Sick. Sick sick sick. I have been sick as HELL dear readers. Allergies + bronchitis and for a while I was sure I had pneumonia. Then my godmother died and it was finals week and…well you have your own stress, just trust me that the last few weeks have been awful. But….I'm back with a chapter and….I bought a new motorcycle to pull me out of the doldrums. His name is Lil Merle and I'm going to have Michael Rooker autograph his picture someday. So let's hit some Caryl and Meth!
A Bad Stud Goes Good
Carol rested her hands on her hips as she caught her breath. Lugging bushel baskets full of fruit in this heat was tiring. "He's not back yet," she said, looking over the fence line as she wiped her sweaty hands on her pants. After a few moments silence she turned to regard her husband who was wiping off a small scythe with the red rag he carried in his pocket. He squinted at her and didn't reply. "Maybe it's good, " she ventured. Daryl shrugged and put the scythe back on the floor of the ATV he had ridden out here. "Dunno," he said finally. "Only been a few weeks. Could be hung up somewhere. Or if he made it there he could a gotten hisself thrown out by now, er got his dumbass shot." Carol frowned at him good-naturedly. "He's not going to do anything to ruin it with Beth," she replied. Daryl snorted a little through his nose and said, "Yeah, you can bet he's been toein' the line since he got there. But if I know Merle, he can only stay quiet for so long."
Daryl gazed at Carol heatedly as she bent over to pick up another bushel basket. Usually they asked Merle to watch the kids whenever they needed sex but it had been weeks since Merle left and Daryl was getting impatient. "Where's the kids?" he asked, knowing the answer. He silently walked towards her as she struggled with her load. She heaved the bushel onto the flatbed behind the tractor with a loud exhalation. "Locked in the house," she said. "Theoretically sleeping. In fact I need to go check on them." She half turned and was surprised to find him right behind her, his hands moving to encircle her waist. Her head fell to the side as he nuzzled her neck with his beard and moved his hands up to pinch her nipples. Fuck she felt good. "Mmmmm," she hummed with a smile. "I missed you." He pressed into her from behind and unbuttoned her belt, slowly guiding her pants and panties to her ankles. His middle finger found her slick and warm and she sagged back into him weakly. "Don't you worry 'bout the kids just yet," he whispered gruffly into her ear. "Gonna make us another one first."
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It was Sunday and Beth woke up extra early, telling herself that she needed to be organized to direct the children program for today's service. And if she was singing and directing the children she should probably wear makeup since all the parents would be watching. And if she was going to wear makeup she should do her hair. I'll wear it down she thought. Merle always liked it down, not that I'm doing this for him. And I'll wear my blue sundress. I've only worn it once before so likely no one has seen it. She looked at the clock and gasped. She needed to get started.
Drew awoke to find Beth energetically teasing her hair in the bathroom. He saw makeup containers strewn all over the vanity and several pairs of shoes had been lined up on the floor underneath her prettiest dress. He shook his head. "Special occasion I don't know about?" he asked. She smiled at him and said, "No, I always dress for church." He asked, "Is someone getting married today?" She sighed as she studied her fluffed up hair. "No Drew, I'm directing the kids and I'm singing today, plus it's Daddy's sermon. I thought I should look nice." He scratched his head and said, "Well I'm wearing what I always wear." She smiled at him as she pushed him out of the bathroom. "That's fine," she said.
She smiled graciously at Hershel's double take when he saw her. "You look lovely Beth," said Hershel and Beth beamed. "Thank you Daddy. It's a big day." She walked excitedly to the church, slowing herself twice to let her family catch up. "You're in an awful hurry today," said Hershel. She dutifully waited for them to catch up. "I want to make sure that the kids are ready to go. Merle will be taking pictures of all of us to take back to Daryl and Carol," she said. "I want everything to be perfect." Hershel appraised her for a moment then nodded and continued towards the building.
Beth hurriedly got the kids organized, eight of them in all. The five girls were well behaved but sometimes the boys could be a handful so she made sure they were all following instructions. Drew was tuning his guitar and had the sheet music ready and Beth tapped her foot nervously. Finally she gave into temptation and scanned the crowd. The regulars were there, about forty in all, and all in their usual places…but no Merle. Her heart sank. Well it's not like he's yours anymore, she told herself. He's here to trade not to see you, and certainly not to go to church. She shook herself and returned to the dressing area where the boys had started to hit each other with chalkboard pointers in her absence. She felt the makeup begin to smear on her face as she seized the weapons, scolded the boys and separated them to different corners of the room.
