Chapter 8: Duke Expansion
Kim couldn't sleep. This should be the last night that she'll have to stay out at the Duke Farm. Ted had been allowed to leave town to return to work but tomorrow was his court date. Everyone had tried to tell her that after tomorrow everything would be fine. But she just couldn't shake the feeling that it all seemed a bit too easy. After all of this time, could she really afford to get her hopes up?
Carefully, since her ribs were still healing, Kim got up and headed into the living room as quietly as she could. Once in there, Kim turned the television on but kept the sound off. An old movie that she'd seen a dozen times was playing so she knew the lines by heart anyway. If she couldn't sleep, she might as well as watch a little TV. Maybe then she could drift off later.
Meanwhile upstairs, Bo had gotten up to go to the bathroom. When he walked out and turned to head back into his room he saw a flickering light from the stairwell. Curious, Bo headed down stairs to see who was awake in the middle of the night. When he got down to the ground floor he saw Kim sitting on the couch watching TV.
"Can't sleep?" Bo asked quietly. Kim shook her head but didn't really say anything. Kim looked back to the TV as Bo looked at the set. "Can you even hear that? I don't think that you have the volume on at all."
"I've seen this movie so many times; I don't need the sound on to follow along."
"Worryin' about tomorrow?" Bo said while he studied the woman sitting on the couch.
"I reckon. It's the whole goin' to court thing. I'm just not sure that it'll really accomplish much. I don't know. I'm just so sick of everything."
Bo went over and sat on the couch on Kim's right side and put his arm on the back of the couch behind her. "You'll see. Everything will work out fine. You'll be free from your ex and you'll be able to get back to living without lookin' over your shoulder."
"I hope so."
Bo gently pulled Kim over with the arm that he'd rested behind Kim and gave her a light squeeze. Kim tried hard not to tense up at the closeness to the blond Duke. In the last two weeks she'd spent a lot of time with all of the Dukes but she'd not really spent much time alone with Bo. And here he was, wearing just a pair of pajama bottoms, looking better than any man had a right to.
"So, you goin' ta tell me what this movie is about? So I can catch up?"
"Shouldn't you get back to sleep? I really don't think that Jesse will like it if you end up fallin' asleep in the middle of your work tomorrow."
"Don't worry about that. Things are slowin' down just a bit anyway. Plus its Friday, so we'll be callin' it quits early most likely."
Bo relaxed back up against the couch as he settled into watching the remainder of the movie that Kim had been watching with her. He had her explain the movie to him as he watched as she seemed to become a bit more relaxed. Eventually, he felt Kim's head rest against his shoulder and noticed that she'd fallen asleep. He figured that he'd better head back to bed, himself. First though, Bo carried Kim back to her bed so that she'd be more comfortable than she would be on the couch. Once he'd taken Kim back to the guest room Bo went on to bed and tried to get a couple hours of sleep before it was time to get back up for the morning chores.
~01~
The next morning Kim woke up in bed confused. The last thing that she remembered was that she was sitting in the living room with Bo. He'd come to check on her when he realized that she was awake. So why was she in bed now? Getting dressed for the day Kim saw that she'd gotten up late. That meant that Bo and Jesse were already out in the fields leaving only Daisy at home with her.
"Mornin', Kim. I saw that you were sleeping so peaceful that I figured that it wouldn't hurt for you to sleep a little longer. Your uncle called and said that he'll be over right after court later. Aren't you excited that this is all over."
"I'll get excited just as soon as I know that Ted has been put away," Kim said quietly.
"Well, that will happen soon enough. Kira and Jo are coming over in a little while. The garden needs a little weeding. When Doc comes out we'll all fix a big dinner to celebrate. Then we can all go out to the Boar's Nest and have a good time. It'll be good to kick back and have some fun won't it?"
"I'll admit, I miss being out with folks but I'm not sure I'm ready for the stares, Daisy."
"Let em stare. It's time to take your life back. Don't let them keep you from doin' it. I saved you some breakfast. Come on, honey."
~01~
Out in the fields all of the men were getting ready to take a break for lunch. Today, they were planning on making it an early day. The last two weeks had been riddled with tension and everyone was looking forward to not looking over their shoulders anymore; expecting Kim Appleby's ex-husband to pop up out of nowhere. The men had all loaded up their farming implements and they headed back toward the farm houses.
Jebb was actually having his neighbor Rob Whitney over for lunch to talk to him about the land deal with Boss Hogg. When Jesse and Bo neared the main farm house Enos caught up to them and signaled to them that he wanted to talk to them. Jesse pulled his old beat up white pick up over and waited for the deputy to walk up to him to let him know what he wanted with them.
"Howdy, Uncle Jesse. I was hopin' to talk to ya'll without everyone in the county listenin' in on the CB. I wanted to warn ya about what happened today in court. I know that ya'll helped Miss Appleby duck out of town. Her uncle was there and already knows but I thought that I should tell you, too."
"Why? What happened in court?" Bo asked concerned.
"Dr. Wright didn't show up. There's been a bench warrant issued for his arrest. He's jumped bail."
