CHAPTER TWO

A couple of weeks later, Nathan was home and Luke was truly happy again; one afternoon when he and Nathan had just gotten back from trail-blazing on their bikes, they saw Bo and Becky playing with some of Bo's toy cars, acting out a police chase with a cop car and a ford thunderbird. On the other side of the yard, Enos Strate was on his bike carrying his newspaper sack on his back and talking to Daisy with a love-struck look in his eyes.

Nathan had dark blonde hair and green eyes with sun-tanned skin. He was the same age as Luke and thought it was the most amusing thing in the world that Becky and Bo were such good friends.

"Hey Beck, you never did tell me when the wedding was," he teased.

Becky stuck her tongue out at him, "There ain't gonna be no weddin'; Bo 'n I are gonna be outlaws when we grow up! Ain't we, Bo?"

"Yeah! We're gonna run from the cops and everything!" Bo replied with a mischevious grin.

"Bo, you was born a Duke, you're gonna be runnin' from cops anyway," Luke replied with a smirk.

"Enos done said he was gonna be a cop when he grew up," Becky said innocently.

Luke raised his eyebrow, "How'd ya hear that?"

"He was talkin' to Daisy, tryin' to make her fall in love with him," Becky rolled her eyes, "I don't understand what the big deal about kissin' and holdin' hands is."

"You'll understand someday, sis," Nathan replied, "Enos's goin' to the wrong side."

"I know what you mean - he's practically goin' against everything his daddy's ever done. Everyone in town knows Elrod Strate runs 'shine like mine and Bo's daddy did," Luke replied with a sigh, "but then again, Enos wasn't never that smart, anyway."

Nathan and Luke went over to tease Enos and Daisy for a little while, leaving Bo and Becky alone again.

"Hey, if they're right when they say he ain't that smart, won't we be able to get away from him pretty fast?" Becky asked eagerly.

"Maybe - I don't know 'bout Sherriff Coltrane, though. Remember how he caught us snatching those candies?" Bo asked.

"Yeah - but we were on bikes! Plus I'm never doin' that again - I got a whippin' fer it," Becky rubbed her backside with the memory.

"Me too," Bo replied, "and it ain't that often that Uncle Jessie gives whippin's."

Becky looked over to Enos, Daisy, Luke, and Nathan for a moment before scrunching her nose up, "You know, I dunno what the big deal about love and kissin' and all that junk is."

"Me neither," Bo replied, going back to his mini car chase and only half listening to her.

Becky looked over Bo a minute, watching him drive his cars around before she suddenly had an idea, "Let me kiss you, Bo."

Bo's eyes widened as he looked back up at his best friend, "Let you WHAT?"

Becky rolled her own eyes and looked back at Bo impatiently, "Let me kiss you, you oaf!"

"Why?"

"To prove that there ain't no big deal in it."

"Okay, but not where they can see us."

"Deal."

So the two ten year olds went to the barn, feigning going to see the kittens, when really Becky was about to conduct her experiment.

Becky settled down on her knees in the hay while Bo nervously sat in front of her, every few minutes watching the ladder entrance to the loft. The occasional kitten mewing and pawing at their knees went unnoticed as they finally settled.

"Okay, close your eyes," Becky said.

When she commanded him to do this, he clamped his eyes shut as tight as he could.

"No no no! Not like that! Like you was sleepin' or somethin'!" Becky huffed.

"Oh, like this?" Bo asked, his eyes relaxing.

"Yeah, just like that. Ready? One, two, three," Becky's lips came in contact with Bo's in a very short kiss.

Bo opened his eyes and blinked, staring at Becky who was staring back at him for a long moment. Suddenly, her eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened.

"Well? Was it any big deal to you?" she asked almost impatiently.

Bo shook his head a little, blinking one more time and nodding up at Becky, "It's just a kiss - nothin' special."

Becky grinned, "See! Older kids are so dumb..." she muttered as she went back down the barn loft ladder, Bo following close behind.

Nathan and Luke were sitting on the front poorch just watching the birds and squirrels play in the yard, tossing a baseball absently back and forth when they noticed Bo and Becky going back to play with their cars.

Luke chuckled, "Ever since I've seen those two first play together, the one thing I've noticed is how Bo tends to follow and immitate Becky."

"I know what you mean - it's really weird," Nathan replied, "maybe it's a sign of things to come."

Luke laughed, "Whatcha mean by that?"

"I dunno, maybe someday she's gonna have a buncha boys followin' her around like Bo does. Maybe even Bo himself."

"Yeah, but they won't wanna just play with matchbox cars - Bo might..."

"She wouldn't let 'em anyway," Nathan laughed, "she popped one guy in the nose the other day with her book because he was tryin' to peek up the dress she wore to parents' day."

Luke laughed a hearty laugh, "Bo told me about that!"

Nathan sighed, "She's one weird kid. She's more like a little brother than a little sister. Do you know how weird that IS?"

"Daisy used to be like that, but somethin' this year changed her," Luke replied, "maybe the same thing'll happen to Becky."

"I kinda don't want it to, sometimes; I always get her to dig up my worms for fishin and she don't fuss, but if she goes girly, she will," Nathan replied.

"Hey! No fair, you ran me off the road! Learn how to drive right, you scumbag!" Becky shouted at Bo and his car from the distance.

Nathan and Luke couldn't help but laugh when they heard her.

"I don't think Becky'll ever change," Luke said with a grin, "she has too much fun pushin' Bo around!"