Lost and Found

By

Marty Chrisman

Chapter 1

The Boars Nest was the cultural and social center of Hazzard County , Georgia . A rowdy down home honky-tonk where the locals gathered to have fun and let off steam. Hardly a night went by without at least one fight getting started. And it wasn't that uncommon for a wife to show up looking for a straying husband. And on any given night, Bo and Luke Duke could usually be found there scoping out the ladies and turning on the charm. The Duke boys were considered the two prime catches in Hazzard County by all the single girls (and some of the married ones too) They could have just about have any girl they wanted in Hazzard County just by asking. (And in most of the surrounding counties too)

Bo Duke was blonde charmer with baby blue eyes and an innocent face that could make any girl's heart flutter. At six foot three with a lean, muscular build, he stood out in a crowd. He was charming, sweet, and lovable with a mischievous side that loved the chase. He was fun to be with and even more fun to love with.

His cousin, Luke Duke, was almost the complete opposite of Bo. Standing six feet tall, he also had the same lean, muscular build as his cousin but there the physical resemblance ended. He had dark brown hair and more rugged features than his younger cousin. His most noticeable feature was his eyes. They were a deep sapphire blue and they sparkled with spirit and life. Quieter and more reserved than his outgoing and impulsive cousin, the ladies found Luke just as attractive as Bo.

The boys had lived in Hazzard County all of their lives. They had been raised on a farm just outside of town by their Uncle Jesse Duke. Both of them had lost their parents when they were young, Luke had been four when his parents were killed and Bo had only been a baby. Their fathers had been two of Jesse's younger brothers and both of them had stated in their wills that if anything ever happened to them that Jesse and his wife, Martha, were to raise their children.

The fourth member of the Duke clan was their cousin, Daisy. She had come to live on the farm when she was six years old. Her mother had died when she was born and her father (another one of Jesse's brothers) had been killed in mining accident. Daisy was the prettiest girl in Hazzard County with blue eyes, long chestnut colored hair and a figure that could make any man drool. She drove like Richard Petty, shot a gun like Annie Oakley and knew the words to every Dolly Parton song. Every young man in Hazzard County wanted to get close to Daisy Duke. But any young man with any sense knew better then to try to get too fresh with Daisy or they'd have to deal with Bo and Luke and nobody in their right mind wanted to tangle with the Duke boys. Daisy was a waitress at the Boars Nest and half of the customers came into the bar just to flirt with her.

There really wasn't all that much to the Boars Nest. It was housed in a long single story cinder block building with a large dirt parking lot out front and two of the only 4 gas pumps in Hazzard. (The other two were in town at the local garage.) Inside, there was an L shaped bar along one wall, a small stage against another wall and the rest of the room was taken up by several small tables and a few booths along the back wall. There was a jukebox and a pool table and that was about it. On Friday and Saturday nights the place was generally packed with wall to wall good ole boys and girls having a good time. During the week, it usually wasn't quite as busy but still did a good business. (in spite of the watered down alcohol and beer that Boss Hogg served to his customers)

It was Friday night and the place was packed. Daisy had been busy all night but she was making good tips. With her flashing smile and her long legs on display by the short shorts she wore to work it wasn't hard to get those tips. Bo and Luke had come in earlier and they were sitting at one of the booths in the back along with two local girls that had been flirting with them outrageously all night. Bo was with Linda Madison, a pretty little blonde with a petite figure and Luke was with Tonya Myers, a pretty brunette with a fuller figure. All four of them were drinking beer, laughing and talking.

When someone played a slow song on the jukebox, the boys asked the girls to dance. They moved out on to the dance floor and the girls moved into Bo and Luke's embrace as they started to dance. Tonya leaned against Luke and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling up at him suggestively. When he bent his head and brushed his lips against her mouth, she moved in closer. Luke grinned and tightened his arms around her waist as he let his hands slip down to rest firmly on her rear end. Glancing at his cousin, he noticed that Linda seemed to be just as receptive to Bo's advances as Tonya was to his.