"So he's still in the wind," Jesse stated. He knew full well what this news meant to the young woman that was out at the house.
"I'm afraid so. I haven't asked any questions about where ya'll have been hiding Miss Appleby and I ain't goin' to ask any now. But you may want to make sure that if she was plannin' on comin' back to Hazzard that ya let her know that she should still lay low. If Ted Wright didn't show in court today, I can only imagine what he plans to do," Enos said. He had no doubt after seeing the stranger beating up the woman who had been his neighbor why he hadn't come to court. He was a man that had been on a mission of his own for so long, he wasn't about to give up now.
"Thanks, Enos, for lettin' us know. Hopefully, that man won't spend too many more days as a free man."
"I agree, Uncle Jesse. I'll let you know if I hear anything else. I'd better go back to town."
"Bye, Enos," Bo said as he thought about how Kim was going to take the news that Ted was still free. Not only was he not in jail, but he'd jumped bail. Enos went on back to his patrol car and drove off as Jesse started the truck back up. "What are we goin' ta do?"
"Well, that girl can't go nowhere for right now. That's for sure," Jesse said as Bo nodded his head in agreement. "I know that she ain't goin' ta want to hear that Ted is still after her."
"I still think that I should have taught him a lesson while he was still in town."
"Bo."
"What! You can't say that he don't deserve it. I reckon that it's a good thing that we took our time in coverin' Kim's tracks. I guess we can assume that Ted is across the country right now."
"Never assume anything, Bo. We better head on home and let Kim know that she'll be our guest for a little while longer."
~01~
The women had been clearing the budding weeds out of the garden all morning and were just breaking to go and fix some lunch. While Kira and Jo had helped Daisy in the garden, Kim watched as both twins played out in the yard with some baby chicks while the old farm dogs kept watch from the sidelines. As Kira and Daisy picked the toddlers up to take them inside to get them cleaned up, Kim saw her uncle's sedan pulled up in the drive. One look on his face was enough to get her worried. She'd hoped that he'd come from town full of energy after seeing Ted sentenced to jail for a long time. But judging by Irving's look on his face, Ted must have slickered the judge again. So much for the book being thrown at her ex.
"Uncle Irving." Kim stood and greeted her uncle. "Well?" She didn't think that she really needed to explain what she wanted to know.
"Well, nothing happened. Ted didn't show up." Kim's eye's darted as she locked them onto her uncle's.
"What! But... Now what?" Kim asked as Jesse's truck came up and parked beside of Irving's car. "If he didn't show today, then where is he? What am I goin' ta do?"
Jesse stepped out of the truck and walked over to Kim and put an arm around her. "I'll tell you what you're goin' ta do. You're goin' ta stay right here like you've been doin'. No one has been the wiser as far as you bein' here, seems like the safest place for you for right now."
"I can't stay here indefinitely. With no idea when I'll get to get back to my normal life," Kim said as she tried to process what all she'd just been told.
"Kimberly, I think that it'd be best to accept their hospitality. Jesse's right. At least here, you're safe. There's been a warrant issued for Ted's arrest for not showin' up today. I really don't see how Ted could avoid bein' takin' in for long. Just be patient. Okay?"
Kim looked back and forth between both Jesse and her Uncle Irving. Between the looks on their faces, as well as the look in Bo's eyes when she glanced his way, Kim knew that she wouldn't be leaving the farm anytime soon.
~01~
Kim sat on the porch and leaned her head against the post as she stared out at the sun set. She was supposed to be getting ready to head out with Daisy and the other Dukes to celebrate her freedom right now. Instead, she was still stuck hiding out from Ted. How is she supposed to just stay here knowing that by now Ted was probably angry enough to kill her on sight when he sees her again. And he will find her eventually. She knew that. Despite the good intentions of the Dukes and staying tucked away on the Duke Farm, Kim knew that it was only a matter of time. And when that happened, she wasn't sure that all of this hiding will really matter in the end. What a depressing thought.
"Hey. You alright?" Kim looked up and saw Bo standing over her.
"Why wouldn't I be? I'm just sitting here wondering how long it will be before not even this farm will be safe when it comes to Ted tryin' to find me. You know as well as I do what Ted not showing up today in court means. I'm so sick of just waiting for the other shoe to drop."
Bo took a seat down on the porch next to Kim on the steps. It had already been two weeks since the last time that she'd gotten to walk down the street on her own and she was suffering from a serious case of cabin fever. Kira had a suggestion to help solve that problem; at least temporarily.
"So maybe you need to get away for a little while," Bo said and tried to ignore the look of confusion on Kim's face. "Kira thought that you might would like to go to Placid when she and Jebb take the boys to see his family for his sisters' birthday. No one knows you in Placid, nor would they expect you to go there. It would probably be safe to go out with the family there. My Uncle John and Aunt Pauline wouldn't mind a little company if you want to go there for a week with the others."
"I can't just impose on Jebb's family. It's bad enough that I've been doin' that to ya'll."
