DaisyMaeDuke

Luke smirked. "Well maybe if it wasn't so boring I would have gone more...but I dunno that I woulda been any wiser," he added. Truth was Luke was smart already. He knew it, Jesse had known it, and the teachers...well, they never wanted to admit it. They never took kindly when Luke argued them out of a point they were trying to make. They always called it insuboordination, or disrespect, but Luke knew better...his many times to the principal's office had given him time to think if nothing else. It was plain old denial: denial that Luke knew some things they didn't. He had taken to skipping school mainly to avoid the principal's office, and the teachers hadn't said anything to Jesse. They just were glad to not have to deal with him, he supposed.

Speaking of John's movies reminds me: Come Dance at My Wedding will air June 6th at 9:oopm EST on Hallmark and June 12th at 9:00ESTon Hallmark Ironically I will be dancing at a wedding myself at this time, so I will have to catch it June 12. But it's gonna be great!

Luke nodded a little knowing that was true. In truth, she would always br proud of them, even if there was nothing to be proud of, their aunt would find something. It was the way she was.

Luke smiled. "Yeah I guess ya do at that. Auntie woulda been real proud of the way you turned out," he added, unable to help but think about his aunt with al the reminiscing going on.

***end flashback*** "Course ya didn't stop," reflected Luke. "Ya never did do what I wanted you to do, when I wanted ya t' do it."

"Why you little..." began Luke, grabbing hold of Bo and tickling him, holding him tightly so he couldn't get away. Lavinia laughed shaking her head at Daisy's inquiring look. "Boys will be boys Daisy-girl...sooner you make up yer mind t' that the better. Why don't you eat...sounds like those twoo might be a while," she added with a chuckle.

Luke shook his head at his cousin. "Thanks a heap," he said as he finished washing his own hands, soon holding a towel out to Bo. "Gimme yer hands Bo-Bo."

Lavinia smiled patting the little girl on the head gently, as she set three glasses of lemonade invitingly on the table. Luke, meanwhile, had gone to the bathroom with Bo, turning on the water to a comfortable temperature and helping the four-year-old onto his stool. "Make sure ya use soap," cautioned Luke squeezing some into his cousin's hands as well as his own. "You know how funny girls can be bout stuff like that..."

Luke held his hand out to Daisy and, in big-brother fashion, hugged Bo's shouders as they walked inside. "Lunch ready yet Auntie?" he asked dimpling up at her.

"Yeah...I see...now put the ant down...he wants t' go home an' eat...just like we gotta do...it must be 'most lunch time," observed Luke looking towards the house.

Luke let out a sigh of relief, before hurrying over to his wayward cousin. "Hey! Didn't I tell ya t' stay put?!" he demanded, sounding very much like a small adult than the eight-year-old boy he was.

Luke quickly climbed up to the loft to make sure Bo hadn't gone up there on his own. Satisfied that he had not, he hurried back down and ran out the double doors yelling, "Bo!"

Luke nodded. "Thought you'd like it... Bo you want to have another..." Frowning he looked around. "Where'd Bo go?" He wasn't overly worried but at the same time there was too much trouble a four-year-old boy could find on the farm if unsupervised. "Bo?"

Luke held on to the rope and his cousin tightly, just etting the wind blow through his dark curls, swinging back and forth across the barn.

Luke smiled a dimpled grin to her. "Sure thing...come on...Bo you stay put..." With that he led the way up the ladder.

Luke slid off the rope too, spotting Daisy standing quietly near the doors watching them. Hushing Bo, he smiled at her and said, "Hey, Daisy...you wanna have a go?" Despite the close brotherly love that Luke had for Bo, he felt a special kinship with Daisy. The loss of her folks was still new to her and though she seemed to jump back with the happy spirit that characterized her, Luke knew that she was still trying to adjust with all the changes; he knew because only two years ago he himself had been going through the same thing. This commonality made Luke instinctively try to make her feel at ease, and the inward vow of protection he had taken over Bo, now included Daisy as well. (cue BL)

When at last the swinging motion slowed enough to jump off, Luke didn't. Instead he climbed down, hand over hand, with little Bo still clinging to him. It wasn't that he couldn't jump off with Bo. He was sure that he could. It was more the fact that there was a greater chance that something could happen, and while Luke was a risk-taker when it came to himself, he was more careful about his cousins...especially Bo.

Luke went. Taking tight hold of the rope in his hands his feet hanging on too, he jumped from the loft swinging back and forth like a pendelum across the barn floor. "Yah-hoo!"

Luke couldn't help smiling as Bo pounced into his arms, his soft, unruly golden curls bobbing as he did. Luke hugged the little boy tight as he stood. "You hang on tight now Bo...I don't wanna lose ya," said Luke grabbing the rope and situating himself so that Bo was snugly secure in his arms. "You ready?"

Luke swung down, landing on his feet beside Bo. "Alright, get on up there," he invited following Bo up the loft ladder. "Come here," he said holding out his arms for Bo to climb into, knowing full well he would never have to ask twice. Bo never needed an invitation to give hugs.

"Oh haha...you're such a funny guy...you remember when I taught her? You and me was takin' turns swinging down, and Auntie was busy, so Daisy came out to see us... must not have been too long after she came t' the farm..." ****flashback**** "Look out below!" shouted eight-year-old Luke as he took hold of the rope, Tarzan-style, and swung off of the loft, loving the feeling of the air against his face.

"I think she could," began Luke with a reflective twinkle in his eye. "I think she just wanted attention....ya know how girls can be..."

Luke looked to him with a smirk. "Cute...hey lookee here..." He pointed to a picture of Bo, Luke and Daisy, sitting on the loft floor. "Think that's about when we taught her to swing from the rope."

"I can...I just don't wanna take em all away from you...you always'd cry when I took somethin from ya...." With that he pointed to a picture of Bo sitting in the middle of the floor, wailing. "See what I mean?"

Luke nodded. "It works both ways...seems I learned a thing or two from you too...how NOT to pick up a woman for example," he added with a smirk, unable to resist the jab.