A/N Thanks everyone. Oh my gosh - now what? :)

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When the landlord told her she had to go Beth was stunned and humiliated, and she'd be forever grateful Merle was there and that he'd taken charge. She was sure she wouldn't have been able to put two words together on her own.

She would never deny how happy it made her feel when Merle put the landlord in his place for berating her. And oh my goodness, the money. She knows very well she would never have gotten her money back if a man hadn't been there to demand it be returned.

Afterward it was like she was numb and wasn't capable of thinking clearly. She just did what Merle said to do, she gathered hers and Tommy's things as they hurried to get out of the freezing apartment.

It was different now though. On the slow and scary drive to his house with her baby on her lap and her mind a little clearer she has time to think, and her thoughts are troubling. What the heck is she doing? She's going to just go to this man's house? A man that yes, she has feelings for, but who in reality she doesn't really know very well. And she's taking her precious baby? Has she lost her mind completely?

But the truth is she wants to go with him, and for some crazy reason she trusts that he has her and Tommy's best interests at heart. All she can really do right now is pray to God Merle Dixon is the man she's come to think he is.

In the meantime, her stomach is in knots and her head aches from worrying.

He's quiet, not saying a word, but his brain is screaming at him. Holy crap Dixon, what the fuck are you doing? Have ya lost your damn mind? What the hell's come over ya? Are ya really taking a woman and a kid to your house, your domain?

A motel. That's what he should have done, he should have taken her to the nearest motel, gotten her and the baby set up and gotten himself the fuck outta there. That would have been the smart thing. It would have been nice of him too, he's under no obligation to help her at all.

He's never been at odds with himself the way he is right now.

Glancing over at her she's looking so pale and scared, the sleeping little boy in her lap and such a sad look in her eye. Fuck, could he really just drop them off somewhere and walk away? Maybe at a different time in his life it would have been easy. He wouldn't have thought twice. But nah, he could never do that to this woman. How could any man be stupid enough to walk away from this woman?

But what the hell is he going to do with her? It occurs to him, maybe that apartment building they just built a couple miles from his place, yeah, maybe he could help her rent something there. Yeah, that could work. She'd be close, but not too close.

Whatever the hell, he'll have to think about all that later. For now she and the boy are coming home with him.

There's one thing that's making the drive fun for Beth. The snow. She's never seen so much snow and town is so quiet. Well of course it is, no one is crazy enough to try and drive in this mess. No one but them.

They've driven all the way to the other side of town when he makes a turn off Main Street. It's been so scary at times but Merle promised her the weight of the work truck would make it more stable than most vehicles and it sure seems he was right, they haven't had any real trouble. On top of being a man who's not afraid to take charge, he also seems very adept at handling a bad situation.

The snow appears to be even deeper on these side streets, it also seems even more quiet and peaceful in this neighborhood of very nicely kept older homes. She smiles when she notices every home has smoke drifting up from the chimney, and so many have Christmas lights brightly burning.

It occurs to her, "Merle, there must be power over here."

"Yeah, it's looking that way. That'll make everything a whole lot nicer."

The beautiful Christmas lights distract her from her troubles and concerns, and she can't help but smile as they slowly navigate the snow-covered road. It is the season after all, and really why not? Who says you can't be in the spirit just because it's daytime and not evening? Besides, with all this snow it feels like today should be Christmas.

Tommy's awake and she happily points the lights out to him, and no matter how hard Merle tries to tell himself he doesn't like it, he can't help but smile at her sweet voice and the little boy's excitement.

The lights are kind of nice but he's never bothered with anything like that or put up a Christmas tree. He has no pleasant childhood memories of Christmas. All Christmas ever was around their place was a day when his old man drank more, yelled louder and hit harder.

Yet glancing over at her and the little boy he thinks it's probably a real nice thing if a guy's with the right people. Then he catches himself smiling as he imagines the delight on the faces of Beth and Tommy as they open Christmas presents. Maybe they'll have Christmas this year. Maybe, if she's still around. It's still three weeks away.

They go three blocks and make a right turn, then two more blocks and make a left turn and go all the way down to the end of the street. That's where he pulls into the driveway of a 1930's style home. He looks over and says, "This is it, home sweet home." Shit, it's his home sweet home...but yeah...well we'll see.

She smiles, "It looks like a very nice house Merle." She means what she says. She loves the craftsman style and the big front porch.

