Chapter Four - Sam and Daryl
Emma followed Merle's carriage on the winding path through the hills leading up to the mountains. They stopped once before they got to a higher altitude to water the horses. Merle tossed an apple Emma's way as the horses drank and rested. They only spoke once. Emma asked about Merle's brother and Sam Graysmith, their farmhand. Merle was short and to the point. Sam was newly twenty. His daddy had worked for Merle's daddy. That was how he came to be in Merle's employment.
"Your brother?" Emma asked, lugging Skipper back up into the carriage after he had a moment to drink and stretch his stubby legs.
"He's younger than me, just turned thirty two...or was it thirty three...?" Merle scratched his head and looked down at the ground as thought it had the answer there. Then, he crunched into his apple with a shrug. "Lives in a house separate from mine. We built it together a few years back."
"Are either of you married?" Emma asked.
Merle laughed, tossing his half eaten apple into the water.
"You kidding?" Merle asked.
Merle was still laughing as he climbed into his carriage.
"I guess that was a dumb question." Emma mumbled to herself, getting up beside Skipper.
It was early evening by the time Emma saw the closed gate. Merle got down to open it, then led Emma inside. Before he could get back down to close the gate, Emma had already hopped down to do it for him. Merle looked on in approval as Emma returned to her carriage. Emma took in her surroundings as Merle led her into his property. Most of the trees were huge, mighty firs. There were several stumps present from when the men had obviously cut down firs for firewood, or maybe because they had been sickly. It was hard to imagine such a strong looking tree becoming weak. There were honey locusts, Emma could tell from the shape and color of the leaves, and a few willows. There were apple and pear trees. The fruit would be ready to pick soon. Emma had to admit that she was impressed. The property was beautiful so far. As they rode on, dogwood trees lined their path. The white petals littered the ground and floated in the occasional breeze that blew by.
Then, there was a house. Emma lifted an eyebrow when she saw it. Compared to the land she had seen thus far, the house was an eyesore. It was in bad shape. It was badly in need of a paint job. The white paint had faded and was chipping away due to wear and weather. There were shingles missing from the roof. Two of the four windows Emma could see from where she was riding were visibly in need of repair.
Merle pulled the carriage to a stop in front of the house. Emma did the same. The barn was about twenty or thirty feet away from the house they were in front of. It needed just as much work as the house. Adjacent to the barn was a smaller, one story house. Emma would have needed a closer look at it to determine whether it needed work or not, but she guessed that it probably did.
"Sam!" Merle called, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Sam! Boy, where you at?!"
Emma climbed down from her carriage. Skipper didn't seem to be in a hurry to get down. Emma was about to ask if Merle could show her to the barn so that Nelly could rest, but Merle was already heading in that direction. Emma saw a young man coming out of the barn. She tugged gently on Nelly's reigns. The horses followed after her towards the barn.
The young man talking with Merle, Emma assumed it was Sam, was holding a pitchfork in one hand. He had a mess of strawberry blonde hair that was much too long. It fell in his eyes. Sam had to brush it out of the way several times as he spoke with Merle. After a few minutes, Merle turned towards Emma and shoved Sam forward as he took the pitchfork out of his hand.
"This is Sam." Merle grinned at Emma. "He's gonna show you around while I finish up in the barn. Leave the horses and carriages with me. I'll take care of them."
Sam held one dirty hand up to Emma.
"I'd shake your hand, ma'am, but I've been working all day and I'm pretty dirty." Sam told Emma with a sheepish smile.
"Look at me." Emma showed off her own soiled clothes, the ones she still hadn't changed since cooking earlier that day at the inn. "Do I look any better?"
Emma held out her hand to Sam, whose smile brightened as he shook her hand.
"I'm Sam Graysmith."
"Emma Thorne." Emma replied, letting go of Sam's hand.
"Do you wanna set your stuff up in your room first, or you wanna see the rest of the farm?" Sam asked, pushing his hair out of his eyes.
"I'd like to see the property while it's still light." Emma decided quickly.
"Well, that there's Merle's house." Sam pointed to the two story house she had come from in front of. "I stay...well, you stay up on the second floor-"
"What is that nonsense?" Emma asked, her hands on her hips. "You don't have to give up your bedroom for me. I'll stay somewhere else."
"The only other place is the loft in the barn-"
"All right." Emma nodded.
Sam pushed his hair out of his face.
"I can't let you stay up there, Ms. Thorne." Sam insisted, shaking his head. "It just wouldn't be right for a lady to sleep in a barn."