After the music ended, the two couples went back to their booth and Bo signaled Daisy to bring them another round of drinks. Tonya cuddled in close to Luke and let her hand drop under the table to rest on top of his thigh, her fingers gently kneading the muscle. Luke smiled, reading her subtle signals loud and clear. He let his hand drop beneath the table and gently started caressing her leg too.

“Hey,” Bo said with a lopsided grin, directing his question to the others sitting with him at the table “Y'all wanna go to the lake?”

“Sure.” Linda readily agreed, flashing Bo a smile. She didn't need much encouragement to spend time alone with Bo Duke.

“I'd love to.” Tonya said, smiling at Luke as she continued caressing his thigh suggestively. She was the more aggressive of the two females and she wanted Luke Duke. She had for a very long time and tonight she saw her chance to make her fantasy come true.

“Then it looks like we're going to the lake.” Luke replied with a grin. The evening was shaping up nicely and Luke found himself looking forward to spending some time alone with Tonya. They stayed long enough to finish the drinks Daisy brought over to them and then they left the bar.

The boys walked across the parking lot to their car. The General Lee was as well known in the County as the boys were. The bright orange Dodge Charger had a large 01 trimmed in black on each door and a confederate flag painted on the roof with the name General Lee painted above each door. The boys had built the stock car from the ground up and it was the fastest car in the county. Since the doors were welded shut (to keep them from flying open during a race) Luke picked Tonya up and helped her climb into the back seat, then he climbed in beside her. Bo did the same thing with Linda, helping her into the front seat and then he ran around to climb underneath the wheel. As Bo turned on the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, Luke was already cuddling with Tonya in the back seat. Fifteen minutes later, Bo parked the General at the edge of Hazzard Lake .

Bo and Linda climbed out of the car and Bo grabbed a blanket from the trunk. They walked off into the darkness while Luke and Tonya stayed in the back seat of the General. Luke pulled Tonya into his arms and began kissing her passionately. It wasn't long before his hands started doing some friendly roaming while Tonya's hands were doing some exploring of their own. It didn't take long for them to get a whole lot friendlier.

It was almost two in the morning before the boys finally made it back home. They went into the two story frame farmhouse through the back door that opened into the kitchen. Without bothering to turn on any lights, they quietly made their way through the darkness to the bedroom they had shared since they were children. Stripping down to their shorts, they climbed into their beds and both were soon sleeping soundly.

Chapter 2

The next afternoon, Uncle Jesse sent the boys into town to pick up some feed for the animals. It is hard work keeping a farm running even if it is a small farm. There were always things that needed to be done. Most days the boys spent taking care of the animals, working in the fields, mending fences, or any of the other numerous chores that came up around the farm. Besides helping out around Jesse's farm, they also frequently helped out on the neighboring farms. The Dukes were both liked and well respected by most of the people in Hazzard County . The land they lived on had been in the Duke family for over five generations. The boys played hard but they worked just as hard as they played. Jesse tried to give them as much time as he could to do the things they enjoyed but he insisted that their work around the farm be taken care of first.

“Hey, you wanna go to get a beer when we get done here?” Bo suggested, as they started unloading the bags of feed from the General's trunk and stacking them in the barn.

“Sure. Sounds good.” Luke said agreeably.

After they had finished unloading the feed sacks, they went into the house to wash up and change shirts. Then they were off on their way to the Boars Nest for a little relaxation. Daisy was working behind the bar, washing glasses when they came in. Since it was still early in the day, there were only a couple of other customers in the bar. It wouldn't get busy until later that afternoon. Daisy poured the boys a beer and sat it down on the bar in front of them.

As he took a sip of his beer, Bo noticed the band's instruments set up on the stage. “What's Scottie doing here this time of day?” he asked curiously. The band played on the weekends so it was usual to see them set up during the week.

“He's got a new girl singer.” Daisy told him with a big grin “They're gonna be rehearsing some songs for the show Friday night.”

“Is she pretty?” Bo asked grinning back at his cousin. Leave it to Bo to think about that. He was always the first one to scope out the prettiest girls in the room.

“You'll find out soon enough.” Daisy told him with a chuckle.

