When Luke heard Uncle Jesse say they had company, he never imagined who it might be. And when he saw Charlie standing in his kitchen, staring at him with those amazing green eyes, he realized, albeit fleetingly, that she had seen him practically shirtless. But that thought quickly disappeared when he got a good look at the rest of her.
Every time he had seen her before, she'd been in coveralls and a ball cap with her hair tucked up underneath, and so streaked with grease he hardly could see her face. Now she had cleaned up and was wearing worn Levi's, a t-shirt that was too big for her, and she still had the ball cap on. But Luke thought she was the most stunning thing on the planet. And when she took off her cap to sit at the table, long layers of gorgeous russet-colored hair tumbled to the middle of her back. Luke just about swooned.
But he managed to keep it together all through dinner and the conversation afterwards. He even managed two whole sentences, something he was very proud of in the presence of this backwoods goddess.
When Luke finally reached the safety of his room, he was able to let out a hearty, frustrated groan and fall face first down on his bed without embarrassing himself. Unfortunately, he had forgotten Bo was right behind him. That is, until his younger cousin began laughing long and hard. Then Luke was groaning for a whole other reason.
"Woo-hoo! I knew it! I had a feelin' earlier at the Boar's Nest, but then I saw the way you kept fallin' over yourself at supper! Oooo-whee!"
"Oh Lord, was I that obvious? Shit!" Bo wanted to continue giving his cousin a hard time, but couldn't find it in him.
"Aw, don't worry cuz, she doesn't suspect a thing. Probably thinks you two are still at war." Luke had forgotten about that.
"Oh no! What am I gonna do? I don't want her to think that!"
"Hell if I know! Ask Daisy. But watch it, she was talking about stickin' lit firecrackers in your pants earlier." Luke winced and nodded in agreement. Then, realizing there was nothing more he could do that night, he tried to get some sleep.
No such luck.
Once again he found himself outside on the back porch, listening to crickets and watching the stars. Just as he was starting to drift off, he heard a muffled thud through the screen door, followed by a curse. Luke grinned, recognizing the voice instantly.
"C'mon out Charlie. I ain't gonna bite." A silent moment passed, and then Luke heard the screen door open. He opened his eyes and looked up to see Charlie in a pair of boxer shorts and a man's shirt that was, once again, far too large for her. Trying real hard not to focus on where the shirt gapped in the front and he could see her bra, Luke gave her an easy smile and gestured to the seat beside him.
She sat in it readily enough, but long years of working with animals told Luke that she was nervous as hell. So he did what he would do with any animal in that situation; he sat back and tried to appear non-threatening. And sure enough, after awhile, Charlie began to relax.
"Listen, about earlier. I didn't mean to be such a jerk."
"Yes you did."
"Well, okay, but I'm sorry about it. Truce?" And Luke held out his hand for a shake. She eyed him warily, but agreed.
"Truce." His hand was rough and callused from the hard work of keeping up a farm, but still gentle enough as to keep her hackles from rising.
"And I'm sorry about gettin' on your case earlier. It's just a little rough bein' the new girl in town, who's also a mechanic."
"I believe it. What brings you to Hazzard anyways? We're not exactly up there for top places to live in the U.S." Charlie nodded, letting some of her dark hair escape the tie she had it in, and veil her face.
"Exactly. I don't want a big town where no one gives two shits. Here, folks give a damn. And that's important to me. Asides, Cooter's here, and he's the only family I got this side of the Mason-Dixon Line."
"Really? You sure as hell don't sound like no Yankee I've ever known."
"Lemme rephrase. No family down here anymore. Born and raised in Alabama, then Mama got sick of it. And we moved to New York." Charlie rolled her eyes.
"Guess it wasn't your shot of whiskey, huh?" Luke asked.
"Nuh-uh. Got back down here right after finishing college last month."
"Hey, a college girl! Don't suppose that degree had anything to do with automotive technology now, did it?"
"Nope. Learned all I know from my old man." Luke nodded.
"Well hot damn honey! You better keep us Duke boys around to fight off all them boys who're gonna be doggin' your every move. Trust me."
"And what makes you think I can't handle 'em m'self?" Luke thought about it a second and relented.
"I guess I overstepped my bounds. Anyways, if you can throw me off your case so well, you ain't gonna have no trouble. But I tell you, some of them boys ain't as gentlemanly as the Duke clan. Ask Daisy, she'll tell you."