"I slept in the loft of a barn for a whole year." Emma argued, giving Sam a stern look. "Now, I don't want to talk about this anymore. You'll continue staying with Merle. I'll take the loft."
Sam looked like he wanted to argue, but Emma made her expression even more severe than before.
"Yes, ma'am." Sam agreed, hanging his head.
"Good." Emma moved her hands from her hips and nodded.
"If you want to follow me, Ms. Thorne." Sam said, motioning for Emma to follow him.
"Sam, you can call me Emma." Emma told Sam gently as they walked together.
"Are you sure?" Sam asked, turning his head to look at Emma.
Emma looked over at Sam. He looked very young. He didn't look twenty. He looked closer to Amy's age. He had a button nose and large eyes that betrayed his true age. He stood just at Emma's height, plus he was wearing boots that gave him a little height. Even though she had only known him for a few minutes, Emma could tell Sam was a good kid. She smiled at him to ease any anxiety he felt over the room situation.
"Of course."
Sam returned her smile. It lit up his whole face.
"That's Daryl's house-"
"Daryl?" Emma asked. "Is that Merle's brother?"
"Yeah." Sam replied as they continued walking past the house. "He's out hunting. He should be back around dusk, maybe after. He sometimes stays out late when he's hunting. If he gets a critter in his sights, he won't let it go for anything. He'd chase a squirrel all the way down to town if he wanted it bad enough."
Sam showed Emma the stream that ran along the back of the property. It was somewhat hidden by a row of willows. There was a decent sized garden near the barn. It was fenced off so that the animals kept out of it. There were three outhouses on the property - one in between the two houses, one back in the thick of the trees, and one just off to the side of the front gate. Sam introduced Emma to the animals. By that time, Merle had put the horses and carriages away. Nelly was already asleep in her new stall. Emma's things were stacked next to the barn.
"Can I help you with your things?" Sam asked.
"That's okay, Sam." Emma reached down for her trunk. "Why don't you go wash up for supper? I'm going to put my stuff up in the loft and then I'll be in to make it. Do ya'll usually have supper at Merle's?"
"Daryl eats at his own house." Sam replied, his hands in his pockets. "I usually make a little something for me and Merle. We'll eat on the porch or he'll take his to his room..."
"I see." Emma nodded. "Well, go on."
Emma watched Sam head up to the house. Along the way, he paused for a moment to pet Skipper, who was on the porch. That was that. Skipper followed Sam into the house, who held the screen door open for the old hound. Emma smiled to herself. She lugged her trunk up to the loft. She hadn't remembered it being so heavy before. She decided to investigate later. Emma headed back down the ladder just as quickly as she had gone up it. She had supper to make.
Neither Merle nor Sam were anywhere to be found. Emma heard movement upstairs. She assumed they were getting ready for dinner. While she was alone, Emma checked out the first floor of Merle's house. There was a fine layer of dust covering nearly every inch of the place. There was a large, beat up sofa near the fireplace. The fireplace itself, as well as the floor surrounding it and the mantel above it, were caked in soot. Old photos hanging on the walls were hard to see due to dust. Emma kicked up the circular rug sitting in front of the sofa. Dust particles flew up into the air and scattered like a swarm of insects. Emma shook her head.
The kitchen was more of the same. There were dirty dishes piled up on the kitchen table and on nearly every countertop surface. Food morsels and crumbs were strewn across the floor. The pantry was in such disarray and disorganization that Emma didn't know what was good and what was bad. Emma pushed up her sleeves. There would be no supper that evening. She refused to cook in a filthy kitchen. It needed to be swept and dusted. The dishes needed to be scrubbed and washed well. The pantry needed to be sorted. There was a lot of work to do. So, Emma started in on it.
0o0o0
"How come I don't smell anything?"
Emma looked up from the two piles she had sorted from the mess in the pantry. She returned to what she had been doing, smelling a sack of potatoes before deciding that they were okay to keep.
"Probably because I started cleaning up everything that stunk." Emma replied as-a-matter-of-factly.
"No." Merle shook his head. "I meant...why ain't you cooking anything?"
Emma leaned forward, pulling her finger through the dust on the table. She showed Merle her blackened finger.
"You expect me to cook in this environment?" Emma asked with a smirk. "I might as well make our meals outside in the dirt, or in the pig shit."
Merle looked taken aback by Emma's language for about half a second before he recovered with a chuckle. He rubbed his balding head.
"I ain't paying you to clean, you know?" Merle leaned against the wall.
