Hi Everyone! Well, here's the next chapter. It's a little longer than normal, but I couldn't find an appropriate break.
Thanks to everyone who's responded to my dilemma of 'where is this going?' Especially, HG Stewart, Elenhin, and Samwiseatheart. Thanks to HG, there is another story in the works, and the patience of Elenhin and Sami have helped to solve some of the mystery.
Anyway, thanks to all. I always appreciate the feedback, but never more so than on this one:)
Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes, and no infringements intended.
BALANCING THE BOOKS
CHAPTER 4
YOU SURE YOU NEVER BEEN ON A FARM?
Almost 48 hours after being distracted by a flying, orange car, Jackie Johnson started feeling a little like her old self. After a long shower and her own make-up, the voluptuos blonde was able to cover almost all traces of the accident except for the large bandage. Taking it off, she replaced it with a much smaller, flesh colored one and then combed her hair so that it was almost completely covered. She began feeling human again, and hoped that she was finally starting to look like it, too.
As she straightened up the room that she had graciously been allowed to use, Jackie thought about the irony of the situation she found herself in. Normally, when she away on business, she only arrived at her destination the day before her assignment was scheduled to begin. It helped ensure that no one would be alerted to her presence in advance. Besides, she wasn't partaking in a vacation; her job was to get in and get out. Seeing places that she'd never otherwise visit was the extent of her pleasure, and she wasn't there to socialize or to make friends. Yet, something about this assignment had been different from the moment she read the file. It was almost as if the state of Georgia had extended her a personal invitation; one which she accepted. Unable to ignore the calling, for the first time, she left early. Whatever she'd expected to discover, ending up on a farm with people she didn't know hadn't been it.
The family that had taken her in were nice, and she appreciated everything they'd already done for her. Wanting to repay their hospitality, Jackie decided that she'd offer to do whatever she could to satisfy that debt before moving on. She still had a little time to try and see if she could find what it was that had been calling her in the first place.
Satisfied that the room was in pristine condition, Jackie made her way out to the main part of the house. Breakfast was once again being prepared when she joined the men in the kitchen to report for duty. Not hiding her presence like she did the day before, they all did a double take when they saw her
"Wow! You look different," Luke said, re-gaining his composure first.
"I'd say you must be feeling better, miss," Uncle Jesse told her.
Bo just stood there, staring, and she couldn't believe it, but she thought she might actually be getting used to it. Since they'd met, he had spent a lot of time doing just that.
"I feel much better," she informed them, turning away from the blue eyes that felt like they were glued to her.
"You're beautiful," Bo blurted out, saying the first thing that popped into his head. Though it was true, he'd wanted to say something that was witty and worth remembering, but something about this girl could make Bo say and do things that even he couldn't explain.
Turning her eyes back to the blonde, Jackie was completely taken off guard, and there seemed to be no end to his ability to do that. She wasn't a stranger to being complimented. Working more with men than women, she brushed them off for the lines they normally were. Hearing such sincerity in those words wasn't something she was accustomed to. "Thank you," she whispered, casting her eyes to the floor, before busying herself next to Uncle Jesse.
After sharing their morning meal and cleaning up inside, Jackie asked what she could do to help. When she was told that she could gather the eggs, she didn't think it sounded too difficult. What she didn't realize was that the chickens didn't always want to give up their prized possessions, or that it was very possible to have them break in your hands. Breaking more than she gathered and leaving the chickens in disarray, she doubted that the Dukes considered her to be any help at all.
Next, Luke asked her if she had ever milked an animal before. Taking into consideration how the egg gathering had went, he wasn't surprised when she told him no.
"Well, it's something that eveyrone should experience, at least once, and it requires personalized instruction." Instructing her to sit down on the stool in front of him, he leaned forward causing her to do the same. Then, taking her hands and putting his over them, he showed her exactly how to milk a farm animal.
"I think that gathering the eggs is looking better and better," she laughed. "I doubt that this would ever be my favorite chore on a farm."
Before they knew it, Luke and Jackie were cracking one joke after another, easily playing off the other.
Bo had been outside when the laughter drifted his direction. Deciding to check it out, he walked into the barn, not happy at what he was witnessing. In his opinion, Luke and their guest were sitting too close to each other, and enjoying something that didn't include him, and that was unacceptable.
"Luke, Uncle Jesse's looking for ya." Once again he said the first thing that popped into his head.
Luke looked up, annoyed with the interruption. "What's he want?"
"I don't know. He didn't tell me. Go find him and ask him," Bo replied.
After Luke excused himself, Bo used the pretense of another chore to lure Jackie away.
"Bo! Uncle Jesse says he didn't ask…….to see me," Luke trailed off as he walked out of the house to discover that neither his cousin nor their guest were anywhere to be found.
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Jackie's plan was going astray. She intended to be on her way before lunch, but as the sun sat high in the sky, she was still at the farm. Close to noon, she'd already put in close to a full day's work, and there was plenty more where that came from. She told herself that she just couldn't leave while there was so much to be done, but part of her knew that was only an excuse. She couldn't explain it, but she seemed to be looking for any reason to stay.