He shrugs, "Nicest place I ever lived, but that ain't sayin' much. Listen now, the car's warm and I'm gonna leave it runnin' for ya. You n tommy wait here while I go check if we got heat. Either way, I'll get us a fire goin'. K?"

"Yes of course, but I could help."

"Nah, you and the boy stay here and keep warm." She's never had anyone be so concerned about her and Tommy's comfort. She likes the way it feels to be so cared for.

He walks in the front door, flips the switch and yep, there's power. It must be just the lines on the other side of town that are down. He turns up the thermostat but still he hurries to build a fire, that'll make everything cozier. He doesn't even question why he wants things cozy, he knows.

He makes a quick call to Daryl, "Yeah kid, I need ya ta come over real quick and help me with a couple things. I'll make ya some bacon and eggs for your trouble."

He goes back out to the truck to get Beth and Tommy, opens the passenger door and says, "Ya better lemme carry the boy. I'll help ya down and then I want ya ta hang onto me. It's gettin' real slippery."

He's got Tommy in one arm and held close to his chest, he reaches for her with his other. Just as he said to, she hangs onto him tightly and this simple trip to the front door with her and the little boy all cuddled into him, well dammit, it feels good. They stomp as much snow as they can off their shoes and hurry inside.

She smiles at the sight of it. This house suits him. Such a manly home. The big square front room has hardwood floors, a fireplace with a fire burning brightly. The furniture is large and it's all leather and dark wood. It's very attractive, but yes, very masculine. There's not a sign of a woman's touch to be seen anywhere.

She watches as he sets Tommy on his feet, and she smiles at the way Merle once again takes charge as he roughs the boy's hair and says, "C'mon now son, let's get that coat off of ya."

While she's watching the rugged looking man gently help her little boy out of his coat she slips out of her own. Merle looks up at her and smiles then takes it from her and hangs it and Tommy's on the big oak hall tree by the front door.

He walks purposefully to the console TV and turns the knob. It takes the set a minute or two to warm up and for the picture to appear on the screen. When it does he turns the channel to cartoons, telling the little boy, "There ya go Tommy. You watch ya some good shows while your Mama has a look around."

Never would she have guessed a man like Merle Dixon would know right where to find the cartoon shows. He notices the questioning look on her face and she asks, "How do you know so much about cartoons?"

He smiles as he explains, "Little brother still loves them Saturday morning cartoons, I thought Tommy would too."

Tommy's never seen TV and he's enthralled. He sits in front of the big console and his eyes don't move. In the meantime Merle tells her, "I'ma get that box of food outta the truck and get the bacon frying, Daryl's on his way over and I'ma have him help me get the crib setup and the furniture moved around in the guest room."

He turns to go but stops himself and instead his strong arm wraps around her waist and he draws her into him. His other hand caresses the back of her head, fingers toying with the blond curls and when she softly smiles up at him, he's sure it'll be okay. He leans in and kisses her lips but the kiss is not all heat and passion. It's a first kiss, just enough of a kiss to let her know he'd like to kiss her again and the best part is, she kisses back.

He's just drawing his lips from hers when the front door opens and a younger man walks in. She steps back from Merle, embarrassed to be caught in such a position. Then, just as she realizes the man must be Daryl, Merle loudly greets him, "Little Brother, get in here and close the da…ng door."

Daryl barely acknowledges his brother or her, just saying a fast "Hi" as he walks right by them and right to Tommy. He makes his way over and drops to sit cross legged next to the little boy. He speaks to him, "Hey man, whatcha watchin'? Oh, I see now, ya got the Looney Toons goin'. Yeah, they're good ones, but Felix the Cat is still my favorite. It comes on next."

Merle looks to her, shakes his head and then says, "Little Brother, I said I wanted ya over her ta work, not ta watch cartoons."

"Yeah well, ya said there was gonna be breakfast too and I can't work on a empty stomach."

Merle's voice has an edge when he responds, "Uh huh, well how bout ya show some manners and say a proper 'Hi' ta Beth here, and that little fella is her boy, Tommy."

Daryl nods toward her and says, "Hey Beth, nice ta meet ya." Then gets a little edge in his own voice when he tells his brother, "Me n Tommy are already friends."

Merle shakes his head again, like he's given up and tells her, "Ya go ahead and sit or have ya a look around, I'll go out and get that box of food."

