A/N Thank you everyone! Well, she let him in, they talked, and now they've agreed to try again. We're going riding!

Enjoy!

00

"I don't think they'll take this stuff back Daryl, I already took all the tags off."

He sounds so confident, "They'll take it back. Ya still got them tags?"

"Yes, well they're here in the trash, just a second." She's sure this is all a big waste of time. She remembers reading the sign by the store register, it clearly stated clothes could not be returned without the tags still attached. There's a small trash basket next to her bed and she reaches in and retrieves the tags, and for some reason, she hands them to him, "Here, that's all of them."

He glances at them long enough to say, "Holy fuck girl, ya spent a lotta money on that leather. I didn't know you were so rich."

She shrugs, "I'm not. I had to charge them on my credit card."

"What? Are ya fuckin' kiddin' me? I didn't have ya pegged for a woman that runs up credit cards."

She's defensive now and talking fast, "Well I'm not, but gosh, I don't have that kind of money and I was trying to make you happy and I just thought if I could pay back fifty dollars a month I could get everything paid for in less than a year."

Shit, so it's his fault she was charging up plastic? He wasn't even there. He sounds resigned though, "I see."

"No, you don't see and you're being judgey. I've only used that credit card one other time. I was at the grocery store and I didn't have quite enough cash so I charged everything and paid it off as soon as the bill came." Why is she explaining herself to him, it's her money.

He can see she's plenty agitated, and he sure as hell doesn't want to fight over this, shit, and even if she does want to charge up a bunch of worthless shit, that's her business. He tries to smooth it over, "Hey, I ain't judgin' ya Baby, a lotta people live on the card, and plenty of em drink at Dirty Dixon's. I'm glad ta know you ain't cuz sooner or later that shit catches up."

"I know, gosh, I do accounting for a living, but I just wasn't thinking straight at the time and it was stupid."

His arms are around her and he's talking softly in her ear, "Hey, none a that. It wasn't stupid, it was real sweet what ya done, and I appreciate that ya wanted ta make me happy." He draws back enough to look in her eyes, smile and say, "But I'm happy just lookin' at ya." If he keeps this up he'll be standing here with her all day, "C'mon now, let's get your money back n go ridin'."

When they arrive at the bike shop Daryl hangs back and let's Beth handle it. She sets the bag on the counter, hands the young woman on the other side the credit card receipt and the tags, explaining, "They just weren't right for me. I'd like to return everything please, oh, except the boots and the helmet. I'm keeping them."

The other woman says, "I'm sorry, I can't take any of it back, once you take the tags off that's it, you own them for good." She points at the sign, "Just like it says."

Darn, she knew it, "Oh. Okay well, thank you anyway."

That's when Daryl steps in. Beth picks up and bag and begins to turn from the counter, but Daryl reaches for it, sets it back on the counter and says to the woman, "Excuse me Miss, I understand ya got your policies or whatever, but ya know she didn't even have a chance ta wear them clothes, she just bought em from ya last night. Ya know you could put them tags right back on n probably have them clothes sold again by this afternoon."

Enid knows who he is. Everyone knows who he is, he's the man who owns Dirty Dixon's and she doesn't want trouble with him. He has a reputation for being a no-nonsense person, and word is he's tough as nails, although she's never heard he's a mean person. She's just in a bad spot, her boss has rules and she's afraid to break them but she doesn't want to upset this customer either. She's fumbling for words when the owner walks in and she calls to him, "Dwight, we have a little problem here."

Beth sees it, Enid sees it too, the two men are shooting looks at one another. The looks aren't exactly angry, it's more like they're each just letting the other know they're not backing down. Beth happens to think this Dwight fellow blinks first, but maybe that's just her opinion. Whatever the case, she doesn't want trouble. She tugs at Daryl's sleeve and whispers, "It's okay Daryl, let's just go."

He looks down at her, mumbles, "I got this Baby," and something in that look tells her to just stand back and watch.

Beth is taking in everything about the owner as she worries and wonders about whether there will be a fight. He's blond and very slim, but it's that deceiving kind of slim, what they call wiry. He looks like a scrapper. His defining feature though is not his hair or his build, it's the horrifying scar on the left side of his face. It appears to be a burn of some kind. Even though it's all healed over, it still looks painful to Beth.

At least he's smiling when he says, "Dixon, what the hell you doin' here?"