There were several religious figures in their encampment so in the spirit of cooperation they rotated sermons and kept things nondenominational. Today was Hershel's sermon. He started the service with an opening prayer and perfunctory announcements. About ten minutes into the proceedings he noticed the door in the back open and saw Merle slip into the room. Merle moved to the side and remained standing against the wall, arms crossed against his chest – he always kept his back to a wall or a corner so he could see and hear everything that went on but could still escape if need be. Hershel acknowledged him silently with a nod of the head.
Beth distractedly lined up the kids in the front at Hershel's cue and started them on their program. Overall they did well and required only a little bit of coaching with the words. She spent most of her time with her back to the crowd so she didn't notice Merle until the children finished and she turned around to face the congregation. Her heart jumped when she saw him. He was in a black button up shirt and black jeans and he had battled his curly hair into submission with a wet comb. Only his steely blue eyes moved as he stared directly into her face. She looked at the bunched muscles of his crossed arms and was overtaken by the memory of those arms holding her against his bare chest. A rush of wet heat soaked her panties and she heard herself gasp. Unconsciously she blushed, then struggled to regain her composure to congratulate the children and their parents for a successful program. Her face hot, she turned away from the crowd and scurried for a seat for Hershel's sermon on the Opportunity for New Beginnings in This World.
After the sermon Drew, Maggie and Beth took the center front and Drew accompanied the girls on guitar while they sang hymns. Beth felt Merle's eyes burning her and she closed her eyes to keep on track. Afterwards Maggie took her place back with her family then Beth smiled to Hershel. "I planned this song as a surprise for my Daddy," she told the congregation, then looked at Hershel and smiled. She took the guitar from Drew, who sat down with the rest of the Greenes, and she started a soulful version of 'You Light Up My Life' while smiling over at her father. Hershel beamed in pleasure and sat on a stool to enjoy the song. Beth bent her head over the guitar as a strong wave of emotion passed through her. She had picked this song weeks ago as a tribute to her father but now with Merle's gaze upon her it seemed to be taking on an entirely different meaning. Her voice dipped sorrowfully then throbbed through the church as she felt her eyes being dragged to Merle. She saw a muscle twitch in his face but otherwise he remained motionless as she finished the ballad:
'Cause you, you light up my life,
You give me hope to carry on
You light up my days,And fill my nights with song
It can't be wrong,When it feels so right
'Cause you,You light up my life'*
(*Lyrics by Joe Brooks)
The spell was broken by thunderous applause from the congregation and Beth snapped out of her reverie to stand up, bow and kiss her father. When she turned back around, Merle was gone.
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Merle paced his apartment, grinding his teeth and growling under his breath. Beth had the most expressive eyes of anyone he'd ever met and what he had seen in them agitated him beyond belief. Want. Surprise. Lust. Love. Pain. There was something there for him after all but what the fuck did it matter? She's practically married. Jesus Christ, her standin' up there in that blue dress. Used to be I was the only one saw her hair down, used ta wrap my hand in it and pull her head back ta get ta them perfect little titties. Took my sweet time too. Lil girl gained weight in the right places and that dress hugged all of them. Fuck, what them titties must look like now. His titties.
The image of Drew strumming the guitar behind Beth leapt into Merle's mind and Merle punched the wall. "Fuck!" he spat in anger and pain. He stalked to the bathroom and ran his hand under the cool water to soothe his split knuckles then he splashed water on his face. He stared grimly at his reflection in the mirror. She tells me ta go, I'll go. Otherwise I'm in this race. Ain't gonna leave 'fore I'm good and done. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He dried off and opened the door to find Miguel standing there. "Hello Merle," Miguel said. "I see you in church today, Miss Beth sing good, yeah?" Merle nodded silently and Miguel continued. "Mr. Cole, he get hurt today, can't work for a couple of weeks. You like to fill in for him in the barns?" Merle snorted softly through his nose. Hershel's words regarding 'Opportunity for New Beginnings in This World' rang in his ears. "Yeah," he answered. "I'll be down in a couple minutes."
