INTERRUPTED BY SOUND IN THE BARN

Luke quickly backs away as he hears footsteps on the ladder. A minute later, Bo comes into view.

"Oh no, don't tell me I woke you, too!" You exclaim as Bo steps into the loft.

"No, I couldn't sleep." Bo admits as a faraway light gets your attention. You look toward the house and see that the kitchen light has come on.

"Seems it's unanimous." You reply as you watch Jesse and Daisy through the kitchen window.

"Everything alright out there?" Jesse yells out the door, stirring up all the dogs in the neighborhood.

"We're fine, Uncle Jesse. You can go on back to bed." Luke yells back. Uncle Jesse simply nods before he closes the door.

"Uh, you can go on back to bed too, Luke. I'll sit up with her." Bo announces.

"It's okay Bo, I've got it." Luke replies.

"Actually, you can both go back to bed." You say, rubbing your face. "You don't have to take care of me. Besides, I came out here to be by myself."

"Well, if that's the way you feel…." Luke trails off.

"It is." You confirm.

Luke simply nods and stands up. As he begins to descend the ladder, he looks at Bo. "You comin' cuz?"

Bo replies, but directs it toward you. "I just wanna talk to you first. If you'll give me 5 minutes, I promise I'll leave you alone after that."

You sigh. "You've got 4 minutes and 58 seconds left."

Swallowing as he looks at the two of you, Luke simply climbs down the ladder and out of sight.

Once he's gone, Bo settles down in the spot Luke just vacated. "Look, I just wanna apologize for what took place back there at the creek this afternoon. Well, I don't exactly wanna apologize for what I done, just for pickin' that particular time to do it."

"What difference does it make when you did it?" You ask.

"Well, I been thinkin' on it and I realize now, considerin' what was goin' on, it would be easy for you to mistake what I did as a play for the farm. I can't help but think if all that other stuff wadn't goin' on right then, I mighta got a different response. Believe me, if there's a way I could go back and do it under other circumstances, I'd be all for it."

"What circumstances?" You ask.

"Huh?" Bo responds.

"You said if you could go back, you'd do it under other circumstances. What kind of circumstances?"

"Well….." Bo says, leaning back as he thinks. "I might, uh, get us a little picnic together…"

"You cook?" You interrupt.

"No." Bo laughs. "I wouldn't wanna scare you away with that. I'd probably fix a couple of cars, maybe do some farm work for somebody, somethin' like that to earn the money to go buy the food at the diner. Best fried chicken you can find outside the Duke farm."

"Go on." You encourage him.

"Well, then I thought we'd take it over to Dixon Pond…..you know, spread out a picnic blanket. After we ate I'd get out my guitar and strum a couple of songs for ya."

"And is that when you would kiss me?" You ask.

"No." Bo smiles, sitting up again and waving his arm across the sky. "'Cause you see, not long after that, It'd grow dark outside and the stars would just fill up the sky. And as soon as they did, I'd tell you to look across the pond and watch the fireflies light up against the darkness and refectin' in the water, working with the stars up above to make a spectacular light show the neon lights of Broadway itself would have trouble competin' against."

"And is that when you would kiss me?" You ask, unable to keep from being mesmerized by the story in spite of yourself.

"Not just yet." Bo replies. "Next, I would build a fire. Then when I got it goin' and the light was just so, I'd invite you to dance. And while we danced, I'd ask what your favorite love song was. And when you told me, I'd sing it to you. And when I got done and you's all wrapped up in the moment, then that's when I'd kiss you."

"Well…." You reply, lost in the story and trying to come to your senses "That's a lovely vision, but I wonder if you could actually pull it off?"

Without saying anything, Bo then gets up and goes toward the loft ladder. Climbing down a couple of rungs, he stops and looks at you. "If you'll meet me at Dixon Pond tomorrow night at seven, we'll find out together."

Without waiting for your response, he disappears.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You got a minute?"

Your thoughts are interrupted as you sit on the porch swing the following afternoon, debating not only on whether or not you are going to remain at the Duke farm, but whether or not you are going to take Bo up on his offer.

