bethie88
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Posts posted by bethie88
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"Beauregard Jackson Duke!" she called, her mama style voice tone turned on high power.
Bo cringed. That was one thing he didn't like about this family reunion! His full name had been called far more often than he'd liked. But he only smiled, "Yes, honey?"
"You've woken all your children up... and scared the life out of everybody in Hazzard County. Now you better go to bed before you don't have a bed to go to." Her eyes told Bo she wasn't kidding.
Luke laughed out loud. "If I was you, I'd be doin' what the lady says."
"I think you're right," Bo said, walking over to put his arms around her waist. "Sorry, honey."
"Bo, I love you, but sometimes..."
He smiled. "I really make you wonder why?" he suggested.
"Yes. That's it exactly." She shook her head.
"Honey, I think you lived in this house with Uncle Jesse too long," Bo said. "You say things just like he would've said."
Beth smiled and leaned over to rest her head on his chest. "Well...somebody's gotta keep you in line."
He grinned, "Agreed. Now let's hit the sack."
She hugged him. "Alrighty then."
The two of them went upstairs, and climbed into bed. Bo pulled his wife into a tender embrace and kissed her gently. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Meanwhile at the Boar's Nest...
Bo and Jake had been enjoying getting to know the two girls they were dancing with. But one young man was determined to keep them from getting to know each other any better. Nick Price walked into the barroom and saw Laura with Jake. He was mad to start with, but drinking a few beers to "calm his nerves" had the opposite effect. He got more and more angry. The young man walked over to where Jake was dancing with Laura. "What do you think you're doing, Jake?" he asked angrily, taking hold on Laura's arm.
"Dancin'," Jake replied calmly, resisting the urge to light into the boy right then.
"Well, I say you stop 'dancin'' with my girl."
"Well, I say she ain't your girl," Jake replied, leveling his gaze on the slightly shorter young man.
Nick gripped Laura's arm tighter. "Ow, Nick!" she exclaimed. "That hurts!!"
Something inside Jake broke. No man in his right mind would hurt a woman in front of a Duke boy... long lost ones included. "Let 'er go, Price," Jake said, still cool for the time being.
"I'll do whatever I wanna do with my girl."
"I'm not yours, Nick," Laura interjected.
His grip tightened even more. Jake saw tears in Laura's brown eyes, and he let it all go. He'd been through four years of high school watching Nick mistreat Laura, and he sure wasn't planning to keep watching from the sidelines. "Price, if you don't let her go..."
"What? You'll hit me? Go ahead, if you think you're man enough."
It took Jake only a fraction of a second to answer Nick's challenge. He aimed straight for Nick's nose, and hit it, but no sooner had blood started to flow, than Jake was joined on the barroom floor by a few of Nick's friends who weren't too excited about seeing their friend go down. "Da--," Jake breathed, realizing just how outnumbered he was.
But his outnumbered state was somewhat improved when Bo, Jr. joined the fray. The two boys took naturally to fighting together, another duke trait.
Jeb, Coy, and Vance saw the fight, but they were very much like Uncle Jesse. They knew that this was the boy's fight, and Duke men never got involved in fighting younger Duke's battles for them. Bo, Jr. and Jake were back to back with the other guys circling them. As two of the guys jumped in, each taking on one of the cousins, Bo, Jr. turned to Jake. "Just how'd you manage to pull this off?"
Jake answered without looking back over his shoulder. "Funny thing is, I didn't do a da-- thing. Nick was hurtin' Laura, and that don't set to well with me."
Bo agreed. The two of them were getting pretty close to finishing up, when the lady sheriff walked in. Her name was Linda Strate, and she was a young cousin of Enos. She whistled loudly, and all of the brawlers came to an immediate halt.
"Now, I hate to do this, but I have to arrest y'all. You can't be fightin' like this."
Bo, Jr. shook his head. "I think we're about to turn into Uncle Luke and Dad," he said as a deputy cuffed him.
"My thoughts exactly," agreed Jake.
Bo mentally cursed, knowing that both he and Jake were in big trouble with the law if they found out that the two of them had been drinking.
"Uh, Sheriff Strate?" he said, in his most charming of tones.
"Yes?"
"Um...if we don't press charges, and they don't... can we just go home?"
"Well...it's up to your friends here," she said.
Nick was in no hurry to have a breathalizer test, either, so he said it was OK, and they were uncuffed.
Both of the boys went back to dancing with the girls, this time to Charlie Pride's "Kiss an Angel Good Morning."
Nick kept his distance the rest of the night.
It was getting late, so the boys decided to go home, but not before getting the girls' phone numbers.
Jessica kissed Bo on the cheek, while Laura gave Jake a shy hug.
As they walked out, Jake motioned to let Jeb, Coy, and Vance know. The three older men decided to stay a little longer.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Beth and Bo were in bed when the boys pulled in. Bo had fallen asleep holding Beth, but she was not sleeping so well, worried about her son and his cousin. The sound of Luke's truck woke her up. "Bo...honey..." she woke him up.
"Huh?"
"The boys are home."
"Oh..." he simply turned over and went back to sleep. She rolled her eyes, but got out of bed and put on her robe. She went down stairs to see the two young men with busted lips, and bruised faces.
She gasped, ".........."
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Luke immediately felt the sting of what he had just said. "I've got a shine run I need somebody to go on for me. How about you?"
"Um... Boss..." Luke couldn't say anything, so Boss took it as a yes.
"Oh, Lord," Luke thought. "What'll Jesse say?"
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"You're d--- straight, I'm all heart. I could tell Jesse right now!"
Luke followed his cousin downstairs to keep him from bolting back to his room. The two young men walked down to where their Uncle was quietly reading the newspaper. "Mornin', boys," Jesse said, eyeing Bo suspiciously.
"Mornin' Uncle Jesse," they replied.
Bo couldn't voice the words he wanted to say, so he looked a Luke helplessly.
Luke understood. "Uh... Uncle Jesse, Bo needs to go see Doc Applebee. He hurt his hand."
"Well, lemme take a look," Jesse said, taking Bo's sore hand in both of his to look it over. "Lord, boy, what'd you do?"
