Hi all. Just one more reminder that while the mine explosions in Oven Fork, Kentucky really happened, the details were all created by me. So the thing that will come up in this chapter didn't really happen either, it's mine.

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Chapter 21 – We're Gonna Be Number One

The second half of March wasn't a lot easier than the first had been. All the Dukes were back under one roof, something Jesse gave thanks for every night before they ate whatever either he or Daisy had managed to scrape together for a meal. The cotton grew, and the family was at least somewhat assured that the crop would have a buyer when the spring progressed into summer. The fact that it would only sell at three-fourths of its worth was of some concern, but the family had more immediate problems, such as keeping themselves in the black until it was ready to be harvested.

Daisy worked as many extra shifts as she could. There was no such thing as overtime pay, not in Boss Hogg's establishment. But one look at the young woman's dazzling smile brought tip money out of any man's pocket, and even after Boss had skimmed his take, Daisy was able to bring home enough cash to replenish her tip jar. Of course, it got raided again on a weekly basis, as the family shopped for that which they could not grow. Daisy's work schedule had an added bonus, though. It kept her busy at a time when she might otherwise be tempted to dwell on the past or worry about the future.

The boys took odd jobs wherever they could find them. Cooter hired them for a day when he was backlogged, but that was only once, and they couldn't be sure it wasn't some kind of charity anyway. Most of the rest of the people in town were in no position to pay the Dukes for anything they did, so jobs providing actual income were few and far between. Bo, however, managed to secure a few paying gigs on his own. Luke made a point to stay away from those projects, letting Bo earn cash without him.

As March turned into April, the Duke cousins found themselves attending a bittersweet affair; the wedding of Ken Haines and Katie Jane Johnson-Haines. The slight curvature of Katie Jane's stomach would normally have set Hazzard tongues to wagging, if everyone hadn't already known the story behind it. Instead of gossiping about the bride's condition, the small town chattered about the death of her first husband. After all, they had to talk about something.

Unable to help himself, even if he hid it from his youngest cousin, Luke watched both Bo and Daisy carefully throughout the day. True to her word, Daisy did dance with Ken at the reception, and she wished both the bride and groom well. If she seemed a little quiet, it was only her family that noticed, and she brightened considerably as events progressed. The young beauty danced with some of the other young men from Hazzard, including one particularly clumsy deputy who brought a half-amused, half-fond smile to her face.

Bo was a little more awkward. He'd become genuinely fond of Katie Jane, above and beyond the way he'd taken care of her. And whenever they had run into one another around town, it was clear to both of them that they shared a bond that no one else would ever understand. It might not have been a pleasant connection, seeing as it was really all about having been a part of the adventure that had killed someone they each cared about, but it was unmistakable all the same.

Luke watched as Bo stood at the periphery of the group that was congratulating the couple, obviously trying to decide whether or not to step up and offer his own good wishes. Finally, Ken pulled the blonde in with a handshake. From there Bo turned to Katie Jane and seemed say whatever words he'd come to speak. A spontaneous gesture of affection was exchanged between the blonde and the young woman, before her attention was called elsewhere, and suddenly Bo was standing alone. Chuckling slightly and shaking his head, Bo walked off to a quiet corner.

Not sure whether he'd be welcome or not, Luke drifted towards his youngest cousin. He'd learned to approach the boy a little more carefully now, somehow straddling the line between protective older sibling and peer. As long as Bo felt he had the older boy's respect, he was as open as ever. It was all in how Luke phrased things.

"Hey, cuz, how's it going?" A neutral question; Luke only hoped Bo wouldn't read the concern in it.

With a slight snort, Bo answered, "All right, I guess. It's just kinda weird seeing Katie Jane gettin' married again."

For the first time, Luke realized that Bo was the only one who'd been present for both of the girl's weddings. "I think Robby would understand, don't you?"

"Yeah, he'd be better with Ken marryin' her than if I had."

"You still thinkin' about that?" Until today Luke thought the teen had let go of this, but he was forever learning just how much went on in both of his younger cousins' minds.

"I don't know, I hadn't been, but now I feel kinda like I did right after she left us in Chattanooga. It's like, nothing I tried to take responsibility for worked out. It ain't that I really wish I'd been standing next to her, more like, I wish something I did actually made things better, you know?"

"Yeah." These were the conversations that had become so much harder for Luke. Whereas in the past he would have reassured his cousin that he always made things better, it seemed like that wasn't what Bo wanted from him anymore. "I guess you kinda have to take the small victories, sometimes. Like that you made things better for Katie Jane right after Robby was killed. Bigger accomplishments, they come less often."

"I guess," Bo said. Then, pulling what his older cousin recognized as a typical Bo Duke turn around, he grinned and clapped Luke on the shoulder. "Hey, don't Mary Elizabeth look terrific today? Think I'll go say hello."

"Mary Elizabeth? Shoot, cousin, she's okay if you like a giraffe. Me, I think I'll go visit with Julie, over there."

With a shrug, indicating disinterest in Luke's choice, Bo answered, "Suit yourself. She's kinda old, but then, so are you…"

The Dukes kept one thing in their back pocket, however. It wasn't a wallet, but given a chance, it might actually provide exactly what the family needed by way of cash.