"Then don't pay me for the evening." Emma murmured, studying a jar of brown liquid. "If you don't mind, though, you're distracting me. Could you leave?"
"What?" Merle asked with a chuckle, moving from the wall.
Emma looked up from the jar without any hint of a smile in her eyes or in any other part of her face.
"I said, 'get out'." Emma repeated herself slowly.
Before Merle could reply, Emma was back to business. Merle stood there for a minute, unsure of what to do. He couldn't believe Emma would dare speak to him that way, and in his own house to boot. He had given her a job when she needed one. He had invited her to his farm. What did he get in return? Attitude. Then again, Merle knew when he hired Emma that that was her way. On one hand, he had to respect that. It still pissed him off. He left the room, but he made as much racket as he could on his way out. He slammed the door so hard the screen door came off and clattered onto the porch.
Emma was unfazed by Merle's behavior. She continued sorting until she had one huge pile of garbage and one smaller pile of things that could be kept. When she was finished with that, she moved on to the next project. While she worked, Sam came down to investigate what had happened. He was able to determine the situation fairly quickly. While Emma worked in the kitchen, Sam fixed the screen door. When that was done, Sam sat on the sofa with Skipper. He watched Emma as she moved to and fro in the kitchen. By the time she had finished, it was dark outside and Merle hadn't returned from wherever he had gone to.
"I think that's all for today." Emma said aloud with a sigh.
The comparison between the kitchen and the living room was startling, but Emma wasn't completely satisfied with the kitchen yet. The table wobbled and all of the six chairs were busted or broken in one way or another. She would have to get an early start if she wanted to get everything done that needed to be done. At least she would be able to cook breakfast in a clean kitchen.
"Well, Sam, I'm off to bed." Emma announced, moving into the living room.
"Yeah, I should call it a day, too." Sam replied, stretching his arms over his head.
Skipper hopped down from the sofa as Sam stood.
"I promise I'll make you a nice breakfast tomorrow."
"Should I walk you to the barn?" Sam asked, hesitating by the stairs.
"I think I can find my way." Emma said from the door. "Goodnight."
"Night, Emma."
Emma made sure Skipper followed her in the dark. When they got to the barn, she lugged the dog into her arms to carry him up into the loft. There was a lantern flickering on a little table, a box of matches beside it. A bowl, a pitcher, and a rag were perched on her trunk. Hay littered the floor. Upon one of the stacks, there was a mattress laid out. A quilt was folded over it. Emma smiled. She knew it had probably been Sam that had set her up in the loft. She reminded herself to thank him in the morning.
Skipper flung himself down on the mattress while Emma inspected her trunk. Just as she suspected, the reverend and Amy had tucked things away in it for her. There were several blouses and skirts, two dresses, a shawl, and other practical things for Emma to have. She searched through the clothes for her nightdress. After taking off her clothes from that day, she pulled the nightdress on over her head. It was white cotton with short sleeves and a pale green ribbon at the neck. Emma let down her hair. It was curly from having been pinned up all day and due to all the work she had done. Emma tugged a brush through her curls until they became more manageable. When she was satisfied, Emma poured out the water in the pitcher. She dipped the rag into the bowl and padded her face and skin with it. It wasn't a bath, but it would do.
As Emma got up to toss the water over the side of the loft, she heard and felt a squeaking beneath her feet. Emma put down the bowl to inspect it. She walked over the area several times. The squeaking turned to moaning. The floorboards there were rotten. They needed to be replaced. Emma made a mental note to replace them at some point the next day. As she walked across them to blow out the lantern and head to bed, she was suddenly falling. It happened so quickly, yet so slowly at the same time. Emma realized right away that the floorboards had broken under her weight, but not in enough time to stop herself from going through them. She felt the splintered wood scrape against her ankles, then up her legs as she passed through the hole. Emma braced herself for the floor below. She would surely break a leg, or even both. She had her eyes shut as she waited for the impact. It never came, not in the way she had been anticipating.
Suddenly, she was in a pair of arms. She felt wet fabric against her skin, felt two arms holding her around the back and beneath her legs, smelled sweat and blood in close proximity to her body. Emma opened her eyes when she realized she wasn't going to hit the ground. She looked up into the dark, blue eyes of a stranger. She could tell because a lantern that hadn't been there before was hanging on the wall just over his shoulder. He had to have entered just a moment before Emma fell through the floor.
