After three days of mostly being in bed, Jess started to develope what she called cabin fever and she talked Carol into letting her do something to get out of her prison cell. The older woman let her help with the mundane chores like cooking and a bit of gardening since Jess only had one arm to work with and she was still sore. The cowgirl had never really been much for the womanly chores before but it was the only thing she could do with her arm still in a sling and she was happy to be out of the cell and doing something to get her mind of her horses.
Either Michonne, Daryl, or sometimes another woman who Jess had yet to actually talk to, stuck close to her. She couldn't find fault in their cautiousness and she actually enjoyed their company when she was out and about. It'd taken her a day to get Michonne to talk to her but the bits she did get out of the swordsman were informative and she reminded Jess so much of her sister who was a military woman. Jess had a feeling that after a while she could become friends with the dread locked warrior. Daryl, however, was in a totally different category. He never talked about himself but he would listen to her and they would tease each other relentlessly. The times they didn't talk were nice as well because Jess enjoyed the feeling of not being alone. If they had met before all this started she would definitely want to try and be more than just friends with him.
Back before the turn, she was drawn more to the cowboys physically; the rough, tough masculinity that they exuded and the hats and jeans were a huge turn on for her. However, the politeness of real cowboys was a turn off for Jess because she preferred a man who knew she could take care of herself. Daryl had everything but the hat going on for him as far as she was concerned, plus he was ripped and those baby blues killer. She didn't think there would ever be a point where she wouldn't feel a little unsettled when he looked her her with his harsh blue eyes. However, she knew better than to make any indication of her physical interest. She had not planned on staying long and she had a habit of letting her hormones cloud her judgement so she'd kept up a carefully constructed wall when dealing with him and treated him like she would an older brother. Teasing and aloof.
The most surprising thing wasn't that she found herself attracted to the redneck but that she could be physically attracted to anyone after what had happened to her and her sister in Mississippi. The mental abuse alone in those few days should have crippled her but Erin pushed her through the dark hours and given her life the purpose she needed to make it out of that hell. It didn't mean that she came out completely unscathed from the incident though. She still became instinctively tense when a man got too close to her which is probably why the hunter had kept his distance from after he'd saved her from the fall the first day she'd been able to move around.
On the fifth day, she woke to find her cell door unlocked and open. She'd carefully poked her head out thinking that Michonne was close by cleaning her sword or something but all she heard the normal daily routines going on outside. Afraid of causing trouble, she had stayed in her cell with the door open all morning until Carol and the young girls came looking for her to braid her hair again. It was then that Carol told her that they trusted her enough to move about as she pleased through the prison and Jess wanted to hug her neck.
Despite the freedom, Jess found that she missed having Michonne and Daryl's company. However, this gave her more time to get close to Carol whom she'd come to find out was like her own mother in many ways and it made her want to find her parents even more.
On the tenth day of Jess's stay, she'd been outside helping Carol serve lunch to the community when a group returned from a scouting run to find new places to get supplies. Jess smiled at Carol when someone had called out that the group was back and they both turned in time to see the truck pulling through the front gate they'd rebuilt. Carol turned her own smile back to Jess before they continued to serve lunch. Glenn, who seemed to go out on all the runs, hurried to the awning to get their lunch and Carol welcomed them home.
"Welcome home," she chirped with a big grin.
"Hey Carol," Glenn greeted as he took the bowl of food Jess offered him. He nodded at Jess for a greeting before hurrying off to find Maggie.
Jess's back was still to the truck and Michonne's voice startled her.
"Hi Carol," she nodded before addressing the other woman, "Jess, you got a minute?"
Jess glanced at Carol for permission to leave the older woman alone with serving lunch.
"You don't have to ask me," she chided.
Jess put down the bowl she'd been about to fill, readjusted her sling, and walked around the counter to go see what Michonne wanted and noticed that Daryl wasn't around and she knew that he'd gone on the run. Her surprise was obvious when she noticed the swords woman grinning at her while she waited for the injured woman and Jess gave her an odd look.
"Where's Daryl," she asked with a raised eyebrow, trying to hide her concern.
