A Whiskey Runner's Romance

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo nodded, looking to Luke.

"Ain't it right though...what I said earlier...they can't arrest ya unless they catch ya with the shine...I mean they suspected us for ages but couldn't do nothin' about it till they caught us with it..."

[LoriDavenport]

Lori sat there and thought again,"Hey, ya know Bo you have a point, My sister was the one that called, im bout sure of it, if nto then, i need to find out who, but neways, i can get whoever it is, for false accusation because its my word against theirs. Hmmmm, i dunno Bo ill have to think on it bout yours, still yet its got me stmped and i dunno why either.... i know one thing my head is killing me though." ill think on it i may think up of a way to get you outta trouble. Lori wasn't about to speak to Luke she knew he was aggravated with her and she didnt wanna rile him more.

Hey Bo, before i got here was Boss plannin anything, ya know one of his half baked schemes that maybe thts why he got Rosco to arrest ya?

Lori looked over at Luke and got up to go set beside of him, he probably didnt want her too but she wanted to tell him," Im awfully sorry Luke fer runnin off like that and gettin ya all riled up and stuff, i know you've got a lot on yer mind right now and you dont wanna talk prolly but i just wanted ya to know that i was sorry and i promise to be a little more less worryin over ya'll next time." she smiled at him and patted his shoulder and got up. telling Bo the same thing.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke nodded in agreement. "Yeah that's right, Bo." He looked up as Lori sat beside him and told him these things, not really giving him much chance to say anything before she moved back to Bo. He didn't know what to think really. True, he liked Lori...but he knew she was not the type to have a fling and he didn't know just how committed he could promise to be. Besides Bo liked her and though the two squabbled from time to time, there was no way Luke would let a girl come between them.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo listened to Lori and smiled at her, shaking his head.

"S'okay..." He muttered before going back to his thoughts. He wasn't so concerned about his own arrest, that could actually come in handy if he was still wanted for something or other and could lead to a much bigger plan that Boss had in mind. He was more concerned for Lori.

"Hey Luke...you think you could go to Atlanta with Lori and see if she really has got an arrest on her head...for all we know, Boss could have seen Lori coming in and have her arrested so he could plant shine and get the reward money...."

[DaisyMaeDuke]

"I can go...but.. I think Lori better stay here, don't you? If she gets caught and there is a charg, I'll get arrested right along with her...then we'll all be up a creek without a paddle," answered Luke.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo frowned and nodded.

"I guess but then its the same with me ain't it...especially round here in Hazzard...harbouring a known moonshiner, if the charge is true, and they catch me is gonna guarentee a 20 year jail sentence..."

Before Lori could say anything, he shot her a look that told her to hush up and let them talk this out. This was how he and Luke worked out the most complicated problems, by throwing ideas back and forth until they came up with something...or rather Luke usually came up with something.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

"Well, I don't think we should leave her alone...but anybody that stays with her takes a risk of getting caught," said Luke matter-of-factly.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo nodded, frowning.

"Unless we left her someplace that no body goes no more with someone we and Lori trusts..."

[DaisyMaeDuke]

"And that someone has t' not care that they're possibly committin a crime..." put in Luke,

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo grinned and looked to Luke.

"An' who better than our very own cousin..."

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke grinned back at him. "I was just thinkin' the same thing myself...."

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo laughed and nodded

"The only girl I ever met who ain't afraid of the possibility of breakin' the law..."

[LoriDavenport]

Lori just looked at them both she started to object and just tell em shed go herself, sos they wouldnt break their own probation,"Fellers if ur through now, id like to have a say in this.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo looked to her with a stubborn and determined look that anyone who knew him knew well what was coming next would not be argued with and he would not change his mind.

"Alright, s'long as it don't have anything to do with you not wanting to do this for fear of gettin' us in trouble and/or gettin' Daisy in trouble. If you've got a helpful hint as to where we can hide you an' Daisy then we'll hear it but other than that, me an' Luke can handle this."