Daryl was just as stunned as Emma. He had come into the barn to clean his kills when he heard a horrible groaning above him. Then, there were boards clattering to the floor just in front of him. Instinctively, Daryl had caught what then fell from the loft above. He hadn't expected it to be a woman. She was light as a feather in his arms. Goats on the farm were heavier than that girl. In the light from the lantern, Daryl could see her eyes. They were green, almost gray in a way. They were looking up into his eyes with the same shock and surprise mirrored in his.
Emma realized that she had her arms around the stranger's thick neck. She pulled away from him, but he didn't move. As she had pulled away from him, her skin had brushed the scraggly beard on his face. It was the same beard Merle wore. Emma knew it was Daryl. As she looked up into his eyes, the only place she could seem to look, she chalked up her pounding heart to the surprise of having fallen through the floor just above their heads.
"Hello." Emma breathed, clearing her throat.
Daryl gave Emma a nod in return.
"Could you..." Emma was finally able to tear her gaze from Daryl's to look down at the floor. "Could you put me down?"
Just as swiftly as he had caught her, Daryl set Emma on her feet. Emma brushed off her nightdress. It was stained with blood, as were her arms. She saw that Daryl had quite a bit of it on his flannel shirt. The birds tied to his belt were very obviously the culprits.
"Who the hell are you?" Daryl asked roughly.
Emma was surprised, not because he had raised his voice, but because of how quickly his demeanor towards her had changed. She took a breath, trying to relax after what had happened, so that she could slip back into herself again.
"I'm Emma." Emma replied calmly, taking another breath. "Your brother, Merle, he hired me earlier today."
"Hired you?" Daryl asked suspiciously, looking at Emma sideways. "Merle?"
"No." Emma shook her head. "You caught me. I was just passing through, saw this barn, and thought...oh, that would be a lovely place to play house."
Daryl lifted an eyebrow.
"I don't have any proof of employment, but we could find your brother if you're so concerned." Emma folded her arms over her chest.
Daryl rubbed his nose with the back of his arm.
"What'd he hire you for?" Daryl asked, his expression relaxing, but only slightly.
"I'm your new farmhand and cook." Emma replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Daryl snorted.
"You?" Daryl asked, his eyes moving from what had probably been a delicate looking nightdress before he had gotten blood on it, to her waist length, blonde waves.
"Do you think your brother is stupid?" Emma asked, quirking an eyebrow of her own. "Would he have hired some stuck up priss to come and work for him?"
Daryl scowled, but he humphed in agreement. Then, it was silent between them. Emma looked down at her bloody nightdress and the pink welts that were beginning to rise on her legs. She cleared her throat as she looked back up at Daryl. He seemed to have been looking her over, too. His eyes found hers once she lifted her gaze.
"Well...I think that's enough excitement for one evening." Emma pulled all of her waves to one side of her body. "Goodnight."
As Emma started for the ladder, Daryl spoke once more before leaving the barn.
"You were right about one thing."
Emma looked between the rungs to see Daryl smirking at her as he took the lantern off the wall. The light illuminated his face.
"I did catch you."
0o0o0
Even though she had been exhausted, Emma slept terribly. She tossed and turned on her little mattress, kicking on and off the quilt all night. It was bad enough that Skipper went to go sleep on his own in another pile of hay. Emma figured it was around three when she finally just decided to get up and start her day. She set her sights on the floorboards that needed repair. After she was dressed in a large, plaid shirt and her brown trousers, Emma climbed down the ladder to find lumber and tools. She tucked her shirt into her trousers as she searched the barn. She found several pieces of lumber leaned against a wall at the far end of the barn. It was as if someone had intended on fixing the loft, but forgot or was too busy. Emma scrounged up a hammer and nails from a workbench clumsily placed between stalls. Armed with all she needed, Emma started work on the floor of the loft. By the time she had finished, the sky was just starting to change. Emma quickly finished up and hurried to the house to make breakfast.
Emma thought of Sam as she labored over bacon, biscuits, corn muffins, flapjacks, and hot coffee. She knew the smells coming from the kitchen had woken Merle and Sam. As she was pulling the biscuits and muffins from the oven, she heard stirring upstairs. By the time the table was set, Merle and Sam were jogging down the stairs. Merle paused in the kitchen doorway, closed his eyes, and dramatically took a whiff of the air.
"Now, that's what I'm talking about." Merle grinned and clapped Sam on the back. "That's how I want to wake up every morning, girl."
"Have a seat." Emma stacked the flapjacks on a single plate.
Merle sat at the head of the table. Sam sat at his left.
"Help yourselves, but if you're pigs about it," Emma raised her spatula, "I'll overturn this table with every scrap of food on it."