"I got mad at Luke..." Bo lied. "I wanted to hit 'im, but I didn't wanna hurt him too bad, so I... ah... I hit the dresser."
Jesse looked even more suspicious of the boy. First of all, there was never a time in history where one of the boys had hit something else to avoid hurting the other when there was a problem between them. And secondly, the cuts in Bo's knuckles were too bad, not clean enough, to have been caused by hitting the dresser alone. But Jesse never challenged his nephews honesty...or lack thereof... "Well, first of all, is anything hand broke? That dresser is harder'n a rock."
"I don't know, Uncle Jesse," Bo said.
"Can ya move it?"
Bo tried, but he couldn't. "No sir."
"Well, it's broke, then. We need to get you to Doc, but first, lemme clean them cuts."
Bo cringed when Jesse came out with the jar of moonshine used mostly for wounds. That stuff hurt worse in an open wound than salt did. Jesse cleaned Bo's hand up, careful to avoid moving his broken wrist. "Get in the truck. I'll be out in a minute."
"Uncle Jesse..." Luke said, in the respectful tone the boys always used with their Uncle.
Jesse turned to look at Luke. "Yeah?"
"I'll take 'im. I gotta go over to Cooter's anyhow," he said, making up an alibi.
"Uh-huh?" Now Jesse was suspicious of both boys.
"We'll be back after while," Luke said.
"You takin' General Lee?" Jesse asked.
"Figured on it," Luke replied.
"Better figure again. Gettin' in that car ain't gonna be easy with a broke wrist," Jesse said.
"Good point," Luke agreed. "We can take Tilly."
"No... worse idea. You'll be stopped by every police car in the county thinkin' you're runnin' shine."
"'Nother good point," Bo said this time.
"Take the truck," Jesse said. "And when you get done at Cooter's, come straight home."
"Yessir," Luke said.
The two boys walked out to the truck. "Have I told you yet what a dang fool you are?" Luke asked Bo.
"Yeah... and I'd prefer you didn't remind me," Bo said.
Luke shook his head. His cousin had made more than his share of mistakes, but this one was the most stupid one he could think of.
The two of them climbed into the truck, Bo very much upset that he couldn't drive. "Dang it, Bo," Luke said, when his cousin complained. "Ain't you got alot more important things to worry about."
"Well, I'd like to be alive to take care of the baby," Bo said sarcastically.
"Boy, it don't matter what kinda stupid mistake you make, it don't straighten you out."
"Shut up, Luke."
"If that's how ya want it."
Bo rolled his window down with his good hand and let the cool breeze blow in his face. Why couldn't Luke just leave him alone?
Cue Dixie!
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Bo, Jr. and Jake were having the time of their lives at the Boar's Nest. Neither of them could legally drink, but, being Dukes, as they were, they managed to charm a few beers out of a couple of pretty waitresses. "That one right there..." Bo, Jr. said, indicating a petite brunette waitress with sparkling green eyes. "I'm gonna ask her for a dance."
"Well, here's your chance," Jake said with a grin, as the old Patsy Cline song "Leavin' on Your Mind" began to play. "Go get 'er," Jake said.
Bo, Jr. stood up, and asked the girl to dance. "Sure," she said, staring up at Bo, Jr., who was 6'3", while she was only 5'4".
He slid his arms around her waist, and pulled her close to him. "What's your name?" he asked her, in his gentlest of tones.
"Jessica," she replied. "Jessica Hansen."
"Well, howdy, Miss Hansen. I'm Bo Duke, Jr."
"I've heard of you... Oh! You played football in high school!"
"Yeah," he replied. "I was a linebacker."
"Uh-huh! I remember. I always went with my friends to the games!"
"Really?" He smiled at her, that charming Duke smile that no Duke boy could help but have.
"Uh-huh. Yeah. My friend Laura used to go out with one of the players."
"Which one?"
"Nick Price."
"Oh, yeah. I remember him."
The two young people held each other close as they danced, and Bo, Jr. felt a little funny. They were not going to get a chance to know each other. Bo was in college, far from Hazzard. But... something told him... something said that he should get to know Jessica better.
In the meantime, Jake...........
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yelled, "God! What the..."
"Bo, you alright?" Luke asked, coming out of his bed.
"No, da--it! My wrist hurts like he--."
"You better tell Jesse. You need to get to Doc Applebee."
"I ain't tellin' Jesse nothin'. You can take me to the doctor..."
"Bo, I ain't got that kinda money... Moonshiners don't have insurance, ya know. And besides, Doc's gonna know somethin's up and tell Uncle Jesse."
"Da--," Bo breathed. "Reckon you're right. But we gotta get me somewhere and get this took care off."
"Da--it, Bo, if you don't manage to get in the worst messes." Luke shook his head, mostly in disbelief.
"Well...what say we go tell Jesse I gotta go to the doctor... I was sleepwalkin', and I hit the dresser in my sleep..." Bo tried desperately to think up a good alibi.
"Bo Duke, I think that's the stupidest thing I ever heard. Lord have mercy." Luke shook his head. "Jesse won't believe that you just all the sudden took to sleepwalkin'."
"You got any ideas?"
"Tell him the truth?" Luke suggested.
"Dang it, Luke... I can't even tell you or Daisy the truth... much less Uncle Jesse."
"Well, if 'the truth' is what I think it is, I don't know if I could tell Uncle Jesse."
"Thanks for the encouragement," Bo said, angrily.
"Bo, don't act like that."
"You never messed up this big anyhow, so don't tell me how I can act."
"You wanna tell me exactly what's goin' on?" Luke asked, his hand now resting firmly on his cousin's shoulder.
"Not really...But if I don't tell somebody, it's gonna eat me alive."
"Well, that's what I'm here for."
Bo nodded. He had to work with the words to get them past the lump in his throat. "Luke... Beth's pregnant."
"............"
Cue Dixie!