"You sure you never been on a farm before?" Luke asked her when they once again were gathered around the kitchen table.
"Positive, why?"
"Cause you're pretty good for a city girl," the brunette declared.
"Yeah right!" she giggled, doubting that the chickens would agree. She knew that he was just being kind. Between living in a big city and her line of work, she didn't see much use for her primitive, new skills in the future, but she couldn't deny that the compliment pleased her anyway.
Interrupting them, Jesse announced that he needed the boys to go into town, and Jackie could have used that as her own cue to depart. Instead, she offered to stay and help inside the house with tasks she was much more comfortable with and capable of. Not having to concentrate so hard on what she was doing, her mind drifted away to thoughts of two young men.
She couldn't deny that she liked them; both of them. Almost opposites of each other, they were also different from men that she normally associated with. Since she was gone so much of the time, she didn't date much. It was true, but it was also a convenient excuse. Truth be told, she simply hadn't met a man that she'd been interested in for a long time.
If someone would have asked her what her definition of the perfect man was, she wasn't sure she would have been able to have given them one. Until recently, she doubted that it would have included phrases like 'small town,' or 'farm boy,' but something about her two, new friends made those words sound very attractive.
Luke Duke was probably closer to the type of man that would catch her eye. Physically attractive, he had a sharp mind, and that was something she always found appealing. Yet, Bo Duke stirred something in her that she'd never felt, and never would have believed she could. He had an innocence and sincerity about him that she couldn't deny could melt her heart. She just didn't know if she wanted it to.
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By the time the guys got back to the farm, Jackie had finished the laundry, vacuumed, dusted, and was helping Uncle Jesse with dinner. As the boys trotted up the steps, they could hear the two chatting. From what they heard, it sounded like Jackie and their uncle were getting along quite well.
"Wow! The place looks great!" Luke commented as he looked around.
"Jackie's been busy here," Uncle Jesse said.
"Well, Daisy will sure be surprised that the place doesn't look the pig sty she normally says she comes home to," Bo laughed.
Smiling at the boys, Jackie found herself monitoring the clock on the wall. Morning had turned to afternoon, and now the afternoon was giving way to evening. There were no more chores left to be done, and therefore, no more pretexts that she could come up with to delay her departure. Before she could proclaim that the time had come, Bo extended an invitation.
"Since it seems that you're feeling ok, we were wondering if you'd like to go out tonight?"
"What'd ya have in mind?" Jackie asked, happy to play along.
"Well, if you're feeling up to it, we thought we'd take you jukin down at the Boar's Nest," Luke said, not wanting to be left out, and making sure that she understood it was a joint invitation.
Her eyes rolled up, then looked from one to the other. "What's jukin, and what's a Boar's Nest?" she asked a little suspiciously. Somehow, it sounded a lot like hunting.
"Jukin is dancing," Bo said.
"And the Boar's Nest is the place to be on Saturday nights in Hazzard," Luke finished.
"Oh, well in that case, I'd love to," she accepted.
Bo managed to nudge his cousin out as he escorted her outside with the brunette tagging behind.
As they walked up to the orange car with the 01 painted on the door, she could see words painted on the side of the roof. "So this is a General Lee, huh?"
"It sure is," Bo said. "Fastest car in Hazzard."
"Do any other cars around here fly?" she giggled, trying to open the door, and wondering why she couldn't.
"Well the local sheriff and his deputy try to fly theirs, but they ain't very good," Bo told her. Noticing her struggling with the doors, Bo quickly added that the doors were welded shut and then explained why.
"Then, how do you get in?" she wanted to know.
"Like this," he purred, picking her up and guiding her in through the window. Luke was watching, and this time it was his turn to be frustrated with his cousin.
"Doesn't this get old, crawling in and out all the time?" she wanted to know after they were all in the car.
Bo and Luke looked at each other. "Nah!" they both said.
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The Boar's Nest was always busy on Friday and Saturday nights, and that night was no exception. Once inside, Cooter got up from the bar to join them and pointed to a table near the back. Not wanting to seem too impatient, Luke was going to wait until they at least had their drinks before he asked their guest to dance, but once again, impulsive Bo beat him to the punch.
"So, you want to juke?" the blonde asked.
"I don't know how," Jackie confessed.
"You will when I get done with you," Bo promised. Not waiting for her answer, he pulled her onto the floor. They stood there just a second as he showed her a couple of things, then pulled her close and started twirling her around. Luke only assumed that he told her the best way to learn was to just do it, and in that sense, he was right. Jukin was a combination of a lot of different things, and a lot of it depended on just who was leading. Some of it was made up on the spot, and there was no way to teach that. Two songs later, they were still out there, laughing and dancing, and she was getting good. By the time they got back to the table, Bo had his arm around her like it had found its rightful place.
"I'm a much better juker than my cousin, here," Luke told her. "Would you do me the honor?"
Putting up a finger to indicate that she needed just a minute, she nodded.
Bo glared at Luke, not only for the comment, but for his refusal to give up on a girl that he obviously considered to be his.
Luke let her take a few swallows of her drink, ignoring his baby cousin's expression. When he believed her to be ready, he extended his hand and she followed him back to the spot she'd just left with Bo.