You look up and are not altogether surprised to find Luke standing there. The awkward moment you had shared in the barn the night before almost demanded a discussion.

"Sure." You nod, patting the seat next to you.

Luke takes you up on your offer to sit down. You both sit there swinging slightly for a few minutes, lost in your own thoughts.

"I don't know where to begin." Luke finally admits. "I guess my actions pretty much spoke for me up there in the loft last night."

"Luke…." You reply. "Before you say any more, I think it's only fair to let you know Bo's pretty much declared his feelings for me as well."

"He has?" Luke asks you in astonishment.

You simply nod in return.

"Well how do you feel about him?" He asks, trying to hide the pained look in his eyes.

"I honestly don't know." You say.

"Well." He says after a few awkward moments. "How do you feel…..about me?"

"Oh don't do this." You scold him. "Less than 24 hours ago, I thought you were both my cousins. Getting used to even the idea of having a relationship with either of you is gonna take some time."

But Luke isn't the type to easily sit around and wait for answers. "Well can you at least share some of the thoughts that are swirlin' around in your head up there?"

"The most logical one?" You ask. "It's the one that points to the fact that a situation such as this has torn many families apart, and under the circumstances, it's probably best that I simply go home."

Luke jerks his head to to look at you. "Oh don't do that." He says, grabbing your hand instinctively. "At least not until you're sure what you wanna do, one way or the other. Pick me, or pick Bo, or don't pick either of us, and just tell us to our faces. We couldn't stand it if you just up and left. I know for a fact that Bo ain't any better at dealin' with the 'what if's' of life than I am."

"Luke….."

"Don't say anything." He instructs you. "Just think on it awhile and make your decision."

He cuts his eyes off to the left as he thinks. "Do you know where the dirt speedway is on the south end of the county?"

"Daisy showed me the other day." You nod.

"Well Jesse's got this old car in storage over at Cooter's place, Black Tilly." He announces, sparking the interest in cars he knows you have. "Tilly's a fine car, the closest you could get to bein' the General Lee back in her day. Now like I said, you think on it. If you decide something could work out between us, then meet me there at the speedway at 7 tonight and I'll give you a ride in Tilly. If you don't show up, I'll take it that your answer is no."

"But Luke…." You begin as he gets up to walk away.

"No answers yet. Just think about it." He simply replies as he gets in Daisy's jeep and drives toward the garage, leaving you unable to inform him of Bo's proposal for the exact same time.

XXXXXXXXXX

It is now 6:45 p.m. You feel guilty to know that the two guys that you thought were your cousins just yesterday morning are waiting in two different places, both anticipating your arrival at 7. You also know that, wherever you show up, it's going to confirm the decision you've made regarding them.

Sitting in the pickup truck at the farm, you look in the rearview mirror and spy Jesse and Daisy watching you from the front porch. After Luke left, you told them the whole story, and while they would certainly be happy to see you end up with either one of the boys, as their family, they are even more ill equipped to make that decision for you that you are.

There are three turns you can make leaving the farmhouse. There is the immediate right/left turn of course, and when you turn right, there is a fork shortly thereafter. If you turn left, it's going to lead you straight out to Dixon Pond, where Bo waits with a picnic. If you turn right and take the right fork, it will lead you to town, where you can leave Hazzard for good. And if you take the final turn, the right turn and bear onto the left fork, it will take you out to the dirt speedway, where Luke waits with Black Tilly.

But you don't know why you are sitting there. Your mind has been made up for awhile and it's time to act on that decision. Grabbing the steering wheel, you make the turn that will, more or less, lead you to your future concerning the Duke family.

GO TO CHAPTER ENTITLED 'DIXON POND' IF YOU TURN LEFT TOWARD DIXON POND

GO TO CHAPTER ENTITLED 'TOWN' TO TURN RIGHT TOWARD TOWN

GO TO CHAPTER 'SPEEDWAY' TO TURN RIGHT, LEFT TOWARD THE DIRT SPEEDWAY