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Bo leaned back in his chair to get comfortable. "Well, there's been more times than I like to think of that me or Luke found ourselves standin' with one foot on a banana peel, and the other in the grave. But as far as the time I came closest to dyin'? Oh, Lord. It has to be that time we were drivin' NASCAR... I had a real good car that day, and she was flyin'. She was a little loose, though, and we tried everything to fix it, but it wasn't workin'." Beth slid even closer to Bo, feeling a shiver down her spine as she thought of that race. She had been there. She had seen it.
"It was at Darlington, and I hit the turn flyin'. The car decided not to go with me, and it hit the wall doin'... He--, what was it, Luke?"
"I don't know, but it wasn't pretty."
"No, it wasn't," Bo agreed, glad that the little ones were in bed. "The car caught fire, and I was stuck in there... And I thought I was gonna die for sure. I tried to get the window open, but my legs were trapped under the dash, and the window wasn't comin' open. I remember then just prayin' that the Lord would let me out alive. Your mama was expectin' Caroline then, and I wanted to get out alive and see that baby."
"Yeah. I was doin' more than my share of prayin', too," Beth said, wrapping her arms around Bo.
"But anyhow, just when I'd near about given up, some man pulled me out. I fainted real quick, and I didn't know what happened. Never been able to thank that fella, but I wish I had been."
"Oh, Lord, Daddy!" Ruth Anne said softly.
Bo smiled. "Honey...it's all right... and as I recall, it's your turn to ask for a story..."
Ruth Anne nodded. ".........."
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Bo looked at Boss Hogg defiantly. "See, Boss, what we was doin' wasn't arguin'. We was havin' us a friendly discussion here about which is more of a horse's @--, you or Rosco..."
Luke punched his cousin's arm as Boss said, "You got a lotta nerve, Bo Duke. Thought your Uncle Jesse taught you better than that."
"He did. I'm just too hard headed to listen."
"You listen to me, Bo," Luke said softly, yanking his cousin over into the corner. "You shut up, or I'm gonna make double-d@-- sure I don't help you outta anymore trouble."
"Fine!" Bo said. "Who gives a dern about you anyway?"
"If you feel that way, fine. But you better start actin' like you got some sense before you land in jail for good."
Bo immediately felt bad for what he had said to Luke, but he was too hardheaded to say he was sorry, so he went to his bed in the cell and plopped down, turning away from him.
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"Oh... 5...6 maybe. We grew up together and all. We played together and stuff. She even had a crush on Luke when we were about 13, 14, and he was 16 or 17."
Bo Jr. looked incredulously at his mom. "You had a crush on Uncle Luke?"
Beth jabbed Bo in the ribs again. "Ow!" Bo exclaimed, toning down his language, knowing full well that there would be another jab in order if he let a "bad word" slip.
"Yes..." she said. "But I was a little girl then."
The kids all looked at Luke who had resisted turning red, but just barely. "But anyway..." Bo added. "Your mama figured out real quick which of the Dukes was the best catch."
"Yeah, right!" Jeb said, smiling at his cousin.
Bo grinned. "Nah. She just made a bad choice and picked me..."
Luke laughed out loud, slapping his leg. "At least ya told the truth that time, Cousin."
"Haha," Bo said sarcastically.
"So... Go on..." Ruth Anne said, realizing she enjoyed this as much as the little ones did. Even though she would be allowed to stay up with the adults, she wanted this story to go on.
"Well, anyway... I asked your mama to go with me to my first high school dance. She was 14... I was 15... And we ended up gettin' to like each other pretty good."
"Daddy, you and mama were young when you got married, weren't you?" Ruth Anne said, having done the math... unlike her older brother.
Bo had hoped she wouldn't ask that question. He turned to Beth, who nodded. "It's OK, Bo."
Then he turned to his oldest son. "Go ahead, Daddy."
"Your mama was 16...I was 17, and we had been out jukin'..."
Beth elbowed him again, warning him to go a little easier on the details before things got out of hand. He smiled. "Anyway... we made some bad choices... and your mama was expectin' Bo, Jr. before we were married. So Uncle Jesse, and her daddy... they sat me down and told me I had one h... heck of a responsibility to her. And I knew it. I loved her anyway, and leavin' was the last thing on my mind. So... We got married. I reckon I never planned on a shotgun wedding, but Bo, Jr. was born, we lived with Jesse... I ran moonshine to earn my keep 'till that stopped workin'. Then I just did what I had to. But Somebody somewhere had alot more planned for me than what I saw in it. And here we are... a family... eight of us, countin' the new baby. And we're OK."
Beth snuggled closer to Bo, since there was a chill in the air. She rested her hand protectively over her belly and smiled.
"Alrighty, little ones, time for y'all to hit the sack," Bo said, looking into all the young faces that were all results of his and Beth's love.
"But, dad!" Jesse protested, again melting Bo with the blue eyes that he'd given him.
"Straight to bed, Jesse," Beth said. She, unlike Bo, stood tough against those young eyes.
"OK, mama," the young man said, leaning over for a kiss from both of his parents.
Michaela came over for her kiss second, her eyes much like her mother's, a greenish-blue, but her hair Bo's blonde. "Night, mama. Night, daddy."
They kissed Michaela, and then Caroline, who looked exactly like her mama.
Ruth Anne offered to make sure that all of them went straight to bed before listening to other stories. Once that was done, the rest of the Duke family gathered around again.
Jake smiled. "My turn to pick a story, huh?"
"Sure, why not?" Bo said.
"You wanna tell me just exactly how JD Hogg and Jesse Duke were in the same business workin' together?"
"Just happened that way," Luke said. "They were raised that way, and then things changed. That's all."
"Oh..."
"I say it's my turn now," Bo, Jr. said. "I want daddy and Uncle Luke to each tell about the closest they ever came to gettin' killed."
Luke cringed as memories of his time as a Marine filled his head.........
Cue Dixie
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"Huh?" Bo, Jr. asked, counting on his fingers. "That makes absolutely no sense!"
"It makes perfect sense," said Dixie, walking over to hug her friend. Beth accepted the hug, all the while alternating daggers and love in her eyes for Bo.
"Mom... you're not..." Bo, Jr. looked at her expectantly.
"Yes. I am. I'm pregnant."
"Oh, my Lord!" Bo, Jr. breathed.
