Disclaimer: The characters from the Dukes of Hazzard do not belong to me. Only the ideas contained in the story are mine. This story was written for pleasure and not for profit.

This is going to be a long one and a change of pace that should take me through the summer and then some. I hope you enjoy it. Comments are always greatly appreciated.

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The Object of Her Affection

By Gia August

July 2007

Chapter One

Love At First Sight

The people of Hazzard would've thought Laura Dawson odd if they had known her. Although she had lived on the outskirts of town her entire life, they had only had glimpses of her over the years. She was better than them. Her parents had instilled that belief in her from the time she was a small child and they made sure that she kept her distance from the common folk of Hazzard. She was safe inside the walls of the old mansion, which was all that was left of the great family plantation. The high, sharply spiked wrought iron fence that enclosed the property was meant to keep out intrusion from the world.

Laura had accepted the wisdom of her parents without question but all that had changed. They were gone leaving her both bewildered and exhilarated by her sudden independence. The old mansion that had been in her family for generations belonged to her and her alone. She was free to make her own decisions for the first time in her life. There was no one to control her. She was in control. She had no desire to stay isolated. She needed to experience the outside world. Hazzard was a safe place to start her new life.

Grief at the death of her parents was quickly replaced by a sense of power. She had taken control and they were gone. It hadn't taken much to gain her freedom. She was ready to start her new life. She obtained a job at the local bank working for Boss Hogg. He was surprised that someone of her social standing would want to work for him but he eagerly hired her in the hopes of sharing in her family's wealth. The Dawsons were old Southern money. Far be it from him to question the eccentricities of the wealthy. He was equally surprised at her organizational skills. She wasn't exactly Miss Congeniality but that was fine with him considering the caliber of most of the bank's customers.

Laura had been working at the bank for almost a month. She always arrived early. Her morning rituals were always the same. After carefully choosing a conservative outfit, she stood in front of the antique standing mirror in her bedroom, marveling at how the woman staring back at her looked the same. So much had changed for her in a short period of time. She expected the metamorphosis to show in her physical appearance but she looked the same. She stared intently at the reflection that gazed back at her. She noticed a few long strands of brown hairs had slipped out of the clip that held her hair tightly at the back of her head. She carefully pulled back the strands and readjusted the clip to hold every hair in place. She smoothed the gray skirt that fell below her knees with her hands. She buttoned her white shirt up to the collar. She was ready.

As she continued to study her reflection in the mirror, Laura knew she would never be considered pretty. Plain was the word she had heard all her life. She put on her heavy framed glasses and looked into her light blue eyes, satisfied with what she saw. There wasn't anything wrong with simplicity. The right man would appreciate her for who she was.

Laura longed for the intimacy of small town life that she imagined beyond the protective fence but never experienced. She hoped she would be able to make friends but making friends had never come easy. In fact, it really hadn't come at all with the limited contact she had with people. She assured herself that would change. She was confident that she would meet the man of her dreams who would complete her. She believed in destiny.

The clock on the mantel chimed eight o'clock as Laura took one last look at herself in the mirror. Pleased with what she saw, she hurried off to work at the bank.

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Laura stood behind the counter at the bank preparing for the day's work. As usual, everything was in perfect order. Order was important. At precisely 9 o'clock, she went to open the front door. When she pulled the door open, she jumped back startled. She was face to face with a man on the other side of the door holding the opposite doorknob.

"Sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to scare you," Bo Duke said apologetically as he flashed her a smile.

Laura quickly composed herself. She said, "You didn't."

She opened the door fully to let Bo in. As he crossed in front of her, she looked over the handsome, blonde haired man. Bo noticed the appraisal and wasn't surprised. He was used to women looking him over. He knew from experience that they liked what they saw.

Bo stopped to let Laura pass. He smiled brightly and said, "Good morning, ma'am. You must be new here."

Laura nodded curtly, all business. "Yes. Please come in."

Bo made his way to the counter while Laura went behind it to take her post. He was taken aback when she didn't return his smile.

"How can I help you this morning?" Laura asked politely without emotion once she was in her proper workstation. Her flat demeanor surprised Bo. He expected her to flirt with him like most of the girls in Hazzard usually did. It looked like she was going to be all business.

"I'm Bo Duke and I've come to cash a check against our family account. Twenty dollars, please."

Bo smiled brightly still trying to make a connection but Laura took no notice. He handed her the check. She carefully examined it before going to a file cabinet to get the paperwork. She brought the ledger back to the counter to make the proper entries in the bank records. When she heard the door open and shut, she glanced up from her work. She stopped writing to watch the man who entered approach the counter.

