DaisyMaeDuke

Hank growled but said, "Fine I will!" Getting back on his horse, he headed for town, hoping Loraine wold be there, longing to see her and get his mind off of his troublesome cousin.

Luke ran a hand over his face. "I'm so scared bout this..." he admitted.

Luke felt himself starting to panick. "We'll lose the farm...they'll take away Jaime..."

Hank rolled his eyes. The last thing he wanted was to babysit his cousin and watch he didn't do anything foolish. "Joe get back here!"

"Six months?! They told you six months?!" he exclaimed paling at the thought. "I can't be laid up for six months!"

"No thanks Joseph....you just might get lucky," he said with a smirk.

"Anybody can use a whip with a still target..." To prove his point he took his whip and cracked it hard onto his hat making it fly up off the ground and caught it with his other hand, putting it back on his head. "It's the movin targets that're tricky."

Luke sighed a little, feeling really bad about that but refusing to give in to the guilthe felt knowing it would just upset Bo. "Well...least you don't need no operation to set it back."

"Ow! Dang it Joe, will you watch where ya put that thing beore I make it a permanent fixture round your neck?" Hank said it jokingly but there was no mistaking the seriousness in his tone and the fire in his eyes.

"Better?" asked Luke, thinking to himself that he felt better with Bo close by.

"If you use your whip as good as you ride your horse I got nothin to worry bout," said Hank tilting back in his chair relaxing.

Luke moved over on his temporary bed. "Not much room, but might be a bit better than the chair if you want..."

"That sound more like you Joseph than me," said Hank using Joe's full name for no other reason than he knew Joe hated it.

Luke shrugged. "Well was worth a shot."

"That's an easy one...I was busy talkin to that purty lil thing in town...in fact...I'd be ridin off t' the sunset right now if didn't hafta save the neck of my lil' cousin...." Hank added throwing his hat at him.

"I'll try..." answered Luke with big puppy eyes and a forlorn expression. But a day without Bo is like a day without hours...jsut dont work."

"However will I make it through the day?" asked Luke sarcastically.

Hank shook his head. "Well with a face like yours, any look is a wrong look. Still, I s'pose he don't need a reason t' go after us...he never has before."

Hank jumped off his horse tying him next to Joe's and slapping his flank affectionately. He then made his way to the hideout. "So what'd ya do this time? Kiss another man's wife?" asked Hank with a grin at his trouble finding ousin.

"If I had a tomato I'd throw it at ya, ya goofball." He tried to keep a straight serious face but with Bo it was about impossible.

Hank followed soon after, making sure the sherriff was alright first. It was a beautiful day and with his fast horse under him and the cute little fillie he met in town, he couldn't help but have a grin on his face as he rode to the hideout.

Hank heard the gunshot and crouched down low in his saddle making himself as light as possible to quicken his horses pace. He took a short cut over a high road until he passed by the sherriff trying to think of what to do when he saw it...a boulder hanging dangerously close to the side of the overpass. He pushed aainst it rolling it down the hill hoping to startle the sheriff's horse long enough for Joe to make his get away. The boulder sent a small rockslide down the sheriff's way as Hank grinned watching the horse rear running off with the sheriff stopping short of the creek were he landed with a splash. "Serves you right...stay away from my cousin," said Hank with a smirk before jumping on his horse and riding on ahead.

Luke smirked at him. "Cute Bo. Real cute."

"I don't wanna stay here! I'm gonna go nuts!" exclaimed Luke.

"Thank you. So do you suppose they's gonna make me stay here til the surgery?"