"Yes, ma'am." Sam replied quickly, hurriedly tucking a napkin into his shirt.
"Yes, ma'am." Merle licked his lips as he stabbed four flapjacks to put on his plate.
Emma poured coffee for Sam first, then Merle.
"So, Sam tells me you don't all take meals together." Emma said, setting the coffee down. "That's going to change. After you've finished, I want you to take some of this to your brother. Let him know that at this time every day, breakfast will be served. At noon, I'll have lunch. Dinner is immediately following our work day."
Merle chuckled around a piece of bacon.
"Whatever you say, girl." Merle shook his head.
"I mean it." Emma pointed a finger at Merle. "It's time ya'll lived like civilized people."
"Well, shucks, Emma, you haven't met Daryl yet." Merle spoke with a mouthful of biscuit. "Why don't you take him breakfast yourself."
Emma opened a basket she had found in the pantry. She slowly started putting in the muffins and biscuits she had wrapped up in cloth.
"Yes I did." Emma replied quietly, wrapping flapjacks the same way.
"What?" Merle asked.
"Daryl and I met last night." Emma repeated herself a little louder.
"When?"
Emma finished putting together the basket. She closed it and turned to set it on the table. Merle was watching her carefully, waiting for her answer.
"He came into the barn after he returned from hunting." Emma explained, taking a seat.
"And...?" Merle raised his mug of coffee to his lips.
"What?" Emma asked, reaching for a piece of bacon.
"What'd you think of him?" Merle asked.
"Why do you want to know?" Emma asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"Emma, could I have some more coffee, please?" Sam asked, interrupting the conversation. "Merle, what'd you want me starting on today? That fence on the east side still needs fixing."
Emma poured Sam more coffee as Merle prattled on about what Sam needed to accomplish that day. Quickly, but slow enough that Emma caught it, Sam gave her a smile. Emma returned his smile, grateful for his interference.
When breakfast was over, Merle and Sam headed out to start the day. Merle took the basket with him. Emma started to clean up the kitchen. She had so much to do that day. Once the kitchen was clean again, she disposed of the rotted wood still laying on the barn floor. Then, she returned to the house to clean up the living room in the same manner she had in the kitchen. In between chores in the living room, Emma washed all of her soiled clothing and hung it up to dry in between two dogwoods. All the while, Skipper napped on the porch.
As it got closer to noon, Emma prepared lunch. She assembled cold sandwiches and sliced up several pickles from a large jar in the pantry. Emma brought them out onto the porch and rang the dinnerbell that hung there. While she waited for Merle, Daryl, and Sam, Emma finished up in the living room. She folded blankets and fluffed the pillows on the sofa. When she heard the men outside, she went out onto the porch. Merle was sitting on the steps with a sandwich. Sam was sitting in one of the two chairs on the porch. Skipper was begging at his feet. Daryl was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Daryl?" Emma asked.
"He's chopping wood." Sam replied, crunching on his pickle.
"Isn't he going to take a break to eat?" Emma asked.
"Look, girl," Merle looked over his shoulder, "he'll come if he wants to. If he doesn't, he doesn't. Leave it alone."
Emma frowned as she looked back at Daryl's house. What hadn't he understood about the message Merle had relayed to him? Emma wondered if Merle had repeated what she said. Watching Merle cram sandwiches into his mouth, Emma knew he probably hadn't. So, Emma decided to pass along the message herself. She headed across the way towards Daryl's house. As she got closer, she could hear the sound of wood being split. She circled the house. Daryl was out back chopping up wood. The minute Emma came around back, Daryl stiffened. He turned around and saw Emma approaching. He returned to chopping wood.
"Daryl, what are you doing?" Emma asked when she was close enough.
Daryl set up another log and split it.
"What does it look like?" Daryl asked, chopping up another log.
Emma rolled her eyes and walked around the stump in front of Daryl.
"It's noon." Emma watched Daryl swing his axe. "Lunch is ready up at your brother's house. Didn't he tell you?"
Daryl chuckled quietly as he split another log.
"He sure did." Daryl's lips pulled into a half smile.
Emma made herself useful and carefully collected the split logs while Daryl continued chopping them up. She stacked the logs in a tidy pile.
"Look, maybe we started off on the wrong foot-"
"You sure started off on the wrong feet." Daryl laughed over the crack of his axe.
Emma frowned and dropped the split logs she had in her arms.
"Well, maybe if the boards hadn't been rotten, I wouldn't have fallen through the floor." Emma replied with an icy tone.
Daryl looked up, all humor gone from his face. He swung his axe up over his shoulder.