Soon, the whole group was gathered in a circle around Bo, Beth, Luke, Dixie, and Jake. Bo smiled at his wife. "Who'd've ever thought that one family reunion would bring all this about."
Beth agreed, as she leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder.
"Mama?" Jesse said, walking over to his mother. "When daddy said 6... Did he mean you're having a baby?" He patted his mother's belly.
"Yes, Honey. That's what he meant."
"I hope it's a boy. So we're even again."
Beth smiled. "I hope it's a girl. Bo, Jr., you, and your daddy are more than enough Duke boys to have living in one house for a long period of time."
Bo laughed, putting his arm around his wife. "I love you, Sunshine."
"I love you, too."
Jake came over to shake Bo's and Beth's hands. "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Duke," he said shyly.
"Who the h--- are Mr. and Mrs. Duke?" Bo asked with a grin. "You can call me Uncle Bo. And she'd be Aunt Beth."
Beth jabbed Bo in the arm. "Stop using that language. We're about to have another baby for you to watch your mouth around."
She snuggled into Bo's arms and looked around her. "I've never been more glad I married you, Bo Duke," she said.
"Well... I've never been more glad I married you either."
She turned to him, and they shared a warm kiss.
Dixie and Luke felt like two goldfish in a bowl as everyone was gathering around. Luke whispered in her ear, "Let's go take a walk."
As everyone headed back inside, that's exactly what they did.
"Dix, I still have to find Jake's mother. Tell her I'm sorry for what I did, and that our boy's just fine."
She let him pull her close. "You do whatever you have to do, Luke. I'm always here for you. Especially now."
He kissed her again, and found himself grinning as Dixie played in his hair. "I love you, Dixie Lee Davenport."
"I love you, too, Lucas Keith Duke."
"We better get inside. I've gotta spend some time with my son. Before I have to go talk to his mother."
"OK." The two of them walked inside, hand in hand, being met at the door by Luke's son, and his family.
"Dix... Are you sure you're alright with this? Jake, and his mama...and everything?"
"Luke, I'm marrying you, along with any baggage you come in carrying. I love you."
Luke smiled. He'd never meant those words like he meant 'em now. "I love you, too."
The two of them walked over to get in on congratulating Bo and Beth. The next while was going to be quite exciting in Hazzard County.
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Chapter 4: Acting Like Grown Ups
It was well after 1 am when Bo finally went to sleep, only to wake up at 5 am. He was going rabbit hunting, and Becky was going along with him. Or at least, that had been the plan all week. Becky had never been the hunting type, but she loved being outside, and being with Bo. And she loved Bo's rabbit dogs, so the only obvious choice was for them to rabbit hunt together. Hunting was a whole different challenge to her, since she was new at being a true country girl. Bo was a patient teacher, though. And Becky was a quick learner.
Bo got up and got dressed, then walked over to Becky's house. When he got there, she was on the front porch waiting for him. "Hey, Bo," she said, walking over to him.
"Hey, Becky," he replied, taking her hand.
"You ready to go?" she asked.
"Yep. Just gotta go get the dogs and my gun."
"OK," she replied. They walked hand in hand down the dirt road. Neither of them spoke for what seemed like a million years, until Bo got up his nerve, trying to use tact in what he said.
"Are you feelin' any better this morning?"
"Yeah. At least a little bit."
He put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. "That's good, honey."
"But. Bo...you know that when my family finds out, they're gonna kick me out of their house."
"Oh...Oh, Lord, Becky. They wouldn't do that," Bo said, hoping he was right.
"Yeah, Bo. They would." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
"Becky, I'm sorry. I'm..." he put his arms around her, not able to finish his sentence.
"It's not...It's not your fault. It's my daddy. He doesn't like our dating in the first place...and now...I really...I just don't think that he's just gonna be all happy, and let me live easier. Honey...it's gonna be hard, and we have to realize that. We tried to act like grown ups, and this is what happened. So now we have to take it like grown ups."
"I know. It's already hard... and we ain't even seen our baby yet."
"Bo...no matter what, I love you. But we have to figure out what we're up against."
"Well, I already know tellin' Uncle Jesse's gonna be the hardest thing I've ever done. And I don't know what tellin' your folks is gonna be like. Your daddy rarely even lets me come in the house. And when he finally agreed to let you go out with me, I promised I'd take care of you. Oh, Lord...He's gonna have my hide tacked on the wall."
"I think he'll really kick me out through. He'll give me some long lecture about what a shameful failure I am, then he'll kick me out." Tears filled her eyes. "Bo, where will I go? My daddy'll turn my whole family against me. I could go live with my mama's mama... but she lives in Kansas, and I don't want to have our baby that far from you. I want my baby to know you! And I want my baby to grow up in Hazzard. I know it has it's faults, but it's my home, now. It's where I met you...and I know I wanted to leave, but I have a baby to raise...and I want my baby here. With you... and Luke , and Daisy, and Uncle Jesse... I never thought I'd be saying that, but I am..."
"Becky Lee Dover, have I ever told you how much I love you?" Bo asked, raising her chin with his hand.
"Yep," she said.
"Well, I don't care, I'm gonna say it again. I love you. I love you more than anything, and I'm gonna do right by you and that baby. No matter what it takes."
"I love you, too," she said, burying her head in his chest. He played with her ponytail a little bit, then she looked up at him. He couldn't resist kissing her.
"Bo...I'm so scared. I don't want to be kicked out of my house, and not be allowed to see my mama and my brothers. I love them, Bo, and..."
"I know, honey..." he said. "I wish I knew what to tell you. But I don't, and I'm sorry. This is all my fault."
"No...I did what I did because I wanted to. I have to face up to it now."
Bo looked at her, and he felt tears welling up in his eyes... so, like any young man would do, he changed the subject. "We better get to huntin' pretty quick, or we ain't gonna get no huntin' done."
If there's one thing I know about the Duke boys, it's that neither love nor money keeps 'em away from cars or huntin'.
She tried to smile as they walked on, but she was hurting so much inside. But she and Bo went hunting, although she spent most of her time keeping up with a beagle pup named Belle, who was a useless rabbit dog, but a good pet. Bo said she had the best bark, and the best personality.