Michonne didn't answer her question and turned back to the entrance of the compound and waited. After about a whole minute, Jess shifted nervously and glanced between the entrance and the woman standing next to her.
"Michonne what's-"
"Listen," she interrupted, nodding at the gate.
Jess raised her eyebrows but did as the woman asked and waited. It didn't take long before she heard the sound that she'd been longing to hear for days. With wide eyes she turned to Michonne.
"Yer kiddin' me," she whispered.
Michonne just smiled as the sound got louder and Rick and Carl paused in building their new pen to open the gate again. Jess felt her heart soar when her two horses, came trotting through the gate, Daryl riding her sisters sorrel, and pulling her agitated gray behind him. She smiled as she started a brisk walk to meet them and realized that her horse wouldn't let Daryl ride him so he'd gone to find a saddle for her sisters so he could bring them here.
Daryl hopped off the horse as Rick walked over to hold her and Argo reared back in anger.
"Easy," Daryl growled as he held tight to the reigns.
About halfway down the gravel drive, Jess let out a low whistle and the big grey came down on all four legs, ears forward, and looked for where the sound came from. It only took a few seconds to see his owner and he started practically pulling Daryl toward her for a few seconds before she motioned for the man to let the horse go. He did so reluctantly and the horse trotted to her but he stopped a few feet away, his head low, and nickered as if he could talk to her.
"Hey there, handsome," she cooed as she rubbed the space between his eyes then stepped beside him wrap her good arm around the horses thick neck. The horse nickered at her again and turned his head to nibble her braid, "good ta see ya too, Argo," she whispered as she buried her face in his tangled mane.
She heard Rick and Daryl approach with the other horse and Jess reluctantly let Argo go to check on her. Argo held Jess's braid like it was a lead rope and followed her to the other horse and men, much calmer than when he'd walked in. Nahar accepted the people around her, more so than Argo, so she waited for Jess to come to her, nickering softly at her familiar friend.
"Hey girl," she chuckled as she scratched her soft nose, "thanks fer lettin' Dixon bring y'all here," she whispered but not quietly enough that Daryl and Rick couldn't hear it. The horse nudged Jess softly in response as Jess patted her neck and turned to the man who had brought them to her.
"Thank ya," she nodded as she stood between her horses.
Daryl nodded back at her as he pulled his crossbow farther up on his shoulder.
"Wudden't just me," he nodded towards the awning where everyone gathered to see what Daryl brought back.
"Why would ya do so much fer me?" She asked as her horse bumped into her with his neck over her shoulder.
"We need to talk about that later," Michonne revealed as she came around to stand beside Daryl.
Rick spoke up from behind Daryl.
"For now you can keep them on the fence row up by the guard tower until we can get a pen built for them," he offered and nodded to the area he talked about.
"A course," she agreed as she focused on the area, all thoughts of helping with breakfast gone. She had a lot of work to do with her horses: she needed to get the saddles off and get them brushed down and checked for injuries. Luckily, the saddlebag had stayed on Argo and they had everything she needed to take care of them.
Argo grabbed her hair again as she took Nahar's reins and she led them up the slight incline to the fence. She called out to Daryl behind her shoulder.
"I could use some help gettin' 'em cooled down 'n' these saddles off, peach," she ordered over her shoulder, her ranch manager mentality taking over. She'd rather have his help than Rick's or one of the other men she didn't know as well. She might be accepted by most of the community already but she didn't accept them and the other men still made her a bit nervous.
Rick gave Daryl an odd look as the hunter followed after her with a shrug. He didn't like being bossed around but Jess rarely ever asked for his help so when she did he knew she really needed it. Besides, he had missed just being around her because she was easy to get along with and rarely ever expected anything of him. He also loved to listen to her crazy Texas accent.
When Jess made it to the fence at the guard tower, she looped Nahar's reigns through a link and Argo dropped her hair to stand next to the other horse so she could tie him. Daryl approached slowly, giving her horse a wide berth because he knew it wasn't very happy with him. Jess smirked while she expertly uncinched the special saddle.
