Chapter Text
prologue
He hated her. Simple as that. Every time he saw her he ran through the ever-growing list of what he vehemently disliked about her.
He hated how much the townspeople seemed to love her immediately. He hated her friendly nature, always wanting to be friends with the first thing that glanced her way.
He hated (although he did his best not to show it) how much Marnie and Jas adored her, how Marnie would always add extra hay to her orders. How Jas was convinced she was some sort of fairy princess or something like that.
He hated how she went to the saloon every night, which was supposed to be his place away from his pointless life. But no matter how many glares he threw her way, she still came and sat only a few chairs down.
He hated how Gus and Emily greeted her loudly so he always knew exactly when she walked through the door. He hated how she perked up, despite a full day of manual labor, to smile and converse back as if she had a relaxing day.
He hated how she was usually covered in mud and damp from all the fishing she did. How she carried in freshly caught fish, still on the line, to sell to Gus. How she would sometimes stay for a pizza, chat with whoever was there, and leave only to repeat it the next night.
He hated how she always greeted him whenever she saw him. He hated that she knew his birthday, and how an extra beer was pushed his way even though he knew she didn’t have much extra cash. He hated that she wanted to be friends with him because he couldn’t figure out why her, of all people, would want to be friends with a town drunk.
He hated how he thought about how pretty her eyes were in the glowing dimness of the saloon. Or how her tied-back hair always escaped the band, leaving her messy hair framing her face just right. He hated how her work clothes were drab and very baggy, probably her grandfather’s old work clothes, yet she looked perfect in them.
But the biggest reason why he hated her, the one that easily trumped all the others, was incredibly simple.
She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.