As if on cue, the door to the back room opened and the band members filed out, taking their places on stage and picking up their instruments. Scottie, the leader of the band, came out last with a young woman by his side. Luke and Bo both looked pleasantly surprised. She was beautiful with long brown hair that hung down the middle of her back almost to her butt and big blue eyes with thick dark lashes that could look straight through a man and turn him inside out. She also had a figure that could make a man stand up and take notice. And with her skin tight levis that looked like she had been poured into them and a skimpy yellow tank top that left little to the imagination, both Bo and Luke immediately paid attention.

“Uh huh…” Bo said with a huge grin and a shake of his head “I smell trouble. She's gonna stir things up around here for sure.”

“You got that right, cuz.” Luke agreed with a huge grin of his own as he watched her walk across the room and climb up on the stage with the rest of the band. .

“For once, I agree with both of you.” Daisy said with a laugh “Things are gonna get real interesting around here.”

“You can say that again.” Luke said, as he leaned against the bar and made himself comfortable so he could watch the band rehearse. Bo did the same.

She talked to the band for a few minutes and then the band started playing an old Loretta Lynn number You Ain't Woman Enough. The girl took the microphone and starting singing in a rich sultry voice that sent a chill down Luke's spine as soon as she opened her mouth. She had voice that could wrap itself around you and draw you in before you even knew what was happening. And she put just enough sass in the song to get her point across. Bo and Luke both clapped enthusiastically when she finished the song and so did the other two customers in the bar. She grinned as she let her gaze slip from one face to another, acknowledging their applause. Then she kicked off into another Loretta Lynn number, a slower one this time, called Before I'm over You.

She stopped to talk to the band again and then ran through some more current songs including Concrete Angel, Don't Lie, and Hate to Break Down Here. When she had finished, Scottie and the band started playing some of their songs that they usually sang. While they continued playing, she left the stage and walked over to the bar where the boys were still standing.

“Hi, could I have a coke, please?” she asked Daisy with a smile. She looked at Luke and Bo, acknowledging them with a look that made both of their hearts beat a little faster.

“You sounded great up there.” Bo told her with a warm smile. “Welcome to Hazzard. I'm Bo Duke and this is my cousin, Luke.”

“Hi….nice to meet you.” She said. For the briefest moment she had a strange look in her eyes that neither of the boys could readily identify and then just as quickly, the look was gone. “I'm Cheyenne Davis.”

“Nice to meet you, Cheyenne .” Luke told her with a grin.

“And I'm their cousin, Daisy Duke.” Daisy told her with a chuckle, as she put a coke on the bar in front of her “Since my cousins here seem to have forgotten their manners.”

“Nice to meet you too, Daisy.” Cheyenne said with a smile as she picked up her coke from the bar “I guess I'll be seeing y'all around.” Luke smiled as he watched the lazy sway of her hips as she walked back to the stage. He had feeling that Daisy was right. Things were going to get real interesting with her around.

“That's one lady I plan on getting to know a whole lot better.” Bo said with a grin, as he took a long swallow of his beer.

“So do I, cuz…” Luke said with a chuckle “So do I.”

“Come on, Luke. She ain't your type.” Bo told him in a teasing tone “You like blondes.”

“I could make an exception for her.”

“Don't ya think she might have something to say about that?” Daisy said with a grin as she listened to their conversation. “She may not want to go out with either one of you.”

“Oh, come on , Daisy.” Bo said in a mocking voice “Since when has any girl in Hazzard turned me or Luke down when we asked ‘em out?”

“You're forgetting one thing, Bo…” Daisy reminded him with chuckle “She's not from Hazzard.”

“Well, then I'll just have to show her some Hazzard hospitality.” Bo said with a huge grin

“Ten bucks says I can get her to go out with me before you can.” Luke said, letting his gaze drift towards the pretty brunette on the stage.

“You're on, cuz.” Bo said rising to the challenge “Be the easiest ten bucks I ever suckered ya out of.”

“You two are incorrigible.” Daisy said with a laugh “I'll bet you both ten bucks that she won't go out with either one of you.”

“You're on.” Both boys told her simultaneously. They looked at each other and grinned at their friendly wager. Somebody was going to win the bet, one way or the other, and both boys were equally confident that it was going to be one of them.