The Jefferson Davis Hogg Derby was an annual mid-April race that promised not only excitement, but certain rewards as well. Bo and Luke could really do without the Hogg Cup, which was about as unattractive as the man it was named for. But the cash prize was sizable, and could ensure that the mortgage on the Duke farm was paid through the fall.

Of course, in order to win, the boys had to enter, and this was an expensive event. It was one in which all the entrants' monies were pooled and then split 50/50 between the winner and the namesake, one J.D. Hogg. The greedy man in white always intended to bring in all the cash himself by making sure that his own car won. Enos Strate would be compelled to drive for Boss; as the one who signed the deputy's paychecks, the commissioner could make him drive without additional pay. The good natured young cop was only too willing anyway; as a former 'shine runner, he had a certain amount of skill behind the wheel, which was largely going to waste in the Hazzard County Sheriff's Department. It wasn't like there weren't frequent car chases for him to take part in, but the disastrous driving skills of his older compatriot, the sheriff, had a tendency to lead to two-cruiser wrecks on a pretty much constant basis.

Hazzardites were a competitive lot. Even though Boss Hogg had found ways to win almost every Derby since the first time the race was run, each driver thought they were better than the rest and had a more than reasonable chance to win. Bo and Luke hadn't ever entered before, largely because Bo had been underage and Luke had been overseas. But this was going to be their year, they were sure of it.

In addition to coming up with the entry fee, the boys needed to keep their newly assembled car a secret. If Boss knew about it, he'd probably change the entry rules to exclude either the car or the Duke boys themselves. Currently, the engine met all requirements, but J.D. Hogg was known to make changes to the regulations right up to the entry deadline. Once the deadline had passed, no new rules could be made, but until that moment, five o'clock on April 11th, Boss had all the rights and none of the responsibilities.

In the meantime, the boys were on a schedule that they hadn't observed since last summer; dropping Daisy at work, they'd take the yellow Plymouth that had once been Luke's and practice overland courses with it. The thing about these derbies was that, until the last minute, no one but J. D. Hogg knew what the course would be, and a driver needed to be prepared for anything. So the boys took the vehicle over the craziest terrain they could think of, with only two restrictions in mind: no getting hurt, and no damaging the car. After all, it was still one of the family's main means of transportation, and they couldn't afford to fix it.

Luke was worried that Bo would somehow see it as patronizing if he suggested that the younger boy be their driver. For his part, Bo wanted to drive but didn't know how to ask. They needn't have worried. The very first afternoon that they went out to practice, Luke tossed Bo the keys and never asked for them back. It was a done deal.

And just as had happened eight months before, when the boys last engaged in this activity, they bonded in the car. All discomforts of the past month were forgotten as they conceived something as unique as the stock car they'd built: team driving. There were certain efficiencies to be gained by having Luke monitor gauges and coordinate shifting, leaving Bo to drive more by feel than anything else. As they ran the car through increasingly challenging courses, the boys laughed and hollered together like they hadn't in months.

Jesse had been watching Bo and Luke since they'd returned from Kentucky. The patriarch continued to keep an eye on what seemed to be a slightly changed relationship between his boys. As best he could define it, they seemed somehow closer yet more awkward around one another. But he'd only get involved if they seemed to want him to, and so far, they didn't. In fact, as they began preparing for the upcoming race, their uncle was more than grateful to see Bo returning to his naturally upbeat ways. On the day that his youngest favored Jesse with that brilliant grin he hadn't seen in a month, his uncle stopped worrying. Well, he stopped worrying about Bo's temperament; not his boys' activities.

Jesse had other concerns as well, such as maintaining the alliance he'd built. He'd selected a few of the most responsible men in the coalition and presented them to Ridge Owens as potential members of the soon-to-be-formed Board of Directors for the mill. The owner had only questioned one.

"I can't have one of my employees on the board, Jesse."

"Not only can you, but you'd probably better. If you come into trouble again, you need him to help you tap into your own workers for solutions. And, what happens in the board room stays there unless the board dictates otherwise, so he can't be gossiping down there on the floor."

"I still don't know…"

"You've employed him for more than twenty years. Can you think of a better man than John Haines?"

The mill's owner had to concede that he didn't. "But do you think he'll want to? He's just lost his son…"

"All the more reason for him to get involved in life again, Ridge. If you don't have any more objections, I'll see to getting him to accept the offer."

With a shrug, Ridge Owens acquiesced.

The boys were almost desperate to get out in their new car, the Charger. Luke, in particular, hadn't yet had the chance to drive it, but from Bo's description of how it felt, there was nothing he wanted to do more. Instead, the two of them had to content themselves with tuning and retuning the car as it sat in the barn next to Tilly.

"We can't take him to the race all naked like this," Bo said, running his hand over the coat of Bondo primer.

Luke laughed, not sure whether it was his cousin's continued insistence that the car was male or his observation that the vehicle lacked appropriate attire for racing that tickled him so much.

"It ain't funny, Luke. Look at him!"

