Daddy Luke
by
Chapter 1
Luke Duke threw the last bale of hay down out of the loft and climbed down the ladder. He was a ruggedly handsome young man in his late twenties with brown hair and sapphire blue eyes. His body was firm, lean and muscular from his years of hard work on the farm where he lived with his two cousins, Daisy and Bo and his Uncle Jesse. Luke had only been four years old when he came to live with his aunt and uncle after the death of his parents in a fire.
Reaching the bottom of the ladder, he grabbed his shirt which was slung over the side of the one of the stalls in the barn and slipped it on. He buttoned it as he headed towards the house for something cold to drink.
The Duke farm had been in the family for five generations and the weather-beaten two story frame house had seen a lot of tears and a lot of happiness. It was the only home Luke could remember and the only one he'd ever wanted. He couldn't imagine living anywhere besides Hazzard County .
His cousin, Bo was leaning over the engine of the General Lee, the modified stock car that the boys owned. The General was as well known as the boys were in Hazzard. With its distinctive orange paint job, the big 01 trimmed in back on both doors, and the rebel flag painted on the roof with the name General Lee painted above each door, the car was impossible to forget once you'd seen it. Bo straightened up and grinned at his older cousin. In his early twenties, Bo was the youngest of the three cousins. With his blonde hair and baby blue eyes he was considered a local heartthrob among the ladies. With his lean muscular build and slow easy smile, combined with his country boy charm, Bo had more girlfriends than he could handle.
“You done?” Bo asked Luke
“Yeah…you still wanna go fishing?”
“Just waiting on you, cuz.”
“I need something to drink first.” Luke told him, heading on towards the house. He stepped up onto the screened in back porch and went into the house through the back door. His uncle Jesse was sitting at the kitchen table sorting through the mail. Jesse was in his early sixties but acted like a man half that age. He had shaggy white hair and a full white beard with the same blue eyes as his nephews. Jesse's word was law and was always obeyed, out of respect and love but always obeyed.
Luke's cousin, Daisy was doing dishes. She was a pretty thing in her mid twenties with long reddish brown hair and big blue eyes. All the boys in Hazzard County adored Daisy but she had recently gotten engaged to Enos Strate, one of the local deputies in Hazzard County . Enos had been sweet on Daisy for years but only recently been able to make his feelings known. Nobody was surprised when Enos asked Daisy to marry him even though some of her ex-boyfriends were surprised that she said yes.
“You got a letter, Luke.” Jesse said holding out an envelope to his nephew “Don't say who it's from there's no return address.”
Luke took the envelope and looked at it with a frown. “It's postmarked Atlanta .” He said “Could be anybody.” He stuffed the letter in his shirt pocket and opened the refrigerator to help himself to a glass of ice cold lemonade.
“Maybe Luke has a secret admirer.” Daisy said with a teasing smile at her older cousin.
Luke ignored her good natured teasing as he drank his glass of lemonade. Sitting the glass down on the counter beside her, he said “There's another glass for ya…”
“Dang you, Luke…..” Daisy said with a laugh, taking a playful swat at him with her dishtowel. “Next time I'll make you do the dishes.” Luke laughed as he went back
outside so that him and Bo could go fishing.
Luke forgot all about the letter in his shirt pocket until he went into the bathroom that night to take a shower before going to bed. As he started to unbutton his shirt, he felt the paper in his pocket and remembered the letter Jesse had given him earlier. Curious, he put down the lid on the commode so he had a place to sit. Pulling the envelope out of his pocket, he looked at the handwriting. It didn't look familiar but it did look like it had been written by a woman. Frowning slightly, he tore open the envelope and took out the sheet of paper it contained. He began to read:
Dear Luke,
I didn't put my address on the envelope because I guess I was afraid that you would tear this letter up or throw away it away instead of reading it if you knew who it was from.
With his curiosity aroused by that simple line, he turned the letter over so he could read the signature. Shelby . Luke caught his breath sharply and felt his stomach do a flip flop. The letter was from Shelby Lynn. Luke had met Shelby around 7 years ago when he had been hurt on a hunting trip and Shelby and her brother, Cory, had helped to save his life. He had ran into her again accidentally almost a year ago and ironically she had ended up helping to save his life again, unfortunately, she disappeared again shortly after he was rescued from two men and a woman who were trying to kill him. Then just a little over 4 months ago, she had ended up back in his life again when her brother was arrested in connection with a drug operation in Hazzard County . Shelby had gotten drug into the whole mess and Luke and the family had helped to get her out of it. Then she had disappeared again and now she was writing him and he wasn't really sure why.
He turned the page back over and continued reading:
I hope I'm wrong and that you will at least read this. To begin with I want you to know that I never meant to hurt you by leaving. So much happened with the drugs and Cory killing himself that I just needed time to sort things out and I had to do it alone.
And I also wasn't sure about us or where our relationship might be headed. I told you once you were a dangerous man because women fell in love with men like you and that's true. Because I did fall in love with you but I knew that you weren't ready for a more serious relationship than what we had because you still weren't over Kelly. And to be honest, I'm not sure you ever will be.
But something has come up that I need to talk to you about. It's important and I just hope that you will agree to at least meet me somewhere so we can talk. I'm staying with some friends in Atlanta . My phone number is 566-555-9013.
Shelby
Luke slowly folded the letter and put it back into the envelope. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do. There was a part of him that wanted to see her and talk to her maybe even try to convince her to come back to Hazzard but there was another part of him that was still hurt that she had left the way she had in the first place without even talking to him first. Because in spite of what she had said in her letter, he had been falling in love with her too something he thought he would never be able to do again.
Chapter 2
The next day Jesse noticed that Luke seemed to be distracted. He acted like a man with a lot on his mind. Jesse knew not to push, if Luke needed to talk to him than Luke would have to be the one to come to Jesse. Luke wasn't like Daisy or Bo, he was reserved and reluctant to share very much of himself with others. The only one he really talked to about how he felt was Bo.
Even Bo noticed Luke's preoccupation that morning as they were doing their chores. “You got something on your mind, cuz?” he asked, as he poured a bucket of grain into Maudine's feed bin.
“Yeah, kinda.” Luke admitted
“You wanna talk about it?”
“I don't know.”
Bo sighed and rolled his eyes. Sometimes getting information out of Luke could be like pulling teeth. “Well, if something is wrong than maybe I can help.” He looked at his older cousin but Luke remained silent. So Bo added “If you tell me what it is that's bugging you.”
“I got a letter yesterday in the mail.”
“That's how letters usually come.” Bo said in a feeble attempt at humor but Luke didn't even smile. After another long silence, Luke finally said,
“From Shelby .”
“Oh…” Bo said momentarily at a loss for words. He knew that Luke had been sweet on Shelby and that their relationship had turned more intimate just before she left.
And he also knew that Luke had been deeply hurt when she left town without even saying goodbye. “Is that good or bad?” Bo asked cautiously.
“She wants to see me so we can talk. She said it's important.”
“So what's the problem? Don't you want to see her?”
“I don't know. Part of me does I guess.” Luke admitted
“Well, then go see her and find out what she wants.”
“Maybe…” Luke said turning back to his work. Bo frowned. He recognized the gesture. Luke didn't want to talk about it anymore. Luke was like that sometimes. He'd shared enough to identify the problem, now he'd figure out the solution by himself. Bo turned back to his own chores.
Luke mulled things over all morning. Finally, he decided that he needed to talk to Shelby . She had written him a letter when she left town and in it she had promised that she would be back someday. Luke realized that in order to protect himself from being hurt, he had convinced himself that he would never hear from her again.
After lunch, he told Jesse he was going to be gone for the rest of the day but he didn't tell him where he was going just that he'd be back sometime later that night. Bo glanced at him and smiled. He knew what Luke was up to. Luke took the black mercury Sable that was parked in the barn. It had been Kelly's car and he seldom drove it because of the memories associated with it but he didn't want to take the General since he didn't know how long he would be gone.
He waited until he got to Atlanta before pulling into a gas station and using the payphone to call the number that Shelby had given him in her letter. The phone on the other end of the line rang three times, then Shelby answered.
“Hello?” her voice still sent a chill down Luke's spine. Rich as honey with that slow southern drawl.
“ Shelby ? It's Luke.”
“Luke.” She said in a mildly surprised voice “You got my letter.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“I'm glad you called. I was scared that you wouldn't.”
“You said you needed to talk to me about something important.”
“Yeah, I do. I thought maybe we could meet somewhere.”
“You name the place. I'm in Atlanta right now.”
“You're in Atlanta ?” she said a trace of anxiety creeping into her voice “I thought you were calling from Hazzard.” Quickly regaining her composure, she said “How about coming over here? I'm staying with some friends but they're gone for the day.” She suggested
“Tell me how to get there.”
Shelby gave him directions and then Luke hung up. Climbing back into his car, he followed the directions she had given him. Twenty minutes later he pulled up in front of a one story apartment complex with an enclosed courtyard. Parking the car and locking the doors, he walked through the courtyard and to the apartment on the far left hand side of the complex. Pausing for a moment he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
Shelby opened the door and smiled at him, the same slow easy smile that always seemed to melt the ice around his heart. “Come on in” she said, stepping aside so he could enter the apartment.
Luke found himself in a small but well cared for apartment. A breakfast bar divided one large room into a living room and a kitchen area. He turned his attention to Shelby . She was dressed in jeans with a blue denim shirt and her sun streaked dark blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She looked back at him with those jade green eyes that seemed to pull him in against his will.
“You want some coffee? A beer? Anything?” she asked graciously
“No, thanks. I'm fine.” Luke told her. Never one for much small talk, he got directly to the point “Why don't you tell why you wrote me that letter? What did you need to talk to me about?”
“You don't waste any time, do ya Luke?” Shelby said. She locked eyes with his and after only a moment's hesitation, she said “I'm pregnant, Luke.”
Luke tried to keep his face impassive but he felt his heart jump in his chest. This was not what he expected. Shelby watched his reaction carefully. In a slightly amused voice she said “You sure you don't want that beer now?”
“Yeah,” Luke said “That doesn't sound like such a bad idea after all.”
“Have a seat and I'll get it.” Shelby told him walking into the kitchen.
Luke walked over to the sofa and sat down. His mind was still reeling from the news that Shelby had just told him. When she handed him an ice cold beer, he took it gratefully and took a long, deep swallow. Shelby sat down in the recliner sitting beside the sofa and just looked at him. Finally, she said,
“Say something, Luke. We can't just sit here and stare at each other.”
“I'm not sure what to say.” Luke said carefully controlled voice
“Well, at least you didn't ask me if I was sure it was yours.”
“I know better than that.” Luke said in a slightly offended voice “I know you wouldn't lie about that.”
“I'm not asking you for anything, Luke. I just thought you had the right to know.”
“I guess I should thank you for that.”
“It's not just my baby, it's yours too.”
“My baby…” Luke repeated “That's gonna take some getting used to.”
“Yeah, I wasn't exactly thrilled when I found out either.” Shelby admitted starting to relax a little. She hadn't been sure what to expect when she told Luke about the baby but at least he didn't walk out or try to deny that it was his. She realized that somehow she had known that he wouldn't. Luke wasn't that kind of man. Uncle Jesse had raised him better than that. “I didn't know until after I left Hazzard.” She looked at Luke with a ghost of smile “I've had almost three months to get used to the idea.”
“I wanna do the right thing….” Luke said swallowing hard even as he spoke.
“Don't say you wanna get married, Luke.” Shelby said cutting him off before he could finish his sentence “I'm not ready for that and neither are you. Go back to Hazzard. You need some time to get used to the idea too.”
Luke sat his unfinished beer down on the coffee table and stood up. He looked at Shelby intently “Are you gonna disappear on me again if I leave?” he asked putting into words the question that nagged at his mind.
“No…not this time.” Shelby told him “My disappearing days are over. I promise.”
“I'll be back.” Luke told her as she walked with him to the door “You can count on it.” He opened the door and let himself out.
Chapter 3
Jesse was the only one at home when Luke got back to the farm. Daisy was at work and Bo was out with one of the Johnson sisters. It was just as well since Luke wanted to talk to Jesse privately. Jesse put down the paper he was reading and looked at Luke as he sat down on the sofa. Jesse recognized the signals, Luke had something on his mind that he needed to talk about.
“About time you got home.” Jesse said offhandedly “Daisy left some supper for you in the refrigerator.”
“I ain't hungry right now.”
“You got something on your mind?”
“Yeah…that letter I got yesterday….it was from Shelby .”
“ Shelby ?” Jesse said, arching one eyebrow “”Is that where you've been all day?”
“She's in Atlanta ….I went up there and saw her.” Luke fell into an uneasy silence. Then he blurted out “She's pregnant, Uncle Jesse.”
Jesse's eyes widened in surprise. “And it's yours…” he said. It was a statement of fact not a question.
“Yes, Sir.” Luke said lowering his head so he could avoid his Uncle's eyes, afraid of the disappointment he might see there. “I know it is.”
“So what are you planning on doing about it?”
“I don't know…..I wanna do the right thing….”
“Are you thinking about marrying her?”
Luke shook his head and raised his head, looking into his Uncle's eyes “ Shelby made it pretty clear she doesn't want that….”
“What does she want?”
“I don't know…we didn't get that far”
“At least she told you.” Jesse said “Now you have to be man enough to own up to your responsibilities. You helped create a life…you'd better be ready to help take care of the child.”
“I am” Luke said somewhat defensively “I just don't know how much Shelby 's gonna let me do…”
“Shelby's probably just as scared as you are right now. But you can't let her shut you out…..you got rights too.”
“I want her to come back to Hazzard…” Luke said “And I…uh…was kinda hoping she could stay here.”
“ Shelby is always welcome here…if that's a Duke she's carrying then she's already part of the family.” Jesse said. He eyed his oldest nephew closely “But even if she agrees to come back and stays here….that don't mean I'm gonna let you sleep with her without being married even if she is pregnant with your child…”
“No, sir.”
“And that means no sneaking her into your room like you done the last time.” Jesse said firmly
Luke flushed with embarrassment. He didn't think Jesse knew about that. He should have known better. Jesse seemed to know everything that went on under his roof.
“Yes, sir.” Luke said automatically.
Jesse smiled “Then you go get that little girl and you bring her back here. Cause she's gonna need all the help she can get……and she's gonna need a family.” Jesse told “Night, Jesse.” Luke said as he shoved himself to his feet. Jesse smiled to himself as he watched Luke climb the stairs to the second floor. He knew that Bo and Luke were grown men with normal urges and desires but Jesse still had to remind them now and then who was in charge. He knew that Shelby was the first woman that Luke had been with since his wife, Kelly, was killed. And he knew that Luke usually acted responsibly when it came to practicing safe sex but it looked like this was the one time he should have and didn't.
Luke went up to the room he had shared with Bo since they were children and closed the door. Stripping down to his boxer shorts, he laid on his bed and stared into the darkness. A baby. Luke had always figured that someday he'd get married and have a family but he didn't figure on a baby coming before a wedding. Luke wasn't sure how he felt about the idea of being a father. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he tried to imagine what it would be like teaching a son to fish or watching a daughter grow into a beautiful young woman. He decided he would back to Atlanta tomorrow to talk to Shelby again. He just hoped he could talk her into coming back with him. Sometimes she could be as stubborn as a Missouri mule too.
Chapter 4
Shelby had just finished taking a load of laundry out of the dryer when she heard a knock on the front door. Sitting the basket of clothes on top of the dryer, she went into the other room to answer the door. She was startled to find Luke standing there.
“Luke, what are you doing here?”
“I told you I'd be back.” He told her
“Yeah, but I wasn't expecting you back this soon.”
“Can I can come in?”
“Be my guest.” Shelby said with an elaborate wave of her hand, stepping aside to let him into the apartment. She crossed her arms across her chest and looked at Luke questioningly. “Alright, Luke..…what's this all about?”
“I want you to come back to Hazzard. Uncle Jesse said you can stay at the farm.” Luke told her
“Let me guess..…this is your idea.”
“Kinda.” Luke admitted. His expression turned serious “Look, Shelby , that's my baby your carrying and…well…I wanna be there…I wanna be part of its life.”
“No strings?” Shelby said narrowing her eyes suspiciously
“If that's how you want it…..”
“Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into?”
“I got a pretty good idea.”
Shelby shook her head and rolled her eyes. “I'd have to be out of my mind to even consider it……” she said
Luke stepped closer and put one hand on Shelby 's shoulder. Looking deeply into her eyes he said “It's gonna be okay. We're in this together now.” Jade eyes locked with sapphire blue as a silent understanding passed between them. No matter what had happened between them or what may happen in the future, they were bound together now by the child that Shelby was carrying.
“Give me a couple of days.” Shelby told him “Then I'll let you know.”
Luke left and drove back to Hazzard. He had one more thing he needed to take care of when he got home. He had to tell Daisy and Bo about the baby. Bo was in the barn doing the evening chores when Luke pulled into the barnyard. He parked the black Sable under the makeshift carport at one side of the barn and climbed out from beneath the wheel. Bo came from around the corner of the barn and started helping Luke to pull the heavy tarp up over the car.
“It's about time you got back.” Bo grumbled “I thought I was gonna have to do all the chores by myself.”
“Sorry. I had something I needed to take care of.”
“Did you see Shelby ?”
“Yeah…I did”
“How is she?”
“Pregnant.”
Bo stopped what he was doing and stared at Luke as if he wasn't sure he'd heard him right. “Pregnant?” he repeated in a stunned voice “And it's yours?”
“”Why is that always the first question anyone asks?” Luke said with a thin smile “Yes, it's mine.”
“Does Uncle Jesse know?”
“Yeah, I told him yesterday.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“I'm trying to talk Shelby into coming back to Hazzard and staying here.”
“Are the two of you getting married?”
“No….Shelby made it real clear she doesn't wanna get married.”
“Daddy Luke…” Bo said with a huge grin “That's gonna take some getting used to.”
“Yeah….tell me about it.” Luke said, as he finished fastening the tarp in place. “Is Daisy in the house?”
“Yeah…she's getting supper.”
“I'll be out in a minute to help ya with them chores.” Luke turned and walked across the barnyard towards the house. In the kitchen, he found Daisy at the stove cooking.
“Hi, sugar.” She greeted him with a warm smile “You're just in time for supper tonight.”
“Yeah, I was….uh…in Atlanta .”
“What were you doing in Atlanta ?”
“Seeing Shelby .”
“ Shelby ?” Daisy said in a surprised voice. A look of understanding settled in her big blue eyes “Is that who that letter was from you got a couple of days ago?”
“Yeah…”
“Is she coming back to Hazzard?”
“Maybe and she might be staying here…Uncle Jesse already said she could. She's pregnant.” Luke said waiting for Daisy's reaction to the news.
For the briefest moment, Daisy looked shocked and then she smiled at her oldest cousin warmly. “That's some news…..are you okay?”
“Yeah…” Luke told her with a grin “Still getting used to the idea, ya know?”
Daisy nodded and turned her attention back to the food she was cooking. “At least she told you…..a lot of women wouldn't have done that.”
“I know….well, I better help Bo finish the chores.”
Daisy nodded as Luke turned and went back outside. Glancing out of the window above the kitchen sink, Daisy walked him walk across the barnyard towards the barn. Luke seemed to be handling the news that he was going to be a father pretty well but then with Luke it was hard to tell sometimes, he was such an expert at hiding his real feelings. Daisy smiled faintly as her maternal instincts surfaced. She wondered what it would be like to have a baby around the house.
Chapter 5
Jesse was in the barnyard milking one of the goats when the familiar yellow Torino pulled into the driveway. He stopped milking and stood up as Shelby parked the car beside his pickup and climbed from beneath the wheel. He let his eyes sweep over her slender figure for just a moment. She wasn't showing yet.
Shelby hesitated beside the car as Jesse walked over to her. With a warm smile, Jesse put his arms around her and gave her a hug. “Welcome home, little one.” He told her. When he released her, she had tears glistening in her eyes. “Come on in the house.” Jesse told her, slipping his arm around her shoulders “There's some lemonade in the refrigerator. You must be tired after driving all the way from Atlanta .”
Shelby didn't say anything until they were in the house and sitting at the table sipping their cold drinks. “Thank you, Uncle Jesse…..for letting me stay here.”
“You're part of the family now…” he told her “That baby you're carrying makes you a Duke too.”
“Luke didn't know, Jesse not until I told him.”
“I know. If Luke had known, he would never have let you leave. None of us would have.”
“I thought about not telling him…just staying gone and having the baby by myself…”
“You did the right thing though…that's what counts”
“I was scared to death.” Shelby admitted with a faint smile “I didn't know how he'd react.”`
“I raised them boys to take responsibility for their actions.” Jesse said “And I'm proud of both of them.”
“I just want you to know that it's my fault not Luke's that I got pregnant.” Shelby said uneasily. She wasn't entirely comfortable having this conversation with Jesse but she wanted him to know that it was her own careless that had caused this pregnancy.
“That may be so.” Jesse told her in gruff yet gentle voice “But Luke still should've known better and used some kind of protection himself.” Jesse smiled warmly “When's the baby due?”
“Sometime in July.”
“Well, now…it's gonna be nice having a little one around this old house again. I kinda miss that.” He said “And you don't need to worry none cause the old high chair and crib is still in the attic.” Jesse's eyes twinkled “You know there's been a lot of babies born in this ole house….I even delivered a few myself….including Luke.”
“You delivered Luke?” Shelby asked with an amused smile
Jesse nodded. “His mama was here when her time came and there wasn't time to get her to the hospital. Luke was in too big a hurry to be born.” Jesse chuckled at the memory. “Have you been to a doctor yet?”
“Just once…when I went to the clinic to make sure I wasn't just late….”
“I'll give Doc Applebee a call. Tell him you'll be coming in to see him as soon as you get settled in.” Jesse shoved himself back to his feet “I gotta git back to the milking. Just make yourself at home. The boys should be back soon. They had to run into town and pick up some feed.”
“Thanks, Jesse.”
“There's no need to thank me.” Jesse told her in a genuinely sincere voice. “You and that young'un need a family to help take care of ya.” Jesse went back out to finish the milking, leaving Shelby alone in the house. She sighed softly as she watched the door close behind him. She still wasn't sure she'd done the right thing by agreeing to come back to Hazzard while she waited for her baby to be born. Jesse's support meant a lot and it went a long way towards relieving most of her fears.
But it was Luke she was worried about. He seemed to be accepting the pregnancy and he wanted to be a part of his child's life. She had expected that. But she also knew that he would feel honor bound to do the right thing by her and get married, if for no other reason than to give his child his last name. Only Shelby wasn't going to be forced into marriage just because she was pregnant. Rising to her feet, she went out to her car to start bringing her things into the house.
She was just getting the last of her things out of the trunk when the General Lee roared into the driveway. The car skidded to a halt and Bo climbed out of the driver's side, greeting Shelby with a huge grin. She smiled back and then watched as Luke climbed out of the other side of the car. Smiling, he walked over to her and graciously took the bag she was holding in her arms. “Here let me take that.” He said. He took her arm and guided her towards the house. Shelby felt awkward for a moment but the feeling quickly passed. She reminded herself that he was just showing good manners and tried not to read more into his gesture than was intended.
While the boys did the evening chores, Shelby helped Daisy fix supper. As they cooked, they talked. “It's gonna be nice having another girl around here.” Daisy told her with a warm smile
“Yeah…I missed not having another girl around to talk to when it was just me and Cory.”
Daisy glanced at Shelby out of the corner of her eye “I have a feeling things are gonna get real interesting around here. You sure know how to shake things up.”
“I told Luke because I want him to be a part of this baby's life.”
“Is that all you want him to do?”
“I'm not marrying him if that's what you're asking.”
“Luke may have something to say about that before this is all over with.”
“He can still have his name on the birth certificate as the father without us being married and the baby can still carry his name.”
Daisy looked at Shelby with a slight frown. She suddenly seemed defensive and upset. Daisy found herself wondering what Shelby had against getting married. Or if it was just Luke she didn't want to marry. Somehow she didn't think that was it. If anything, Shelby was in love with Luke and he was in love with her and they were both just too stubborn to admit it. Oh, yeah Daisy thought to herself. Things are gonna get real interesting around here.
Their conversation was cut short as the boys came in from doing their chores. The two girls put the food on the table and the family sat down to eat. After supper, Shelby volunteered to do the dishes since Daisy had to work the late shift at the Boar's Nest. Luke volunteered to help clear the table
“Would you take walk with me when you finish those?” Luke asked in a quiet voice so that only Shelby heard him, as he sat the stack of plates on the counter beside her.
“Okay” Shelby agreed, trying to avoid looking into his eyes. If she did, she knew she'd start thinking about things she'd rather not think about right now. The situation was complicated enough, she didn't want to complicate it any further. Luke excused himself while Shelby finished the dishes.
When she was done, she went out onto the back porch and stood on steps, watching the sun set. It was peaceful and quiet here on the farm. Shelby missed her home in the mountains but that was gone now. She didn't have a home of her own anymore. She heard the screen door shut and sensed Luke's presence as he came up behind her. “Ready for that walk?” he asked. He was standing so close she could feel the warmth of his breath against the back of her neck and smell the scent of his aftershave.
“Sure.” She said stepping down off the steps and starting to walk across the barnyard. Luke fell into step beside her, slowing his longer stride to match her steps.
They walked in silence for several minutes before Luke finally said “I'm glad you decided to come.”
“I almost didn't.” Shelby admitted
“Why?”
“Because I feel like I'm complicating your life, complicating my life. And I don't need any more complications right now.” She sighed softly “I didn't mean to mess up your life, Luke.”
“Why don't you let me decide if you're doing that?” Luke said
“Because you wouldn't tell me even if I were.”
“You're not messing up my life. We're both responsible for what happened and it's up to us to find a way to work things out.”
“How can you be so calm about all of this?”
“Who said I was calm?” Luke asked her with a thin smile “I'm scared to death. I'm not sure I'm ready for this.”
“Neither am I but it's a little too late to do anything about it now.”
“So what do we do about us?”
“Luke, there isn't any us.” She stopped and looked at him solemnly “Our whole relationship has been built on one crisis after another. I mean the first time you were hurt, the second time you had some crazy psycho after you, and the third time Cory and I were in that mess. And now I'm pregnant. We've never had the chance to really get to know each other.” Before Luke could reply, she turned abruptly and started walking back towards the house. “I'm tired. I wanna go to bed.”
“Okay.” Luke said, turning and walking with her back to the house. He decided to let the subject drop for now. She was putting up a wall between them. Luke could feel it but he didn't know why she was doing it. He sensed not to push it or she could easily disappear again. Something had her as skittish as a long tailed cat in a room full of rockers.