Chapter 3

Cheyenne left the Boars Nest around four that afternoon. Walking across the dirt parking lot, she climbed behind the wheel of black Mercury Sable parked next to the General Lee. She immediately noticed the orange stock car (it was hard to miss) and smiled faintly wondering who owned it. It was a nice looking car and Cheyenne knew cars. She was as good a mechanic as any man and had even raced on the dirt track circuit for awhile. She loved fast cars and the men who knew how to drive them.

She pulled out of the parking lot and followed the main road into Hazzard. She was still a little unsettled at having met the three Duke cousins. She had come to Hazzard specifically to meet the Duke family. She just hadn't expected to meet any of them so quickly. Bo and Luke were both a lot better looking then she had anticipated. And she had recognized the look in their eyes when they were introduced. She'd been seeing that same look in men's eyes ever since she was thirteen. It was too bad that dating either one of them was out of the question.

When she reached town, she turned down a little side street and parked in front of the only rooming house in Hazzard. Miss Millie, who owned the two story house, had concerted the 8 bedrooms in her home into one room efficiency apartments after her husband had died. Scottie had rented one of the units for Cheyenne when she agreed to move to Hazzard and take the job singing with his band. Her room was on the second floor just down the hallway from one of the two local deputy sheriffs, Enos Strate. Enos had introduced himself the day before when Cheyenne was moving in. Always the polite southern gentlemen, he had helped her carry some boxes up to her room from the trunk of her car.

Cheyenne had a feeling that she was going to like it here in Hazzard. Everyone she had met so far was so nice and friendly. They made her feel right at home (and in a way she was at home but nobody knew that yet) Cheyenne unlocked the door to her room and went inside. She tossed her shoulder bag down on the kitchen table and stripped off her clothes as she walked across the room to the tiny bathroom.

Turning on the shower, she adjusted the water to a comfortable temperature and stepped under the spray. Sighing, she turned her face up into the water and closed her eyes. She felt herself beginning to relax as the water flowed over her tensed up muscles.

She shampooed her hair and then stepped out of the shower stall, grabbing one of the towels hanging on the rod beside the sink. Drying off briskly, she grabbed a second towel and began drying her hair. Sometimes it was a pain to have such long hair, it took almost two hours for it to dry and it was hot in the summertime but she refused to cut it. It was her trademark.

She grabbed an oversized tee shirt hanging on the back of the bathroom door and slipped it over her head as she went back into the combination kitchen/living room/ bedroom. Walking over to the refrigerator, she took out a can of coke and a TV dinner from the freezer. Opening the Coke, she sat the can on the kitchen counter as she tore open the TV dinner and popped it into the microwave. Setting the timer for 6 minutes, she took a drink of her coke and leaned back against the counter waiting for her supper to heat up.

When her food was done, she carefully took the dinner from the microwave and sat down at the kitchen table to eat. Cheyenne was one of those lucky women who could pretty much eat whatever she wanted when she wanted and not worry about gaining any weight. At five feet eight, her weight stayed between 125 and 135. She'd even done some modeling back in Atlanta but quickly decided that lifestyle wasn't for her. She was one of those rare women who was totally comfortable with her body and the way she looked. Her natural beauty had been both an asset and a liability over the years and she had learned to use it to her advantage when she needed to.

Cheyenne 's natural talent was her musical abilities. Besides singing, she also played 3 different instruments and wrote songs. She'd actually done some session work in Nashville , cut some demos of other peoples songs and had a writing contract with Lone Star Music. She had been offered a recording contract with MCA Records but had turned it down because she didn't want to spend most of her life on the road in a tour bus. She was content to just write her songs, cut demos and do some session work now and then. Even living in Hazzard, she could still do all that. Nashville wasn't that far away.

It had taken her twenty five years to get her life in some kind of order. As an only child being raised by a single parent, her childhood hadn't been a happy one. The woman she thought of as her mother had worked two jobs and was seldom at home. Cheyenne was forced to become independent and self reliant at an early age. By the time she was twelve, she was already pretty much taking care of herself. After a bitter fight when she was 16, she had run away from home and gone to Nashville . She had lied about her age and got a job working in a bar. It wasn't long before she was singing with local bands and the session work and writing contract had grown out of that.