For the next few hours, the tug of war continued, each boy trying to outdo the other. At first, Jackie hadn't thought much about it, but as it continued, she began feeling like a pawn in a chess game, and she didn't like it. She had already made up her mind that she was finished dancing for the evening when an invitation came from a source that surprised all of them.
Normally content to drink his beer and watch, Cooter rescued her by offering himself as a neutral, third party. Smiling at the mechanic, they walked away leaving both Duke cousins with their mouths hanging open.
Unfortunately, the boys' competition sent the wrong message to everyone else in the place. Rather than thinking that she was with Bo, Luke, or Cooter, the men assumed that she wasn't with any of them, and that made her fair game. The later that the night got, the more unruly the crowd grew, and the less understandable the word 'no' became. Fearing a brawl was about to break out, Jackie stated that her dancing was over for the evening, with everyone. When that didn't seem to diffuse the situation, Jackie asked if the boys would mind taking her back to the farm. There was no way she was going to instigate a riot.
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On the drive back, Bo had planned on asking her if she wanted to do a little porch swinging before they turned in. Glancing over at her, he could tell that the mood of the evening had been lost.
"Thanks guys. That was really a lot of fun," she told them, referring to the early part of the night. "You know, I should really be getting to my room in town, though," she said.
Both protesting, they managed to convince her that it was way too late.
She knew that they were right. It was late, and she was tired. She wasn't even positive which way town was, and she'd already been in one accident by letter her guard down. Grateful for the invitation to spend yet another night at the Duke farm, Jackie had been given an extension, but she wasn't so sure that it was a good idea, either.
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Jackie was awake before the rooster the next morning. She had a lot to do that final day before her assignment began, and wanting to leave or stay was no longer a choice. It was time to go.
Having dressed and packed, she wandered to the kitchen, putting on the coffee. She couldn't believe it, but for once, she had gotten up earlier than the rest of the family. Not wanting to leave without saying goodbye, she decided that she could collect the eggs while she waited for them to get up. She had them gathered in no time, and she hadn't broken one or scared any of the chickens. Pausing, she looked at the goat, thinking that one of the boys could do the honors of milking her.
She didn't know how it happened, but instead of bidding them goodbye and leaving, they'd managed to talk her into going to church with them and having Sunday dinner. Instead of reviewing files in her room in town, she'd given worship, helped prepare their dinner, and was once again dining with the Duke family.
"Oh, this is the best meal I've had since Daisy left," Bo murmured. "Sorry Uncle Jesse," he quickly added, not wanting to offend the man who had raised him from a baby.
Though he looked at him sternly at first, he quickly laughed, agreeing that it was the best meal he'd had since Daisy left, too.
"And, here I thought ya'll might have missed me," a female voice stated, as Daisy Duke opened the door and walked in, looking at the sight before her.
"We did," Luke told her, and her somber expression turned to playful.
"Yeah, we sure did," Bo chimed in, "but we have been in good hands," he said, turning back to the one person at the table Daisy did not recognize. "Jackie Johnson, this is our cousin, Daisy Duke."
"Hi!" Jackie waved at her.
"Well hi, sugar. Looks like you've had your hands full," Daisy commented, glancing at the dinner that couldn't have looked better if she'd made it herself.
"Actually, it's your family that's had their hands full with me," Jackie corrected.
"Sit down, Daisy," Uncle Jesse said, "and we'll tell you all about the excitement that you missed while you was running around with Sally Jo."
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Jackie and Daisy looked to the mess left behind; dishes. Chatting while they worked, Jackie soon learned that she liked the female Duke as much as the males. She looked more like Luke with her dark hair, but her intense interest in what it was like to live in a big city reminded Jackie more of Bo.
When they finished, Jackie could put it off no longer. Bo saw her carrying her luggage, and ran toward her. "You're not leaving, are you?"
"Yeah, I'm afraid it's time. I think your cousin wants her room back."
"I'm sure Daisy will share," he told her.
Jackie couldn't help but laugh at his persistence, but she assured him that she really did have to be on her way. She said she had things she absolutely had to do before the next morning, and she'd long overstayed her welcome. Asking directions to town, she thanked each of them then got in the car, realizing that she hadn't driven it since the accident.
"Will I see you again?" Bo asked, sticking his head in the window, not believing that she might just drive off into the sunset. At the very least, he wanted her address and phone number in Chicago.
"I'm sure you will," she said. "Like I said, I'm staying at the boarding house in town, so if you get that way, stop in."
"Okay," he agreed, eagerly accepting the open-ended invitation. "How long are you going to be here?"
"I'm not sure, but I'm thinking at least a week."
That was enough to make Bo relax. It wasn't like she was leaving the next day, so if she was going to be in town, he knew that he'd see her again, and when he did, he'd get her telephone number then. "I miss you already," he confessed, and once again, she marveled at the way he could turn the simplest phrases into memorable ones.
"I miss you, too," she told him, and to her own surprise, she discovered that she meant it.
Pulling away from the farm, four Dukes watched another orange car kick up the dust in Hazzard county.