[LoriDavenport]

Lori looked at him and shook her head, "Now, just hold on a minute here Bo, if ya'll go to Atlanta they'll catch you fer breakin ya'lls probation, Ain't there some way i can go.by myself, alls i need is to borrow a loner from my cuzin and in the mean time ill think up of a way fer you. i mean i can say im sum1 and i really aint, disguise myself and if i do then ill think me up of a way to get outta trouble on my own and if i dont have an arrest hangin over my head ill come back down get my stuff and hit the road on outta here get away from this place.. Lori wasn't bein reasonable, she was bein cold hearted now she didnt care bout ne1 or nething now she told them she ws sorry witch prolly made them feel better, but she still hurt inside. She was mad and aggravated.

Now lets just go back to the farmhouse, get midnight fixed and then ill go by cooter's to get a loner, if ya'll won't take me back then ill just get up and go myself and CB cooter from teh general and have him come get me, im pretty sure he'll know were the treehouse is at, if not ill walk. she looked at Luke and muttered under her breath hoping no one would hear her,"I knew i shouldve never told you i loved you, i always end up gettin my heart broken in some form or fashion, to heck with it." she got up and left the treehouse.

[BoJamesDuke]

Before she could leave, Bo grabbed her arm and sat her down again with a force that made the treehouse shake a little. He held her fast as she struggled to get away and looked to her with a ferocity and passion that no one but Luke had ever seen in him before. His blue eyes seemed to burn with fire and if looks could kill, Lori would have been dead and buried in the ground. When he spoke, his voice was like ice.

"Now you hold on just a minute. You came into this town with the intention of coming back for good, something I know for a fact Cooter was desperatly hopin' for. I don't care what the heck is goin' on between you and Luke, but I will not, I repeat, will not let you stand by and hurt Cooter like that. He's my best friend as well as Luke's and you comin' here an' leavin' soon after will hurt him like nothin' else."

He maintained the firm grip on Lori as he continued to make her look at him.

"Luke is goin' to Atlanta and you are gonna stay with Daisy an' I ain't hearin' nothin' else on the matter. You been on your own so long that you's thinkin' you can do everythin' on your own an' its time to put a stop to it before you land in serious trouble. I can't do everythin' on my own, an' neither can Luke...no one can. The best thing you can do for now, is to sit with Daisy - safe and hidden - an' work on a way of clearin' the charges against my name. Me an' Luke will work on this charge against you. Now that's what's happenin' whether you like it or not an' if I have to hog tie ya with Daisy in the safe place you can be double damn sure that I'm gonna do it, you got me?!"

He knew Luke was looking at him like he had grown two heads and so was Lori to a point. He realised briefly then that he had sounded so much like Uncle Jesse when he had been giving his speech to Lori that it had almost sounded like a lecture. Truth was, as much as he hated Lori's persistant 'I'll do it myself' and 'I love you but you dont love me' attitude with Luke, he still cared a lot about her and he was not about to let her walk out of his life again without a fight. If being with Luke was what it took to get her to stay permanent then he would accept it. There would be other women, there always was.

[LoriDavenport]

Lori looked at him and let out a blood curdling yell and shouting in his face, she'd been taught better but this time it was serious, she jerked away from Bo and stood up she rolled up her jacket sleeves and felt like sluggin him a good en' but she couldnt do that,"I NEVER HAD THE INTENTION OF HURTIN COOTER,BO!!! I LOVE COOTER MORE THAN ANYTHINGHES THE ONYL FAMILY I GOT ROUND HERE SIDES YA'LL, HOG TIE ME TO DAISY ALL YOU WANT TO BUT I GUARANTEE YOU THIS MUCH, BO DUKE I WONT BE THERE!!!!! NOW DANG IT, IF YOU AND LUKE WANNA GO AND BREAK YA'LL PORBATION GO AHEAD AND DO IT SEE IF I CARE NEMORE!!!!!!!""AND BESIDES WHY SHOULD YOU CARE IF I GET INTO TROUBLE OR NOT?!!!!!" when she had heard Bo say those things, and especially the part were he sia dhe didnt know what was goin on between her and luke she said somethn she knew would stir something up probably."YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHATS WRONG WITH ME AND LUKE, AND WHY DID YOU LIE TO ME?!!! ALLS I KNOW IS I AM NOT STAYING HERE AND CAUSING YA'LL TO START A FUSSIN NO WORSER THAN WHAT ME AND YOU ARE NOW. NOW WHEN I SAY SOMETHING I TEND TO STICK TO IT, SOS BACK OFF BO, ILLGO AND STAY WITH COOTER FER A WHILE, AS BAD AS I WOULD HATE TO LEAVE HERE, I AINT GOTTA A CHOICE." she was mad and furious. some of her friends had once told her that whenever she got mad and furiously pissed off she looked like the devil himself, she was bloody red with anger.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke stood in front of her. "You do gotta choice...there's always a choice. You're choice is you can let us help ya...or don't let us help ya an we help ya anyway....but you don't gotta yell at people who are trying to help..." said Luke. It was one thing for him to yell at Bo, but he didn't take kindly when others did it.

