A/N - Hi everybody! As always, thanks for the reviews. I know I always say this, but I love hearing from everyone, and you have no idea how helpful your comments are.
I had a very valid one come up that I'd already thought of, so I can only assume that others have too. I didn't mean to slight any of the other characters from the Dukes. I love Cooter, Enos, Rosco, and Boss, too, but as I wrote this and have now re-written parts, there just wasn't really an appropriate spot for them. I felt like there was so much going on, I didn't want to squeeze more in that wasn't necessary. In the back of my mind, they've always been around just like they always have been, but I should have probably mentioned it sooner instead of assuming that ya'll knew what I was thinking!
Thanks again for everyone who's stuck with me. Now, back to the story.
POT SHOTS
CHAPTER 14
A NICE DAY FOR A RIDE
The next day, Sandy reported for duty as usual, but they were going to play hooky, again, or as Sandy called it, 'readjustment therapy.' Uncle Jesse hadn't had to worry about paying her, she hadn't been working much, but it seemed to be doing Bo as much good as exercising his fingers or practicing his speech.. It was like watching a moth turn to a butterfly, or in his case, turn back to one. Sandy could tell that he'd been extremely sociable. Living like a hermit just wasn't in Bo's nature.
On the agenda for the day was horseback riding. Living on a ranch, Sandy was an excellent rider. It was one of the things she missed most about being away from home. She was raised in a saddle, and she could keep up with her brothers in almost every aspect of ranching or riding. Her mother had taught her, and was known as the best horsewoman in a large part of Texas. It ran in the veins, and Sandy was really looking forward to it.
Climbing into Dixie, the boys rode up front and the girls took the back. They were all laughing and talking, letting the wind blow through their hair, looking forward to spending the day together. Daisy had a big basket of goodies fixed, the boys had their guitars in the back, and Betty Jean was bringing the horses. Sandy was just going along for the ride because Bo had asked her to. Selecting a stretch of land on the edge of the county, it was secluded for privacy and had wonderful trails. They were sure that no one would bother them up there.
Betty Jean was already there when they pulled up. Two horses were tied to a tree, and she was brushing down one. Waving at her friend, Daisy jumped out first while Luke unbuckled Bo, then helped him up. Sandy saw Daisy and Betty Jean talking, but Betty Jean's eyes were focussed on Bo. She still couldn't tell if the rodeo queen was more surprised that he'd been hurt or that he was with someone else. The Texas Twister got the feeling that they may have had a little bit of a past together, but wasn't quite sure what it was. Bo, however, didn't seem to be too interested in Betty Jean, and that made the girl from the Lone Star state very happy.
After eating, Sandy stayed behind with the guys while the two girl-friends took the horses up a high trail. Turning to their instruments, the guys were a little gun shy about playing for her after she'd made her stage debut the night before. She told them that she'd never been serious about music, just liked hanging around her brother and a few of his friends, and playing had been fun. She got herself into position behind Bo again, and they started their own concert. Bo was finding it difficult to concentrate. Every time she sat like that, the sensations burning through his jeans were getting stronger, as was his reaction. Instead of singing, he found himself dreaming about what it would be like to be there alone with her, blanket spread out on the ground, him above her, and neither of them with their clothes on. He wondered just how, and if, his ability to make love to a woman would be affected by his injury.
When girls came back, Betty Jean offered her horse, Starlight, to Sandy. She eagerly accepted, making friends with the animal before hoisting herself up. Daisy'd been in the racing mood all morning, and Sandy told her she was game. The two took off flying, the hoofs sounding like thunder and kicking up the loose dirt behind them.
"Be careful," Bo yelled after them, hoping that they wouldn't get too reckless. He was a perfect example of just what could happen when you took too many chances and didn't heed warnings.
An hour later, the girls were finishing an exhilarating ride. After resting their animals, they started a slower trek down the incline. Three-quarters of the way back, a slight break in the thick forestry gave them a clear view of their picnic spot.
"Hey! Looks like someone decided to join the party. You know em?" Sandy asked Daisy.
"I don't know," Daisy replied slowly, her eyes transfixed on the spot below them.
