop it!" Olivia said in mock annoyance as she lightly slapped his chest, keeping her arms still locked around his shoulders and neck. "You sure know how to sweet talk a girl, eh?" She giggled lightly.

Olivia felt the warmth that exuded off of Daryl's body. With her arms were looped around his solid, broad shoulders, she noted the strength in the muscles that were rolling and moving beneath her. During her ride, she felt a light fluttering in her belly. Quickly, she tried to think of other things to distract her from the weird sensations. Taxes, pus-filled abscesses…crap! Not working! PV=nRT, PV=nRT….p is the absolute pressure, v is the volume, n is the amount of substance in moles…..

Daryl huffed and blew out a couple of breaths to calm himself down. He started walking faster hoping to get her off of him sooner. Gonna need ta jerk off like a horny teenager in the bathroom, he thought with a scowl. T'hell is goin' on here?

Once inside the house, Daryl set Olivia down gently on a barstool in the kitchen. The little brown puppy immediately ran over to investigate. Daryl quickly raced to the downstairs bathroom, taking out the first aid kit and bottle of alcohol from under the sink and grabbed a towel, noting with relief that his cock was somewhat starting to behave.

He knelt by Olivia's foot. "Gimme yer foot."

"It's okay, Daryl. I can take care of it myself." She started to untie the red bandana.

Daryl waved her hand away. "Just gimme yer foot so I can clean it out. Quit yer yammerin', girl. Yer wastin' time."

Geez, he's so unbelievably bossy, in a sweet way, Olivia decided to just let him do it, since he was so insistent.

With the softest of touches, Daryl placed the towel on his knee, taking her injured foot and putting it down on the towel, he unwrapped the red rag carefully and placed it on the ground next to him. Once it was removed, he looked up at her. "Gonna sting like a bitch. Ya ready?"

Olivia bit her lip and nodded with apprehension.

Daryl poured the rubbing alcohol over her cut, letting the excess run off into the towel below.

"Oh God!" Olivia shouted, one hand grabbed onto his shoulder and squeezed, causing Daryl to flinch in surprise. Once the burn began to subside, her grip relaxed.

"Good girl," Daryl encouraged. Olivia gave him a small smile. Daryl applied antibiotic ointment after the alcohol dried, then he wrapped gauze bandage around the instep of her foot.

Olivia was observing him as he tended to her injury. At first glance, it would have been difficult to imagine that such a gruff, rough-looking man could be so tender and gentle in his ministrations. His hands were calloused, from years of hard work, but they handled and treated her skin with the utmost of care.

When her foot was wrapped, Olivia pushed up from the barstool to get up.

"Where ya goin'?" Daryl inquired.

"Need to see what to do about lunch."

"Nuh-uh. Ya gotta stay off that foot, could open up 'n bleed 'gain," Daryl replied.

"Well, how are we going to eat?"

"Imma make us somethin'," Daryl replied.

"You cook?" Olivia asked, with wide eyes.

"Nothin' fancy like ya do or like yer Gran. Had ta cook ta eat. Ma momma wasn't doin' it. Ma daddy sure as hell wasn't cookin'. Jus' me 'n Merle."

Olivia nodded, staying put on the barstool. "I have some steaks marinating in the refrigerator."

She watched Daryl move about in the kitchen. He knew where most everything was, to her surprise. The young woman didn't realize just how observant Daryl had been.

"If you give me some potatoes, I can peel them for you," she offered. "I was thinking of mashed potatoes to go with the steaks."

Daryl looked at her for a moment, then grabbed a bowl and the peeler for her, placing them in front of Olivia. He turned to the pantry to take out 4-5 potatoes and brought them to the sink to wash them, then handed them to her. "Thank you," Olivia said softly, looking into his blue eyes and feeling as if she was falling right into their depths.

For the next 10 minutes, they sat side by side in a comfortable silence, as Olivia peeled the potatoes while Daryl trimmed the green beans, dropping them into the colander he placed on the kitchen island.

Daryl only had experience cooking up deer steaks, not the expensive cuts of beef, but he figured it was probably not that different. While seated at her barstool, Daryl brought over the ingredients and supplies Olivia called out and she whipped up a batch of brownies while the steaks were cooking. Daryl placed the pan into the pre-heated oven, looking forward to the chocolatey treats. Twenty minutes later, they found themselves sitting in front of plates filled with green beans, mashed potatoes, and steaks seared to perfection, while the brownies were cooling.