While the dogs stayed busy through most of the trip, Bo and Becky followed the dogs, talking to each other all the way... and trying to keep Belle from chasing anything other than rabbits.
"Bo," Becky said, softly. "We can't just put this off. What are we gonna do when my dad asks me to leave?"
"I don't know. Why don't we make double-dang sure he's goin' to before we get all bent outta shape?"
"Bo, I'm triple-dang sure. You know him. He's not just gonna put his arm around me and tell me it's OK. He's going to tell me what a disgrace I am, and kick me out."
Bo spoke softly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Look, Bo. Let's not look back and be sorry. We're in this mess now. Let's just be ready for what's coming."
"Reckon you're right."
"I know I'm right." she said, taking his hand. "Now let's get some more huntin' done."
"OK..."
They hunted another couple of hours before they decided to take a break for the picnic lunch Becky had made. It was fried chicken, Bo's favorite, with lemonade and potato salad. "Lord, you sure know how to make a fella hurt himself on some fried chicken!" Bo said, groaning from his spot on the soft grass.
"I knew it all along," she said with a smile. "You never wanted me, you wanted my fried chicken."
Bo laughed out loud. "What's so wrong with that, smarty pants?"
"Nothin', I guess."
If the truth be told, half the marriages in Hazzard County are probably strongly rooted in a love of fried chicken.
Bo laughed. "Ain't a dang thing wrong with lovin' the chicken first, then the woman."
She smiled at him as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to his side. She laid her head on his chest and listened to every beat of his heart. "I love you," she said softly.
"I love you, too, honey," Bo replied, feeling that sad lonesome feeling again.
He smiled when he looked down at her and she had dozed off. He knew she'd been up past midnight working, and probably far later than that contemplating what would happen to her. She had to be slap wore out. He let her sleep for about half an hour before he gently touched her cheek to wake her up. "Honey, we better go. Jesse'll be expectin' me."
"My parents will be, too. I got work tonight."
"Daisy does, too. You ridin' with her?"
"Yep. But... if I come over early... can we tell Uncle Jesse and get it over with?"
"Yeah. I reckon we gotta do it sometime."
"We do. And better now than a long time from now."
"Alright. Whatever you say," he answered, pulling her even closer. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
Bo called the dogs, eight of them in all, and loaded them up into Jesse's truck. He and Becky took the front seat, and he drove her home. They sat in the driveway together for a few minutes, and Bo said, "I'll see you tonight, honey." He leaned toward her and kissed her.
"Bo..." she said softly.
"Still worried about your family?"
She nodded.
"Do you want me to tell 'em?"
"No. No! My dad would shoot you on the spot."
The scary thing is, that she might not be exaggeratin'.
"You're daddy won't shoot me."
"He'll chew you up and spit you out." She kissed him. "I don't want you to have to go through that."
"But..."
She pressed a finger to his lips. "Shush..." she whispered, silencing him. "Just listen to me.
He looked at her, completely silent.
If that don't tell ya he's whipped. You ever seen Bo Duke close his mouth for more than 10 seconds together?
"Bo, you are not going to tell them anything. I will tell them, and I'll tell you what happens. I love you."
"You, too," he replied.
She climbed out of the truck, and Bo watched her walk into the house.
"What have I done?" he said, to noone in particular.
Y'all ever had one of them days when nothin' goes right, no matter how hard you try?
-
"Hey, Bo!" Luke called as he and Dixie walked in.
"Which Bo do ya want?" Bo, Jr. asked, poking his head out the door of his bedroom.
"You," the dark haired man said.
"OK!" The young man walked down the stairs. "What's up?"
"Why don't you get Jake to come over tonight? We'll tell some more stories."
"Yeeehaa!" Bo yelled, his rebel yell coming straight from his daddy. The young man had thouroughly enjoyed all the stories he had heard before. This was gonna be fun. "I'll call Jake right now!"
"Alrighty," Luke said, as his cousin's son ran to use the phone.
Dixie put her arm around Luke. "You OK, honey?"
"I never thought it'd be this hard... Never."
"I know. I know. But it's gonna be OK." She stood on her toes to kiss him.
"I love you, Dix. You know that, dontcha?"
"Yep. But I love you more."
"Never in a million years."
The two of them walked into the living room, soon followed by Bo, Jr., who said that Jake would be over about 5:30. Luke smiled wanly. "That's fine, son."
A few minutes later, Bo and Beth walked in. From the grin on Bo's face, and the strange look on Beth's, Luke knew something was up, as did Dixie and Bo, Jr. "What is it, Dad?" the young man asked.
Bo laughed. "You'll never believe it........"
Cue Dixie
-
Rosco cuffed Bo, then Luke, and grinned, "Khee! I got you Duke boys now."
Daisy ran across the room to her cousins. "Oh, Sheriff, what are you doin' to Bo and Luke?"
"I'm arrestin' 'em, Miss Daisy. Fightin' will not be allowed in Hazzard Co."
"Oh, Lord!" Daisy said. "Please don't take 'em, Rosco!"
But Rosco grinned as he led the boys to his patrol car.
Cue Jessi
-
"No, Luke...I'm not mad about what happened. At least, not at you. I know that you had to know what you had to know. But I'm mad at Bo, because he has a family to take care of." She gave her husband's cousin a hug, and he smiled.
"Oh, Lord. This is a first," Luke said, looking at her mischeviously. "Usually, it was Bo gettin' us in trouble, and me takin' the flak. Now it's the opposite."
Beth smiled. "You better just be glad that Uncle Jesse didn't witness that."
"Yeah, I know," Luke said. He looked up to see Dixie coming down the stairs, wearing jeans and a green button top, her hair wrapped in a towel. "Lord, she's beautiful," Luke thought, looking at her with love in his eyes.
"Go ahead and hit the showers, Luke," Beth said. "Breakfast'll be ready in a little bit."
"Yes, ma'am," Luke said, teasingly.
Dixie came down the stairs to meet Beth. The two women had been best friends for years, and Beth smiled knowingly. "You two never made it to bed last night, didja?"