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The next morning Beth, Hershel, Cole, Miguel and Merle stood in the barn office, agreeing on division of duties now that Cole's bum ankle was sprained and he was out of commission. Merle was able to pick up most of them except for those that involved a lot of climbing into the loft. They reviewed their weekly activities and how Merle would fit into the schedule. Any worries they had were unwarranted once they saw Merle on the business end of a shovel. Even with one arm he shoveled as well as anyone else and was able to carry loads and handle animals without supervision. After a couple weeks he and Miguel worked well together, often with Merle in silence and Miguel chattering about anything that crossed his mind. "Anybody ever tell ya you talk too much?" Merle grumped at him. "Sí," said Miguel, laughing. "In English and in español!" Miguel asked Merle to eat at his place during his breaks but Merle always declined, electing to stay in the barns and watch Beth train the horses and dogs. It was awkward at first for Merle and Beth to work together but they soon fell into a rhythm. He never let her lift anything heavy and he worked overtime conditioning her tack and fixing equipment she used regularly. "You and Miss Beth were good friends," observed Miguel one day. Merle turned, surprised that Miguel snuck up on him. "Yeah, I guess ya can say that," he replied. "What happened?" asked Miguel. Merle glared at him then turned back to watch Beth. "I fucked it up," he said curtly, ending the conversation.
Beth usually worked six days a week in the barns and devoted Sunday to family. She and Drew would lounge around their apartment then they would head over to Hershel's for early dinner, it was her favorite day of the week. Except now she began to dread Sundays and when she searched her soul she knew these new feelings were because she missed seeing Merle. She enjoyed being around him again, she had forgotten how he could make her laugh just with a look or with a dirty joke. Sometimes his boisterous side would come out and he would tell her tales of his wayward youth that usually involved either he or Daryl getting hurt in some spectacular way. She told him about her plans for expanding the farm to train more teams and expected him to scoff. Instead he listened thoughtfully and nodded. She felt his eyes on her all day when they were together, and she found that he rarely let her out of his sight. She once got aggravated and called him on it. "Makin' sure yer aight," was his raspy reply.
The rest of Merle's time was spent trading motorcycle parts and getting in garage time. He had amassed a few bikes at the place he shared with Daryl and Carol and was trying to rig them to ride one-handed. He was able to assemble enough clutch and brake parts to build the front end of a custom bike and one of the gearheads in the shop occasionally gave him a hand. The young boys in Beth's church group were fascinated by the tough redneck with the arm blade and began to follow him at a distance whenever he went to the shop. He talked to them gruffly but explained to the ones that stuck around what he was doing. Soon they were gathering to 'help' him on a regular basis. "Oh my gosh, look," said Beth to Maggie one day. "Isn't that the sweetest thing?" Merle was walking across the compound to the garage, the boys following him single file. One of them had a stick taped to his arm like Merle's blade, which got a big laugh out of Merle. He showed the boy how to use the blade to take out zombies in the head and the boys were entertained for the rest of the day, taking turns being Merle and zombies to be killed. Beth and Maggie weren't the only ones who noticed the muscular biker. Several middle-aged women were trying to get friendly with him with the bartender at Fremont's being his biggest admirer. Rita accentuated her vast cleavage with her lowest cut shirts whenever Merle was around, ensuring that he got a good eyeful. Beth also heard that one of the other women had actually offered to clean Merle's apartment in exchange for his attentions and that he had used his best Southern charm to turn her down. Beth was scandalized. "That's just indecent," she groused one day. Maggie laughed scornfully. "Yeah, Merle's definitely not worth it." Beth clamped her lips together and told herself to mind her own business.
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Beth was doing her morning rounds one Monday when Miguel approached her, his eyes dancing. "Miss Beth," he said. "The stud. He is back." One year ago Miguel spotted the hoof prints in a large field that bordered dense woods. There was plenty of cover here for a band of wild horses to hide and there was evidence for mares and foals. Maggie and Beth drove there days later and placed several bait piles of grain hay out close to the fringe of woods. They clanked their pails to make the 'dinner' noise that domesticated horses know well. They returned the next day to find the bait piles gone and hoof prints and manure piles around them. They repeated the process, banging their pails to produce a sound that the horses would associate with food. They kept at it for a week and were rewarded one day by seeing two mares standing at the edge of the woods watching them with rapt curiosity. Maggie and Beth banged the buckets and backed up to give the mares room. The lead mare, a large bay, approached cautiously drawn by the grain. A second white mare snorted and followed her lead. The mares warily ate two piles of grain but drove back the other curious mares that were beginning to peek out of the woods.
