Chapter 1

Early morning light drizzled through the lace curtains of the small kitchen window.

Sitting at the table, phone in hand, Luke Duke tried to contain his nerves as much as he tried to calm those of his cousin on the other end of the line.

"Daisy, I'm sure that Bo will understand. Yes, I will tell him that something urgent came up. No, I don't think he will hate you"

After a slight pause, Luke asked the one question that seemed to be on the entire family's mind as of late. "Daisy, is everything okay? I mean, are you okay?"

The only clue to the agitation Luke felt at his cousin's answer was the persistant drumming of his fingers against the tabletop. Each rap of the tips made a hollow echo in the room.

"Okay Daisy," he sighed. "I just want to make sure that you are okay. You've been through alot in the last year you know. You can't just expect to be able to get up and move on as if the attack never happened"

Luke raised his head as Bo walked into the kitchen.

"Okay. Give martin our love. I'm sure we'll see y'all soon"

As Luke hung up the phone a sinking feeling hit him in the put of his stomach. Something wasn't right and his gut knew it. Years of military training had honed instincts that were razor sharp and trusted by most people in the county. He knew better than to ignore the tingle he got at the base of his neck when things didn't seem right. However, he also knew his cousin. As much as he loved her, he had never been able to get past the stubborn wall that she had so effectively built around herself. That wall had only become stronger in the last year following the attack and the subsequent trial. The one bright note had been her marriage to Martin, but Luke still sensed his cousin was hiding inside herself.

"She's not coming is she?"

Luke looked over at his youngest cousin. The poor man looked so dejected, you'd swear someone had just stolen his hound dog. Luke sighed. Bo had been through his own issues with Daisy in the past year as well. The two had once been so close you could have sworn they were siblings rather than cousins. However, stress from Daisy's attack and a subsequent misunderstanding had deeply shaken the bonds the two once shared. While Luke had tried to hold the three of them together, he was smart enough to realise that some wounds had to have alot of time before they healed over. There was no doubting the bonds of love that were still there though, which is why it killed Luke to have to face his cousin nopw with the truth.

"She says something urgent has come up and Martin has had to travel to San Antonio. Something related to a case he's working on"

"Yeah, any reason to not come home and face us"

"Bo ..."

"Oh come on Luke! Don't tell me you haven't noticed it. The lack of calls, the distance in her voice when she does call. Her avoidance of making trips home. It all points to the fact that she is not dealing with things as well as she is trying to convince us she is"

Luke shrugged. "She's married and her husband is her first priority" A weak argument even to his own ears.

"We used to be important to her. And don't tell me that it's the dutiful wife role that's keeping her in Canada. Last time we talked to Marty he was eager for them to come home for a visit. But suddenly, Daisy has an excuse to put it off. I do believe it was something to do with their house being painted?"

Bo paused and looked at Luke. "You know as well as I do – if not better – that something is very wrong with her. And I would lay odds on the fact that even Martin doesn't know what's going on either"

"She hasn't asked for our help Bo"

"When was the last time family had to ask?"

Luke laughed. "When it comes to Daisy, we both know that we need to act like we're treading on eggshells. She has to still be traumatised after Lex's attack. And of course I don't believe her when she says she is okay. How could she be? The man stalked her and almost killed her. Her recovery is still fresh. On top of that she has jumped into marriage with a man who faces danger every day he goes to work. She just needs to find her feet again, Bo. Once she does that she will remember the Daisy she used to be and be right back to hounding our doorstep"
As Luke got up to leave the kitchen, Bo's soft question echoed his own troubled thoughts.

"Are you sure?"