She had lived in Nashville until the previous summer when she had gone back to Atlanta to settle up some affairs. It was during that period that she had discovered the carefully guarded secret that had brought her to Hazzard. Meeting Scottie through a mutual friend in Atlanta had given her the excuse she needed to move to Hazzard when he heard her sing and offered her the job with his band.

And now that she was in Hazzard, she wasn't quite sure how she wanted to handle disclosing her real reasons for coming here. She had already met the three Duke cousins and she hoped to meet their Uncle soon. She wanted to get to know them before she revealed her secret to them, especially since it was a secret that would affect all of them. And she wasn't sure how they would react to it or to her when they found out.

Chapter 4

Cheyenne tapped her fingers on the edge of her guitar as she waited for her cue to go on stage. The place was packed and the crowd was rowdy. The band had been playing a lot of fast stuff like Rocky Top and The Devil Went Down To Georgia and they had the crowd rocking. Cheyenne wasn't nervous, she just wanted to get up there on stage and do her thing. She had seen the two Duke boys come in and take a table near the stage. It wasn't long before two girls had joined them and the two couples were laughing and having a good time.

Cheyenne heard Scottie introducing her and she plastered on a big smile as she opened the door to the back room and crossed the bar to climb on the stage. The crowd started yelling, whistling and clapping enthusiastically at her appearance on stage. She was wearing one of her stage costumes from her Nashville Days. Black boots, black levis , and a black western shirt with red stitching on the yoke and long white fringe on the sleeves. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders and down her back and she wore a black cowboy hat.

As soon as she hit the stage, the band went into the opening notes of the Loretta Lynn classic Coal Miner's Daughter and Cheyenne started to sing. She had the crowd in the palm of her hand from the beginning of her set. She could always feel it when the mood was right and the audience was with her. And this crowd was with her all the way. She went from one song right into another one singing You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man, Don't Come Home A'Drinkin', Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad and I Don't Wanna Play House all in a row without more than a brief pause in between.

“She's pretty good.” Sandy Carter said as she cuddled up next to Luke and leaned her head against his shoulder.

“She sure is.” agreed Anita Miller, Bo's companion for the evening. “I heard through the grapevine that she does session work in Nashville and even has a writer's contract up there.”

“Who told ya that?” Bo asked, as he nuzzled the side of her neck playfully.

“Enos.” She replied with a giggle as his lips tickled her neck. “She moved into one of Miss Millie's rooms.”

“Wonder how she ended up in Hazzard?” Luke said in a mildly curious voice “If she's got all that going for her you'd think she'd wanna stay in Nashville .”

“You got a point, cuz. Nashville beats coming to Hazzard.” Bo said with a laugh

“There has to be a story there.” Luke said thoughtfully

“And I'm sure one of you boys will find out what it is sooner or later.” Sandy said with a giggle. “I can't wait to see which one of ya ends up with her first.”

The two boys looked at each other and started laughing, remembering their friendly bet concerning the pretty brunette singer. Luke turned his attention back to the stage. He loved Cheyenne 's voice, there was something almost hauntingly familiar about it but he couldn't figure what it was. It seemed to reach out and pull him into her universe almost against his will. He'd never experienced anything quite like that before and it was a little unnerving. With a smile he decided that he definitely wanted to get to know Cheyenne Davis better. Meanwhile, Bo was thinking almost the same thing himself. And most of the other healthy red blooded good ole boys in the crowd were too. More than one of them was fantasying as they listened to her sing about seeing that hair spread out on a pillow beside them some night.

Cheyenne sang for over an hour then took a break leaving the stage. As the band started to play I Cross My Heart, the boys asked Anita and Sandy to dance. They stood up and moved to the area set aside for dancing and pulled the girls into their arms, moving slowly to the music.

Cheyenne had walked over to the bar to get something to drink. Daisy saw her standing there and went over to her with a big smile. “You were great up there.” She told her “What can I get ya?”