Dixie blushed deep red. "Beth..."
Beth only smiled. "Honey, I know. Lord knows I've been in that hayloft more than a few times. And it sure wasn't for hay, neither.
Dixie laughed, "Beth, you are somethin'."
"I know that!" Beth said.
The two women were still laughing when Daisy came downstairs. "Hey, girls!" she said smiling.
"Mornin', Daisy," both of them said.
"What's so funny?" Daisy asked.
"This young lady and your cousin came in a little after five this mornin', from the barn..." Beth said, looking meaningfully at Daisy.
Daisy laughed. "Oh, Lord!"
Dixie blushed again. "Y'all..."
Beth warned her friend, "I don't want the kids to know anything about this."
"Neither do I," Dixie replied.
Luke had just walked downstairs, and into the kitchen. "Neither do I," he added, wrapping his arms around Dixie's waist, and kissing her on top of her head.
"How are you feelin' this mornin'?" she asked.
"Better now, but I think I'm still in shock."
Dixie nodded, still just a little in shock herself.
Beth looked at Luke, a question in her blue eyes.
He turned from her to Daisy. "Jake Miller is my son."
Beth looked at him silently, but Daisy gasped, "Oh, my Lord."
"I'm sorry..." Luke said. "I didn't know!"
Beth wiped a tear from her eye. Then she looked at Dixie and saw the strength in her brown eyes. Beth couldn't imagine how hard it would be to be stong had Bo been the father of another woman's child, but Dixie was strong in the face of Luke's past.
Beth wiped her eyes again. "Well, imagine that. Our son's been best friends with his cousin all along. Are you OK, Luke?"
"I think so, but I've gotta tell that boy..."
"Well, you can talk that out after breakfast."
The women cooked breakfast, and put it out. After eating, Luke took Dixie with him to "go driving," meaning clear his head.
Bo took Beth's hand and said, "I think I'm gonna take a walk. You wanna keep me company, Sunshine?"
She nodded, and the two of them went outside to walk. They discussed the bomb Luke had dropped, and then, Beth got very quiet. Bo looked at her. "What's wrong, honey?"
"Nothing's wrong! Oh, not a thing! Something's completely right!" Beth braced herself as she dropped her own bomb.
"Bo..." she said, looking lovingly into his blue eyes. "I'm pregnant."
Cue DIXIE!!!
-
"Honey, I'm sorry about Jake and Bo seein' me jump the General. And I'm sorry I had to run from the law. But Luke needed to know what he needed to know."
Beth turned her motherly glare on her husband. "Beauregard Jackson Duke, I cannot believe that you were out there tearing all over creation like a teenage boy. You're a grown man, Bo, and it's time you started acting like one."
"Beth Smith Duke, I have been actin' like a grown man for nigh on twenty years, so I figure I had a right to act stupid today. And on top of that, me and Luke was NOT goin' to jail again. Not for love or money. Luke had to know what he had to know. And now he knows."
"Bo...I just...you have to act responsible. What about Bo, Jr. and Jake?"
"What about 'em. They're grown, ain't they? They can do as they please."
"Bo..." Beth interjected, before being silenced by her husbands finger on her lips.
"Shh..." he kissed her, but she pushed him away.
"I love you, Honey," she said, "But I need some...I need for you to be safe."
"Huh? You and me got together a long time ago, and you knew the family business..."
"But Bo, Jr. wasn't even born yet, and he'd never know what was going on anyway. We have children,now, Bo. And you have a responsibility to them. And you better do right by my babies."
"Well, hows about we make a deal," Bo said gently, "I'll do right by 'em if you let 'em grow up. Bo, Jr. is a man, Sunshine, and you gotta let him be that man."
Beth was silent. She knew he was right. She was scared to let her babies become adults.
"She told Bo, however, in no uncertain terms, that running from the law and jumping creeks were unacceptable. After some deliberation, and the defendant's eloquent plea of "guilty, but in love," Beth finally allowed Bo to come to bed. She was still a little angry, but she needed to be with him. She snuggled into his strong arms, and let him hold her until she was alseep.
Cue Dixie
-
Bo and Luke went inside, each just a little angry at the other. Bo had his hands shoved in his coat pocket, and the cloth of his pocket was sticking to his bloody knuckles. His hand was sore. He tried bending his fingers again, and it was possible, but painful. And he couldn't believe how stiff his fingers were. "Da--," he said softly, as he tried to keep bending his fingers.
"What was that, Bo?" asked Jesse, raising his eyebrows.
"Nothin', Uncle Jesse," Bo said softly.
"That's what I thought," Jesse said. The boy was acting strangely. He looked at Luke, hoping that his other nephew would give him some indication of what was wrong. But Luke simply shrugged. No matter how mad he and Bo might be at one another, they had an ideal of family honor, and they would never rat on each other.
The boys sat down at the table, Bo's right hand still tucked painfully in his pocket. He ate half a biscuit before asking Jesse if he could go upstairs. Jesse knew that something must be very wrong, because wild horses and natural disaster couldn't keep Bo away from the supper table.
Luke followed his cousin up the stairs quickly, followed by Daisy. Jesse knew something was up, but the wise old man was never the type to rush upstairs to find out what was going on. He knew that his nephews and neice would come to him when the time was right.
~~~
Upstairs, Bo was fighting tears, due more to his heartache than his hand.
"Now, Bo, what's wrong with you? You look like a coon hound somebody just beat." Daisy said, taking her cousin's arm.
Bo turned away, not saying anything for fear he would cry. "Show 'er, Bo" Luke said, resting his hand on his cousin's shoulder.
Bo pulled his hand out of his pocket, "Sh--," he whispered as the pain got stronger.
"Oh, my Lord!" Daisy said, taking Bo's hand gently in both of hers. "What did you do?"
"Nothin'," Bo said.
"Nothin' my foot," she replied. "I'm goin' to get some stuff and clean that up."
"It's fine, Daisy," Bo protested, but to no avail.
Daisy brought in the water bowl and a washcloth. And Bo cringed to see the lye soap she was carrying. That was going to hurt.
