Chapter 29: Getting Plans Underway


Jesse got on the phone and waited for his brother to pick up in Placid. He knew that if there was one sure fire way to get word around town in a hurry about the upcoming wedding, all he had to do was use the telephone. Maybelle or Gussy, it didn't matter which one was working the switchboard; word of Bo's pending engagement was sure to spread like wild fire just as soon as he told his brother about their nephew's plans for marriage.

"Duke Farm. John Duke speakin'. How can I help ya?"

"John, Jesse."

"Jesse? I wasn't expectin' to hear from you again so soon. Is there something else wrong? Luke's little girl? The-"

"No, John. This time I ain't callin' with bad news. In fact, I was hoping that maybe you and Pauline could come on out a little early for Thanksgiving this year."

"Early? I don't get it. Why?"

"Bo plans to get married on Thanksgiving."

"What? You're kiddin' me."

"Nope. The dern fool thought that it could be a simple matter of just having the preacher swing by durin' the meal for him and Kim to get hitched."

"What do you want me and Pauline to do?" John asked while laughing at the image in his head of his nephew exchanging vows between the roasted turkey and the sweet potato pie.

"I was hopin' that Pauline would agree to takin' over the plans for the reception. Food wise, I suppose the dinner doesn't have to be all that different than normal. We'll just need more of it."

"Jesse. You know that Pauline wouldn't miss this for anything in the world. She about floated on air when Luke and Jo included her in their weddin'. But to be in charge of the reception...You do realize what you're askin', right?"

"Absolutely. To get this wedding together in just two weeks, we'll need Pauline's take charge attitude of the situation. Daisy and Kira are already over with the bride now trying to sort out what Kim has in mind for the ceremony. After I get off the phone with you, I'll be callin' the reverend and see if he's opposed to joinin' us and workin' for his supper."

"I've never known him to turn down a free meal. Let me go talk to Pauline and then see if Carl can take over here a bit early for me. I'll call you back as soon as I can."

"Thanks, John."

~01~

"You're gonna do what?" Luke asked laughing knowing that he couldn't have heard his cousin right.

"You heard me. After you get Jo and the baby settled at the house, we'll need to go ahead and get fitted for our suits."

"Great."

"Oh come on, Lukas. I think it's kind of a fun idea. You're just mad that you didn't think of the same idea yourself so that you didn't have to wait until February," Jo said as she finished dressing Faith so they could leave the hospital.

Bo laughed since his cousin didn't correct his wife. Catching sight of the outfit that Jo was putting on the youngest Duke, he had to get a closer look at the baby. "Where did that come from?" He'd seen a lot of the baby clothes that had been bought but he couldn't remember this one.

"I got it while we were in New York." Luke shrugged.

"Jesse will kill you when he sees that."

"What? I thought it was cute," Luke said as he took his daughter from his wife.

"I hate to say it, but so do I," Jo added with a giggle as she reached for a blanket out of the bag that Luke had brought from home for her and the baby.

Looking at the tiny pink camouflage one piece outfit, Bo just shook his head. "I still say Jesse will kill you."

~01~

Kim and the other women were waiting for Jo and Luke when they got home. With all the ooing and awwing over both the baby and the wedding plans, the men were all quick to evacuate the farmhouse and head to town. Their first stop was over at the garage to see Cooter. When Bo and Luke climbed out of the General, Cooter came out of the bay area to greet them.

"Well if it ain't my two favorite customers. Luke, I sort of figured that you'd still be fawning all over that little girl of yours."

"The women folk have that taken care of, Cooter. Trust me. You'd have made a quick exit, too," Luke said good naturedly.

"You're probably right. So Buddy Roo, what's this I hear about you and Kim gettin' hitched?" Cooter said as he turned his attention to the younger Duke.

"How did you know?" Bo asked a bit dumbfounded.

"Sue was in here not more than twenty minutes ago and-"

"She's only a hop, skip, and blab away from Maybelle," Bo smirked. "Well, that's why we're here anyway. I was plannin' on askin' you to be in the weddin'."

"Me? Why me?"

"Two reasons. One, besides Luke, you're probably the best friend I have."

"And two?" Cooter asked questioningly.

"And two, I just need one more man to even up with the bridal party. Kim will have Jo, Daisy, and Kira since she hasn't ever really been all that close to any of the women in her family. Obviously, Luke and Jebb will be in the wedding. So, I just need one more man to finish off my side."

"Why not ask one of your other cousins?"

"Simple, they ain't here to go get measured for their tuxes."

"You mean you expect me to wear a monkey suit?"

"Oh, come on, Cooter. Please?" Bo begged before Cooter relented.