The horses were too jittery to approach that day but over the course of the next two days the girls were able to get halters on both and lead them around. Beth cautiously crawled on top of the lead mare and reassured her while Maggie made reins out of the lead rope. Beth had a smile a mile wide when she and the mare jogged through the compound gate trailed by the other mare and Maggie in the car. Hershel examined both mares and found both to be in foal. "There has to be a stud around here," he said. "There's no way she was bred before the world fell, she would have foaled already. You're lucky you he didn't come after you girls, a stud gone wild can be vicious when protecting his herd."
Beth was delighted when both mares threw gorgeous highbred foals within the next few months and she made it her mission to find the stud. She and Maggie kept baiting the field and saw new hoof prints but the horse in question was wily and wouldn't show himself. They were able to get another three mares, two of which were in foal and one with a foal skipping by her side. They were some of the best-looking foals Beth had seen.
Beth started baiting twice a day to lure the stud and was shocked when one day it seemed as if the horses had disappeared. She kept at it but had to admit that the stud had outsmarted her. He had moved the herd. It was several months before the herd returned and they go their first glimpse at him. A young paint stud with striking markings stood on the edge of the field. Both girls said, "oooooh" when he trotted toward them, his head held high in challenge. He moved effortlessly with beautiful action. Beth fell in love on sight. "Claimed," Beth breathed to her sister.
The girls got in the car to watch the horse warily approach the grain piles. "He can only be about 6 or 7 years old," murmured Maggie. "He's got to be broke Beth, someone bred him right and trained him." Beth picked up the binoculars. "Looks like walkers tried to take him down," she murmured as she viewed his scraggy tail and the bite marks on his back hocks. She and Maggie looked at each other. This meant that he could be aggressive and very dangerous. They decided not to tell Hershel that part.
Over the next week they made good progress but had some close calls with the half wild horse. They learned to keep a close eye on his teeth and heels when they were close to him. Eventually Beth was able to touch him and even rub a lead rope down the left side of his body. "I know you remember people," she said in a soft voice. She backed away from him as a reward and he stood trembling then bucked and headed for the woods snorting. The next time she was able to slip a halter on his head before he escaped. Then a huge walker heard moved through and it had been months since they'd seen him last.
Beth excitedly asked Miguel if he could find Maggie for her then she turned to find Merle. "Please don't tell Daddy," she said. "I'm going to get that stallion." Merle chuckled and said, "Jest like that, huh? Ya gonna run off and wrangle some wild horse by yerself?" Beth laughed at the thought. "No," she said. "I'll do it with Maggie." Her plans were dashed when Glenn appeared to report that the heat of the summer had become too much for Maggie. "She got lightheaded in the kitchen last night," said Glenn. He looked pointedly at Beth and said, "Sorry Beth but she's not leaving the property. You'll have to find another accomplice."
Over the course of the day Beth worked quietly, a small frown line across her forehead. She was cleaning a stall in the late afternoon when she looked up to see Merle in the doorway, his arm propped above his head. "I'll help ya," he said and she smiled. He slowly approached her and stopped in front of her, so close that she could see the beads of sweat along his neck and chest. He looked down at her dirt-smudged hopeful face. She hadn't been this close to him in a long time and she tilted her head up to meet his eyes. He studied her face and his hand jerked upward to cup her chin, but he stopped himself. He saw her swallow hard and he continued, "But if that fuckin' horse hurts ya, I'm killin' it." A spasm of pain crossed her face and she bit her lip. After considering it for a minute she nodded. "Yer husband comin'?" he asked. Beth's eyes flashed with pain and she said faintly, "I'm not married… I don't know if Drew's coming or not." She looked into his worn face, wanting to trace the creases around her eyes with her fingers. His eyes twitched and he backed away. "See ya in tha mornin' then," he finished.