Daisy went to work, and Bo protested the whole time. "Dang it, Daisy, that hurts!"
Daisy kept working, though, and soon had his hand bound in a cloth bandage.
Then she leaned her head over onto his shoulder in a sisterly manner and said, "Now, Bo, honey, tell me what's botherin' you."
Cue Dixie
-
"If there's one thing Uncle Jesse taught us, there are two things that a man should always have, and especially a Duke man. Honor and Loyalty. This family made and ran moonshine long before I was born, and I wasn't about to let my cousins run it without me. And then the matter of honor... it includes earnin' your own keep, especially when you're sharin' a house with alot of people... But anyway, son... When I was young, I was about the last thing a daddy wanted to see walkin' up his porch to take his daughter out. Even though I wasn't really quite the womanizer they made me out to be."
"Huh? You?" Bo Jr. almost laughed at the thoughts of his ever-responsible father as an object of many fathers' distrust.
"Yeah, me... That was a long time ago, though. But anyway... Your mother and I were young, and we... well, we were old enough to know better, but too young to really care. She and I were teenagers, and we thought we knew everything. We had gone out jukin', and then we came here. Uncle Jesse wasn't home... he was on a run, and Luke was with him. Everybody else was somewhere else, so me and your mama had the whole place to ourselves. So we kinda took advantage of bein' alone. And a few weeks later, your mama found out about you. Your granddaddy and grandmama hated me for a long time."
"Granddaddy and Grandmama Smith hated you? But dad, you worked hard for me and mama."
"I know... but sometimes when somethin' hurts you like that, you just can't come to realize that the person that hurt you didn't mean to, and that they're doin' the best they can." Bo sighed as he drank his beer. "I'm just glad everything's OK with them, now."
"Me, too," Bo, Jr. said. "So... what happened? What did Uncle Jesse do?"
"What do you think Uncle Jesse did?" Bo asked, almost smiling as he thought of his dear uncle.
Bo, Jr. smiled, remembering Uncle Jesse as well, having known the man for many years. "I'm guessin' that evil twin of his went to work on ya. He probably gave ya a whippin' or somethin'."
Bo laughed, although it wasn't exactly a funny memory. "You knew Uncle Jesse pretty well, didn't you, son? Yeah, he whipped me. And he read me every dern Bible verse he could find about fornication, and then he told me that I better not run away from what I had to do. But I wasn't plannin' to run anyhow. I loved your mama, and I wasn't leavin' her."
"You know what, Dad?" Bo Jr. said, taking a sip of beer. "You're an alright guy."
Bo smiled. "You're an alright guy yourself."
He clapped his son on the shoulder and decided to go to bed. Both of them were tired. He turned to look at the barn, and smiled. He figured Luke and Dixie were gonna be just fine.
Cue Dixie
-
"Son," Bo began. "I've known your mama since we were little." He paused to think. Surely Bo, Jr. had done the math and knew about his parent's ages at his time of birth. Bo had just turned 18 when his son was born, and it was only a month before Beth's 17th birthday.
"Well, weren't y'all together then?" the young man asked, so innocently that Bo knew he didn't know the truth.
"Son..." Bo began. Beth grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Me and your mama..." He looked into his son's eyes, mirror images of his own, so clueless as to the truth. "We had just gotten married about that time."
"What?" Bo, Jr. said somewhat shocked, but realizing that it all made sense.
"I was almost 17 when you were born, honey," Beth said as Bo tightened his grip on her hand. "Your daddy was 18."
"Man," Bo, Jr. said, looking at his feet.
"I'm sorry, son," Bo said. He'd never been ashamed to look at his own son before.
Bo Jr. walked over and kissed his mom, and hugged his dad. "Thanks for tellin' me the truth."
As Luke watched the young man hug his parents, he found himself hoping that Jake would react that well...if he ever told him the truth, which he figured he should. The boy had the right to know.
"Hey, fellas, I think we've dug up enough skeletons for tonight," Bo said, standing up and stretching. "I, for one, am ready to call it a night."
Luke agreed, and stood up, turning to kiss Dixie goodnight. As their kiss continued, the others began to clear the porch, Bo, Jr. and Jake going out to Luke's truck, ready to head out for a night of fun at the Boar's Nest when the blonde said, "Jake...I think I'm gonna stay home tonight."
"It's OK, man. I'd wanna stay home, too. Lord, with this family, I don't think I'd ever leave if I didn't have to," Jake said. "I'll see ya tomorrow, man. We're still on to go fishin', right?"
"Yeah. See ya then."
Bo Jr. walked inside to see his family. No matter what, things were gonna be OK. His family was going to be his family, no matter how he had come into the world. His parents had done all they could to give him a good life, and they still, in his opinion, deserved all his love and respect.
Cue Dixie
-
Thanks everybody! I'm getting chapter 4 done, but it might not be up until Monday or Tuesday... I'll get on it as soon as I can!
~Beth
-
Bo laughed, but his son and Jake were laughing even harder. "Dad, you were the one who had to go to bed first?" Bo, Jr. said.
Bo nodded. "Hey, I was the lucky one. I got a heck of alot more sleep than Luke or Cooter. And I had the least amount of shine. But I reckon I was twice as drunk as they were."
Luke grinned, the time of reminiscing keeping his mind off of his troubles. He pulled Dixie even closer as he began another story. "Hey, Bo, remember the time when you and me went all the way to Atlanta on a run?"
"Oh, Lord! Do I ever!" Bo said, grinning. "First time we ran shine in the General, wasn't it?"
"Bo," Beth whispered, snuggling close to her husband. "Are you sure..."
"Now, Beth, these two fellas are grown men, and they are gonna hear these stories sometime, so why not now?"
Beth sighed, "Reckon so," she said, laying her head on his shoulder.
"Dad, what about goin' to jail?" Bo, Jr. said.
"We're gettin' there. Just give us some time!" Bo said, grinning.
Luke grinned at his nephew and his son. "Well, we had been runnin' shine in Tilly and the truck for a while before we started runnin' in the General. We bought the General that year... we were about, what..." he looked at Bo for help.