Instead she goes right to the kitchen. She's not letting him get away with making her just sit. The coffee pot is on the range and sure enough, in the cabinet above it is the can of coffee and the mugs. Thank goodness the percolator is just like the one Mama had. Beth doesn't drink coffee, but she made coffee for her Daddy many times.

She's just turning the fire on under the pot when Merle walks in, sets the box on the counter and smiling asks, "Hey, what ya doin'?"

"I'm making the coffee, I thought you and your brother would want some."

"Yeah I been wantin' a cup all mornin' and I'm sure Daryl would like some too. I'll get the bacon goin'."

"Alright, and we'll make breakfast together."

Something tells him she's not letting this one go, and he smiles, "Sounds fun. I ain't ever cooked with someone, well except when me n Daryl are out campin'. We'll sit around the campfire passin' the bottle back and forth while we roast whatever we shot or trapped."

That's when she asks him, "Do you drink a lot Merle?" And she's honest, "My Daddy was an alcoholic. He quit drinking before I was born, but it sure caused him a lot of trouble before that. It ended his first marriage and he even went to jail once for being drunk in public."

He's offended. And he's damn sure not used to being questioned about such things, but he gets why she'd worry. He grew up with that shit. So just like he's been with everything else, he's honest about this, "I like ta have a few drinks, and if I'm out like that with Daryl, up in the woods and such, you bet. Him and me, we're gonna no doubt have way too much."

He sets his hand on her shoulder and explains, "But I keep an eye on myself Beth. I don't wanna be like my old man. He was a rotten drunk and I spend a good amount of energy makin' sure I don't turn into him." Then he's more serious, "I don't blame ya for worryin' about such things, it's smart. But I want ya ta know, I keep beer in the fridge and liquor in the cabinet and I don't plan ta change that."

She has no argument. She doesn't want to monitor his drinking, nor does she begrudge him a drink. And now everyone has said their piece.

While they cook she takes a better look around the kitchen. Like the front room it's large and square. She likes the big window above the white porcelain apron sink. Right now it looks out to nothing but a lot of snow, but she imagines in the summer it's quite a pretty yard. She stops her thought right there. Who's to say she'll still be here in the summer?

The walls are white, thank goodness. So many people went to painting their kitchens dark in the 50's. The wooden cabinets are painted a pale shade of green, and the countertops are tiled. She likes the look. Really the whole room is attractive and after her apartment it seems so large. The range and the fridge are not very nice. almost like new. The hardwood floor carries through from the living room and there's a large carpet in the center of the room, a round dining table and four chairs sit in the center of it.

It's all quite nice, a wonderful kitchen to work in. The only thought she has is, like the front room it lacks a woman's touch. With just a few feminine touches here and there it would be perfect. She stops herself again. She has to be careful about thinking into the future. She doesn't even know what will be happening an hour from now.

She's turning the bacon while Merle's setting up Tommy's high chair, "Thank you Merle."

"Sure thing, but I's thinkin' Beth, he's a pretty big boy, two and a half an all. How bout I take that tray off later so we can just scoot the chair right up ta the table?"

She realizes maybe she does need to let Tommy grow up a little bit. Then Merle says, "We probably oughta get him a real bed in a few months too." And he wonders what the hell he's saying. We? What if they don't stay? What if he decides he doesn't want them here?

Shit, he realizes he really doesn't want to think about either of those things happening. What the fuck has come over him? This woman, and Tommy. Shit, they've both worked their way into his heart, and just that fast. He never wanted this shit in his life, never.

Just like he has before, he thinks maybe that's because he'd never met Beth Greene.

As soon as he and Daryl go outside to start carrying her things in, Little Brother starts asking what he's been dying to ask, "What the fuck is going on Merle? Is this the one who kept turnin' ya down? The one who wouldn't even have dinner with ya? What? Now she's livin' with ya? What the holy livin' fuck Merle?"

Merle stops in his tracks, "Hey, hey now kid, calm down and lower your voice. The whole neighborhood don't need ta know my business." And then he tells his brother the story.

Daryl nods, "Okay then, that's all I wanted ta know. That, and when are ya gonna finish off that fuckin' bartender cuz I wanna be there ta see that."

Merle snickers, "Well I ain't got a plan for that quite yet, but it's comin'. I think I got this more pressing business ta take care of first."

Daryl says what's on his mind, "She's real pretty Merle and she seems real nice, and she makes a much better cuppa coffee than you ever did." He grins and adds, "And Tommy, I like that guy. He's a keeper."