"Dwight, shit man, how ya been? I just come ta get my girl her money back. I sent her over ta buy herself a helmet last night," Beth watches in awe as Daryl tells the story in a way and a tone that makes it sound like he's fully in charge, of everyone, "and she comes home with all this shit. Ain't no way I'ma let her wear it. Fuck man, she'll have half the state a Georgia puppy doggin' around after her."

Dwight snorts, "I think that's the point dude. Chicks dig gettin' men all worked up."

"Yeah that might be true for some other chick, but it ain't true for mine. Now, like I told this young lady here, she's got the tags, she's got the stuff, she ain't ever worn it, and she's got the receipt."

Dwight tries to appear cool, but Beth sees the sweat beading on his forehead, "I'm sorry Dixon, but we have a policy."

"Yeah, well, let's alter the policy a little. Like I told the young lady here, you'll have it all sold again by this afternoon." He lightly slaps the bag and says, "Let's wrap this up, her n me, we got places ta go." Then he smiles, "Oh, but hey, ya still got a nice sale. We're keepin' the boots n the helmet. Credit her back the boots n the clothes and I'll pay ya cash for the boots. Let's do it, time's a wastin'."

Dwight seems to have resigned himself to the fact he's not going to win, but he's mad and humiliated in front of his employee, and then Daryl sweetens the deal, "I tell ya what, why don't ya stop by the roadhouse tomorrow afternoon, your beers are on me from five ta six."

Dwight tries his best to puff up and look tough when he answers, "Yeah? Well you'll be buying for Sherry too, she's back home with me these days and we do our drinkin' together."

"Good, I ain't seen Sherry in a while." Daryl knows once they've been drinking free for an hour, Dwight and Sherry will continue to drink all evening long. He'll make back his money and more.

Once they're outside at the bike Beth says to him, "Oh my gosh Daryl, I can't believe you just did that. I was sure I owned those clothes forever, and what a relief not to owe all that money. I was so dumb to charge something like that."

"Hey, now, ain't you the one who said I can't call myself dumb? You can't call yourself that either. Anyway, it's done and it ain't a big deal, ya made a mistake, now ya know. But lemme tell ya, I'm okay with playin' the role and returnin' shit ta the bike shop, but if ya need ta return panties or curtains or any shit like that, you're on your own."

He embarrasses her a little, and makes her laugh a lot, and that's one of the things she's come to love about him, "Okay, I'll keep that in mind the next time I'm buying panties and curtains."

Riding through town on the back of that big motorcycle she gets the sense all eyes are on her, and she likes the idea of people seeing her on the back of the big bike holding onto the very handsome biker. She's proud to be seen with Daryl.

As they're making a slow loop through the circle she sees her boss, Spencer, and Beth knows he sees her too. It's obvious by the shocked look on his face. She's not surprised Spencer would be stunned. Who would think she would have a badass biker boyfriend like Daryl Dixon? She can't even believe it. That thought makes her smile and hold onto Daryl a little tighter.

Although he explained it to her, she's not at all sure where they're going, and honestly, she doesn't care. She's put her faith in Daryl and made up her mind she's not going to worry about a thing, she'll simply enjoy the ride. Besides, he does this stuff all the time and he probably knows every inch of Georgia backward and forward. She's also discovered something very important; she likes being on the back of this bike. She likes the way their bodies fit together so perfectly, as if it was meant to be. She likes having her hands on his hips as they ride along, feeling the machine's vibrations through her body and his, and she especially likes knowing that, at least for the time being, he's all hers.

Daryl's never much cared for riding anyone with him on the bike, but he likes the feel of Beth behind him. She's scooted up to him a lot closer than she needs to be, and she's got her knees kind of pressed in against his thighs like she's holding on tight with them. He's not complaining. It's a hot combination of sweet and sexy. He likes the way her hands rest on his hips, and if the bike hits even the smallest bump or rut, suddenly her grip gets tighter, or better yet, her arms wrap around him and she squeezes him harder. That's good shit.

Yeah, it feels good, it feels right, and he realizes that it's not that he doesn't like riding someone on his bike, it's that it has to be the right someone. It has to be Beth Greene.

Daryl's had plenty of chicks ask him for rides over the years, "Please Daryl, take me out riding with you this weekend, I'll make it worth it to you," they smile, lick their lips and promise all kinds of sexual things. When it comes to women, Daryl may have had a hard time figuring out what the fuck he wants in this life, but that kind of shit taught him exactly what he doesn't want. He knows he'll never be really happy or satisfied if all it's about is dirty talk, easy sex and fake affection. That shit leaves him feeling cold, empty, and kind of guilty.