“A coke.” Cheyenne told her, as she took off her hat and sat it down on the bar. As Daisy returned with her drink, Cheyenne said “Is it always this crowded in here?”

“Just on the weekends.” Daisy told her “But it can get busy during the week too. There's not too much to do in Hazzard.” She leaned on the bar and looked at Cheyenne intently “Is it true that you moved here from Nashville ?”

“ Atlanta actually but I lived in Nashville before that.” Cheyenne clarified

“Whatever made you come to Hazzard?”

“Scottie offered the job with the band and I was tired of the big city. This sounded like a nice place to live.” Cheyenne told her offhandedly

“Actually it is……you couldn't ask for better friends and neighbors.” Daisy told her with a smile “As long as you can overlook the corrupt city government and the sheriff's department, you won't have any problems.”

“What's wrong with the city government and the Sheriff's department?”

“Well…Boss Jefferson Davis Hogg runs the city government and he is as crooked as they come. He owns almost everything in Hazzard.” Daisy explained “including the sheriff's department.”

“ County Commissioner , right?”

“You got it.”

“Sounds like you're not too fond of him.”

“Not when Boss and Sheriff Rosco are always trying to frame Bo and Luke for something and get their probation revoked.”

“Bo and Luke are on probation? What for?”

“They got caught running a load of shine for Uncle Jesse.”

“Your Uncle makes moonshine?”

“Not anymore. He made a deal with the U.S. of A. Government not to make or sell no more moonshine as long as they would give Bo and Luke probation instead of sending them to prison.” Daisy explained filling her in on some of the Duke Family history.

“Sounds like they got off lucky.”

“They did. But Boss Hogg is their probation officer so that complicates things.”

“This sounds like an interesting place after all.” Cheyenne said with a laugh “your cousins are sure popular with the ladies.”

“Bo and Luke could have any girl they wanted in Hazzard County and half the other counties around here too.” Daisy told her with a grin “But I don't see either one of them settling down for quite awhile.”

“Nothing wrong with that. I can't see myself settling down any time soon either.”

“Well, I don't think you're gonna have to worry about sitting home unless you want to.” Daisy said with a chuckle “All the good ole boys around here are gonna be asking you out….including Bo and Luke.” A customer at the other end of the bar yelled for Daisy's attention. “Hey, since you're new in town…how would you like to come to supper at the house tomorrow night?”

“I'd like that.” Cheyenne said trying not to appear too pleased at the invitation to meet the rest of the Duke family.

“Good….hang around and I'll give the address and directions on how to get there.” Daisy told her as she headed toward the other end of the bar to wait on her other customers. Cheyenne smiled and nodded in agreement, pleased that things were working out better than she had expected.

Chapter 5

Shortly after six the next evening, Cheyenne pulled into the barnyard behind the Duke farmhouse. She saw three other vehicles parked there, including the orange stock car she'd seen at the Boars Nest. Somehow, she wasn't surprised to discover that the car obviously belonged to the Duke boys. The other vehicles were an old white pickup truck and a white jeep CJ7 with a Golden Eagle Emblem painted across the hood and the name Dixie written in elaborate script on either side of the hood. Cheyenne had seen Daisy driving the jeep so the truck apparently belonged to Jesse Duke, the head of the Duke Clan.

Cheyenne climbed out of her car and walked across the barnyard towards the house. As she climbed the steps to the screened in back porch, the back door opened and Daisy ushered her into the house with a warm greeting. Cheyenne smiled and stepped into the kitchen. The house was simple but warm and inviting. The furniture wasn't new but it was well taken care of. Jesse Duke was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee. He was in his early sixties with snow white hair and a full white beard. His face was deeply lined but his blue eyes still sparkled with life. He welcomed Cheyenne as warmly as Daisy had.

Cheyenne immediately offered to help Daisy finish cooking supper but Daisy refused, reminding her that she was a guest. Jesse smiled and motioned for her to sit down at the table with him. Cheyenne sat down in the chair to Jesse's left and accepted Daisy's offer of a glass of lemonade.

