When Lonely Hearts Meet...

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Early the next morning, Luke was in the barn once more, doing chores. Bo never had come home that night but whether it was because he didn't want to see Luke or had a lady to distracthim, he didn't know.

The storm had done damage while it lasted and he worked with a tight mouth, thinking over things but, as always, keeping his troubles very much to himself.

[BoJamesDuke]

Before long, Bo soon came skidding into the driveway, looking tired but happy. Shutting off the engine he gave a yawn before sliding out the window and heading inside. He didn't know Luke was in the barn and he knew the first thing he had to do was apologise to his Uncle for being late.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

"We-ell, lookee here," said Jesse looking up from his newspaper having served breakfast more than an hour ago. "Seems I do have two nephews after all..."

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo cringed a little as he stood in the kitchen, leaning on one of the chairs as he managed to stifle a yawn before saying.

"M'sorry Uncle Jesse...me an' Cooter got t'talkin' for a while then I met Linda and I showed her the lake and...well we kinda fell asleep and...I didn't realize..."

[DaisyMaeDuke]

"Must've been some tour of town you gave her once the storm hit..." he grumbled. "Bo now I know that you are over 21...but there are still rules and as long as you live here, you'll abide by them...an' one of em is t' be home in time for breakfast and chores...which ya ain't."

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo sighed with a nod, biting his lip gently as he got the lecture, hoping that his Uncle wasn't about to switch him. It was just about bareable when they were kids but as soon as they had reached the 18 mark, getting switched anytime after then was just humiliating.

"I know, i'm sorry. I really did just lose track of time...I didn't mean ta.."

[DaisyMaeDuke]

"You didn't think...ya didn't mean ta...that's all I hear outta you lately..." He sighed heavily. "Work before play Bo...you know that. Now we got us a barn that needs mendin'...you get yourself some breakfast and then I wanna see hind ends and elbows out there takin' care of the damage."

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo nodded a little with a sigh, grabbing himself an apple before heading out to the barn to get to the mending. He wasn't really that hungry anyway, he had picked himself up something to eat at the Boar's Nest on the way home, he was more tired than anything else.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke stood in the barn, fixing the loose boards of the wall. He looked over as Bo came in. "Mornin'."

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo nodded to him with a wave, his mouth being full of apple as he set about getting the things he needed to mend that part that Luke wasn't mending, petting the baby goat as he passed it.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke sighed rubbing the back of his neck a little. He must have slept wrong, what little he did sleep, and bending over fixing the blasted wood didn't help any.

"Have fun last night?" he asked though not looking up from his work.

[BoJamesDuke]

"Mmmm hmmm..." Bo replied as he swallowed down the last of the apple, giving the core to Maudine before starting the work on his section of the barn. "Kinda lost track of time...where did you disappear to by the way?"

[DaisyMaeDuke]

"Came home...then Daisy and I went for a walk before the storm," replied Luke. "Came on quick...we got caught in it..."

[BoJamesDuke]

"Ah...fair enough..." Bo said with a nod as he continued his work, yawning gently.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke continued hammering away soon standing up and stretching. "I wanted to talk to you Bo..."

[BoJamesDuke]

"Well i'm all ears...go ahead..."

Bo replied, holding some nails in his mouth while he positioned the boards the way he wanted them.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

"Why didn't you ever tell me...about what happened the day Judd came? At the hospital?" he asked looking straight at him.

[BoJamesDuke]

After the words had left Luke's mouth, the fast hammering that Bo had been doing with the nails slowed to a stop. Pausing a minute he turned to look at his older cousin slowly, saying quietly.

"You know what happened...those guys took Judd..."

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke swallowed, shaking his head slowly. "No...I mean...'bout what happened to you..."

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo bit his lip a little, fiddling with the tool in his hand gently.

"Just...wasn't important..."

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke swallowed going over to him taking the tool from his hand gently. "Since when have you not been important to me?"

[BoJamesDuke]

"You had yer brother here....you were worried enough about him, you didn't need t'worry about me too. 'Sides I was fine...weren't nothin bad..."

He replied, trying to find something else to distract himself with now Luke had taken the tool from his hands.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

"I was worried about both my brothers...not just Judd," he pointed out. "You shoulda told me...was bad enough...then you go divin' int' the lake...what if you had a bad concussion or somethin'? I coulda lost ya!"

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo sighed gently, looking up at the roof of the barn before looking back to Luke as he bit his lip.

"This is why....i'm fine and yet yer still actin' like yer panicin...you'd had enough drama already...you weren't well yerself an' Judd was in danger of dyin. If you'd have known that I was hurt a lil bit, you'd be even more worried then who would have dived down an' got Judd?"

[DaisyMaeDuke]

"I would have...but you're skirtin' the issue." He bit his lip and looked straight at him. "Do you really think I care more about Judd than you? Really?"