"You are goin' to so owe me."

"You got it." Bo grinned knowing that he'd won. "You can head over to the bridal shop anytime today and be measured. They'll be expectin' you."

"Yeh, yeh. I can't believe that I'm agreeing to this."

"Thanks, Cooter."

~01~

"Well, we can have our dresses made in no time since you just want to go simple but I still think that you should have an actual wedding gown," Daisy said as she flipped through the patterns that she'd picked up in town before she picked Kim up.

"Daisy, this is my second wedding. Don't you think that folks would find it a bit-" Kim started only to be cut off by Daisy.

"Honey, this is your wedding. You should make it memorable. Not to mention, as far as I'm concerned, the first one didn't count. Wouldn't you hate to look back ten years from now and regret not having a real wedding?"

"Daisy's right. Let's just go to the shop and see if there is a dress you like. That's all that will matter anyway; that you like the dress," Kira said. True, she'd worn her jeans and a sweater to get married but circumstances were different for her and Jebb than they are for Bo and Kim. "If the dress is blue, pink, white, or ivory, it won't matter. You'll be the one wearing it."

"I guess you're right. So, Jo? You want to come so Faith can go on her first shopping trip?"

"Why not? Get all of the Duke Women out on a shopping trip at one time. I'm sure that won't happen often."

"I'll meet you at the shop after I drop the boys off with Jebb. He should be back from town by now." Kira got up and gathered up the twins and headed on out ahead of the other women. She just couldn't see trying to keep the boys still in a bridal shop.

~01~

John went in search of his wife after he'd hung up the phone with Jesse. He found her in the kitchen flipping through the calendar and she seemed to be counting backwards. Pauline knew that her favorite nephew had been far from a saint but she also knew that his wife stayed in New York until right before the wedding. Pauline counted all the way back and it turned out that the baby really was full term and had to have been conceived no earlier than the wedding; most likely while they were on their Honeymoon. Good. There'll be no way that anyone can say that her nephew had only gotten married because he had to.

"What are you doin'?" John asked as his wife stepped back from the calendar.

"Just checking the dates," Pauline said matter-of-factly. "Who was on the phone?"

"Jesse. He wanted to see if we could head to Hazzard a bit early this year."

"Why? I know that there must be a lot to do with tearing down the old farm house and everything but-"

"Actually, this doesn't have anything to do with the house. Jesse wanted to see if you'd be interested in planning Bo's reception for his wedding."

"What? Bo's getting married? Who's he marryin'?"

"I didn't ask," John confessed. He hadn't even thought of asking.

"You didn't ask! How is it that you're told that Bo's getting married and you didn't ask to who?"

"Well Jesse said her name is Kim, but that didn't ring any bells for me. According to Jesse, Bo and his bride-to-be plan to get married on Thanksgiving Day."

"On Thanksgiving!" Pauline exclaimed.

"From what I gathered Jesse figured that the menu could stay the same as a normal Thanksgiving dinner. We'll just need more of it. Now I just need to go see if Carl can run things for a bit longer than usual for me."

"Oh, he'll do it. Let me call the school and have the girls' teachers send home any work that will need to be done while we're gone. We'll leave first thing in the morning. Then we'll see what all we have to do with this wedding. Honestly, a wedding in just two weeks. If I didn't know better I'd swear that-" Pauline stopped herself.

It couldn't be. Well, there was only one reason that she could think of that would cause such a rush to the altar. She knew that this was bound to happen to one of the boys eventually. She'd been so relieved a few minutes ago when she figured out that had not been the case for Luke, but now with Bo...

Well, time to make that phone call.

~01~

Kim tried on yet another dress. This one was Daisy's favorite but she just couldn't see herself wearing it to an outdoor wedding, even if this wasn't her second marriage. The long train would get filthy in no time in a farmyard.

Seeing herself in the dress, Kim admitted that it looked nice. In the store, not out at the farm. With each new dress she was beginning to regret not having been able to get Bo to just take her over to Chickamahoney to get married. Just to humor Daisy, she tried on the veil that went with the dress and that was how she looked when a group of women passed the store window and began to gawk at her as she stood in front of the large mirror in the front room. Kira eyed them and exchanged glances with Daisy and Jo before she grabbed up the next dress for Kim to try on.

"Kim, ignore them. Try this one next. I think it might be more in the line of what you're lookin' for," Kira said.

"We'll help you," Daisy added as she helped Kim off the step stool that Kim was perched on in front of the mirror. Daisy and Jo gathered up the train and went into the back room with the bride. Once the others were in the back, Kira straightened her shoulders and walked out of the bridal shop onto the sidewalk where the three women who had been staring at Kim were still standing around talking.

