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.

She turned to head back to the farm. Luke and Bo were at the Boar’s nest but they should be home soon. If she wasn’t there she knew that Luke would come looking for her. As she reached the edge of the barnyard, she saw Jesse’s pickup pulling out of the drive at a high rate of speed. Inside the farmhouse, she found Daisy in the kitchen making a roast for supper.

“Where’s Uncle Jesse going in such a hurry?” Shelby asked as she got a glass of milk out of the refrigerator

“To Doc Applebee’s office to pick up Luke.” Daisy told her

“Why? What’s Luke doing there?” Shelby asked trying to keep the concern out of her voice

“I don’t know all the details but I guess he got in a fight at the Boar’s Nest. He’s okay though. Doc told Uncle Jesse that he’s got some cuts and a couple of bruised ribs but other than he’s fine.”

“What was he fighting about?”

“I don’t know but it was with Ernie Ledbetter and those two don’t like each other at all.”

“Yeah, I remember.” Shelby said dryly. She had been at the Boar’s Nest one other time when Ernie and Luke had gotten into a fight. “I’m surprised he ended up at Doc’s office and not in jail.”

“Oh, Roscoe arrested him alright but Cooter bailed him out.” Daisy said with a laugh. That was the nice thing about Hazzard. You knew you could always count on your  friends to come through for you.

 

Supper was almost ready by the time Jesse got back with Luke. And Bo who had followed them home in the General. Luke came in first, obviously still in a foul mood. He had a gash above his left eye that had sliced through his eyebrow and been stitched up. That eye was swollen and already turning black and blue. His bottom lip was also split and swollen.

“I hope Ernie looks worse than you do.” Daisy told him when she saw his face.

“He does.” Luke said shortly, storming though the kitchen and up the stairs. Moments later the sound of a door slamming echoed through the house just as Bo and Uncle Jesse came in from outside.

“Ya best stay out of Luke’s way for awhile.” Jesse said unnecessarily “He’s madder than a hornet.”

“Yeah, we noticed” Daisy said “What did Ernie do to get him so riled up?”

“He said something he shouldn’t have oughta said.” Bo said, his own voice sounding angry. Jesse looked at him sternly and Bo looked down sheepishly after a quick glance in Shelby’s direction.

“He said something about me, didn’t he?” Shelby said

“Now,” Jesse said in a soothing voice “It ain’t nothing for you to get worried about.”

“It must have been something pretty bad to make Luke that mad.”  She glanced from Jesse’s face to a decidedly uncomfortable Bo. “And if one of you doesn’t tell me what he said then I’m sure there were plenty of folks at the Boar’s Nest who’d be more than happy to.”

“He’d been saying stuff about you being pregnant to Luke from the minute we got there.” Bo told her in a hesitant voice. “And Luke was doing a pretty job of keeping his temper under control…..” He paused hating to tell her the next part “Until Ernie said that nobody but a slut would get pregnant by a Duke.”

“He didn’t!” Daisy exclaimed in an angry voice, her own eyes flashing fire.

“Yeah….he did…and that’s when Luke nailed him.” Bo said “I think he would have killed him too if Cooter, L.B. and me hadn’t pulled him off. And it took all three of us to do it too. I’ve never seen him so mad.”

“Well, I don’t hold with violence and you boys know that.” Jesse said sternly “But I’d have hit him too for saying something like that. Can’t blame Luke none for defending Shelby’s honor.” Jesse glanced up towards the ceiling “Just give him some space till he cools down.”

It took Luke a long time to cool down. He stayed in his room all evening, not even coming out for supper. Everyone else had gone to bed except for Shelby who was in the kitchen drinking a soda when she saw Luke come downstairs and go out on the front porch. She waited until she had finished her coke, then she went out to the front porch too. Luke was sitting on the porch swing, using his foot to slowly push the swing back and forth. He glanced up when Shelby came out the front door but didn’t say anything. She sat down on the other end of the swing.

“I’d sure hate to see the other guy.” Shelby said “Cause you look like hell.”

“Thanks a lot….” Luke said with a thin smile.

“I don’t know if I should thank you for defending my honor or say I’m sorry for being the reason you got into a fight in the first place.”

“He had no right to say something like that.” Luke said, a trace of anger still lingering in his voice.

Shelby smiled faintly as she felt the babies moving. “Give me your hand.” She told Luke.

“What?” he asked in a puzzled voice

“Just give me your hand.” Luke frowned and held out his left hand. Shelby shook her head. “The other hand” When Luke held out his right hand, she took it and gently placed it on her stomach with her hand resting on top of his. She watched his face as he felt the babies kicking beneath his hand for the first time. She saw the light in his eyes and he grinned broadly when he realized what he was feeling.

“That’s amazing….” He said softly. He looked into her eyes “It has to feel strange to have ‘em moving around like that ..…”

“It does but you kinda get used to it.” Shelby told him “Right now I think they’re trying to wrestle…”

Luke laughed and then winced when that made his bruised ribs hurt. “Don’t make jokes right now….I ain’t up to it.” He moved his hand back to his side. It had felt strange to feel the babies moving inside of Shelby’s stomach. He had never experienced anything quite like it before. It really was pretty amazing. Luke closed his eyes for a moment and slowly twisted his head from side to side to work out the kinks in his neck.

“You okay?” Shelby asked

“Yeah…just a headache.”

Shelby stood up and walked around the swing to stand behind him. Putting her hands on his shoulders, she began to massage the tensed up muscles in his neck and shoulders. Luke felt himself beginning to relax, enjoying the touch of her hands as she used just the right amount of pressure to relieve the tension still stored in his muscles.

“You’re pretty good at that…” he said softly

“My grandma was medicine woman, remember?” Shelby reminded him with a soft laugh.

“Yeah, I remember” Luke grinned in the darkness “She taught you how to make a love potion too….”

“You do remember.”

“Yeah, I do.” Luke reached up and covered one of her hands with his, rubbing gently. Suddenly, Shelby pulled her hand away and stopped massaging his shoulders.

“I’m going to bed.” She said “You probably should too.”

Luke remained sitting in the swing as she turned and went back into the house. He still couldn’t figure her out. One minute she could warm and receptive and then the next minute she could be as cold as ice. It was starting to get to him. She could get under his skin like no other woman ever had except for Kelly.