Merle doesn't know why he feels so proud of that, none of it is his doing. But then the fact that a woman like her and a child like Tommy care for him, well that's kind of special.

Beth insisted she was going to do the dishes and since he'll be moving things in and rearranging furniture, Merle agreed.

She hears them in the guest room, putting Tommy's crib back together and rearranging the furniture. Tommy's curled up on the rug in front of the TV, sound asleep. She sees that one of them, either Merle or his brother have laid a lap blanket over her little boy. It makes her smile to think they thought of that for her son.

She walks back through the kitchen and right to what she assumes is the backdoor, she just wants to open it and see what's out there. It's not like she's snooping, he told her to look around. The door opens to a small mudroom. The broom, mop and bucket and a big vacuum cleaner are there. There's a deep freeze and to her delight, a modern washer and dryer. There's also a boot rack and a coat rack, and she'd bet this is the door he normally uses.

She also took advantage earlier, when they'd first stepped out to get the things from the truck. She took a quick look around.

She walked down the hall and the first door she came to was a coat closet, the next a good size bedroom that had been set up as an office. It was very nice. Painted a light beige like the living room and with the same heavy brown drapes and the same hardwood flooring as the rest of the house. The only bit of something different was the braided area rug.

There's a big oak desk, a four-drawer oak filing cabinet, an oak desk chair and an occasional chair. A bookcase opposite the desk is filled with books on subjects like best business practices, contract negotiations, building materials, even plumbing and electrical.

Except for his desk pad, pencil cup, stapler, adding machine and phone, there's nothing on his desk. Nothing in the way of anything personal. There's one framed piece hanging on the wall, his State of Georgia Contractor's License. The L of the desk holds a typewriter and that's all.

Like every other room it's perfectly nice. Good furniture, beautiful floor, well kept, and just so stark.

The bathroom is next and again it's stark, yet she likes it right away. It has a black and white tile floor and a great big white porcelain bathtub. A bathtub. Gosh, she hasn't been able to take a real bath in so long. There's a separate shower too and it's surrounded by the black and white tile. It all looks so nice. He can take the shower; she prefers a bath.

Oh just listen to her, as if it were her decision. She really is off her rocker today. But gosh, there's a built-in vanity and a linen closet, all the things she'd love to have. She gets a silly little grin on her face when she thinks, "Yes, all this room needs is some pink!"

She steps out of the room and into the next room. It's the one she's sure she and Tommy will be sharing. It has the same beige walls, dark heavy drapes and hardwood floors like most of the house. He has it simply furnished with the bed, a highboy dresser and an area rug. She's so happy she has her bright patchwork quilt to bring a little warmth and color to the room.

She really has no complaints about any of it though. If nothing ever changed it would still be a wonderful place for her and Tommy to stay. Besides, this is his house and he's entitled to have it any way he pleases. She feels blessed to be here.

The last room she peaks in is his. It has a huge bed that seems appropriate for a man as big and strong as Merle, and looking at it her mind goes to him saying he's never brought women to his home. She's grateful for that. She'd hate to think there'd been a string of women in and out of this room. She can't help wondering if maybe it will also be her room someday. She can't help feeling a little hope as well. But isn't it too soon?

Other than the bed there is both a highboy dresser and a double dresser, a man's valet stand, a wing chair and two night tables. She smiles, he's done right for himself. In spite of herself though, she's already imagining how she could add a feminine touch her and there.

She's awakened from her daydreaming when she hears them on the porch and hurries back to the kitchen and the waiting breakfast dishes.

It's later that evening, Daryl has gone home and Tommy is safely tucked in his crib, sound asleep. Her little boy has had such a big day moving to this new home, playing with Daryl and Merle, and then there was that other thing that happened. She's still not over it.

It was as she was laying Tommy down in his crib. Merle came in the room and silently laid an arm lightly across her shoulders, while with the other hand he reached down and pulled Tommy's covers up, then he whispered, "Goodnight now little fella, sleep tight."

She was so pleasantly surprised by his tender gesture and the softness of his voice when he spoke to her little boy. It's all she could do to whisper to her son, "I love you, Tommy. See you in the morning."

Merle took her hand and they walked to the front room, where he said, "You sit Beth, lemme just add a log ta the fire."

He sits with her and he's close, very close. His arm once again wraps around her shoulders and he gently pulls her to him. For the second time that day he kisses her, but this kiss is different. It has far more passion. She doesn't even pretend to fight it, she's been hoping he would kiss her again. And she was hoping his kiss would let her know he desired her.