"Anything else, Mr. Warden, sir?" Luke dropped his chin to his chest with a sheepish grin.
"I was doin' it again, huh?"
"Yup."
"Sorry. I'll work on that."
"Well, they say the first step is admitting you have a problem," she commented stoically.
"Admitting I have a - ! You know missy, you really take the cake! And after I'm trying to watch what I say and - !"
Luke's tirade was cut short when he noticed Charlie trying her damndest to keep from bursting out laughing.
"You little devil!" he cried and lunged to grab her and tickle her, but she was up and running before he had finished hollering. Always up for a good chase himself, Luke tore after her.
They chased each other for near ten minutes before Charlie finally jumped out and tackled Luke, pinning him most effectively to the ground.
"Holy hell! Never even heard you comin'! How'd you do that?" he demanded, breathing hard.
"Practice," she replied, panting a little herself.
"Well now that you've got me, what exactly d'you plan on doin' with me?" Luke asked, looking up into her emerald eyes, his bare chest pounding.
Realizing exactly where this could lead, Charlie immediately jumped off Luke and stood up, offering him a hand. Confused by her sudden change in attitude, Luke tried to look her in the face, but she kept turning away. About to demand an explanation, he suddenly remembered what Daisy had said, about taking it slow. So he changed tactics.
"Ready to go back to the house?" he murmured. Charlie looked up at him, obviously not expecting that, but nodded slowly. "Well then milady, allow me to escort you." And ever the charmer, Luke offered the young woman his arm with all the grace of a courtly gentleman. Shocked into laughter, Charlie took it and the two headed back to the house, and to bed.
Luke dropped Charlie off at Daisy's door, and taking a chance, he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.
"Sweet dreams," he whispered, and was gone, leaving Charlie feeling like she had been blindsided.
Luke, on the other hand, had to make a serious effort not to cheer. He had taken a dare on the kiss and she hadn't clocked him for it! He shucked off his jeans and climbed between his sheets to drift off to dreams of piercing green eyes and a wickedly charming smile.
Daisy woke up the next morning to find Charlie hurriedly changing out of grass-stained pajamas and trying to hide her dirty feet. And that was better than a shot of coffee.
"What on earth were you doin' last night? And who with?" the lively blonde asked eagerly. Charlie jumped. Busted.
"Don't go thinkin' like that Daisy Duke, cuz it's nothin' of the sort. I couldn't sleep last night – "
"I bet you couldn't."
"Will you hush! I went downstairs and saw Luke out on the porch. I tried to sneak back upstairs, but I hit my knee on the damn cupboard. He heard me and invited me outside. We started talking. And then we went back to bed."
"And the grass stains?"
"Oh those! I – uh…fell," Charlie finished lamely.
"With Luke on top of you?" Daisy asked with an oh-so-innocent look on her face.
"No, I was on top of him actually – "
"My, my, my! I never woulda thought!"
"Daisy! We were just playing tag and I caught him. We fell over. Nothing happened. Now will you stop? I don't want no one hearin' you!" Daisy eyed Charlie shrewdly for a few moments, then conceded.
"Okay, I believe you. But you know I'm gonna ask Luke about it too." Charlie shrugged.
"Hell of a lot I care, he's just gonna say the same thing."
"I take it y'all worked out your differences then."
"Mmm-hmm. Now will you tell Bo to get outta the bathroom? I gotta go!" Daisy chuckled and rolled out of bed. She went to the only bathroom in the house and pounded on the door.
"Bo! Hurry up! The rest of us need to get in there ya know!"
"Alright, alright, keep your shirt on!" Bo came out of the bathroom with just a towel around his waist and sopping hair, which he shook all over Daisy. "Mornin' gorgeous," he teased.
Daisy rolled her eyes. "Would you get some clothes on! There are women in the house who don't wanna see you half-naked?"
"What about all naked? Cuz I can work that if you play your cards right," Bo teased. Daisy shooed him off, only to see Luke disappear behind the shower curtain.
"Get the door, will ya Daisy?" he asked. Sighing exasperatedly, she was about to follow through on his request, when Charlie slipped past her, not knowing Luke was already inside.
"Thanks Daisy," she said, pulled the door shut behind her and locked it. Daisy blinked and then disappeared before all hell broke loose.
