Author's Note: This is a story I wrote about the Dukes and their first years at the farm. I tried to keep it with them from the point where they got to the farm, and carry on throughout a couple of years. It's a growing and learning experience for all of them. There are also notes at the end of each chapter, a credit of sorts to a father from his son.
Warning: The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen.
Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….
Learning To Love…
Chapter 3: …Chocolate Chip Cookies
When Jesse saw how Luke had fallen asleep curled up next to the baby he called his wife in to look at the two boys. He had never before seen anything as beautiful as that. The two of them stood looking at them while Daisy didn't quite understand what was so fascinating about it. She wanted to play and thought that naps were boring. Much like Luke too usually did.
Wanting to allow the boys to sleep in peace Martha took Daisy into the kitchen to make cookies, claiming that when Luke woke up he would surely love them, and so she supposed that Daisy would.
Wanting the girl to have a treat she even allowed her to eat a little of the chocolate that was to go into the cookies. Daisy was turning into quite the little helped in the kitchen, just as Luke was proving to be for Jesse.
Luke didn't sleep long though, as soon as he could smell the cookies in the oven he padded out into the kitchen. Martha was standing washing up the bowls and everything that they had used while baking them and Daisy was sitting on the counter with a towel to dry them for her. Wanting to find whatever it was that smelled so good Luke approached the oven, putting a hand on it and yelping as he burned himself.
Martha hadn't noticed him when he came into the kitchen but when she heard him she rushed over and scooped him up. Glancing at his hand before putting it into the cold water they had rinsed the dishes in Martha scolded him gently while still holding him.
"Now Luke, don't ya know an oven is hot?" She asked while Daisy watched with a peculiar look on her face.
"I just wanted to see what it was," Luke sniffed. His eyes had filled up with moisture, but it wasn't as if he was crying, big boys didn't cry. It was just that his hand hurt and he didn't like it.
"We are making cookies," Martha explained to him. "But Luke, whenever we bake the oven is hot, I don't want ya to burn yerself so please don't touch it, can ya remember that."
"Yeah," Luke wiped at his eyes with the back of his other hand. "I don't like it."
"I reckon yer not gonna be a cook huh?" she smiled at him and inspected his hand again. A little reddened but there were no blisters or anything. "It's not bad Luke, but don't touch the oven again, okay?"
"I won't," Luke nodded solemnly thinking he for sure wasn't in any hurry too.
"Here, it should be fine now." Martha smiled at him and dried his hand of gently with the towel. "And then we kiss it better," she pressed a gently kiss to his palm, and then Daisy leaned in to do the same before Martha put him back down on the floor. "The cookies are gonna be done soon, but they also need to cool off a bit before ya can eat them Luke." Martha explained. "Why don't ya play in the other room an' keep an eye on the baby. I'll call ya when ya can have some."
"Okay," Luke nodded and headed in there to play with his cars. The baby was waking up and Luke scrambled over to him. Pulling him up and sitting him in his lap to look closer at him. He had some blonde hair that was softer than anything else Luke had ever felt. Petting it softly he drew back frowning as the baby blew a raspberry in his face. Grabbing Bo's shirt Luke pulled it up over his stomach to wipe his mouth off with it. Playing with the baby was one thing, getting drooled on was another thing entirely.
The baby giggled and waved a tiny hand in his face, then he was able to grab a handful of Luke's shirt and pulling himself closer. Luke guessed that the baby wanted a hug so he wrapped his arms around him.
He found it very hard to know what the baby wanted most of the time, but one thing was for sure, he wanted company because he kept cuddling up to Luke. He had thought he would play some with his cars, but that was really hard when you had a baby clinging to you. Instead Luke scrambled over to sit with his back towards one of the armchairs and allowed the baby to do pretty much what he wanted.
Every now and again the baby would wriggle around and Luke had to shift his hold on him. He also would wave his hands around until he found something to grab hold off. He was surprised when Martha called him to eat the cookies too, because when he put the baby back down the tiny thing started screaming.
Martha came into the living room and looked at them. "Oh dear, he's taken a liking to ya Luke."
"I wanna eat cookies," Luke was trying to unwrap a baby fist from his shirt without hurting the baby. He had a strong grip for one so small.
"There is some milk for ya on the table Luke, an' cookies." Martha bent down and freed Luke from the baby.
There had been one high chair for children in the loft and Daisy was seated in it with her own milk, but since Luke too was just a little small for reaching over the table Jesse had put a box on his chair to sit on. Warning him he had to be careful so that he didn't fall down. Now Martha held the baby while Luke climbed up to sit in his seat where he could reach the milk and the cookies.
"Ain't he gonna get cookies too?" Luke asked as he took a big bite of his cookie.
"He's too small to eat cookies," Martha explained. "What do ya think of them Luke?"
"I helped," Daisy was nearly bouncing in her seat out of her eagerness to declare that she had helped make the cookies that they were eating.
"I like them," Luke smiled at them. "When can he eat cookies?"
"He needs to be some bigger before he can eat cookies," Martha chuckled as she thought it would soon be time to feed the baby again. The proud parents had told her how they seemed to have an ever hungry baby, stating that he was growing bigger every day for it.
"He's cute," Daisy smiled with a mouthful of cookies. "Aunt Martha, can't we put a pretty dress on him? I bet he'd be even cuter."
"He's a boy." Luke stated pouting at her. "Boy's don't wear dresses."
"Why not?" Daisy was pouting herself.
Martha smiled shaking her head. "I'm afraid Luke is right Daisy, I don't think we should put a dress on him."
"I want a little sister," Daisy whined and Martha guessed she needed a nap herself.
"Well Daisy, ya never know. Maybe someday ya will have one," Martha stated softly. While it didn't seem as if she and Jesse could get children of their own and wouldn't add to the family that way she suspected that Daisy would forget about her wishing for a little sister. Maybe she would wish for it every now and again, but there would also be a lot of times when she wouldn't have anything but the two boys she had.
Luke hurried to eat his cookies and then he thanked her aunt before excusing himself from the table to go and play with his cars.
Martha put Daisy to bed for a nap before feeding the baby again. Luke was making use of the garage that he had built and was happy enough playing.
The way he saw it, it was a very nice day for when his Uncle came back later that day he let Daisy and him sit on his lap and he told them a story before supper.
His aunt Martha was making really good food, almost as good as his own mommy had made it. She was nice to, she let them have a cookie each after they had eaten. He suspected they were trying to be nice to him so that he wouldn't be sad, thought he was anyway. Just because he was small didn't mean he didn't know some things and he knew a lot of things about grownups. They always did certain things and some he was beginning to learn why it was they did them.
If they thought you had a reason to be sad they always tried to make nice things for you so that you would forget why you were sad. It didn't really work, but he liked it when they tried it.
In credit of the man who thought if I burned myself one time, maybe I would remember it was hot the next time…..
TBC
Please review, the Cricket is hungry…..