"The floor was just fine before you walked on it." Daryl challenged.
It was Emma's turn to laugh.
"If the floor had been fine, I certainly wouldn't have fallen through."
"If you don't like it here, you're more than welcome to leave." Daryl grumbled angrily.
Emma narrowed her eyes with a smirk of her own.
"You're not going to get rid of me that easy, Daryl."
Daryl swung his axe, this time burying it into the tree stump. He clapped his hands together to get rid of the grime and grit.
"Suit yourself." Daryl finally said.
With that, he turned and started walking away from Emma, whistling. Emma watched him walk up to his own house and disappear inside. Emma wasn't discouraged. She would get her way one way or another. In fact, as she headed back up to Merle's, she began formulating a plan.
Meanwhile, Emma cleaned up the kitchen after having made lunch. Then, she made her way around the property. She made mental notes of the supplies she would have to return to town for. She would need paint for Merle's house, the barn, and Daryl's house. She would need glass for the broken windows in Merle's house and shingles for his roof. The garden needed some serious work. She could tell just by looking at it from a distance. She would leave for town the next day so that she could get started on all of her projects. In the meantime, there was a table and chairs that needed fixing. She spent most of the afternoon on her back in the kitchen, fixing the wobbly table and mending the chairs. They would need to be painted again as well. It was just something else to add to her growing list.
When the table and chairs were as good as they could be until their paint job, Emma started on dinner. She baked a ham and rolls. To go with that, she whipped up mashed potatoes and green beans with leftover bacon from breakfast. Once everything was ready, she rang the dinnerbell. Then, she waited to see if Daryl would show up. She knew he wouldn't, so she wasn't surprised when only Merle and Sam came into the house.
"Mmm." Merle rubbed his stomach. "Smells damn good in here."
"It sure does." Sam agreed, taking a seat at the table. "Hey, the table isn't wobbling."
Merle tested the table himself.
"It sure isn't." Merle looked up at Emma as she filled a basket with rolls. "You fix this table, girl?"
"I did." Emma replied without turning.
"I see you fixed up these chairs, too." Merle cracked a smile. "I guess old Merle picked himself a good farmhand and a good cook."
Emma turned around with her basket. Inside were the rolls. The ham, potatoes, and green beans were in covered dishes. Before they could ask her why or protest, Emma shoved dishes into both of their hands. She held the basket.
"We're having supper tonight at Daryl's, or nobody will eat at all."
Then, Emma was heading out of the kitchen with the rolls. Skipper followed her. When Merle and Sam didn't follow her right away, she snapped her fingers.
"Come on, now." Emma held the screen door open. "The food's getting cold."
It didn't take much more than that. Merle and Sam carried their dishes out of the house and started for Daryl's. Emma was on their heels. Skipper was on hers. When Merle got to his brother's door, he didn't so much as knock. He opened the door and barged right on in. Sam was about to follow, but then he and Emma heard the two brothers going at it. Sam stepped backward to stand with Emma. They caught bits and pieces of their argument.
"...her gonna tell you what to do..."
"...I run this farm..."
"...not what it looks like..."
"...better get your ass up there..."
Merle emerged first. He smiled sweetly at Emma.
"We're having dinner at my place and Daryl will be joining us shortly."
By the time Emma had Merle's table set, Daryl was storming in. He stomped through the living room and blew through the kitchen doorway without a word or a look at anyone. He threw himself down at the empty end of the table and stared down at his plate. After he was seated, Emma gave the go ahead for everyone to eat. Sam passed each dish down to Daryl, who slammed ham and rolls down on his plate and clanked the green beans and potatoes beside them. Emma ignored his behavior. At least they were all present at the dinner table, and Daryl knew he wasn't going to be able to push Emma around.
"How was your work day?" Emma asked Merle and Sam.
"We got that fence fixed up." Sam replied after swallowing his mouthful of food.
"What'd you do besides fix up these chairs and the table?" Merle asked.
"I fixed the loft floor this morning when I woke up." Emma answered, cutting into her ham.
"What?" Merle asked, looking over at Sam. "You didn't tell me that floor needed fixing."
"It isn't Sam's fault." Emma spoke up before Sam could reply. "While I was walking on it last night, I fell through some rotten boards. In any case, you should have known. That's your barn. This is your farm."
Daryl snorted from his end of the table. Merle glared at him before turning back to Emma.
"Did you hurt yourself, Emma?" Sam asked worriedly.
"No." Emma shook her head, giving Sam a smile to ease his concern. "I'm fine."
