DaisyMaeDuke

Luke eventually pulled away as Jesse knew he would. "I'm sorry," he muttered, running a hand through his hair until his untamable curls stood every which way. "Dunno what's wrong with me lately..."

Luke sighed softly as he felt his uncle's hand resting against his own dark curls. He couldn't remember the last time he had allowed his uncle to hold him. Very likely it was before Nam...before he lost tear ducts in boot camp...before he left the farm a boy and came back a man. Sometimes, he wished he was still the naive farm boy he had been....back when he had a family...back when he wasn't alone.

Luke's head screamed at him to back away...to be the adult he knew he was. But a part of him simply longed for the love and affection and leaving his uncle's hold was more than he could do. "I hope so," he managed softly.

Luke sighed softly. He wanted to believe that. But hadn't Jesse always said the chance for him and Bo havin' a family ranked right up there with hogs producing beef? How then could he believe it?

Luke swallowed hard much ashamed at how near to tears he was. He went into his uncle's arms however hugging him softly thankful Bo and Daisy were nowhere nearby.

Luke looked at him his lip threatening to tremble."I...I miss this," he said showing Jesse a family picture taken when the boys were little and Lavinia was still with them.

"Uncle Jesse I... I...I'm lonely," said Luke shame in his voice.

Luke eventually made his way inside once more taking a few albums looking at the family pictures. He thought long and hard about what he was seeing in the pictures before saying softly, "Uncle Jesse?"

Daisy smiled with a nod. "Ok, just let me get my bag..." Quickly she went inside, grabbing her bag before returning to Bo and the General, climbing in. "Let's go."

"I know," said Daisy softly. Luke meanwhile continued to sit in the barn, once more lost in thought.

"Yeah," said Daisy softly. Luke wiped a stray tear that trickled down his face, with a gentle sigh.

Daisy sighed. "He's so sad all the time...not depressed...just..." she began, not quite knowing how to express herself.

"I'm worried for him Bo..." admitted Daisy softly. Luke meanwhile wasn't stacking the hay. Instead he was sitting on a haybale, his head leaning against the wall, his lip quivering softly.

Daisy's face softened. "Then it was worth it," she said quietly leaning into Bo's shoulder.

Daisy looked towards the barn. "He was smiling?" she asked softly. It had been a long time since she saw her older cousin smile.

"Yeah well I think Mr. Luke better hang onto his shorts, cuz he's gonna walk mighty stiff for a few days...." returned Daisy.

"That....was...LUKE?! I'll kill him...." she declared.

"Me immature?! You're the one stuck crickets in my bed last week!" exclaimed Daisy.

"Don't mean you do it right..." smirked Daisy. "Besides...I have other methods..."

Daisy smirked. "It is wash day you know..."

Daisy chased after him, scattering chickens everywhere as he scampered up the tree. "You gotta come down sometime!" she reminded him thumping the pan into her hand.

"You better run Bo Duke!" she screamed grabbing a sudsy frying pan from the water and taking off after him. "Don't slam...the door," added Jesse as the screen door slammed shut. He shook his head with a chuckle, not bothering to intervene, knowing Daisy could more than hold her own with a barroom full of men. She could certainly handle Bo.

"It's a rational fear...I can't help it..." said Luke over his shoulder as he walked out the door. "Now where's he off to?" asked Daisy looking out the window as he retreated back to the barn. "Ah ah..." she said shooting Bo a glare, his hand full of soap bubbles. "You do and you'll be sorry...I'm having a good hair day and I wanna keep it that way!"

Luke smiled a little. "True, but Daisy feeds me...you don't..." Daisy giggled at that.

Luke soon finished his plate, picking it up and carrying it to the sink. "That was real good Dais," he said sinking his dishes into the sudsy water, giving Bo a playful scuff on the head for sticking his tongue out at Daisy after she had been reprimanded by Jesse. Daisy giggled. "Thank ya...for the compliment and the back-up." "Anytime," said Luke getting his jacket preparing to go back out to the barn and restack the hay, the flier somehow having disappeared.