Inside the bathroom, Luke had just realized someone was in there with him. He couldn't see who it was because the shower curtain was blocking his view, and a good thing too, otherwise Charlie would have gotten the Full Monty if she'd turned around.
"Who's in there?" she asked, hearing someone mutter an oath.
Now look what you did. She never woulda known if you'd kept quiet, Luke berated himself. "It's uh…it's Luke."
"Oh geez Luke! I am so sorry! I didn't know you were in here! Oh god the door won't open!" Charlie began getting anxious as she continually tried to open the door, but to no avail. Eventually, she stopped.
"Charlie? You still there?" Luke's slightly strained voice rose up over the curtain.
"Yep. Still here. Door's jammed."
"Well can ya holler for someone, I'm kinda in no position to be breakin' down any doors." Charlie remembered he was naked and found herself imaging what he might look like. Then she snapped back to reality.
"Oh! Right! Jesse! Daisy! Bo! Can anyone hear me? Hello?" No answer. "Uhm, they must all be outside doin' chores already."
"Or standin' right outside the door, havin' a good laugh," Luke commented wryly.
"Well, listen," Charlie said, trying to be practical. "This is no reason to keep us from getting ready. Agreed?"
"Sure." Right now Luke was trying to keep his mind off of his lower region, and was ready to agree to anything.
"So, you just go ahead and take your shower, and…and I'll take care of my business. Okay?"
"Right." And with that, Luke turned the water on as cold as it could go and tried to think virtuous thoughts.
Five minutes later, they had a whole other problem.
"Charlie can you hand me a towel?" A moment of silence.
"Luke, there are no towels." Luke froze.
"What?" he asked in a low voice.
"There aren't any towels," she repeated. "Bo must've taken the last one." Thinking of all the things he was going to do to his cousin when he got out of the bathroom helped Luke remain somewhat calm.
"Okay then, can you hand me my Levi's." Moments later, the jeans appeared through a crack in the curtain. "Thanks."
"No problem," Charlie replied in a clipped tone. Uh-oh.
Luke pulled his jeans on and then pulled back the curtain. The one day I forget a complete change of clothes! "Uh, do you need to…" he motioned towards the shower.
"Well, I was planning on it. But under the circumstances, I think – "
"Listen here Charlie. We're both adults. And I'm not gonna jump your bones just cuz you're naked in the shower." No matter how much I might want to.
"Fine." And Charlie stepped behind the curtain. Soon after, her clothes landed in a heap on the floor. Seeing as she'd been in the middle of changing, her clothing consisted of underwear and a big t-shirt.
As the water started running, Luke picked up the t-shirt to get a look at the size, which was the one of a very sturdy man. Not a slender young woman.
"Why is everything you wear three times as big as you are?" Luke asked.
"You're examining my clothes now?" she demanded. "I like my clothing loose, if it's any of your business."
"Loose is one thing darlin', but both Bo and I could fit in this shirt and still have room to spare. And we're not exactly featherweights. What's the deal?"
"What's with all the questions? Two days ago you couldn't stand to be near me, now you're questioning my clothes size? Get a hobby Lucas." Stung by her remark, Luke dropped the subject for the present time, and turned his attention to the door.
"I already told you. It's jammed. Don't you believe me?"
"Course I believe you. I was just trying for m'self is all. Why're you so damn defensive?"
"Same reason you're so arrogant. It's the way God intended it." Luke was torn on whether to be upset or amused by this remark. Then he realized fighting would get him nowhere, so he chuckled and was rewarded with an answering laugh.
"You about done in there? Sure takin' awhile."
"What's the rush? Besides, you men only got two things to worry about in the shower: pits and balls. Women have an entire body to worry about." Speaking of women's bodies, Luke thought absentmindedly, but then shook it off.
"Uh-huh. You just want an excuse so you can use all the hot water."
"Well it's not like you're gonna need it anymore, and I'm not exactly feelin' charitable towards the others right now. Don't you think they'd have noticed by now that we weren't out doin' chores?"
"Unless this is some scheme of theirs."
"True. In which case I'm not feelin' charitable either." Luke grinned.
"You said it darlin'."
Finally, Charlie turned the water off and asked for her things. Luke tried to give it all to her without looking too hard at her underwear, but it didn't work, and soon he was imagining her in it. Well, she's right about one thing. Sure won't be needin' the hot water anymore.