by: Marty Chrisman

Shelby walked along the stream that ran through the Duke property. She had been back in Hazzard for a little over a month. She was starting to show now, not much yet but enough that it was obvious that she was pregnant. And thanks to Laurie, the receptionist at Doc Applebee’s office, everybody in Hazzard knew about it and knew that Luke was the father. It didn’t seem to bother Luke none but it bothered Shelby. She had always been a very private person and she hated being the main topic of gossip.

She and Luke had fallen into a comfortable relationship (at least for Shelby) that centered around her pregnancy. She had felt the twins move but hadn’t told Luke that yet. Feeling the new lives growing inside of her was something intensely personal that she wanted to savor herself for awhile first. She smiled to herself as she thought about how Luke was acting like a typical first father in some ways. He was on her to take her vitamins, to eat right and to get enough rest. She even teased him about it sometimes.

But Shelby still kept him from getting too close. She knew he wanted more out of their relationship than she was willing to give right now. She told herself that she was protecting Luke but she knew that she was protecting herself too. She loved him but she didn’t want him to know that. Because if he did, she knew that he start pressuring her about getting married before the twins were born and it was the idea of marriage that scared her to death…even if it was to Luke.

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by: Marty Chrisman

The boys were in their room getting ready for bed. Luke and Shelby had shared the news with the family that she was expecting twins. Everyone was a little surprised but happy for them. They also told them that the ultra sound had shown that it would be a boy and a girl. Jesse had seemed more pleased than anyone at the news. He loved babies and it was about time that there was going to be some new life in the old farmhouse. But he was old fashioned enough that he secretly hoped that Luke and Shelby would decide to get married before the babies were born.

Luke sat down on his bed to pull off his boots when Bo glanced over at him and said, “Hey, Luke?”

“Yeah?”

“How did you feel when you found out that Shelby was pregnant?”

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by: Marty Chrisman

Luke glanced up, mildly surprised when Doc Applebee opened the door to the inner office and motioned for him to come back there with him. Luke shoved himself to his feet and followed Doc to his private office. Shelby was sitting in a chair facing the doctor’s desk and Luke noticed immediately that she seemed to be agitated about something.

“Is everything okay?” Luke asked trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice, suddenly worried that Doc had found something wrong.

“Everything’s fine.” Doc assured him with a smile “I just want Shelby to go to the hospital in Capital City for an ultra sound.” He smiled again at the confused look on Luke’s face “I think she’s having twins.”

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by: Marty Chrisman

Shelby stepped out of the shower and quickly dried off. For a moment she paused, gently running her hand over the slight slope of her stomach. She was starting to show. It wasn’t noticeable to anyone else yet especially when she was dressed. She hadn’t exactly been thrilled when she found out she was pregnant but now she was fiercely protective of the child she was carrying.

She had called Dr. Applebee and she had an appointment to see him this morning. She found herself wondering how long it would take before the news of her pregnancy started making the rounds in Hazzard. She knew there was going to be gossip, especially since one of the Duke boys was the father of her child. And the fact that she was staying at the Duke farm would only add fuel to the flame. Not that Shelby really cared what people thought or said. But she didn’t want to cause Uncle Jesse or Daisy any unnecessary disgrace or embarrassment.

She quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved denim shirt. Running a brush through her hair, she pulled it back and fastened it with a clip. With a final look in the mirror, she unlocked the bathroom door and went downstairs for breakfast with the family. The boys had already eaten and were outside doing their morning chores, leaving only Daisy and Jesse still in the kitchen. Daisy smiled when Shelby sat down at the table and sat a plate of bacon and eggs down in front of her.

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by: Marty Chrisman

Jesse was in the barnyard milking one of the goats when the familiar yellow Torino pulled into the driveway. He stopped milking and stood up as Shelby parked the car beside his pickup and climbed from beneath the wheel. He let his eyes sweep over her slender figure for just a moment. She wasn’t showing yet.

Shelby hesitated beside the car as Jesse walked over to her. With a warm smile, Jesse put his arms around her and gave her a hug. “Welcome home, little one.” He told her. When he released her, she had tears glistening in her eyes. “Come on in the house.” Jesse told her, slipping his arm around her shoulders “There’s some lemonade in the refrigerator. You must be tired after driving all the way from Atlanta.”

Shelby didn’t say anything until they were in the house and sitting at the table sipping their cold drinks. “Thank you, Uncle Jesse…..for letting me stay here.”

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