"...and I even heard that she was seen coming out of the doctor's office over in Capital City."

"Well, it makes sense. It'd be a bit awkward to have your own uncle examine you. She must have just found out, too. She ain't showin' yet."

"Showin' what, exactly?" Kira said after she cleared her throat.

"Oh, we didn't see you there," Cindy Johnson said as she backed away slightly.

"Obviously. You three have a problem with Kim?"

"Huh? Well, no," Cindy said as she glanced around. She didn't really want to be on the wrong side of the redheaded Duke.

"You have to admit though," Kathy Griffith spoke up from the crowd, "an engagement of only two weeks. It's bound to make folks wonder if just maybe your brother is bein' trapped into marriage."

"Kathy, just because you ended up stuck dating Ernie after Bo dropped you like a cheap slut, don't try to take it out on Kim."

"It figures that you'd take up for her. After all, you'd know all about trapping a Duke Boy, wouldn't you? Disgusting, really."

Cindy and her sister started to back away from their friend knowing that she was crossing a line that you didn't cross with a Duke.

"What did you say?" Kira lowered her voice so she could barely be heard.

"You heard me. I mean really, cousins havin' kids. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if them rugrats of yours grow up to be some sort of freaks and-" Kathy didn't get to finish what she was saying.

Kira had pulled back her fist and connected it squarely with Kathy's jaw.

~01~

Kim slipped on the dress that Kira had handed her and Daisy zipped it up for her. Looking down at herself, Kim had to admit that it was a lot closer to what she had in mind. It was a long, ivory dress but it didn't have a train to worry about getting dirty and messed up. Jo handed her some shoes that matched the dress and with them on, the dress hovered just off of the floor, barely giving a glimpse of the pumps underneath. It was cut a bit low in the front but she wasn't against that really. Seeing the plunging neckline, Kim could picture Bo's reaction to it. Grinning, she headed out to the front room where the mirror was and was greeted to the sight of Kira and Kathy Griffith fighting outside of the shop right on the sidewalk.

Daisy ran out and went to join her cousin. Kim couldn't exactly go out in the dress and Jo was still in no condition to help out either. After all, it was just twenty-four hours ago that she'd given birth. Outside, Daisy pulled her cousin off of the other woman. Kim couldn't tell what was being said but after just a few short words Daisy turned around and knocked the blonde woman down herself as Kathy was getting to her feet.

"I wonder what she said that made even Daisy slug her?" Kim asked

"A reaction like that? Had to have been about the family. Not sure exactly what though."

"Uh oh, here comes Rosco. Great, I'm trying to get a wedding together and half of the bridal party will end up in jail."

"It wouldn't be a Duke wedding without someone getting locked up," Jo laughed.

~01~

Jebb and Jesse had let the twins have a ball in an empty stall that just had bails of hay in it while they settled the live stock into Luke's barn. Luckily, he'd not gotten many animals of his own so his barn had plenty of room for the animals from the main farm until the farmhouse could be rebuilt. They were done by the time Bo and Luke pulled back up into the yard and climbed out of the General Lee.

"Well, did ya get all fitted?" Jesse said as he walked out of the barn to meet his nephews.

"Yes sir. We told them that you'd be in after lunch to get measured for your suit."

"Good. Jebb, your folks will be leaving out first thing in the morning so we can expect them for lunch tomorrow. Pauline will be getting everything together for the reception." Jesse smiled thinking about his brother's wife.

"I wonder if Pop had to revive her after she heard that Bo was gettin' married."

"Likely enough. I'll admit that I never thought that there was a woman alive that could put up with him full time."

"Hey! I'm not that bad," Bo complained but ended up grinning at his uncle's observations.

"How do you know? You've never had to put up with yourself." Luke snickered as he helped to get the twins out of the temporary playpen while ignoring the look that Bo shot him. When the men all headed into the house, the phone rang and Luke answered it while Jesse and the others started to get lunch ready. When he hung up, Luke shook his head and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. "Who wants to head to town to get two bride's maids out of lock up?"

"What?" Jesse asked.

"From what Jo said on the phone, Kira decked Kathy Griffith right out in front of the bridal shop."

"She what?" The other men all shouted.

"And apparently, Daisy tried to break them up and then turned right around and punched her, too. Jo was goin' to try to bail them out but she left her bank book here at the house so she couldn't."

"I'm on my way. Stay with the boys," Jebb said as he hefted the boys into their highchairs before he headed out the door.

"I'm goin' too. I got to go to town anyway," Jesse said as he followed in behind Jebb. "I don't know what got into them girls."