Not wanting to admit it, Daryl did enjoy cooking with Olivia. Hell, he enjoyed any time he spent with the girl.

Once they had their fill of dessert, Olivia made a move to get up, earning her a reprimand from Daryl.

"Nuh-uh. Told ya ta stay off that foot. Ya don't listen," Daryl chided.

"Can't stay on this barstool forever, can I?" she retorted. "How am I supposed to get a-"

Olivia was interrupted as she let out a squeak when Daryl scooped her off the seat and carried her bridal style. Instinctively, her arms wrapped around his neck. "Just tell me where ya gotta go."

Olivia giggled. He's got a solution for everything. "You could put me in the chair on the front porch, so I can keep an eye out for my car. It should be here very soon."

"Yeah? Then ya won't be needin' me ta take ya ta the store?" For some reason, Daryl felt a bit disappointed.

"Well….I'll be able to get to the store on my own, but….I'll always need you," Olivia said, with a slight blush. She didn't know why, but she wanted Daryl to know just how important he was. Daryl's own cheeks reddened a bit as well.

Gently, he placed her on the weathered white chair. Before Daryl left, he reminded her, "Ya stay put. Don't need ya hurtin' yer foot 'gain."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Dixon," Olivia smirked up at him, giving him a small salute with her hand.

Daryl grumbled, "Ya got yerself a smart mouth there, girl."

When Daryl left to tend to his chores for the day, she noticed the warmth that lingered in her chest. It was a good feeling, when someone was taking care of you. She felt…safe and protected.

About an hour or so later, a large semi-tractor trailer pulled up in front of the farmhouse, catching Daryl's attention. He came around to the front of the house, and glared when he saw Olivia trying to make it down the steps. Quickly, Daryl rushed over to scoop her up again while she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You're going to spoil me, Daryl. Soon, I won't want to walk and insist that you carry me everywhere," Olivia laughed. Daryl rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to need to inspect the car."

"C'mon, Imma gonna take you there." Daryl walked down the steps and went over to the driver who was unloading the car with his assistant.

"Dr. Walker?" The man asked.

"Yes, I am," she answered with a smile. I hurt my foot earlier," Olivia explained when she noticed the questioning look from the driver. She reviewed the documentation he had with him. Once she was finished, the driver joined his partner to complete the unloading of the vehicle from the back trailer.

Daryl's breath left him as he spied the blue sports car that slid down the ramp. "Damn," he mumbled. A car like that must have cost a pretty penny. His eyes roved over the metallic blue paint, and traveled over the curves and shiny rims, and noted the width of the tires. The car was meant to be driven.

Olivia smiled up at him. "I got it used, after I graduated, as a present to myself."

Daryl carried her while she inspected first the outside, then the inside of the car. Afterwards, Olivia signed off on the paperwork the driver, and once he gave her a copy, he and the second man left.

Daryl couldn't take his eyes off the car. It must be a guy thing. Men loved cars, nearly as much as they loved breasts.

"Do you wanna take it for a spin?" Olivia offered, holding up her car key.

Daryl's eyes snapped to meet hers, not quite believing she would let him do that.

"Well?" She waved the electronic key in front of him.

With a tiny smile, he nodded.

Daryl stepped harder on the accelerator, reveling in the feel of the engine's response. There was the softest of purrs while he felt the unleashed power of the vehicle under his seat. It was almost like sitting astride a tiger. He glanced at Olivia who was in the passenger seat next to him. She was relaxed and enjoying the country drive with a big smile, while her hair thrashed about.

He couldn't believe he had a chance to drive one of those fancy cars that rich people had. Daryl lifted his face slightly to bask further in the warm sun that was beaming down on them. The wind whipped through his shaggy brown hair, providing relief from the heat.

Before he knew it, it was time to return to the farmhouse, much to his disappointment. Daryl would have liked to keep driving, but he knew he had more work to do. With a heavy sigh, he turned back.

Olivia noticed the change in his mood; he looked so disgruntled. "There'll always be another day we can go out for a drive," she said.

Daryl looked back over at her, giving her a tiny smile.