“Are you getting settled in alright?” Jesse asked Cheyenne

“Yeah, I am. I don't have that much so there ain't much settling in to do.” Cheyenne told him with a smile.

“Well, I hope you like it here in Hazzard.”

“I do so far. Everybody seems so nice and friendly.”

“Most folks around here are.”

“I already warned her about Boss and Rosco.” Daisy told her Uncle with a laugh as she started mashing the potatoes.

“Well, I don't think Cheyenne needs to worry much about Boss and Roscoe.” Jesse said with a grin “They're usually too busy chasing the boys to do much else….”

“Or trying to frame them on some trumped up charge.” Daisy said as she started setting the table with the plates and silverware.

Just then the back door opened and the boys came into the house. They were laughing and joking between themselves. They both smiled and greeted Cheyenne warmly. “You two git washed up before supper.” Jesse told them gruffly

“Yes, sir.” They answered simultaneously. They walked through the archway into the living room and could be heard climbing the stairs to the second floor, still laughing and talking.

When they came back downstairs, the boys sat down across the table from Cheyenne . Daisy finished setting the food on the table and then sat down next to Cheyenne . Bo started to reach for a roll, earning himself a stern look from his Uncle. Smiling sheepishly he withdrew his hand and they all bowed their heads as Jesse said grace. As soon as the prayer was finished, Bo started helping himself. Daisy had fixed a typical southern supper with pork chops, mashed potatoes with white gravy, hot rolls and green beans. Like most families in the area, the Dukes grew most of their own food and raised a steer and 2 pigs each year to slaughter for meat. They also had chickens, 2 cows and 3 goats, so they always had fresh eggs and milk.

After supper, they all went into the living room. With some encouragement from Daisy and Jesse, the boys got their guitars and sang Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys (but they changed it from cowboys to Duke Boys) Cheyenne listened intently. Both boys were excellent singers and they were good pickers too. And Cheyenne knew good pickers and singers when she heard them. She'd heard plenty of them in Nashville . They laughed and joked as they sang, trading off verses. When they finished, Daisy coaxed Cheyenne to sing something too.

She joined the boys and helped them sing White Lightening and Rambling Man. When they had finished, Daisy asked if Cheyenne and Luke would sing something together. After a few minutes discussion, they sang Golden Rings and long legged Guitar Picking Man. Their voices blended together in perfect harmony and they laughed as they sassed each other back and forth during the Johnny Cash and June Carter song.

Daisy and Jesse sat back, clapping and laughing, enjoying the free entertainment. Luke grinned as he watched Cheyenne 's fingers fly over the strings as she played a complicated riff, keeping up with him effortlessly as he played the same riff. She was defiantly multitalented there was no doubt about that.

Cheyenne was having such a good time that she hated to see the evening end. Finally around ten o'clock , she told them that she really had to go home. Before Luke could speak up, Bo jumped in and offered to walk her out to her car, earning himself a dirty look from his oldest cousin. (which he purposely ignored) He walked Cheyenne to the back door and then outside into the barnyard.

“I like your car.” Cheyenne told Bo as they walked past the General Lee to her car. “Do you and Luke race much?”

“Every chance we get.” Bo told her “Dirt track mostly” He grinned and added proudly “Me and Luke built the General ourselves from the ground up.”

“Whose idea was it to paint him orange?”

“That was the only color Cooter had at the time.” Bo told her with a laugh “The flag was Luke's idea and we both came up with the name.” He looked at Cheyenne with a crooked smile “Maybe I could take you for a ride sometime. How about tomorrow?”

“Sorry…..I can't.” Cheyenne said without offering any further explanation

Bo shrugged good naturedly “Maybe some other time then.”

“Maybe…” Cheyenne said without making any commitment. She smiled to take the sting out of her rejection as she opened the door and slid under the wheel of her car.

“I'm gonna hold ya to that.” Bo said with a grin, as he politely shut the door for her. He stepped back and watched her drive away. Smiling as he watched her tail lights disappear into the darkness, he started whistling as he walked back into the house. He wasn't upset at her turning down his offer to take her for a ride in the General. Bo didn't give up that easily. He would try again and sooner or later he was confident that he could wear down her resistance.

continued...