"Come 'ere 'n' let me introduce ya," she commanded before she walked around to the right side of her horse to pull the padded girth up so it wouldn't drag the ground. Once she finished, she moved to Argo's head and rubbed his jaw affectionately before backing up to the fence, "come up slow ta his shoulder 'n' put both hands on him."
Daryl gave her a look before doing as she said, slowly and easily he moved to the horse and put his hands on the muscular shoulder and Argo side-stepped. Jess clicked her tongue and the animal turned an ear towards her before turning his head just enough to see Daryl.
"Give 'em a lil' love and he'll slowly let ya inna his small world," she explained as Daryl patted the horses shoulder and neck. Argo looked at Jess and nickered and she laughed, "he said you'll do ta run the river with."
"Whatever, horse whisperer. Yer damn horse is crazy," he growled as Argo began to relax.
Jess stayed quiet for several moments, letting the two get used to each other before she took a few steps forward and took Argo by the head.
"First off, never slight tha horse. Second, ya know ya like 'im, peach," she chuckled before giving him another order. "Aight, he's comfortable 'nough 'round ya now. Go 'head 'n' pull his saddle but grab tha saddlebag first," she advised as she stayed at Argo's head.
Daryl did as she said and he silently untied and pulled the large saddlebag from behind the saddle then walked it over to the fence. Jess smiled at Daryl as he passed, rubbing Argo's muzzle the while he nibbled at her sling. The horse wanted love with both hands.
"Sorry kiddo, gotta lame arm fer while. Yur gonna have ta do with jus' one armed love," she chirped playfully as she watched Daryl go back to pull the saddle off and drop it next to the saddlebag. Jess didn't like that. "Hey peach, careful with tha saddle."
Daryl glared at her as he went back a third time to pull the blanket from the horse's back.
"Ya could be a little thankful for my help," he grumbled as he laid out the blanket to dry.
"I am. More 'en ya know," she admitted softly with a last little rub of Argo's muzzle. She cleared her throat and nodded to the other horse, carefully avoiding looking at Daryl, "if ya go ahead and get 'er saddle off I can do tha rest from 'ere. 'N' don' worry, she loves everyone."
Daryl wasn't dumb, he knew that she got choked up over her horse but he knew better than to tease her at that moment. He just did as she asked and walked around Argo to go take the saddle he'd found off Nahar. Jess went to her saddlebag and pulled out a big brush and began to rub down her horse, who seemed very happy for the attention as he whinnied loudly, drawing more attention from the lunch crowd.
Daryl decided to fill her in quickly on what all they'd brought back from their run besides the horses as he laid the second blanket out to dry. He heard the children chattering loudly and assumed they would be down to see the horses any minute.
"We brought back some hay and stuff for 'em that Herschel said you'd need. Gonna store it in this guard tower," he nodded towards the tower while he leaned up against the fence to watch her work.
"So you went out this mornin' jus' ta find 'em?" She asked before she came around the other side of Argo to continue brushing him.
"We'll tell you why later," he dodged her question when he saw Herschel, Beth, and several of the kids come walking around the corner. Beth carried two buckets of water while one of the older girls carried a bucket with a sponge.
Jess heard the chatter of the children getting closer and she paused her work just long enough to stare at Daryl with eyes that were threatening tears. She waited until he looked at her and with a soft smile she thanked him.
"Really, Daryl, thank ya. I owe ya," she quavered with a voice heavy with emotion.
He held her gaze for several moments before nodding. This was the first time she'd ever said his name and he wanted to kick himself for liking how it sounded in her drawl.
"Hershel's a vet. Let him look 'em over."
With that, he left her alone, and nodded at Herschel as he passed by the group headed to Jess.
"Hello," Herschel smiled as he and Beth approached with the older girl and set their buckets down. "We've got some water for your horses and something to rub them down with. I'd also like to take a look at both of them if you don't mind."
Jess stopped her brushing and walked around Nahar so she could speak with the group.
"And the kids want to help brush them down if it's ok," Beth spoke up from beside her father.
"I'd be much obliged if ya would. Ya can start with Argo since I'm almost done rubbin' 'im down" she offered as she picked up the bucket of water for Argo to speak to beth, "they can rub down Nahar, she's a gentle as a lamb, but Argo is purdy skittish 'round kids. They also need ta be walked fer a bit since I cain't turn 'em out so the kids can ride as you walk 'er."