"All right, Bo. Let's go see what Cooter's got. Ain't no reason we can't paint him, though we're gonna have to move him to one of the older barns first. An' I get to drive him there!" Luke insisted, before Bo could stake a claim.

With a sly grin, Bo answered, "I bet you want to take the long way, too."

"Yeah, come on, let's do it."

About an hour and a half later the boys and Cooter had returned to the farm with the only paint Cooter could give them. After all, the mechanic's father still owned the garage and the inventory officially belonged to the older man. So they'd taken several containers of the stuff he'd never been able to sell, along with some nearly empty cans of varying colors.

"I don't know," Luke said. He'd been expressing his reservations ever since leaving the garage.

"Oh, loosen up, Luke, it'll be fine," Bo answered in mild annoyance. Sometimes his cousin could be something of a stick-in-the-mud.

"Yeah, just wait until you see how it looks on him," the mechanic advised.

"All right, but don't say I didn't warn you," the older Duke boy said, as he popped the lid on one of the full cans. Grimacing again at the color, he watched as Cooter hooked up the power sprayer and began to paint the body. 'Orange,' he thought. 'Well, after we win this thing, we'll buy some new paint and start over. And at least Bo will be the one driving this race, not me.'

"You boys got a number in mind?" their friend asked, interrupting Luke's thoughts.

With a wink at his younger cousin, Luke indicated that they were still in complete agreement on this.

"Yeah, Coot," Bo answered with so much sincerity that the mechanic couldn't laugh at him. "We're gonna be number one."

The boys' newly painted car with the racing number on its now welded doors continued to be stored in one of the old barns on a remote part of the Duke property, but Bo and Luke were getting anxious. They still didn't have the entry fee for a race they desperately needed to win. Cooter would have lent them the money, but they couldn't take it, seeing as they couldn't be completely sure they'd be able to pay him back. Besides, the mechanic would be driving against them, and if he lent them cash, he'd have conflicting interests in the race.

The Duke and Haines families had formed what seemed to be a permanent friendship, so it didn't really surprise Bo and Luke when the newlyweds came out to the farm for a visit one afternoon. Daisy made a pitcher of lemonade, and the entire family settled with the couple around the picnic table. They all drank a sober toast to the bride and groom.

Bo was a little shocked when Katie Jane suggested that the two of them go for a short walk. He'd kind of thought that her new marriage would keep her somewhat distant from him. This was the first time the two teens had been alone together since Ken had picked her up in Chattanooga. Bo desperately wanted to ask her if she really thought she'd be happy with Ken. He wasn't jealous, not anymore; more curious.

The blonde had come to realize that he'd never loved Katie Jane, though he'd cared for her. Had he been able to do what he'd briefly planned to, and married her, he wasn't sure how well it would have worked out. Still, asking the young woman that kind of a question wasn't appropriate, he knew. It sure wouldn't help her right now, and it might just hurt.

Since he couldn't blurt out the inquiry he wanted to, Bo found himself uncharacteristically tongue tied. He soon learned that Katie Jane hadn't pulled him aside for a casual chat anyway; she had something specific to say.

"I got something to give you, Bo, and I don't want you turnin' it down," she began. Her diminutive size notwithstanding, she looked like someone Bo didn't want to mess with at the moment. All the same, whatever it was, the blond was pretty much beholden to refuse. All the rules of small town relationships required it. His curiosity got the better of him, though.

"What is it, Katie Jane?"

"The coal company was facing a lawsuit, so they made an offer before that could happen. They gave me a cash settlement on top of the life insurance that you both signed up for when you took the job up there. An' then, because they was relatives, Robby's folks got some money, too. Me and Ken, we agreed. We're gonna keep the life insurance and the money the coal company gave me, an' that'll be plenty to raise Robby's child on. Ken's folks split the money they got four ways, keeping two shares for themselves and giving one each to Ken and Steve. We want you to have Ken's share. For all that you and Luke done for me, and also for all your Uncle Jesse done for Ken's dad."

Bo's head was shaking, but the young woman put a hand on either side of his face, stopping the motion.

"It ain't that much, Bo. But it'll make up for the few weeks you lost while goin' up there with us and stayin' with me. You coulda been here, workin' on the farm, but both you and Luke was takin' care of me. I want you to have it. I won't take no for an answer."

"Jesse'd kill me if I took it."

"He won't, 'cause Ken's convincing him over there," the young woman said, gesturing back towards the group they'd just left. And, indeed, it looked as though Ken was talking rather earnestly with the Duke men. "And besides, I'll kill you if you don't."

Bo laughed.

"You don't believe me? Just you try me, Bo Duke."

"All right, all right. Assuming Ken's as persuasive as you are, I'll take it."

Katie Jane was right, what she was giving Bo wasn't much. But it would cover the boys' entry into the race and leave enough over for one month's mortgage payment. After a lot of debate, the Duke family accepted it.

At the last possible moment, the boys signed up for the annual Hogg Derby. The county commissioner was surprised and somewhat miffed, but he couldn't prevent the Duke boys from racing. He'd have to come up with some other way to keep them out of his thinning hair.