"Did you have any trouble fixing the floor?" Merle asked, making it clear where his concern was.
"No." Emma smirked at Merle before taking a bite of her roll.
"I'll buy more lumber the next time I'm in town." Merle said, turning his attention to his food. "It's time to replace that floor, especially since you're staying up there now."
"Speaking of which," Emma set down her glass of milk, "I'm going into town tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Merle asked, furrowing his brow. "You forget something?"
"No. I need supplies for things that need to be done around here." Emma replied.
"Like what?"
"Well, for starters, the houses and the barn need to be painted-"
"Like hell are you painting my house." Daryl interrupted roughly, bits of food falling out of his mouth.
"Merle," Emma ignored Daryl, "your land is beautiful. I especially like the dogwood trees that line the path to your house and the willows that border the stream, but it seems like you guys only pay attention to the land. What about your barn? Your houses?"
"I don't make money off my house." Merle replied, his eyes on his plate as he continued to eat.
"No, but you do live in it." Emma folded her hands on the table. "There are two broken windows in your house. With the colder weather coming, how will you and Sam stay warm?"
"I was planning on replacing them."
"Well, I'll replace them with the glass I'm going to get tomorrow."
Merle was too busy eating to pay much attention to what Emma was saying. She finally had enough and pulled his plate out from underneath his fork and knife.
"Hey!" Merle shouted, reaching out to grab the plate back.
"I'll throw it right against that wall if you don't listen to me for five minutes." Emma threatened, holding the plate in one hand as if she were ready to hurl it at the wall.
Daryl grumbled from his end of the table. Sam looked on in horror and amazement. Merle finally sighed and sat back in his chair.
"What if it had been you, your brother, or Sam that fell through the loft floor?" Emma asked. "Could you afford to have one of your workers laid up in bed with two broken legs? I think not, especially since harvest is just around the corner."
Merle crossed his arms over his chest.
"Okay. I'm listening."
"You need to keep up with the barn and with your homes." Emma looked over at Daryl. "Whether you like it or not."
"Don't-"
"All right." Merle interrupted his brother. "I get it."
"Do you?" Emma asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Or do you just want your plate back?"
"I do, but I do...get it too." Merle replied. "You can go to town tomorrow. Me and Sam'll even come with you."
"Well, thank you, but I wasn't asking your permission." Emma slid the plate back across the table to Merle.
Merle was grateful to have his dinner back. Sam was grateful no blood had been shed.
"Just how did you manage to come out of last night's accident without a broken leg?" Merle asked as he shoveled potatoes into his mouth.
Emma looked down at Daryl, who had lifted his eyes from his plate.
"Dumb luck." Emma answered slowly.
Daryl narrowed his eyes at Emma, but his mouth lifted in one corner as it had before.
When supper was finished, Daryl got up and left without saying a word. Sam stayed for a little while to help Emma clean up, but she sent him to bed after he had yawned a third time. Emma cleaned up dinner with Skipper at her feet. She let him have the scraps that were leftover.
Emma wanted to take a bath that night, so she filled a basin with water and left it to boil. While it warmed, she sat down at the kitchen table.
0o0o0
Emma woke with a start the next morning. She was confused as to where she was. As she looked around, she realized she was in the loft on her little mattress. Puzzled, Emma looked down at herself. She was still dressed in her clothes from the day before. Emma remembered sitting down at the kitchen table. She had been so tired after having not slept more than an hour or two the night before. Emma realized that Sam must have come back to the kitchen and carried her to bed. She smiled. Sam was a sweet boy. She felt bad for him in a way, that he only had men like Merle and Daryl to look up to and grow up with. Emma hoped that her presence would be a good influence on young Sam.
The smell of breakfast roused Merle and Sam once again. While Emma set the table, Sam went to go and get Daryl. He returned with him. Daryl took his seat once again at the empty side of the table. His brown hair was sticking up in all directions, his shirt was untucked, and one of his suspenders was not fastened over his shoulder. It was obvious he had just woken. Emma poured his coffee first. Though he didn't speak to her, Daryl did look up at her as she poured. When Emma got to Sam, she leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you." Emma murmured, giving Sam a smile as he blushed furiously.
"Hey, now, do I get one of them, too?" Merle asked, tapping his cheek as Emma poured his coffee.
"Definitely not." Emma replied, setting the coffee down.
"It really wasn't any trouble, Emma." Sam finally said when his blush died down.
"Well, it was sweet of you all the same." Emma passed him the biscuits.
"Just what was sweet of our little Sam?" Merle asked, reaching over to pinch Sam's cheek.