[LoriDavenport]

Lori looked at him and tried to get pasted him,"Dont help me, ill do it myself(her and her persistence was gettin on the boys nerves and she could tell it.)

go on ill walk and go stay with cooter sos he wont be too hurt, as fer the rest ill go to atlanta myself and git things done i dont need no ones help. and with that she pushed past luke, it hurt her really really bad o yell at Bo and sh eknew it made luke mad. she left the treehouse cussin everybreath. she knew shed have to go to church now. she walked passed the general and down the road. never lookin back. she was headed off to cooter's farm to tell him whts goin on and to see if he'll haul the midnight rider to hs garage to work on it. so she could go to atlanta like she had intended to do.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo watched her go, not having any will or desire to go after her anymore. As far as he was concerned, Lori could go and get herself imprisoned for the rest of her life for all he cared now. Turning away from the door, Bo picked up his blanket and got into the makeshift bed, laying on his side and closing his eyes without another word.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke sighed. He was tired of fighting with her..that much was for certain. And right now he couldn't say that he liked her much, not after the hateful way she had treated Bo who was just trying to help. He looked at his cousin, and instinctively knew how hurt he felt by her words. Kneeling down beside him, he softly said, "She's mad at me Bo....not you."

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo shrugged, hiding the brewing tears in his eyes.

"Don't matter none...she's gone now, she can go take a long walk off Widow's Peak for all I care..."

[LoriDavenport]

Lori walked on she was tired and she didnt make it far from the treehouse really before she stopped. she was sayin to herself, youve done it now Lori, got the man u love pissed to no end at you. ur best friend ever pissed extrememly. she didnt know what was coming over her, she couldnt understand she walked back to the treehouse, balling her eyes out she couldnt stand the though of one of her buddies mad at her. she sat down at the bottom and said, uhh guys, i know im not on good terms with ya'll right now and Bo if i wasnt a gurl u shouldve hit me, heck it doesnt matter you should still hit me. Luke im sorry i yelled at Bo and For being so persistent. i dont now why i act the way i do, like i aint got a single thing to lose, but truth is, i just lost it all. I lost my bestest friend in the entire world for lettin my hard head gettin in the way, its like tryin to talk horse sense into a

jacka--. im really sorry, u probably dont wanna hear it right now, cuz youve heard it before. Sometimes im my own worst enemy. but at least you had love growing up, ya'll had uncle jesse and i had no one. when my mama died, shed roll over in her grave right now, fer as good as ya'll been to me. Yea i know i had cooter growin up, and that should be all i need, but my dad never loved me he told me he didnt dont ya think that hurts to grow up and knowing u aint loved. and at least i had ya'll but i guess i dont no more. Lori knew she couldnt do nothing like this on her own she needed help she just didnt want to admit it. "And Bo i hope you heard what i said, u prolly dont want to either but ohh well."

Bo u prolly wish i was dead well, truth is i do too i ait got nuttin else to live for not now i dont. i guess ill be seein ya'll around. she got up and stared through for a minute or two and walked slowly back towards the road..

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo heard but he was in no mood to answer. He was hurting bad deep inside him and it would take him at least the night and possibly the morning to get over that.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke bit his lip...he wasn't sure Bo was ready t forgive or not. He wasn't sure if he was either, but he figured that he had better if he wanted her to stay safe. "Look just quit tryin' to do things on your own Lori...ya got friends ' help ya...let us help ya...."