After she had given the instructions she and Herschel set to work on Argo while Beth taught the kids how to brush Nahar. Jess smiled brightly as she worked with Herschel and Argo and the older man couldn't help but smile as well while he inspected Argo's hooves with Jess's help. Jess had moved her horse further down the fence away from the children so he didn't try and bite at them.
Jess took a moment to introduce herself even though Herschel had been the one to question her on her first night in the prison. She'd been a little out of it back then and wanted to make sure she let him know she respected him.
"We've howdied but we ain't shook yet," she drawled holding out her hand to the older man, "Jessica Davis," she introduced herself formally. If her parents taught her one thing it was respect for her elders and she had a feeling Herschel had earned it without question with how others treated him around the prison.
"Herschel Greene. It's nice to meet you," he responded kindly, taking her hand firmly in his for a shake. It'd been a long time since he heard those kinds of manners from anyone and it didn't surprise him because most Texan's he met during his many years were this polite.
"Same ta ya, Mr. Greene," she nodded before going back to work. There were several silent seconds before Herschel continued talking to her.
"You seem quite happy to have your horses back, Miss Davis," he observed, keeping his polite mannerisms, as he cleaned the rocks and dirt from a shoeless hind hoof while Jess held it up for him.
"Yessir. Nahar was my sisters horse 'n' wouldn't make it on 'er own out there 'n' Argo is tha horse I raised up from a colt. He's my best friend 'n' if he were a man he'd be hog tied 'n' branded," she explained as she set his hoof down.
Herschel smiled down at her.
"He's certainly a magnificent animal," he admired with a pat to the horse's flank, "and he check's out just fine other than the slight saddle sore from having the saddle cinched for so many days. We don't really have anything for it but just keep the spots clean and dry and he should heal up just fine."
"Thank ya, Mr. Greene. He okay fer a cool down," she asked as she walked to Argo's head to remove the harness.
"You're welcome, young lady. Just be careful of the sores," he warned with one last pat on Argo's neck. It took him a second to realize that she was about to ride with as injured as she was, "how're you going to ride him? Need a lift?" He asked.
Jess just smiled as she pulled a long rope tied in a loop from her saddlebag and put it over Argo's head to hang from his neck. The horse pranced happily as she started to walk away from him and he followed. She smiled after she stopped and ran her hands from the horses grey spotted neck down to his knee joints.
"Only death himself could keep me from ridin', Mr. Greene," she called out as the horse bowed it's head before going down on it's front knees then down into a sitting position.
Jess heard the kids chattering behind her about what she did as she slid her leg over Argo's back from his right, wincing a bit at the strain on her injured side, and settled on the horses back easily. She took hold of the guide loop with a handful of his mane and pulled and the horse surged to his feet while Jess sat steadily on top of him.
Argo whinnied loudly as she nudged him into a walk with her knees and she made a tip of her imaginary cowboy hat as she passed Herschel. She was aware of the spectators and if it were any other day, she'd be showing off but she resisted due to her injuries and Argo really needed to cool down. Once she was away from the others, she turned everything else out around her and listened to the rhythm of her horses gait as they walked the fence line of the prison yard.
This gave her some time to think. She wasn't stupid, she knew that there was a reason for them to risk a run to find her horses for her and she had a vague idea what it might be. But whatever their motives were, she was happy to have her horses back with her again. She'd spent many hours over the past few days worrying about them, especially Argo since she'd not been able to get the saddle off of him before she had to leave him. When Daryl had rode through those gates with her horses she had felt a weight lift off her heart.
She smiled as she passed close to the entry gate to the inner prison yard, Daryl stood there with several other people watching her while talking to Carol between bites. Jess loved that he could ride. It was just another one of those things that made him incredibly sexy to her. Her smile turned to a frown as her mind grazed the subject of being with him and she shook her head of those dangerous thoughts. All she had left since her sister died were her horses and finding her parents was top priority. She couldn't let her hormones or emotions get in the way of that. Besides, he, and this whole place, for that matter was just something else she could lose.