Hazzard was like any other little town, most people were friendly. Being from one herself, Sandy wouldn't have given it a second thought. She would have assumed that they'd run into someone they knew, but the way Daisy answered her said something else. Her normally light and cheery voice sounded troubled. Noticing that her friend had stopped her own horse to observe, Sandy retraced the distance she had put between them. Together they continued to watch, and she couldn't help but worry about the concern on her Daisy's face.
"Daisy, what's the matter?"
"I don't know. I feel like I've seen those guys somewhere before, but I can't place them, and I'm getting a bad feeling."
Before Sandy could reply, they saw one of the men wave something in the air. It was shiny and the sun's reflection radiated off of it. Even from that distance, they could see it was a gun.
Bo and Luke were trying to be polite, making conversation with Betty Jean. She'd always liked Bo, and had sweet talked him in to asking her out a couple times in high school, but Bo just wasn't interested in her. Using the excuse that she and Daisy were friends, and that's what they should stay, he broke it off before it ever began. Betty Jo returned to Hazzard hoping to kindle something that hadn't been there in the first place. It was one of the reasons that she had scheduled a few extra days for her visit, secretly hoping that a romance might blossom. Saying that she was there to see Daisy and her parents just sounded better. She'd heard about what had happened to Bo, and she'd been told that he was doing great. She hadn't been aware of how seriously injured he'd been, nor that doing great meant wearing braces. At first, she'd been surprised, but then she thought that she might be able to use it to her advantage, caring for the not completely healed Bo. She knew through the grapevine that he hadn't been involved with anyone prior to the shooting so the last thing she expected was to see was Sandy Maverick guarding him like a mama bear protects her cubs.
Luke knew that she was making his cousin uncomfortable. She kept asking all about his injuries and what had happened, and Bo didn't want to explain it to her. He'd give her short replies, and then Luke would try to steer the conversation in another direction, asking questions about life on the rodeo circuit. She had always loved to talk about herself, and that hadn't changed, but somehow, she still managed to turn the focus right back to Bo. Luke grinned at her pitiful attempts to woe the blonde, wanting to tell her that she was wasting her time; Bo's heart was already spoken for.
Finally, feeling sorry for his cousin, Luke made up some excuse to get her away from him, asking her to show him something that wasn't important. She agreed, and Luke led her in the direction of her truck and trailer, grinning at Bo who shot him a grateful look.
While Luke was pretending to be interested in whatever the rodeo queen was saying, Bo saw the two men approaching. Something about them caught his eye, and he watched them closely. Recognition set in as they got closer. He knew that he should warn Luke or do something, but the fear he felt paralyzed him in ways that the pot shot hadn't. He couldn't speak, he couldn't move. All he could do was to shake, violently.
Luke glanced over his shoulder at Bo. His cousin was looking in his direction, but he was white as a ghost and trembling so bad that Luke could see it a mile away. "Bo? Bo! What's the matter?" he shouted. Before he could move, he felt something poke him in the back.
"Get your hands where I can see him and don't move," a voice commanded. "Okay, now let's take a nice little walk over to your cousin, there. You too, sweetheart," he instructed, shoving Luke in the direction he wanted him to go.
Luke knew they were in trouble, but he didn't know what he should be more worried about: the predicament they were in or that it looked like Bo was going to have a heart attack. "It's ok, cuz," he whispered when he was close enough, but Bo was non-responsive.
"Aw, ain't that sweet, Charlie? It's ok, cuz," the second man mocked.
"Yeah, it sure it sweet," Charlie responded, "but it ain't gonna be okay, cuz!"
Luke and Betty Jean were told to sit down next to Bo, and only then did Luke understand what was wrong with him. Charlie and his friend were the ones who had shot him, and now they were standing in front of them, pointing a gun at them again. Luke slid his arm around Bo, trying to offer him any comfort he could, but he had to admit, he didn't know how they were going to get out of this one.
"We got to help em," Daisy announced, getting ready to take off as fast as her ride would carry her.