"It's not imposin' when you're offered a place to stay. If it makes you feel any better, talk to Kira and Jebb. They'll tell you that you'll be more than welcomed if you want to get out of here for a couple of days," Bo said as he watched Kim's face as he spoke.
"I don't think so. Though I'll keep the suggestion in mind if this self-imposed isolation lasts much longer." As much as Kim was bored out of her mind, she really didn't relish the thought of heading to Placid to mooch off of strangers and letting even more people know what kind of a fool she was to marry a man like Ted.
Meanwhile, Bo had a strange mix of emotions course through him upon hearing that Kim didn't want to take Kira and Jebb up on their offer. On one hand, Bo knew that Kim could use a break away. Even knew that she'd be safe with his sister and cousin. On the other hand, as long as Kim was here at the farm he knew that he could keep her safe. Thinking about how she must be going out of her mind with boredom, Bo figured that he might want to come up with something to help take her mind off of her situation.
~01~
Jebb and Kira were curled up together on the chaise lounge in their living room after putting the twins to bed. They were discussing their neighbor's plan to sell his land to Boss who then was planning on building a new power plant on the property. The plant over in Chickasaw more than supplied enough power for the whole tri-county area; even with the textile factory being reopened back up here in Hazzard. Both of them knew what the impact to the Duke farms would be if Boss carried out his plans. Pollutants would be put into the water way and come down stream directly to their land.
"Well, there is one way we can prevent Boss from putting the plant there," Kira said from her place snuggled up next to her husband. "We can make it where Boss can't own it."
Jebb gave Kira a glance as he tried to see exactly what Kira was thinking. "What would we do with it? We don't need any more farm land."
"No, we don't. But if Boss gets a hold of that land, ours won't be worth working anymore. Not to mention, with the land comes another farm house."
"Which might come in handy, since Jo and Luke are starting a family of their own," Jebb said seeing where Kira was going. "So instead of building onto the cabin even more, they can just get a whole 'nother house to accommodate the new addition that's comin' in a few months."
"So, you think that Whitney would be willing to change who he wants to sell to?"
"Are you kiddin'? A chance to settle up his debt to Boss and pull the rug out from under him on a new venture. Rob will love it." Jebb chuckled. "I'll call him in the mornin' to see if he's up for playin' a fast one on Boss. After all, he's probably already figurin' on how he can get us to sell our land to him once he makes it worthless to farm."
"And countin' his money." Kira laughed.
"If Rob will play ball, we can get things rollin' before we go to Placid. I'll tell Luke about the plan in the mornin' and get him on board."
~01~
When Jebb contacted Rob Whitney, he was more than willing to sell his land to the Dukes instead of to Boss. Boss was only willing to pay him barely enough to cover the cost of Rob's debt which meant that while he would no longer be in debt to the commissioner, he would not walk away with anything besides that freedom from being under Boss's thumb. Jebb offered him a fair price instead. As much as it felt odd to be willing to spend that much money (being a Duke usually meant not having an overabundance of cash), Jebb had to admit that having access to the money that Ben Kyle had let Kira in his will did have its advantages in times like these.
Once Rob Whitney was on board with the plan, Kira and Jebb then filled Luke and Jo in on it. Luke's first instinct was to refuse. He didn't like the feeling that he was taking anything from his cousins. Even if he did know that their hearts were in the right place. Not to mention, they could more than afford the gift. But knowing that they were right about the fact that the cabin would be a bit small to bring a baby home, Luke reluctantly agreed to the plan to buy the Whitney Farm for him and his wife. Jo and Luke went over to look over the farmhouse that resembled the one that he grew up in an awful lot.
Having the farmhouse meant that he and Jo would have plenty of room for their budding family. And they would have space for when Jo's father came to visit. Jo had loved having the cabin as a place for her and Luke but she, too, knew that they would need the extra room. Plus having the farmhouse seemed more permanent. A real home. A place for her and her child that she was having to really sink some roots down into the soil. To know that she had a place that she'd not ever have to leave. And a place where not only would she be able to decorate a nursery, but she could even set aside a room just for her painting. A studio of sorts that she could set everything up and not have to worry about storing her supplies every time she finished for the day.
So, with everyone on board with the decision to buy the neighboring farm, everything was put in motion before Jebb and Kira headed off to Placid for their visit with his parents. Which would then make it where, when combined, the Duke Farms would be the largest chunk of land own by one family in the entire county. Of course, when Kim listened to them telling Jesse of their plans, she laughed. She made the comment that with the way things looked, the Dukes no longer had a farm; rather they now seemed to have a whole compound. What with so much land and now with three farmhouses and the cabin on the property.
Jesse had been watching his youngest and their guest interact together and part of him hoped that this was just the start of the Duke Expansion. First Jebb and Kira had come to town and bought the Hansen Farm. Now Luke was going to be able to take over the Whitney Farm, all combining to make the Duke Farm the largest in the county, Jesse couldn't help but notice that once Luke and Jo moved into the new farmhouse the cabin would be left open for another couple to move in. Eying Kim and Bo at the dinner table as they sat across from one another, Jesse crossed his fingers that the cabin would not stay empty for long.