"Nothing." Sam mumbled, ladling gravy over his biscuits.
Emma let it lie. She didn't want to embarrass Sam any further.
When Sam finished eating, he went out to the barn to get the carriage ready. Merle remained seated at the table as Emma cleared. Daryl finished off the rest of his plate before standing to go.
"Really, though, what did Sam do?" Merle asked, his arms folded behind his head.
"If you must know, he was kind enough to carry me to bed after I fell asleep at the table." Emma replied.
Merle laughed so hard that his chair tipped forward.
"What was you doing sleeping at the table?" Merle asked in the midst of his laughter.
Daryl was frozen on the spot. He thought back to the night before. After he had gone back to his house, he realized that he had left his pipe on the table during dinner. He usually smoked it for a while before he went to bed. Even though it meant possibly running into Merle or Emma, Daryl walked back to his brother's house. He used the back door that led into the kitchen. As he approached the screen door, he saw Emma at the table. Her head was buried in her arms. Strands of hair that had worked themselves loose from her bun trailed down her neck. Daryl thought they looked curlier than the night before in the barn.
The sound of liquid bubbling got Daryl's attention. He switched gears into hunter mode and slipped into the house without making a sound. Water was boiling in a basin on the stove. Daryl used towels to pull the water off of the stove. It was then that Daryl realized Emma wasn't lost in her thoughts. She had fallen asleep. Daryl saw his pipe on the counter. He pocketed it and headed to the door, but he paused in front of it. He looked back at Emma as she slept. Her back rose and fell evenly with her deep breaths. Daryl knew exhausted when he saw it. The girl was dead tired. He thought about leaving her. He had his hand on the doorknob, but there was something about the way she had spoken up at dinner that annoyed him beyond belief, but there was something that he also respected about it. He would never admit it aloud, though.
Daryl turned back to the kitchen. The lanterns on the kitchen walls were still lit. Daryl blew them out. His avid hunting had honed his eyesight. He could see like a nocturnal animal. In the shadows, he lifted Emma into his arms. Her head lolled against his shoulder. Some of her blonde hair was pressed against his neck. It was soft against his skin. As Daryl thought about his brother walking in on him holding Emma in his arms, he grimaced. He would never hear the end of it. So, Daryl carried Emma quickly out of the house. Skipper was lying on the barn floor when Daryl entered. He got up as Daryl went to the ladder. Daryl carefully began to shift Emma so that she was over his shoulder so that he could carry her up the ladder. Emma didn't move or make a peep, but Daryl worried she would wake while he had her. Daryl thought that would be worse than Merle seeing him with Emma.
Once Daryl had climbed the ladder, he slowly laid Emma down on the mattress. Even in the darkness, Daryl could still make out the shape of her body and the paleness of her skin. It was funny. When she was awake, walking and talking, Emma carried herself mostly like a man. Except for the way she would cook and smile at Sam. As she slept, Daryl looked at Emma like a woman. She was harmless and vulnerable. Daryl realized as he looked down at Emma, that he wasn't used to women. The only woman he had ever known had been his mama, and she passed away when he was fourteen, so his experience with women was essentially nonexistent. Daryl knew all about hunting, about processing animals he killed, and about farming. He knew nothing about women. Were all women like Emma? Daryl's gut told him no, but he didn't know if he could trust it when it came to the opposite sex.
Emma sighed in her sleep. It was soft, but Daryl knew he had lingered too long. He didn't even remember why he had remained in the loft for what seemed like so many minutes. It could have been thirty seconds for all he knew. Daryl threw the quilt over Emma's body and climbed down the ladder before he could be discovered. That's when he saw Skipper. The dog looked up at him with big, brown eyes. Daryl grumbled, but he carried the dog up the ladder and deposited him on the loft floor. He heard him padding over to Emma as he exited the barn.
Merle hadn't noticed right away that Daryl, who had been just about to open the door, became still and visibly stiffened. As Emma answered Merle's question, his laughter died down. He wondered if maybe it hadn't been Sam that had carried Emma to bed after all. His suspicions were confirmed when Daryl slowly looked over his shoulder. Their eyes met. Merle knew.
"...what?" Emma asked, wondering what Merle had been looking at over her shoulder.
When Emma turned around, the door was just shutting behind Daryl.
"My Silver Lining" - First Aid Kit [Emma's journey and arrival at the farm]
"Girl From The North Country" - Johnny Cash & Bob Dylan [Daryl and Emma meet, Daryl thinks back on taking Emma to bed]