"Hey, Bo, ain't you finished here yet? I done been to the post office already," Luke Duke said as he stood next to his younger cousin with a smug grin on his face.

"You can see I ain't finished, cousin. Miz Tizdale must've opened early 'cause it's only a couple of minutes after nine," Bo said, looking at the wall clock. "You couldn't have picked up the mail that fast."

Luke smiled triumphantly. "Yup, Miz Tizdale did open early when she saw it was me waiting outside. Imagine that. She actually broke the rules and let me in a couple of minutes early. Of course, I still had to take a number and show my ID but I guess she couldn't resist my charm. In fact, she said I was just like Uncle Jesse. I guess the same can't be said for you."

"Ain't got nothing to do with you, Luke. Miz Tizdale's just being nice to you to impress Uncle Jesse," Bo answered, doing little to hide his annoyance at his older cousin.

Luke shrugged. "If you say so. Are you almost finished? We need to start on the shopping list Uncle Jesse gave us. He expects us back right away."

"I'm almost done, Luke," Bo answered showing his annoyance. "We ain't gonna be late."

Miz Tizdale might be an elderly woman but she apparently wasn't immune to Luke's charm. Bo couldn't say the same this morning. He considered himself more adept at charming the ladies than Luke but the new bank teller seemed immune. She didn't take any notice of him. He decided not to mention anything to Luke and give him more ammunition for teasing. At least she didn't take notice of Luke either.

While Bo and Luke were talking, Laura was looking over Luke as subtly as she could manage. When he glanced in her direction and caught her eye, he smiled at her. His face lit up revealing deep dimples. Laura felt flustered. She quickly looked down to her work to hide the blush that was spreading across her face. It felt like a bolt of lightening went through her. She had to force herself to concentrate and finish making the entries. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She handed the money to Bo with a trembling hand that she hoped he didn't notice.

Bo folded the money and put it in his shirt pocket. "Thank you, ma'am. You have a nice day." He shrugged when she didn't respond.

Luke smiled at Laura again. She quickly averted her eyes. He said, "See ya."

Bo tugged at Luke's arm. "Come on, cousin. We gotta get going. Uncle Jesse don't like us to dally when he needs something."

"I ain't dallying," Luke mumbled as he followed Bo to the door.

When they were out of Laura's earshot, Luke whispered, "She's kind of shy, ain't she?"

"Odd is more like it," Bo answered. "She sure didn't have much to say to me."

Luke laughed. "And that makes her odd? 'Cause she didn't pay you no mind?"

"I'm just saying she ain't at all friendly," Bo answered.

"Cheer up, Bo. She's probably the only girl in Hazzard who hasn't succumbed to your irresistible charm. You got lots of others to choose from," Luke said with smirk as he slipped into the driver's seat.

"You just distracted me so you could drive, Lukas."

"All's fair…" Luke said, giving his cousin a lopsided grin as Bo went around the General to climb into the passenger side.

Bo returned the smile as they pulled away from the curb. He acknowledged, "You beat me this time. I'll just enjoy the ride."

Laura watched the two men leave, unable to take her eyes off Luke. When the door closed behind them, she finally let out her breath. She watched them climb into the orange stock car parked on the street. As they pulled away, she hurried over to the window to watch them disappear around the corner. She felt feint. She needed time to compose herself. She knew her life had changed the moment Luke Duke looked into her eyes and smiled at her. She felt the connection.

Laura carefully sat down on the high stool behind the counter visualizing Luke in her mind. She could see every detail of his face as clearly as if he were still standing in front of her. His deep blue eyes were his most striking feature appearing all the more bluer in contrast to his dark, wavy brown hair. And his face absolutely lit up when he smiled at her causing deep dimples to appear on his face. His voice was soft and gentle. She was overwhelmed by the feelings that were surging through her. She always knew there was such a thing as love at first sight but she couldn't believe that she was so lucky that it happened to her. And more astonishing than that, she knew he felt it too. He felt exactly the same way. She could see it in his eyes and in his smile when he looked at her. His message to her was clear. He said he would see her. She knew what he was trying to tell her in that hidden message. He loved her. Their love was fate.

Bo Duke had called him "Luke." Luke Duke. Laura liked the sound of his name. She knew that she would be Mrs. Luke Duke. They even had the same initials. She had no doubt that Luke was her destiny. He was her fate. She loved him. He loved her. They would love each other till death.