"Daisy, wait!" Sandy told her, trying not to scream and give away their own location. She grabbed the reigns, preventing the brunette from recklessly charging in.
"Don't have time to wait, they're in trouble."
"I know that, but getting ourselves caught ain't gonna help them."
"Well then, what are we going to do?" Daisy asked.
"The boys didn't bring their bows and arrows, did they?"
"No," Daisy cried, thinking they had no reason to believe that they'd need them.
"Great," Sandy muttered. "Well, we ain't got no weapons so we ain't gonna be able to do anything from up here. We need to get down there first, quietly!"
"What are we gonna do then? They've got guns," Daisy sobbed, almost hysterically.
"Yeah, I know, but we got something that they don't." Daisy looked up, not knowing what the therapist was talking about. "Brains," Sandy replied to the unasked question. "We'll think of something before we get there," she promised, crossing her fingers behind her back.
"We better, or they're gonna kill Bo and Luke," Daisy stated, forgetting all about Betty Jean.
"No, they ain't," Sandy stated back, thinking they'd have to kill her before she'd let them hurt Bo Duke, not knowing why anyone would want to in the first place.
"Come on Charlie, let's take care of them and get out of here."
"We can't do that yet, Jack. We gotta wait for those other two girls."
"Why?"
"To tie up loose ends, remember? No witnesses this time."
Luke Duke was sitting next to Bo, his arm still draped protectively around him. Bo's quivering had only increased, and his eyes remained glued to the gun in Charlie's hand. Bo had slipped into some type of catatonic state, and Luke wondered if they made it out alive, whether they'd even get Bo back. All the oldest Duke could do was sit there and hold the youngest, praying that everything would be all right, and comforting Bo despite who was laughing at him. He hoped that on some level, Bo could hear him and know that he was there.
Betty Jean was sitting on the other side of Bo, but she was almost in as bad a shape as he was. She wasn't trying to comfort Bo, she was too busy trying to comfort herself.
Luke didn't want to rile up the two trigger happy men since they had guns directed at them, but after listening to their conversation, it was too hard to resist. "So, you mean to tell us that you came back to Hazzard and are now prepared to kill five people to avoid being charged with attempted murder? I think that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life."
Jack stepped forward, intending on teaching Luke some manners, but Charlie restrained him. "Let him talk. He won't be doing it for much longer."
Luke felt Bo flinch slightly as Jack took those steps. He hoped it was a good sign that Bo was still somewhere in there.
When Sandy and Daisy got close, they dismounted. Making the rest of the journey on foot, they carefully watched every twig and branch under their feet that could snap and send a signal that they were on their way. When they couldn't go any further, they stopped, hiding behind the brush. Thankful that they hadn't heard any shots fired on their downward expedition, they could see that the boys and Betty Jean were seated and they looked like they were unharmed, so far.
"Now what do we do?" Daisy whispered.
Sandy had been looking for anything that they could use while guiding Starlight down the trail. She was glad that she had taken Betty Jean's horse, as Daisy's wasn't equipped with the same things that a rodeo competitor would need. She would have preferred a six shooter, or even the boys' bows and arrows, but under the circumstances, it was better than nothing.
"I got an idea," Sandy whispered back. "I think we can take care of one of em, but that leaves Bo, Luke, and Betty Jean with the other. Bo don't look like he's doing so good, and Betty Jean looks worthless."
"That's ok. Luke is quick on his feet and real smart. If we give him an opportunity, he'll take care of the other one," Daisy stated matter-of-factly.
"I was hoping you'd say that," Sandy grinned. Now, they just had to get Luke's attention so that he knew what was coming. Taking off her belt buckle, Sandy quickly caught the sun's beam, hoping that Luke would see it, but not the other two clowns. It worked, Luke looked in the direction of the flash. Sandy motioned upward with her thumb, and Luke nodded ever so slightly.
"Okay, now what's the plan?" Daisy asked.
"You think you can get one of them to follow you over here?"
"I think I can manage that," Daisy smiled.
"I was hoping you'd say that, too. Let's do it."
Sandy climbed back on her horse, and Daisy started walking closer to the campsite, careful to stay behind the trees until she wanted them to see her. When she was ready, she gave her oldest cousin a signal.