She's been hoping and praying for so much with Merle Dixon. All day she's been observing him right here in his own home, his environment. Well truthfully it all started in the parking lot of Cattle Rustler's she supposes. She won't even try to pretend she didn't enjoy seeing him punish Phillip for what he tried to do.

Then at her place, when he came back with food for them, and his kindness with both her and Tommy. Then there was the open honesty of him telling her the good stories, and the not so good stories about his life. And when the landlord showed up and insulted her, he didn't hesitate to defend her.

What really has stunned her more than anything is, he didn't even seem to stop and think about it, he didn't hesitate for a moment. He offered his home to her and Tommy.

She's hoping to God he'll want her to stay because she doesn't think she's ever going to want to leave him. She knows her heart and she knows it wants him. Him. It's not the nice house and it's not the fact that her life would be so much less complicated, it's all him. It's Merle Dixon. She never would have believed a man like him could be so appealing, now she can't imagine that after knowing him she could ever find any other man appealing.

She's seen him be tough, she's seen him be both verbally and physically forceful, she's heard his sometimes coarse language. She's also seen him be kind, loving and gentle. She's felt the tenderness in his kiss and his touch, and he's made it very clear he's not going to let anyone mistreat her.

But does he really want her to stay, not just for a few nights, but for good? She's afraid to ask.

He's spent his entire adult life being so sure of exactly what he does and doesn't want. He sure as shit never wanted this, ever. No woman in his house, and especially no kid. But he'd never met Beth when he was so sure of those things.

Honestly, he still doesn't know her all that well, but he knows enough to know, now that she and little Tommy are in his home he doesn't ever want them to leave.

Fuck that new apartment building a mile away.

He draws away from the kiss just far enough to tell her, "I'm glad you n Tommy are here Beth."

She says it. She just tells him right then exactly what's in her heart, "I don't think there's any place I'd rather be. Ever."

He kisses her again as his big open palm begins rubbing the side of her thigh, slowly sliding up to rub her back. He pulls her closer to him and she wonders if he'll try to go further. She wonders if she'll let him.

She's about to learn something else about Merle. The man can be like a dog with a bone, there are some things he just can't let go.

Suddenly he draws away completely. He flops back, and he's staring up at the ceiling and his voice is even more raw and gravelly than usual, and there's a strong undercurrent of something else. Anger. For a split second she's worried he's mad at her, then he asks, "Tell me about this bartender guy, this Phillip. Did he ever try'n bother you before?"

Now's not the time to start lying and she doesn't. She tells Merle about Phillip coming in the lady's locker room, and she tells him about how the bartender touched and rubbed her arm and said the things he said to her. She apologizes, "I'm sorry."

She can see how his whole demeanor has changed. His face has hardened and his muscles have tensed. "Hell no! Don't you be sorry. Ya ain't done nuthin' wrong, but ya ain't goin' back ta work there."

"But Merle, I need my job. I have to take care of Tommy and I have to…"

"No. I ain't lettin' ya go back in that place n that's that."

It's not that she wants to go back to that place. It's just that he's being so angry and domineering. Why is he suddenly being so bossy. "Merle…"

That's all she manages to utter before he takes a deep breath, tries hard to calm himself and says, "You can work for me. I been thinking about hirin' someone for a while now. Ya said ya studied bookkeeping and I need a bookkeeper. I need someone ta type up my quotes. I need someone ta answer the phone and do the filing. You can work right here at the house, right in that office. Ya won't have ta leave Tommy with some stranger. The boy should have his Mama at home."

Then he softens, he seems to shake off some of the anger as he turns to her, his hand tenderly caresses her cheek and he says, "You'll be here at night when I get home, some days I'll even be able ta have lunch with ya. I'd like that Beth. I think I'd like that a lot. Whaddya think?"

Her head is spinning, she should give this a lot of thought. My gawd it's all so sudden. Yesterday she thought she'd never see this man again. Today she and her son moved in with him, and now he wants her to quit her job and just work for him right here in his home.

She needs to give this a lot of thought.

But she doesn't. She doesn't want to think about anything except how good this could be, so she softly smiles as she places her hand on his thigh and says, "I think I'd like that a lot too."

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A/N Hmm. Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. There's a chapter photo on my tumblr blogs gneebee and bethylmethbrick, please check it out. I'll be back next Saturday with more of Let Me Help. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee