Hidden Agenda
By
CHAPTER 1
Bo leaned against the bar and took a swig of his beer. He scowled darkly as he watched his older cousin, Luke, fawning over his new girlfriend, Amanda Ross. Amanda was a tall willowy redhead with brown eyes that Luke had met a couple of weeks ago when she moved to Hazzard to work at the Mill. She seemed nice enough and all but since Luke met her, he didn't have much time for Bo and Bo was a little jealous.
“What's the matter, darling?” Bo's cousin Daisy asked with a smile as she sat her tray on the bar. Daisy was a waitress at the Boars Nest and considered one of the prettiest girls in Hazzard County with her long legs, big blue eyes and long chestnut colored hair.
“Nothing…” Bo muttered, turning his attention back to his watered down beer. Daisy glanced over at the table in the corner where Luke was sitting with Amanda. She watched as her oldest cousin threw back his head, laughing at something that Amanda had said. It didn't take much for her to figure out what was bothering her youngest cousin. He was used to spending almost all his time with Luke and he felt left out now that Luke was seeing Amanda and spending so much of his free time with her. Feeling sorry for Bo, Daisy reached out and gently patted the back of his hand.
“Don't worry about it, Bo. I don't think Luke's that serious about her.” She said trying to ease his mind.
“He sure acts like he is.” Bo said in a discouraged voice. He looked at Daisy with that puppy dog look that he had down to an art. “We were supposed to go fishing this afternoon but he backed out so he could go on a picnic with her.”
“As if you haven't done the same thing once or twice yourself.” Daisy scolded him
“Well, yeah….” Bo admitted sheepishly. He remembered a hunting trip he had planned with Luke a few months ago that Bo had backed out of because he was seeing Stella Richards. Luke hadn't been very happy with him at the time for canceling out on their trip.
“Stop worrying about it.” Daisy advised him “Luke's a big boy….he can take care of himself.”
“There's just something about her I don't trust.” Bo said, his mouth drawing into a hard, thin line “I think she's up to something.”
“What makes you think that?” Daisy asked, arching her eyebrows in surprise.
“I don't know…..she just came on awful fast, that's all….and every since Luke's been seeing her…it's like she's calling all the shots.”
“Oh, I doubt that….you know Luke as well as I do. It might look like she's calling all the shots but Luke doesn't do anything that Luke doesn't wanna do.” Daisy
reminded Bo with a chuckle. She glanced up as the front door opened and more customers came into the bar. With a warm smile for her cousin, she walked away to wait on them.
Bo grabbed his beer and walked over to the table where Luke was sitting with Amanda. “Hey, cuz…” he said hopefully “Maybe if you get back early enough we can still go fishing later.”
“Yeah, maybe…” Luke said, keeping his attention focused on Amanda instead of looking at Bo.
“We might be a while, Bo.” Amanda said, smiling at Luke as she dropped her hand beneath the table and caressed the top of his denim-clad thigh. “Maybe you should just go by yourself.”
“Yeah, why don't you just go by yourself, cuz?” Luke said, still ignoring Bo.
“Fine….I might as well go by myself.” Bo said in an irritated voice “You never wanna do anything together lately anyway!” He turned and stalked back to his place at the bar.
“What was that all about?” Amanda asked innocently as Bo stomped away.
“Don't worry about it, darling.” Luke said, dropping his own hand underneath the table to caress her leg as she was doing to his. “I'd rather spend the afternoon with you anyway…” Luke knew that Bo was jealous because Amanda was taking up so much of Luke's time and he made a mental note to make it up to his younger cousin as soon as he could. It wasn't the first time that Bo had gotten bent out of shape when Luke had a girlfriend that Bo felt was monopolizing his time. He liked Amanda and he'd been having a good time with her for the last couple of weeks, even though he didn't see their relationship ever getting too serious. Luke wasn't ready to settle down and make a commitment to just one woman. He was having too much fun being young, good looking and single. He wasn't intentionally ignoring Bo but there were times when he really just needed some time to himself.
Bo and Luke had grown up together on their Uncle Jesse's farm and were closer than brothers. They shared a unique bond in spite of the four years difference in their ages. And, generally, they spent all of their time together. It was unusual in Hazzard County to see either one of the Duke boys without the other one right there by his side. They were so close that shared almost a psychic connection with one another, often finishing each other's sentences or even their thoughts. It could be unnerving to be around them sometimes if you weren't used to their mode of silent communication with one another. But no matter how close they were, there were times that they each felt the need to pursue some more solitary activities that were best suited to being done alone. And this was one of those times.
“Let's get out of here.” Luke suggested as Amanda's hand started slowly creeping further up his leg. Luke had no problem with making out but he preferred not to do it in public.
“Let's go.” Amanda said, moving her hand and gracefully rising to her feet. Luke stood up and slipped his arm around her waist as they walked out of the bar together, neither one of them noticing the despondent look on Bo's face as he watched them leave.
In the parking lot in front of the bar, they walked over to Amanda's car, a white mustang. Smiling sweetly, she handed the keys to Luke as he graciously opened the door on the passengers side so she could climb into the vehicle. Luke shut the door as she settled down into the leather seat and walked around to the other side, opening the door and sliding beneath the wheel. The engine roared to life as he turned the key in the ignition and backed up. Hitting the gas, he spun out of the lot in a cloud of dust.
Ten minutes later, he was parking at Hazzard Pond, a popular picnic spot with the local residents during the day and an equally popular make out spot at night. Amanda grabbed the picnic basket out of the back seat and they walked, arm and arm, along the bank until they found an isolated spot that couldn't easily be seen. Amanda spread a tablecloth out on the ground, along with the food she had packed earlier. Some fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans and a six pack of soft drinks. She and Luke sat side by side on the grass, laughing and talking as they enjoyed their picnic together.
After they had finished eating, Amanda looked at Luke with a twinkle in her eyes and a smile on her face. “Let's go skinny dipping…” she suggested. Without waiting for him to answer, she jumped to her feet and started running towards the pond, pulling off her tank top and shorts as she ran. With a graceful dive from the bank, she jumped into the water. Luke grinned as he quickly shed his own clothes and ran after her, joining her in the cold water of the pond. Laughing, Amanda backed away, playfully keeping her distance as Luke reached for her. Smiling wickedly, Luke dove underwater. Amanda kept backing away, waiting for him to surface, knowing that he was somewhere close but unable to see him. Suddenly, she felt him grab her legs, pulling her under. She barely had time to take a breath before the water closed over her head. They came up together, laughing and shaking the water out of their eyes, with Amanda held firmly in Luke's embrace. She didn't resist when he leaned in for a deep soulful kiss, as his hands roamed freely over her body. As they kissed, she let her hands do some roaming of their own, gently caressing the rippling well defined muscles in his back and shoulders and then moving lower to caress something else.
Reluctantly breaking off the kiss, Luke grabbed her hand and led her back to shore where he pulled her down beside him onto the ground. Their lips met again in a passionate kiss as Luke made love to her beneath the shade of a large oak tree. It was much later that afternoon before they finally got dressed and Amanda drove Luke back to the farm.
CHAPTER 2
When Luke came home from his picnic with Amanda in such a good mood, it only make Bo's mood more irritable but Luke was too preoccupied to notice. At least until after supper when the boys went outside to do their evening chores. Instead of laughing and teasing each other the way they usually did, Bo was quiet and didn't speak to Luke unless Luke spoke to him first and then his answers were short and abrupt. Finally, Luke had had enough.
“Okay, Bo…what is your problem?” Luke asked in an irritated voice
“Maybe I don't like being ignored just because you're with your new girl friend.” Bo snapped, his tone a little more callused than he intended.
“Oh come on, Bo….we can go fishing anytime….” Luke argued, annoyed with Bo for making an issue out of him seeing Amanda.
“It don't have nothing to do with us not going fishing!” Bo said his temper flaring “It has to do with you acting like I'm not even there when Amanda is around!”
“Yeah, well it seems to me like you did the same thing a few weeks ago when you were going out with Susie Carter.” Luke snapped, his own temper starting to flare. The boys seldom argued with each other but when they did, it could get nasty pretty quick. They each knew exactly which buttons to push to set the other one off in a matter of minutes.
“That was different.” Bo said defensively
“Why? Because it was you and not me?” Luke said, a sharp warning edge creeping into his voice that Bo chose to ignore. “I have a life too, Bo…..and like it or not, it doesn't always include you!”
“Fine!” Bo snapped, “Then I'll just leave you alone and you can finish the chores by yourself!” He stomped away before Luke could answer and climbed into the General Lee. The engine roared to life and Bo tore out of the driveway, stones flying up from beneath the rear wheels and sending the chickens in the barnyard scattering everywhere.
Luke cursed under his breath as he turned his attention back to the chores. The physical labor helped to ease his temper but did little for his mood. When he had finished with the chores, which took a little longer than usual since he was doing them by himself, he went into the house to rest.
Uncle Jesse was sitting in the living room reading the newspaper when Luke came into the house. He paused from his reading and glanced up at his oldest nephew as Luke came into the living room. “Where did Bo take off to in such a hurry?” he asked. Jesse's sharp eyes and ears never missed anything that went on at the farm.
“I don't know.” Luke said flatly, heading for the stairs intending to go upstairs and take a shower.
“You two been fighting?”
“Not exactly….just a little disagreement.” Luke said, continuing on up the steps to the second floor. Jesse sighed softly and returned to reading his newspaper. He knew that was all he would get out of Luke. Sometimes getting his oldest nephew to open up about anything was like pulling teeth. Luke was the most resistant of the three cousins when it came to showing his emotions or talking to anyone about his feelings. He tended to keep things bottled up inside of him until he exploded in a rage. It wasn't always the healthiest way to handle things but it was Luke's way. His father had been the same way so Luke came by it naturally.
Luke went into the upstairs bathroom and closed the door, locking it securely behind him. He stripped off his clothes, smiling faintly as he rubbed his fingers across the scratches on the left side of his chest. Amanda was one of the most physical lovers he had ever had. She bit, she scratched and she left bruises, almost as if she were marking him as her territory. Luke enjoyed the sex but he didn't particularly like being marked by any woman. He reached into the tub and turned on the shower, adjusting the spray to the temperature he preferred. Stepping beneath the water, he turned his face up into the spray and closed his eyes, letting the water wash over his tired muscles easing the stress of his day.
When he had finished with his shower, he shut off the water and stepped out of the tub. He grabbed one of the towels from the rack and dried himself off briskly. Throwing his dirty clothes in the hamper, he wrapped the towel around his waist and walked across the hall into the bedroom he had shared with Bo since they were children.
In his room, Luke dropped the towel to the floor and grabbed a pair of sweat pants pulling them on.
Luke was lying on his bed with his eyes closed but he wasn't asleep when he heard Bo come into the bedroom much later that night. Luke had been laying there feeling nauseated ever since he went to bed. He had been lying still mentally ordering his stomach to settle down without much success. As Bo started to undress for bed, he was startled when Luke suddenly jumped out of bed and dashed from the room and across the hall to the bathroom. A moment later, Bo heard the sound of violent retching. His earlier anger was forgotten in his immediate concern for his older cousin. He quickly left the bedroom and slipped into the bathroom where he found Luke crouched in front of the commode throwing up his supper.
“Hey, cuz…” Bo said quietly, dropping to his knees beside his older cousin and gently rubbing his back comfortingly. “Take it easy, okay….I'm right here.” He stayed by Luke's side as he continued to be sick, the vomiting turning to dry heaves as his stomach continued to try to bring up something that no longer remained in it. Bo could feel Luke trembling violently as he continued to retch. Finally, he stopped and leaned heavily against the commode, drained and weak. “Let's get you back to bed…” Bo said, gently helping Luke to his feet. Luke leaned heavily against his younger cousin as Bo helped him back to their room and into his bed.
“Thanks, Bo…” he whispered as he closed his eyes and turned over on his side to try to get some sleep. After making sure that Luke was okay for the moment, Bo finished undressing and crawled into his own bed. He was awakened three times during the night by Luke's hurried return trips to the bathroom where he suffered through the dry heaves again. Each time, Bo drug himself out of bed and went to his cousin's aide until he was able to return to his own bed. The next morning, Luke was still feeling sick so Jesse ordered him to stay in bed until he was feeling better. He spent most of the day sleeping or at least trying to between his continued trips to the bathroom where he suffered through more dry heaves which left him weak and drained. After his own work was done, Bo sat with Luke to keep him company, their disagreement from the night before forgotten.
Bo had gone downstairs to get Luke some juice when the phone rang. It was Amanda calling for Luke and Bo got a certain amount of satisfaction from telling her that Luke couldn't come to the phone because he was sick in bed. Bo hung up the phone and took the juice upstairs to his ill cousin. Luke drank the juice and managed to keep it down, finally falling into an uneasy sleep that lasted the rest of the night without any more bouts of sickness. The next morning he was feeling better even though he still didn't have much of an appetite and felt a little shaky. Jesse ordered him to take it easy for the rest of the day so he could recover completely.
CHAPTER 3
Bo and Luke were both looking forward to the annual Hazzard County Hayride. It was a yearly event held at the end of the summer. It started at the Boars Nest and then ended up back there two hours later. Afterwards there was a dance with a live band that last until midnight . Luke was already planning to take Amanda and Bo was taking Angie Mitchell, a pretty blonde who'd had a crush on the blonde Duke boy for months. The boys had made up with each other after their falling out because of Amanda but Bo still resented the time Luke was spending with her. But he tried to accept the relationship because he hated fighting with Luke. He still didn't trust Amanda. He felt like she was deliberately trying to come between Luke and his family even though she hadn't done anything outright to confirm his suspicions. And Luke did seem to be making more of an effort to try and spend at least some of his free time with Bo too.
Daisy fixed an early supper the day of the hayride since she had to go to work early to help set things up for the festivities later that evening. After eating, the boys hurried through their chores so they could get their showers and dressed. They were doubling tonight, so they had to pick up Amanda and Angie both on their way to the hayride. Bo showered first and then Luke. They both dressed in their good boots and new blue jeans. Luke wore a white shirt with a brown leather vest while Bo wore one of his favorite yellow shirts.
Jesse glanced up from his favorite chair by the fireplace as the boys came down the stairs. He smiled fondly. He was proud of both of his handsome nephews. He loved both of them as if they were his natural born sons and they were in every way that counted. “You two be careful.” He told them “And don't stay out too late.”
“Yes, sir.” Luke answered automatically for both of them. It was the same thing Jesse told them whenever they went out on a date either alone or together. Even though they were both adults, Jesse was still the Duke patriarch. His word was law and it was always obeyed, out of love and respect, but obeyed just the same. The boys laughed between themselves as they walked out of the house and climbed into the General Lee with Bo behind the wheel and Luke riding shotgun beside him.
They stopped to pick up Angie first. The pert blonde came running out of the house as soon as the General pulled up out front. Bo climbed out of the car and, like a true gentleman, he helped her to climb into the back seat. Jesse had taught both boys to be polite and courteous and they had learned their lessons well. They were gracious and charismatic with excellent manners. Amanda lived at the boarding house in town so that meant a trip into Hazzard to pick her up. As Bo pulled up in front of the boarding house, Amanda came out of the house to meet them. She gave Luke a quick kiss on the cheek as he climbed out to help her into the back seat beside Angie. With both girls picked up, Bo headed out of town toward the Boars Nest. The parking lot in front of the one story cinderblock building was already full of cars when they arrived. People were milling around outside with still more people inside starting their evening early with a few drinks before the hayride started. The boys and their dates opted to stay outside, chatting with their friends until it was time to get on the wagon.
Both boys were popular and well liked by the other residents in the county. The Duke family had lived in Hazzard County for over 200 years. Five generations of Dukes had lived in the old farmhouse where Jesse had been born and raised. Everyone in the county knew that the Dukes were good people and the best neighbors you could have. Everyone also knew that they were a close-knit family that would close ranks to protect one of their own. In case of trouble, you wanted them on your side not against you. About the only people in Hazzard County who didn't like the Dukes was Boss Hogg, the County Commissioner , and the Sheriff of Hazzard County, Rosco P. Coltrane.
Amanda stayed close to Luke's side. She was friendly enough to everybody but Bo seemed to be the only one who noticed the way she stiffened up whenever Luke talked to another girl. Bo knew that his older cousin didn't like jealous, possessive women and if Amanda wasn't careful that would be what would end their relationship. Bo found himself hoping that Luke would notice her behavior but Bo would not be the one to call his attention to it. He knew that would only cause him and Luke to start fighting again. As far as Bo was concerned, the sooner Luke broke up with her the better.
Shortly before eight P.M. , two large farm wagons loaded with bales of hay and pulled by teams of draft horses pulled into the parking lot. People began scrambling on board to find seats. Bo and Angie climbed on the first wagon while Luke and Amanda ended up on the second wagon. Luke pulled Amanda to the back of wagon where they could have a little more privacy. The hayride offered an excellent opportunity for couples to do a little making out under the cover of moonlight as the wagons drove along the dark county roads. Amanda and Luke settled down into the spot that Luke had chosen. Amanda smiled into the darkness as she leaned back into Luke's strong embrace. She sighed in contentment as she relaxed against him. With a slight jerk, the wagon started to move.
Soft murmurs filled the air as the other couples around them talked to each other in soft whispers just enjoying the ride and the pleasure of each other's company. Amanda shifted positions and looked up at Luke. Smiling at her gently, he tilted his head and lightly brushed his lips against her mouth. Amanda was the one who ran her tongue across his lips, seeking to deepen the kiss. Luke willingly opened his mouth, meeting her tongue with his own. They made out for most of the ride, sharing long soulful kisses and gentle caresses. By the time they got back to the Boars Nest at the end of the ride, Luke was looking forward to some more intimate pleasure after the dance. They were the last ones to climb down from the wagon they had been on, stopping to share one last deep kiss before going inside to join everyone else.
The bar was packed but their friend Cooter Davenport, the local mechanic in town, had been there since before the hayride began and had saved a table near the back. Bo and Angie were already sitting with him when Amanda and Luke joined them. There were already cold mugs of beer sitting on the table for everyone along with two large pizzas with everything. The band was playing and several couples were out on the dance floor. Luke couldn't help smiling when he noticed Angie's messed up hair and the smudge of lipstick on Bo's neck. It looked like his younger cousin had had as good a time on the hayride as Luke had.
The two couples laughed and had a good time at the dance, leaving shortly before midnight . When Bo suggested driving up to the lake for a little while before taking the girls home, Amanda and Angie both readily agreed. When they arrived at the lake, Bo and Angie stayed in the General, while Luke grabbed a blanket out of the trunk and led Amanda to a more secluded spot near where they'd had the picnic. Two hours later, the sound of Dixie floated through the air, signaling Luke that it was time to head home. Luke and Amanda quickly rearranged their clothes and Luke grabbed the blanket. Slipping his arm around Amanda's waist, he led her back towards the General so he could get her home. It was almost three A.M. before the boys got home and crept into the darkened farmhouse, taking care to be quiet so they wouldn't wake up Jesse or Daisy as they made their way upstairs to their bedroom to go to bed. All in all, it had been a good night and they had both had fun.
CHAPTER 4
Bo watched as Luke dressed for a date with Amanda. He had to bite his tongue to keep from making a snide remark about Luke continuing to see the redhead. Leaning back on his bed, he sighed softly and stared at the ceiling but Luke didn't seem to notice his younger cousin's mood. He tucked his shirt into his jeans and grabbed his wallet and keys from the top of his dresser.
“See ya later, cousin.” He told Bo as he left the room, whistling softly as he looked forward to his evening.
“Yeah, right.” Bo muttered under his breath as the door closed behind Luke. He rolled over onto his stomach and punched his pillow like a child throwing a tantrum. Why couldn't Luke see Amanda for what she was? Bo had already heard the rumors around town. She didn't really care about Luke; she just wanted to be able to brag that she was sleeping with him. But Bo knew that he had to keep silent or risk ruining his friendship with Luke over a girl.
Luke told Jesse goodbye and left the house, climbing into the General Lee and turning on the key. The powerful engine roared to life as he spun out of the drive on his way to pick up Amanda. He planned on taking her out to dinner and a movie in Capital City . They had been dating for a little over two months and Luke sensed that the relationship was starting to wear thin. He knew it wouldn't be long before they both decided it was time to move on. He knew that Bo would be happy. He'd made it clear how he felt about Amanda from the beginning.
Amanda was waiting out front when Luke pulled up in front of the boarding house. She was dressed in a pair of skin tight white jeans and a low cut blue sweater that left little to the imagination. Luke had planned on taking her to one of the nicer restaurants in Capital City but that was out. They would never let her in dressed like that. He smiled warmly as he climbed out of the car and went around to the other side to help her into the front seat. Sliding across the hood, he climbed back under the wheel and headed for the highway.
They ate at a Denny's Restaurant and then went to a drive-in to watch Nine to Five a movie starring Dolly Parton. Not that either one of them saw much of the movie, they were too busy making out. It was shortly after two in the morning when Luke dropped her back off at the Boarding house and headed for home. Quietly letting himself into the house, he went upstairs to his room and went to bed.
Shortly before dawn, he woke up sick to his stomach. He barely made it to the bathroom before he started vomiting. When the vomiting stopped, the dry heaves continued for several long draining minutes. Finally, those stopped too and Luke shoved himself to his feet. There was a deep burning sensation in his stomach that seemed to get worse instead of better after he lay back down. Jesse was concerned when he came in to wake the boys up as he did every morning and found out that Luke was sick again. That wasn't like Luke. He was the one who rarely got ill, especially ill enough to stay in bed. Like he had done just a few weeks earlier, he ordered Luke to stay in bed and promised to have Bo check on him after he finished his breakfast and the morning chores. Luke didn't argue. He was too sick, even sicker than he had been the last time. He spent the remainder of the day rushing to the bathroom where he continued to retch violently since there wasn't anything in his stomach to bring up. Finally, towards evening his stomach settled down enough for him to finally get some rest and to drink some tea that Daisy had made for him.
He had hoped the worst of it was over but he got sick during the night again and spent the following day in bed too. Jesse was contemplating calling Doc Applebee when Luke seemed to get better. The next day, he was back on his feet although he was still weak and out of sorts. Jesse told him to take it easy, worried about another relapse if he did too much too soon. He was sitting on the sofa, wrapped in an afghan when Daisy brought him some toast and broth.
“Try to eat something, Luke…” she encouraged him “You need something in your system.” She felt sorry for her older cousin. He looked so pale and he had been so sick. She had never seen him so sick before, not even when they were kids and had the normal childhood illnesses. The only other time she had ever seen him so sick was whenever he had to take anesthesia for anything. He was hypersensitive to it and became violently ill for about twenty-four hours afterwards until it worked its way out of his system. If this was just a bout of the flu than there should have been other reports of folks in the county having it too. She wondered if maybe Luke had gotten some food poisoning from somewhere. That was the only other explanation she could think of for him getting so violently ill so quickly. She went back into the kitchen to do the dishes but kept a careful eye on Luke. He managed to eat some of the broth but ignored the toast. When she checked on him again, he had dozed off and seemed to be sleeping peacefully. When he woke up later that afternoon, he seemed almost back to normal and was able to eat a light supper with the rest of the family. He turned in early still exhausted from not getting much sleep for the past two days. He slept soundly until morning and woke up feeling back to normal.
The boys did the morning chores together and then when they finished, they decided to go fishing for the rest of the day. They enjoyed their day together and caught a mess of fish which Daisy promised to fry for supper as long as they cleaned them. They joked between themselves as they scaled and cleaned the fish, filleting them for supper. After supper, Amanda called to see how Luke was feeling. She had called the day before and Daisy had told her that Luke couldn't talk to her because he was sick. Luke talked with her for a few minutes, making plans to get together with her that weekend.
“You been seeing a lot of Amanda lately.” Daisy teased him as he hung up the phone. “You two getting serious?”
“No, not really.” Luke told her with a shrug of his shoulders, ignoring her good-natured teasing. “We just have a good time together.”
“I bet you do.” Daisy told him with a giggle. She'd heard the rumors too that Amanda had been spreading around about what a good lover Luke was and how often the two of them had made love. It wasn't the first time she's heard gossip about her cousin's love life but none of his other girlfriends had been quite as graphic as Amanda was. It was almost embarrassing sometimes to listen to her brag. She didn't think Luke knew just how much Amanda was talking about them having sex or he wouldn't have liked it. But Daisy sure wasn't going to be the one to tell him. As much as Amanda was running her mouth, Luke would find out about it soon enough. Jesse smiled to himself as he listened to the cousins bickering back and forth. He was relieved that things seemed to be back to normal. At least as normal as things got around the Duke household.
CHAPTER 5
Bo and Luke were in the barn doing their evening chores when the argument started. Bo was feeding the chickens and Luke was milking one of the goats. Bo glanced over at his older cousin and said,
“Hey, y'all wanna go to the Boars Nest tonight and grab a beer?”
“Can't….I'm meeting Amanda later.”
“Geeze, Luke….you're spending all your time with her lately…you don't even wanna do nothing else.”
“Come on, Bo. Give it a rest.” Luke said in a mildly irritated voice, “I don't spend all my time with her.”
“It seems like…..you don't even realize that's going on behind your back!” as soon as the words were out of his mouth Bo wished he could take them back. He hadn't meant to bring up the rumors that Amanda was spreading around about the two of them.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Luke demanded, stopping what he was doing and glaring at his younger cousin.
“Believe me, cuz…you don't wanna know.”
“Yeah, I do.” Luke said in a cold voice, the warning tone in his voice evident.
“Alright,” Bo snapped, his patience at an end and his own temper flaring. “Everybody's laughing at you behind your back because Amanda is going around telling everybody about your love life….how many times you've made love to her…..how good you are….where you've done it at…” a thin smile crossed the younger man's face “What a stud you are….”
“She wouldn't do that…” Luke said in a stunned voice, his eyes narrowing dangerously
“You wanna bet? She's making a fool out of you and you're too blind to even notice!”
“Shut up, Bo….” Luke said in a warning tone, taking a step closer to his cousin
“You gonna make me? I'm tried of keeping my mouth shut where your little girlfriend is concerned!” Bo snapped, “Cause I also heard that you're not the only one she's sleeping around with!” Bo saw the blow coming but didn't have time to react before Luke punched him in the jaw with a hard right hook. The blow knocked Bo to the ground. Glaring at his cousin, he rubbed his jaw and hissed “You're gonna be sorry you did that, cuz! Nobody punches me for speaking my mind….not even you!” Bo jumped to his feet and tackled Luke, taking him down to the ground.
Fired by anger that neither one of them could control, they began wrestling around and punching one another. A hard punch to his mouth split Bo's lip and he retaliated with a equally hard punch to Luke's stomach, taking his breath away momentarily. Bo shoved Luke off him and took a swing, hitting his older cousin in the ribs. The noise from their fighting alerted Jesse and Daisy who came running out of the house. “BO! LUKE!” Daisy screamed anxiously “STOP!” When the boys ignored her and continued fighting, she looked at her Uncle and said “Uncle Jesse, do something!”
“Only one way to stop this thing!” Jesse said, hurrying back into the house. He came running back out with his old shotgun in his hands. Raising the gun into the air, he fired off two shots and yelled at the same time “ALL RIGHT YOU TWO! KNOCK IT OFF!” The combination of the gunshots and Jesse's yelling broke the boys apart. They both staggered to their feet, keeping their distance from each other and eyeing each other warily, as they each nursed their wounds. Bo had a split lip and a bruised cheek while Luke had a bloody nose and a gash on his left cheek. The anger still simmered in both of their eyes but they had stopped throwing punches at each other.
“NOW WHAT IN TARNATION IS GOING ON HERE?” Jesse demanded his own voice sharp with anger. The boys both knew that the one thing Jesse refused to tolerate was them fighting with each other.
“ASK BO!” Luke spit out angrily “HE'S THE ONE WHO STARTED IT!”
“YOU'RE THE ONE WHO PUNCHED ME FIRST!” Bo yelled back at his older cousin just as angry
“CAUSE YOU WOULDN'T SHUT UP WHEN I ASKED YOU TO!”
“YOU DIDN'T ASK ME! YOU TOLD ME!”
“THAT'S ENOUGH!” Jesse ordered. He lowered his voice but his tone was firm “Now I don't care who started it or what it was about but you two know better! How many times have I told you that Duke don't fight Duke? Now apologize! Both of you!”
“I ain't apologizing for telling Luke the truth about his girlfriend!” Bo snapped
“And I ain't apologizing for punching you for saying what you said!” Luke snapped back.
“LUKE! BO!” Jesse snapped, his own patience wearing thin. Both boys could be as stubborn as a Missouri Mule when they were mad. The only way to settle the matter was to separate them until they both cooled down. “Bo, get in the house!” Jesse ordered
“Luke, take a walk till you cool down!” When neither one of them moved to do as he ordered, Jesse glared at them. “Now!” he said, “Before I take a switch to both of you!”
With one last angry glare at his cousin, Bo turned and stomped into the house. Daisy followed him to see if he had any other injuries besides the busted lip. Jesse glared at Luke who glared back, his sapphire eyes still burning with anger. “Now,” Jesse said, keeping his voice level and calm as he faced his oldest nephew “I don't know what happened between you and Bo but I ain't gonna have it! Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir.” Luke answered sullenly. Satisfied that he had made his point, Jesse turned and went into the house. As soon as he was out of sight, Luke walked over to the General Lee and climbed beneath the wheel. Inside the house, Jesse looked out the window as he heard the powerful engine roar to life just in time to see Luke tearing out of the drive. He sighed softly. He knew that Luke would be back after he cooled down.
Bo was upstairs in the bathroom, examining his face in the mirror above the sink. He gingerly touched his split lip. Daisy stood behind him watching him sadly. She hated it when Bo and Luke fought like this. It didn't happen often but it always upset her when it happened. They were both big enough to hurt each other. “What the heck did you say to set Luke off like that?” she asked quietly, as she handed Bo the ice pack she had brought him from the freezer.
“Thanks, Daisy.” Bo said with a crooked smile, his temper already cooling. He winced as he pressed the ice pack against his swollen lip. “I told him what Amanda's been saying….how's she's been telling everybody about their love life….”
“What did you do that for? You knew that would just upset him.”
“I didn't expect him to punch me!” Bo said defensively “I was just tired of keeping my mouth shut about her.”
“I know…..and Luke had the right to know what she's going around saying…I'm just surprised he acted that way when you told him.”
“I was kinda mad when I said it and I told him that everybody was laughing at him behind his back.” Bo admitted “And that he was too blind to see what was going on.”
“Well, that explains why he went off like he did.” Daisy said, “I just hope he doesn't do anything crazy because of it….”
“Maybe he'll see what Amanda's really like and dump her.” Bo said hopefully. He smiled thinly as he examined his lip “Dang, I forgot how hard he can punch.”
“Maybe you need to remember that the next time.” Daisy told him with a giggle.