The next day, the boys were back at Cooter's, anxious to learn the cost of damages to the General.
"Geez, it looks worse in daylight," Luke muttered.
"Well y'all've wrecked just about everything there is to him," a familiar voice answered back. "What'd you think he'd look like?" Oh, just what I need, Luke groaned to himself.
"Listen missy," he began. "I don't know who you are and I don't know why you're here. But it's no business of yours what we do with our cars? So would you knock it off?" Charlie cocked an eyebrow at Luke, giving him the once-over.
"Buddy, I just happen to be the one fixin' up this piece of junk for you. So I suggest you quit tellin' me what to do, otherwise it'll take even longer for him to be ready? You read me?" Luke's jaw dropped.
"You threatin' me? Cuz I can play that game, little lady!"
Which is when Cooter and Bo came in. Immediately they recognized a fire zone when they saw it, and paused before making any sudden moves.
"What's goin' on in here?" Bo asked, eyeing the girl he hadn't been introduced to yet.
"Nothin'," Luke replied, turning away from Charlie. "What's this gonna set us back Cooter?"
"Couple thousand at least. And that's without all them new parts y'all had installed recently." Luke's head dropped in frustration.
"Where the hell are we gonna get that kinda money?" he muttered.
Hating to see his cousin like this, Bo jumped in. "Don't worry Luke, we'll figure somethin' out. Cooter, just get it so we can drive him, alright?" Cooter nodded, wishing there was more he could do as the boys walked out of the garage. Then he turned to Charlie.
"What in tarnation was that all about?" he cried. "You're not in town three days and already you've gotten yourself involved with one of the Dukes!"
"Involved my ass. He's just an arrogant country boy who thinks he knows more than me about cars cuz he's a man." Charlie was pretty steamed about the whole deal too, and told Cooter she needed to cool off, take a drive or something.
"Take the truck. Go on to the Boar's Nest and say hi to Daisy for me."
"Which one's Daisy?" she asked, taking the keys from his grease-covered hand.
"Trust me honey, she'll find you. Now git!"
Cooter was right. Daisy found Charlie real fast. The moment she stepped into the tavern, she was greeted by a tall, leggy blonde in heels, with shorts so short there was little point to them.
"You Daisy?"
"Sure am, sugah. Can I get you somethin'?" Surprised that Cooter was allowed within fifty feet of this angel, Charlie nodded.
"Beer, please. I'm supposed to tell you that Cooter says hey," she dutifully relayed the message as she took a seat at the bar. "I'm his family, Charlie."
"Welcome to Hazzard hunny. Isn't that sweet of Cooter? Did y'all find out how much it's gonna cost to get the General runnin' again?" Wow, news travels fast, Charlie thought, not knowing who Daisy was.
"Couple thousand." Daisy winced. "Yeah, they got him real good."
"What else is new? You'll come to find out those boys get into more trouble than you can shake a dead cat at. But enough about them. How'd you find yourself in our little corner of the world, darlin'?"
Charlie felt comfortable talking to Daisy, and was about to answer, when she spotted the Duke boys entering the Boar's Nest. And to her dismay, they were headed straight for her.
"Howdy boys," Daisy greeted them cheerfully. "This here's Charlie, but I guess y'all have already met. Charlie, you know my cousins, Bo and Luke."
Charlie blinked her pretty green eyes in shock. "Your cousins? You're related?" Following where she was headed, Luke chimed in.
"It gets even worse; we live together." Charlie glared at him for the sarcasm.
"Guess it can't get much worse than that," she snapped.
"Whoa, alright you two," Daisy cut in sharply. "No fighting in my bar. Y'all can take it outside if you're gonna keep actin' stupid." And when Charlie glanced her way, she could tell the blonde beauty meant it. She wouldn't hesitate to throw both her new friend and her cousin out on their asses.
"I gotta get back to work," she muttered. "Thanks for the beer Daisy." And she was gone.
"Is this how it's gonna be now? You two chase each other out of place after place till there's nowhere left?" Bo asked, only half teasing. Luke had filled him in on the details earlier.