Bo grinned, "I was 16, and Luke here was 18 or 19."
"Yeah, that sounds right."
"So," Bo picked up the story, "We were running 10 gallons for Jesse in the trunk of the General, and just as we left Hazzard, the revenuers came after us. Luke's idea was to just play it cool and act like nothing was going on, but I've always been the kind to jump first, think later. Unfortunately, I was the one drivin'."
Luke laughed, "Unfortunately is sure right. Bo here left Hazzard county doin' 95 on a dirt road."
"My Dad?" Bo, Jr. asked, his eyes wide.
"Yep. Your dad," Bo said, smiling at his son. "I jumped the General just like I did today, and the revenuers were mad as h---."
Beth gave Bo "the look" for cussing.
"What?" he said, "Ain't like you don't do it sometimes."
"Not in front of the boys."
"Do I have to remind you again that they ain't boys?" Bo asked.
"OK, fine, so they ain't boys. But..."
"Why don't you just calm down and enjoy the stories?" Bo asked, giving her a kiss.
"Alright then," she said. "That's the best way I can think of to shut me up," she added, giving him another kiss.
Bo, Jr. was happy that his dad was calling him a man now, after all the years of being a boy.
"But anyhow," Luke said, "We got through, and we didn't get caught...at least not that time."
"Y'all got caught runnin' shine?" Jake asked Luke, still not having recognised the resemblence between them.
"Oh, yeah," Luke said. "And it almost cost us everything."
Bo, Jr. stared his dad down, "What happened?"
Cue Dixie
-
Man, talk about head injuries.
I don't have favorite injury episode. But I did enjoy it when Luke turned into a psychotic cuss in "Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Duke", getting mean enough to pound the hash out of his cousin. Of course, he also did that in "Carnival of Thrills" without the benefit of chemical influence.
We also saw the ungentlemanly side of Luke in "Luke's Love Story" where he proved to be a sexist jerk.
I suppose if I had to spend every waking hour bailing out the entire family from some ridiculous mess that was mostly Bo's fault, I'd be edgy too. Maybe Luke welcomed those hits on the head.
It's true! -
1. Bo
2. Luke
3. tie between Jesse and Enos
4. Cooter
5. Daisy
-
Bo felt just like the kid the teacher caught cheating on the test.
"Beauregard Jackson Duke, just what do you think you're doing?" Beth asked.
Bo Jr. started to defend himself before realizing his mother was giving "the look" to his dad, and not him. He'd heard her use his full name so many times that it was weird to think of her using it for his dad.
Bo, Sr. was holding his hands up, as if to protect himself. And he thought it might just be necessary to keep his wife from killing him on the spot.
"Mom, don't get mad at him," Bo, Jr. interjected. "He just jumped Dry Creek to keep the cops...from...catchin' him." He trailed off as he realized that what he was saying was only further incriminating his dad.
"You were running from the police, Bo? You were running from the police?"
"Well...only cause me and Luke had to get in that courthouse to find them papers about..." he caught a glimpse of Jake and Bo, Jr. out of the corner of his eye. "about that thing..."
"Bo, you snuck in the courthouse and read files that are... not there for you to read..." Beth's eyes were boring holes through him.
"Honey, you knew me and Luke had to read that file. We had to."
"You had to jump the General over Dry Creek? You had to? How did you have to? And especially in front of Jake and Bo, Jr."
"Yes, we had to. And I didn't know Bo and Jake were there," Bo said.
"OK, fine," Beth said, angrily. "I'm going inside to get lunch ready. We'll talk more about this later."
As soon as the women were in the house, all the men except Bo, Jr. and Jake started laughing at Bo. Coy said, "Well, looks like Bo's gonna be sleeping on the floor in the livin' room tonight."
Bo tried to laugh, but considering that that was a very real possibility, it didn't seem too funny to him.
The whole group ate lunch, then sat around awhile until it got late and the little ones started getting sleepy. Michaela dropped off to sleep first, followed by Caroline. Ruth Anne had a date, who was coming to pick her up soon, and Jesse was complaining that he didn't wanna go to bed, he wanted to hear the stories. Bo firmly insisted that his youngest son go to bed, not without making him mad, though.
When Ruth Anne's date came to pick her up, all of Bo's cousins gave him the protective father type stare down, followed by the twenty questions, until Ruth Anne stopped them, and said, "OK, Nathan, let's go."
The men laughed as the two of them went out to leave. "I can't wait to have kids," Vance said.
Luke found himself cringing at that remark, but finally said, "Well, we promised some young fellas a story time, and we better get to it."
Bo agreed, and as they all sat down, Jake and Bo, Jr. side by side, Daisy, Bo, and Luke looked at them for a long moment. And there they saw Luke and Bo years earlier. The boys didn't have to tell anyone else what they had found at the Courthouse. Everyone knew.
Bo started the first story. "Well... I reckon I was about ten or so when me and Luke first got drunk..."
(Cue Dixie 8) )
-
Bo took a hard turn, throwing the General into for all he was worth. "Come ON, General!" Bo said under his breath. The car was giving all it was worth. He angrily wiped the tears in his eyes away, unable to see the road through them. He finally got focused, and turned down a familiar road, chased by blue lights. Dang deputies!
Luke took the CB and paged Cooter, "Ol' Coot, this here's Lost Sheep One. You got anything up your sleeve?"
Cooter replied, "Not anymore. I'm respectable, now. Remember?"
Luke swore under his breath. Then he looked at the road. "Oh, Lord. We're headed out to Dry Creek."
Bo had lost the sense the good Lord gave him, at least in Luke's opinion. The younger man yelled, "YEEEEEHAAAAA!!!!"
"Lord help us!" Luke whispered, as Dry Creek came closer and closer.
Bo floored it as they got up to the edge, and the General flew over, and hit the ground with a thud. Luke smiled just a little as his stomach cut a flip inside of him. The old feeling of being a Duke boy with not a care in the world took over...at least for the time being.
Yankee or Dixie?
in General Discussion
Posted
http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/yankee_dixie_quiz.html
I'm 84% Dixie! lol!