Luke gave Bo a reassuring squeeze, hoping that he felt it before letting go. "Oh! Ow! OW!" he yelped, holding his leg. He fell on his side then shifted to his knees.
"Hey! What are you doing? Sit back down!" Charlie yelled at him.
"Caaaaaaan't," Luke cried. "I've got a cramp..., in my leg..., hurts...so bad..., gotta stand up...for a minute," he said, starting to rise.
"You better sit down or I'll put you out of your misery forever," Charlie told him, waving the gun.
With Luke's performance, Daisy had inched her way closer, no longer hidden by the trees. Now it was her turn. "Hey sugar! Ya'll looking for me?" she yelled.
Forgetting about Luke momentarily, Charlie and Jack spun around to see Daisy Duke standing several yards away from them, waving. "Go get her, and find out where her friend is!" Charlie ordered Jack. Daisy stood still, smiling sweetly as he approached her, luring him in. When he was far enough from Charlie and close enough to her, she started running. Sandy burst through the trees, still atop the horse. Charging toward him, Jack didn't even bother to try to fire the gun. His natural instinct was to run, in the opposite direction.
As Sandy bolted from the cover of the forest, Luke made his move. Using his leg that was no longer suffering from cramps, he kicked the gun out of Charlie's hand. He would have liked to have kicked it so that it flew further, but he didn't have time to worry about that just then. Before Charlie knew what was happening, Luke jumped on top of him, and the two men started rolling around on the ground exchanging punches.
Jack was still running, but it wasn't to be for long. He hadn't made it very far before he felt a rope slip over him. It felt like a noose except it was around his body instead of only his neck. Sandy pulled back, and Jack felt the lasso tighten around. His arms were pulled toward his sides, causing him to drop the gun, and he was unable to move. She gave the cord a good tug, yanking him off his feet. She would have liked to have taken him for a little ride, but they had more important things to worry about. Jumping down from her horse, she spotted the gun lying on the ground. She picked it up, and stuck it face down in her jeans. Daisy joined her, and Sandy showed her the art of calf tying. If it had been a competition, she would have set a new record time.
"Ready to go for a little ride?" she asked her catch with a wicked grin and a wink. Not waiting for an answer, she and Daisy mounted, galloping off in Bo and Luke's direction, pulling Jack behind them.
Luke and Charlie were still on the ground trading blows. Having rolled close to the gun Charlie had dropped earlier, the would-be assassin was able to reach it. Luke tried to stop him, but Charlie managed to pick it up. Getting to his feet, he pointed it at Luke. The oldest Duke boy had no choice but to stop fighting and put his hands up.
Sandy saw the finger twitching on the trigger. Pulling out Jack's gun, she pointed it at Charlie as the pounding hoofs announced their arrival. "Drop it," she commanded.
Showing her an evil smirk, he slowly turned away, once again concentrating on Luke. She saw the trigger going back again. Squeezing her own, she sent a shot close enough to his feet to make him jump, but he managed to hold onto the weapon. "Don't make me tell you again!" she yelled. "I'm from Texas, gun control to us means hitting the target. Now drop it!"
Letting his hand go limp, Charlie let go of the gun and it fell to the ground with a thump. Daisy climbed down, but Sandy stayed still, keeping her revolver ready. Luke bent down to pick up the weapon. One thing about Charlie, he was persistent. Disobeying Sandy's command, he pitched forward. As the two struggled over the gun again, it went off, stopping everyone in their tracks, including Luke. He stumbled backwards before falling to the ground next to Bo.
The shot spooked Sandy's horse and before she could do anything, the frightened animal raised up in protest. She managed to keep herself from being bucked off, but the gun she had trained on Charlie came loose. Starlight stood up again before bolting off in full stride. Sandy had no choice but to ride it out, as did Jack, who was being bounced along behind them. Sandy wasn't thinking of the man she was dragging, she was too worried about the men she was leaving behind.
Oops! - I forgot to put a tranquilizer warning at the top for some of the more excitable readers.