After her third lap around the yard, careful to avoid the gravel since she and Herschel had just cleaned his hooves, she decided Argo was not in danger of having his muscles tighten up so she nudged him towards the fence for some water. She quickly pushed thoughts of Daryl to the back of her mind
She tapped his front legs with both her boots he went down into a sitting position again so she could easily slide off. After that, she put his lead back on and tied him to the fence where the bucket of water was clipped to. He protested her leaving by grabbing her braid and pulling, almost making her fall back on her butt.
"Dern it, Argo, I know. I jus' gotta check Nahar," she laughed as she pulled her braid away from him. Argo finally let her go with a with a snort and started drinking from the bucket.
"So how's she lookin', Mr. Greene?" She asked Herschel who inspected Nahar's legs while Beth held them. The children had lost interest in the brushing and had gone back to eating lunch.
"She's got some cuts on her legs that are treatable but other than that she's also quite healthy," he surmised as Beth set the hoof back on the ground, "it must be hard to keep them looking this good during these times," he added.
"Well, I put 'em afore myself, always. 'Take care of yer horse 'n' he'll take care of ya' my Papaw used ta say," she quoted as she put hand on Nahar's neck to steady herself as a wave of dizziness came over her. It'd only been a little over a week and she was still very quick to get tired.
This didn't go unnoticed by Herschel and Beth. They saw how pale she'd become and were afraid that she may have over exerted herself.
"Why don't you go up and have some lunch, I can take care of her for you," Beth offered as she untied Nahar for a walk.
Normally Jess wouldn't let other people take care of her horses but she started to feel a bit weak in her knees and she was afraid she would pass out.
"I thank I might jus' do that," she accepted while she watched Beth walk off with Nahar.
"Your girl's in good hands," Herschel urged as they watched Beth walk with the gentle horse.
"Thank ya again, Mr. Greene," she smiled before turning to head back up to the prison.
"Yes m'am," he nodded while watching her leave.
It took Jess a little longer than she wanted and she was much more shaky by the time she'd returned to the awning which was void of all but Carol, Daryl, and Michonne. She was so unsteady that she had to stop and lean against one of the posts and close her eyes to keep her head from spinning. She startled as she felt Carol's arm underneath hers.
"You look exhausted. Come have a seat and I'll bring you something to eat," the older woman clucked as she helped Jess sit in the seat she'd just vacated at the table with Michonne and Daryl.
Michonne leaned back in her chair, her sword propped against her leg, as she regarded the woman who had just sat before her. Jess certainly looked a little worse for wear but she was also much more relaxed than before her horses showed up and the swords woman smiled, even as she rubbed her sore shoulder.
"You weren't lying about Argo. He's handsome" Michonne chuckled referring to a conversation they'd had a few days ago where Jess had told Michonne about her occupation before the turn. She'd told the story about her handsome Argo and how she'd raised him since the day he was born.
"Ain't he? If he were a man I'd be hitched ta 'im in a heartbeat," she smiled playfully, winking at the woman.
"That's stupid," Daryl grumbled from his seat as he licked the last of his lunch from his fingers.
"I think he's jealous," Michonne teased with a smile.
Jess's smile was so big, her teeth were showing and it reminded Daryl of a coyote showing it's teeth to its prey.
"I thank yer right, Michonne," she paused to lean forward in her chair to give Daryl a scrutinizing look, "you gettin' all worked up over a horse, Dixon?"
"You two be nice to pookie. He's quite fragile you know," Carol chided as she brought Jess a plate of food.
The man being teased stood abruptly and left but not before cursing Jess.
"See if I ever do anything nice for you again, bitch," he grumbled angrily as he slung his crossbow over his shoulder and stomped off.
The two woman with Jess tensed at Daryl's reaction until Jess started laughing so loud it turned heads. She enjoyed getting under his skin but she was glad she made him mad enough to leave and not answer her question. Especially since she started to have a bit of Cinderella complex when it came to Daryl.
Jess's smile went away as she focused on eating. She really needed to get out of the prison and back on track to find her parents before she became too attached to this place and its people.