Ignoring his cousin and best friend, Luke asked Daisy for a beer and a ham sandwich. She shook her head at his stubbornness, but went to get it for him.
"Never knew you to let a girl throw you around like that, cuz. She's really gettin' to you, isn't she?" Bo teased. Luke just glared at him, but that had never phased the young blonde before. And he didn't stop until Daisy threatened to throw him out as well.
"Don't listen to him Luke. She'll come around. Didn't seem to me like she trusts a lot of people. Just take it easy with her." Luke looked up from his beer, a questioning look on his face.
"Daisy, I'm not tryin' to date the girl. Even I don't go for she-demons."
"Luke Duke if I wasn't workin' I'd beat you so good! All she's done is show some backbone around you and all you can do is be a big jerk about it!" And Daisy stomped off in the opposite direction, so mad that she didn't even hear Luke call after her.
"What was that all about?" he asked Bo, stunned by Daisy's behavior.
Bo shook his head. "Women. C'mon, let's get outta here."
Later that night, Daisy wasn't speaking to Luke and refused to talk to Uncle Jesse or Bo about it. She didn't even eat with them, just asked Jesse for the keys to his truck and took off towards town.
Daisy didn't know where she was going, and about fifteen minutes later, she found herself on the road to Cooter's place. But before she even reached his house, she saw Charlie walking on the side of the road by herself. Parking the truck, Daisy got out and fell into step beside her.
The women walked in companionable silence until Charlie piped up and asked Daisy why she was out driving this time of night, when she should be home having dinner with her cousins. And at that, she went off.
"That big, stupid, arrogant jerk! Don't talk to me about him, Charlie. He's got me so mad right now!"
"This wouldn't happen to be a certain brunette cousin of yours, now would it?" Daisy nodded.
"That's the one!"
"What happened?" Daisy calmed down enough to realize if she told Charlie the whole truth of what had happened, she and Luke would never be able to bury the hatchet. And as mad as Daisy was, she didn't want that.
"Oh, somebody hurt his pride and his solution is just all bully and no brains."
"You talkin' about me, Daisy? Am I the one he's all bent outta shape over?" Mighty perceptive little girl, isn't she? Daisy thought to herself.
"Oh no, sugah, just one of the guys at the Boar's Nest, that's all." Daisy gave herself a pat on that back when Charlie seemed to take her story.
"You folks sure have one hell of a life out here. Bar fights, runnin' moonshine, car chases. Cooter tells me stories," she explained at Daisy's inquiring look.
"Yeah, we have our fun. Listen, it's late. Why don't you come back to the farm with me and stay a few nights? Let me show you the boys aren't all bad. And you haven't even met Uncle Jesse yet!"
"Oh gosh, there's more of you?" which made Daisy laugh.
"Just the four of us honey. So what d'you say? Will you come?" It only took Charlie a second to say yes, and they were headed to Cooter's to get some of her things. And then on to the farm.
"Uncle Jesse! I got company!" Daisy hollered as she walked in the kitchen door.
"Daisy! Good, you're back. I was startin' to get worried."
"Sorry, Uncle Jesse. I found Charlie here and we got to talkin'. She's gonna stay with us awhile, is that okay?" Jesse smiled a kindly welcome at Daisy's guest.
"Of course it is. Nice to meet you Charlie. You must be the young lady workin' with Cooter, am I right?"
"Yessir, Mr. Duke."
"Oh no child, call me Uncle Jesse. Everyone else does. Now have you eaten yet? The boys and I held off until you got back Daisy, and there's plenty of room for one more. Boys! Wash up and get down here! We got company!"
Suddenly there was a great thundering above her and moments later Bo and Luke appeared on the steps, still pulling on clean shirts. Charlie was treated to a very nice view of Luke's tightly muscled chest and abs before he finished buttoning his shirt up. Then he looked up, saw her, and stopped dead in his tracks.
He would have been frozen that way, except Bo ran into him from behind and jerked him into moving. The whole thing had been so fast, Charlie wasn't even sure if she'd seen what she thought she had. Realizing she'd been gazing at Luke for some time now, she tore her gaze away and began helping Daisy set the table, needing something to do.