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It was Beth and Drew's first real fight. Usually if pressed he would back down and let her have her way to keep peace in the house but this time he was angry. "You want the horse?" he asked. "Or you want to be with him?" Beth uncharacteristically bristled at the accusation. "How dare you Drew! I invited you to come with. I don't need to leave the compound to be alone with anyone." Drew leveled his gaze at her. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" he asked spitefully. Beth gaped at him open mouthed. "I have never EVER cheated on anyone!" she hissed. He threw his shoe across the apartment then stood with his hands on his hips. "Well I'm only the second one you've had, I guess there's plenty of time," he said. Beth sputtered in disbelief then haughtily walked to the bedroom, changed into her nightclothes, and made her bed on the couch.
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The next day she and Merle headed out in the truck and Miguel followed in a separate truck towing an empty horse trailer. Cole, now limping less noticeably, was dourly covering light duty in the barn until their return and watched them warily as they drove out. Merle fixed him with a cold gaze. He didn't like that motherfucker one bit.
Beth told Hershel that the band was back and that she was getting more mares. As they drove to the field Merle could tell she was troubled and he drove silently following her directions. When they got to the site she put the bait piles out then she returned to the truck, signaling Miguel to wait in his truck. They sat a while in silence then Merle spoke. "Ya love him?" he asked. Beth turned to him in surprise. She knew he wasn't talking about Miguel. "Yes," she said softly. Merle studied her for a moment. "Why ain't ya married him? Heard he asked ya," he said. Beth dropped her eyes and turned back to look out of the window. "It wasn't the right time," she said softly. Merle grunted. "Got ya always wanted. Bein' with ya family, couple a young pups runnin' 'round ya feet. Pussy whipped husband carryin' ya over mud puddles." The last comment was partially out of spite, partially to get a rise out of her. She turned to glare at him. He was half leering at her, his eyes guarded and his mouth slack. "How would you know what I need Merle?" she asked in a whisper and before he could reply she got out of the truck.
She retrieved rope reins from the bed of the truck and started walking through the field, passing a hand signal to Merle to stay back and let her handle this. The stallion and his herd had emerged from the tree cover and were feeding at the bait piles. She walked slowly to him, talking softly. Moving very slowly she was able to touch him and check the condition of the halter she had put on him months ago. She softly clucked to him and reintroduced herself then clipped a rein onto his halter. He snorted loudly, taking in her scent and associating it with food and soft pats. She was not leaving without him.
She was able to slowly move him and his band of mares closer to the vehicles where more bait piles waited. Luckily no walkers were around to interfere with her progress. She talked low and soft to the stud who she had already named Gem for the brilliant star on his forehead. Without changing her voice she directed instructions to Miguel and Merle who were standing in front of one of the trucks, watching her warily. "The mares will follow him. Don't interfere unless I scream," she said. By the time she led Gem away Miguel was laughing at Merle's exclamation, "The fuck she just say?" Miguel tilted his head towards Beth who had another rein clipped into Gem's halter ring and was leading him towards a stump. "Miss Beth," laughed Miguel. "She ride anything good."
Beth put her arms on Gem's back and leaned her weight in and he barely flinched. She knew in her heart that he had been broken to ride before the turn. Gem moved his head down to eat the grain pile near the stump and Beth took her chance to calmly gather the reins and mount him. Gem's head came up and she felt his muscles bunch. Beth breathed calmly and pressed his sides with her legs and suddenly the rodeo started.
In hindsight she couldn't remember if he reared first then bucked or the other way around. What she did know is that when he flung his head back it connected with her nose and she spouted blood. When he moved into stiff legged hopping she almost became unseated but she pulled his head up and squeezed with her legs to move him forward. She felt his body coil with energy and they were off like a runaway locomotive, the horse running at top speed and trying to tug at the reins to get some slack in an effort to buck some more. She gritted her teeth and hauled his head up. "You want to run?" she asked him. "We'll run!"
Beth leaned forward to wrap her fingers in his mane and goaded him with her legs. Gem ran flat out, snorting and kicking and she directed him in a big oval around the group of mares. When she passed the truck she saw that Merle's gun was in his hand and he was trained it on Gem. Gem's hooves kicked up dirt clods that hit Merle like bullets and Merle yelled in surprise. He was going to kill that motherfucker.