Since he got real honest with himself about Beth, he knows what he wants, and he wants it all. He wants to be with a woman he likes being around, talking to, laughing with, all that. He wants the corny romance novel bullshit, he wants the hand-holding and the cheek kissing, the sweet words and the kind of deep, passionate sex only two people who really love each other can have. Maybe it's not quite time for that yet, but he's hoping it will be sometime soon.

In the meantime he wants to share something else with her. He wants to tell Beth about the big dream he has. He wants to hear her opinion and get her ideas, and he's hoping maybe it'll work out that she can be part of that dream. If he doesn't fuck this up again he believes she could be. They could do this thing together.

He's made up his mind, he's going to talk to her about it today.

They've been riding for a while, and for the past 45 minutes or so they've been way off the beaten path. The road is blacktop, but it's not even quite wide enough for two cars to pass, one vehicle would have to pull to the side to let the other go by. It's got him driving much slower too and that's nice, it gives her a chance to check out the countryside, wow, it's beautiful. Even though it's winter and most of the trees are bare, it's still nice to see them. There's plenty of other foliage too, and even some winter flowers.

He pulls off into a primitive campground but there are no campers around, which isn't surprising this time of year. There's a couple of picnic tables and a small concrete building that she's sure is a restroom. Beth gingerly gets off the bike, and oh my goodness, her legs feel so wobbly and it's like every nerve ending is pulsating. He warned her what it would feel like, but it's still kind of freaking her out. "Ya okay Baby?"

"Yes, I think I just need to walk around a minute."

"Yeah, let's do that, then we can use the restroom n go on. We're only about five miles from the place I wanna show ya. We can chill there a while before we go eat." Then he remembers it's not just him, and adds, "Unless you're hungry now and ya need to eat."

"No I'm fine. I want to see this place you love so much, where you go to fish and hunt. I'm really hoping there will be ice on the water, like you said there was last time you were here."

"Yeah, I'd like ya ta see that again, it's awesome lookin'." He takes her hand as they walk toward the small concrete building and tells her, "So ya know, it's just them composting toilets n there's no sink ta wash up or anythin', but I got wipes in the saddlebag if ya need em." She grew up on the rural route, she doesn't need to ask him why he'd carry wipes out in the country.

Once they're back on the bike there's no more blacktop, they're riding on dirt now and he goes at a slow pace for the next four miles, then brings the bike to a stop. He turns to her and says, "I think it's best if we stop here. This rocky dirt ain't really made for ridin', so I usually walk the last mile."

"Oh, okay, that will be a nice change for my muscles."

He grabs water from the saddlebag, handing her a bottle and asks, "I brought a couple cans a coke too, ya want one?"

"I think I'm good with water for now, thanks."

She's a little surprised when he takes a gallon sized bag half-filled with almonds from the saddlebag, but not at all surprised when he grabs the rolled blanket that's been bungeed to the back of the seat. She offers, "Here, let me carry something. Hand me the almonds." He does and she jokes, "Are these our appetizers?"

He chuckles, "No, not ours, but I know some fellas who're gonna love them things. Shit, maybe they'll share with ya."

The ground may not be good for motorcycle tires, but it's good for walking. It's a hard packed trail he's probably walked a million times so it doesn't take them long, and when the lake comes into view Beth lets out an audible gasp, "Oh my gosh Daryl, that's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Oh and look, there is a little ice! Wow, this place is gorgeous. I can't believe it's so close and I've never heard anything about it."

"Yeah, I know, I'm kinda glad no one knows it's here. It's probably cuz ya can't just drive in, if ya have a pickup or an RV you'd have ta leave it five miles back at the campground. I never seen more than one or two people in all the years I been comin' up here."

He leads her to a very rudimentary bench and smiles, "I made this a couple years ago. It may not be my best work, but I wanted a spot where I could sit and just stare at the lake, and at night it's a perfect spot for a campfire."

She smiles, "I like the way you think."

"Yeah? Ya think you'd be willin' ta camp out here, sleep in a tent n stuff?"

"Sure, I'd love that, and I bet I'd catch more fish than you. My Daddy taught me everything he knows."

