DaisyMaeDuke

Luke looked at him slowly, trying to read the unspoken words behnd the face he knew so well.

Luke nodded seeming to read Bo's thoughts. "I can't imagine what it'd be like without you..." he didn't know what was causing him to be so transparent right now...maybe it was the quiet soothing sounds of the farm...maybe it was that he was feeling a bit sentimental after looking through his Marine yearbooks teh night before...maybe it was just the one on one time with Bo that he'd been missing more than he let on- he didn't know...and he figured it didn't matter really...what mattered was that Bo knew.

Luk nodded. "I know what you mean."

Luke drank his lemonade slowly before looking to him thoughtfully. "I'm really glad you're my cousin Bo..." he said after a pause.

"You got that right," said Luke thoughtfully. "S'been a long time since we just sat and talked...like we used to.... without runnin from Rosco at the time anyway"

Luke looked at him. That ain't a half bad idea..." he said before doing the same stretching out his leg as well. "Been a long time since we just sat ain't it?" he observed.

Luke smiled as he took it. "Thanks buddy." He took a long drink. "No one makes lemonade like Daisy does.." he commented.

Luke leaned on the fence overlooking the farm. He wasn't the most emotional cousin by any means. In fact, Bo used to tell him he had about the sensitivity of a telephone pole. But sometimes, like now, he really felt close to Bo. A slight smile crossed his face as he thought of his baby cousin. Bo had always been there...in truth, Bo knew Luke better than Luke knew himself sometimes. He didn't always take the time to reflect on how lucky he was but now...now he just thanked his lucky stars that he was where he was and had the family that he did.

Luke smiled and nodded a little. "Yeah...sound good."

Luke laughed. "Yeah...it sure is," he agreed.

"Well Auntie always did say we was two peas in a pod...must be why I got in trouble so much...learned it from you," he said snickering.

Luke pretended to take a whiff of him. "Coulda fooled me...ya smell like ya live in there with her..." he teased, a half-grin on his face.

Luke looked at him in mock hurt for a moment, before replying "Oh real cute, Bo." Shaking his had he added, "You know there's a reason feedin' Maudine was always my job. Jesse was afraid she'd mistake you for her hay."

"They did?" asked Luke. "Whereabouts?"

"Me?! I ain't startin' nothin'...just statin' facts is all..." he bantered though his face wore an innocent look.

Luke sighed and nodded a lttle continuing to tickle Bo with the feather. ***present*** Luke shook his head a little. "You sure was cute then..." he smirked a little. "What happened to ya?"

Luke frowned a little. "Okay Auntie," he said softly. Sometimes it seemed that there were more rules about playing with Bo that it took out all the fun.

Luke smiled as he said his name and dug in his pocket taking out a feather from a bluejay that he had found. Carefully he tickled him on the nose with it. "I brung it just for you," having no doubt Bo could understand him, "cuz I missed ya."

"I brung ya somethin Bo...you want it?" asked Luke anxiously. Jesse watched on with paternal pride.

Luke hugged the little blond close looking up at his uncle to see his reaction. "Well I'll be..." said Jesse as if he could hae been knocked over with a feather.

Luke held open his arms. "Come here Bo!"

Luke obediently sat on the floor as told. Jesse looked at them in wonder. "What's going on?"

Jesse came up the path. "Well there ya are...you come home didja?" "Yes sir...an' Auntie wants ya so come on!" With that the little boy grabbed his uncle's big hand and led him inside. "Here he is Auntie!"

Luke nodded and pocketing the treasure he had found for Bo carefully took the flowers and set them on the table before running out the house. "UNCLE JESSE!!!!! AUNTIE WANTS YA!!!!!!"

Luke dug the treasures out of his pack and ran over to her a hand behind his back before presenting her with a bunch of delapitated wildflowers, much wilted and torn from their time in his back pack. "I picked em all for you!"