She ran Gem in circles until both their chests were heaving. She slowed him down near a copse of trees and he skittered sideways trying to brush her off by running her into the branches. She grunted in pain and urged him forward again now running him in a figure eight. She smiled to herself. He thought he was tough because he was running but he didn't realize that he was obeying her other commands. They made another sweep by Merle who didn't want to shoot the horse while it was running with her. Miguel yelled, "Got two mares in the trailer!" as she went by. She circled again and yelled, "Meet me at home," which set off another bucking fit and she threw her head back and laughed. She hadn't felt this free since the turn. Screw men she thought and she turned Gem towards home and gave him some leg.
Merle swore and jumped in the car. She was fucking enjoying this.
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People in the Decatur encampment rapidly gave way as Beth and Gem skittered into the gates. Gem's eyes were rolling and his flanks trembled as his body dripped foamy sweat. Maggie met her at the gate and cheered her on, "Stick with him Bethie, you got it!" Merle trailed behind and looked at Maggie as though she was insane. The front of Beth's shirt was spattered with blood and her pants were soaked with horse sweat and her nose was swollen and probably broke and she was riding half a ton of crazy horse yet she and Maggie shared the same huge smiles. Fuckin' farm girls is crazier than biker chicks he thought. Gem cut to the side and screamed, his nostrils flaring red and his feet kicking out. The mares in the trailer and those that had followed the trailer through the gates answered back, then those that had been brought back months ago called from their pastures. Gem's neck arched and his tail stood up and he renewed his fight against Beth.
Hershel appeared and took pains to stand well out of the way. "Can't let him off now Bethie, you're in for the long haul," warned Hershel in a strong voice and Beth nodded distractedly in his direction. It was taking all her concentration to maintain control. Merle pulled his gun out and trained it on Gem's head but Hershel gently lowered Merle's arm. "It's just a battle of wills now Merle. If she perseveres he'll be hers. If she doesn't ride him out now he'll never submit." Merle swore and looked at Hershel uncertainly then holstered his weapon with the older man's encouragement. As he and the crowd watched Beth countering Gem's every move he noticed that Drew had come in from the fields looking tired and unshaven. Drew walked towards Beth and Gem but Hershel held him back and repeated his warning. Drew's brown eyes met Merle's icy blue and Merle's nostrils flared before he returned his gaze to Beth. She might be crazy but she's mine – and I'm seein' this out, thought Merle.
Several hours later the crowd had dissipated and only Drew, Hershel, Maggie, and Merle remained. Beth was dehydrated and exhausted and her arms and legs burned, but she wasn't going to give up. If this is the big thing I do with my life she thought, I want to do it right. As the sun dipped beyond the horizon Gem staggered and tried halfheartedly to brush her off on a fence rail and she nudged him forward. He trudged a few steps and finally his head dropped in submission. The battle was won. She wearily smiled at her family and knew there'd be hell to pay tomorrow.
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The morning sun peeked through the curtains and Beth tried to turn away from it only to find herself in severe pain. I'm dead thought Beth. I'm dead and I'm turning. It hurts so bad. "Ohhhggghhhhaaaa," she moaned. Yesterday came back to her in a rush and she knew she had to get down to see Gem. She jerked up and was punished with fiery pain through every muscle of her body. Oh God even my tongue hurts she thought. Drew sauntered into the bedroom with a cool glass of apple juice and handed it to her, sitting on the bed. "How's your nose?" he asked, trying to still be mad. Beth tried to laugh but howled in pain. "Fine until you reminded me," she pouted. Drew laughed then turned serious. "You were amazing yesterday," he said. She smiled at him happily. "Thanks," she said. "It was really hard."
The happiness she got from the Drew's nice greeting dissipated when she stepped into the barn to find her father standing there sternly with Miguel industriously working in the background. "Bethany, we're going to have a little talk," said Hershel and Beth noticed that Miguel never looked up as Hershel led her hobbling into the office and shut the door.
Later that afternoon she was doing groundwork with Gem (who was also stiff and sore), trying to channel his defiant energy into training. Merle watched her from the barn aisle, and when she looked up she smiled widely in response to his proud grin.
OK, so every time I try to get this story to progress I get caught up in details….but the details add dimension to the story. So I need to know – are you bored? Do you hate the details? Or do you just want smut? I promise there's smut coming and there should be some breaking points in the next chapter. Overall, I'm tired from life and fried and sad and I just really need some constructive feedback so BLESS YOU for reading this and leaving me a note. -AG