He smiles, "All right then. Next time we come out this way we'll bring our poles and have a contest." Then he suggests, ""Let's sit, I'll introduce ya ta my homies." She's not sure what he's talking about, but she smiles as she takes a seat on the bench.

His sits next to her, smiling at her before opening the zippered bag filled with almonds. He takes a small handful and tosses them on the ground about five feet from where they're sitting, turns to her again and says, "Wait just a minute, they're comin'," and he's not kidding. Within a minute or two there are four of the cutest little chipmunks Beth's ever seen. The small creatures are chewing on some of the almonds while stuffing others in their cheeks, and they're all looking at Daryl expectantly. He holds the bag toward her and says, "Here, ya give em some too."

A few more of the little creatures show up and Daryl and Beth take turns tossing the almonds as they talk to the chipmunks, who stay busy stuffing their cheeks and occasionally running off to stash their almonds for later, before scurrying back for more. Beth asks, "Why almonds and not peanuts?"

"I did a little checkin' up on this stuff n I found out almonds are better for em." And that simple statement is another glimpse into who this man is, Daryl might be a badass biker man, but he's also a caring and soft-hearted man.

They now have a pretty good size crowd of the adorable little creatures around them, but Daryl has to cut them off, "Sorry guys, we can't give ya no more right now. Ya don't wanna get sick, do ya?" He looks at Beth and explains, "They'll keep eatin' as long as we give em to em, and that ain't good." She just nods, he really did study up on this. At first the small animals remain, making funny little chirping noises and looking expectantly at Daryl and Beth, and it's all Beth can do not to give in and give them one more handful. But eventually they give up and run off.

Daryl smiles at her, "They ain't gonna go hungry, there's plenty a seeds n stuff around here for 'em."

He grabs the still rolled blanket and suggests, "Ya wanna get a little closer to the water?"

"Okay, sure."

He takes her hand they walk the short distance where he lays the blanket down and says, "C'mon, let's chill." He sits, extends his hand and she sits next to him.

She's been wondering for a while and asks, "How long have you owned the Roadhouse Daryl?"

He shrugs, "I bought it five years ago. I use ta stop there when I was out ridin' in the area and I always thought it could be a real good business. The old boy who owned it though, well I guess that was just it, he was old n tired and the place was run down and kinda seedy, but I always thought it could do good. Shit, even the way it was it was busy a lot. One day when I was there I just straight up asked him ta let me know if he ever wanted ta sell. I gave him my number n thought, well that's the end of that, and then a year later he called."

"The timing was good, I'd just finished a big job so I had some cash from that, and I also just sold my house." He explains further, "I had a little place outside Atlanta and kinda out of the blue I decided ta sell and try n find a place more in the country. I guess I ended up with that, didn't I?"

She smiles, "It sure sounds like it, what kind work were you doing?"

"I had a construction business, just me, but Abraham and Jesus both worked for me. Once in a while I'd bring on a couple other guys if it was a big job. Anyway, by the time he decided ta sell the roadhouse, the old boy who owned it was a little desperate. He was sickly n wanted ta move in with his daughter over near Columbus. He offered me a sweet deal and what made it even better was the house was part of the deal."

"Wow, it sounds like it was meant to be."

"That's what I thought. Anyway, I went n talked ta my bank right away and the rest is history. If everythin' goes right I'll have the place paid off in another five years."

"That's great."

"Yeah, I mighta been able ta pay it off sooner but it needed some work n I had ta put money back into it. I spent the whole first year cleanin', makin' repairs and updatin' stuff like the electric, the plumbin', the bathrooms and the bar sinks. All that stuff needed ta be replaced. Luckily, between me, Abe and Jesus, we could do it ourselves. I was still fixin the joint up the second year, but I needed ta show the house some attention too. About a year ago I finally got both ta where I'm pretty satisfied."

She smiles and asks, "So what's the story on your bathtub."

He laughs, "Benefits of the trade. That tub was in a house a guy wanted torn down. I asked him if he minded if I took some stuff that was in it since he was junkin' it all anyway, and he said, 'take whatever ya want.' So, I took that tub cuz it's a classic, I took a desk and I have that in my office, and I took the whole air conditioning system, duct work n all, the water heater and the furnace. Shit, they all still worked, so why not? Abe needed a new water heater and I sold the furnace, and I installed the AC unit and that tub at my house."

"Nice. I love that tub."

He smiles at her, "I think I knew ya did. I've never used it, I'm a shower guy, but I musta known I's gonna meet someone who'd appreciate it." He runs a finger along her jawline and asks, "How bout what you do Baby, did ya always wanna be in accounting?"

She giggles, "No, never really, but Mama and Daddy both said it would be very valuable to know and I'd always be able to get a job, but honestly Daryl, it's a little too black and white. I never get to use any creative thinking."

He can't help but laugh, "Yeah, I think it's illegal ta use creativity when you're doin' bookwork."

It's then that somehow, he nudges her, and somehow she ends up laying down, and somehow he ends up laying down with her. Practically on top of her. They begin to kiss and it's warm and it's intimate, and he's not just feeling aroused, he's feeling something else too. Something different, an emotion he's never had. He's pretty sure he knows what it is, but should he tell her? What if he does, and she's not feeling the same things he's feeling? He has to say something though, this feeling is too strong. What he does is look right in her pretty blue eyes and say, "I'm feelin' a certain way about you Beth."

She's just as overwhelmed and confused by the emotions she's feeling for him, and she looks right back in his steel blue eyes and responds, "I'm feelin' a certain way about you too, Daryl."

They've said it, they've told each other. Well they kind of told each other. Maybe later they'll tell each other in some other way with some other words.

This seems like a good time to tell her something else he's been wanting to talk with her about, "I got a plan for the business Beth. I think it's good, solid. I think I can make a little money, and I think it'll be almost, well...kinda fun."

"Are you going to share those plans with me?"

"I want to, if you wanna hear about em."

"Of course I do."

As if on cue, her stomach growls. She places her hand flat on her tummy and says, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, you're hungry, I am too."

He gets up, extends a hand to her and says, "Let's go eat, then we can talk."

He pulls the bike up to a small rustic log building, it looks a little like a slightly oversized log home. It's surrounded by trees and not much of anything else. Everything about it feels far more remote than Dirty Dixon's, and yet the parking lot is huge. There's a big wraparound porch area with several wooden picnic tables, and only a few are currently occupied by customers. That's not surprising, it's winter, plus the lunch hour has passed and it's too early for dinner.

Daryl and Beth walk up the steps to the porch and through the swinging door to the inside of this rustic place simply named, "Just Beer n' Grub." The inside isn't any fancier than the outside, but it's charming. There are vintage coke and beer signs, crates, helmets, photos, framed newspaper articles, sports jerseys, every kind of memorabilia imaginable is on the walls. An old school juke box is playing music from the 60's and 70's, and there are two couples laughing and dancing. There's a standup counter, no stools, if you eat at the counter, you're on your feet, and there's a few people who are. The other seating is mostly picnic tables, except for a couple of booths along the far wall. Daryl takes her hand and leads her that way. When she slides in, he slides in next to her.

She orders the slaw dawg and he orders the chili burger and they each have a coke.

Their food comes and as they're eating he tells her, "In the spring, summer, fall, ya can't get near this place, it's packed all the time. It ain't just that folks are out this way campin' or ridin' and lookin' for a bite to eat either, it's a place people make plans to drive to just ta have a beer and eat some big hearty food someplace different, someplace you'd never find in town."

"I can see why they'd go out of their way; it definitely has a certain charm, and gosh, the food's delicious."

"Do ya feel like there's just a really good vibe?"

"I do. It's fun and funky and kind of…I don't know, like comfortable."

His voice lowers, "Okay, see that's the thing, that's the plan, I think I can do a little sumthin' with Dirty Dixon's, I don't wanna try'n copy what they got here and I don't wanna lose what I got. I been plannin' sumthin' for a long time and I think I'm ready ta pull the trigger."

He takes a gigantic bite of the chili burger while she's asking, "Well are you going to tell me about it?"

Once he swallows he answers, "Yeah, but, um, ya know, it's private. Can we go ta my house n talk there?"

She takes a little extra time chewing her bite of food before answering, "Yes, I'd like that, but can we stop at my house on the way so I can pick up a few things?"

He's afraid to look at her, he's afraid to be thinking what he's thinking. They've had a misstep before, so he looks at nothing but his chili burger when he agrees, "Sure, no problem."

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A/N We covered a lot of territory in this chapter, in more ways than one. Please leave a comment. The chapter photo is on my tumblr blogs gneebee and bethylmethbrick, please have a look. I'll be back next week with more of The Accidental Christmas, and I hope you'll be back too. Until then remember, I love ya large. xo gneebee Enjoy the Super Bowl!