by: Marty Chrisman

Luke started avoiding going to the Boar’s Nest when he knew that Lynn would be working. He knew he couldn’t avoid her entirely, not when she still dropped by the farm to see Daisy fairly often. But at least when she showed up to see Daisy, he could find an excuse to go to another room or outside to do some chores. Which was why he was outside making some minor adjustments to the General Lee’s engine.

It was a hot day so he had stripped off his shirt and thrown it down on the picnic table. He didn’t realize that he was no longer alone until someone rapped sharply on the General’s fender. Startled, he straightened up too fast and cracked his head on the hood latch. “Ow!” he yelped, grabbing the back of his head where it had slammed into the raised hood on the car.

Lynn stood off to the side laughing at him for not paying attention. Glaring at her, he said as he rubbed the aching spot on the back of his head “What are ya trying to do? Give me a headache?”

“You’re the headache, Luke Duke.” She said dryly, crossing her arms across her chest and staring at him “Why are you avoiding me? And don’t try to tell me you haven’t been because I know you have.”

“I figured that’s the way you wanted it.” He told her as he grabbed his shirt and slipped it back on.

“What ever gave you that idea?” she asked in a genuinely surprised voice.

“Maybe because whenever we get around each other you always wanna to start a fight.” He told her

“Okay, so I’ve been a total bitch. I’m sorry.” She said, catching Luke by surprise with her apology. “Maybe we could call a truce?”

“Maybe…” Luke said without answering her directly.

“Oh come on, Luke!” She said in an annoyed voice “You know I hate saying I’m sorry!”

“Yeah, I know.” He told her, baiting her for a chance. He couldn’t help laughing which only made her mad..

“Have it your way!” she snapped. As she walked away, he heard her mutter “And they call me stubborn…”

Luke sighed and went back to working on the General. It wasn’t that he wasn’t willing to accept her apology but she had to mean it first. And he knew her well enough to know that she had only apologized because he had been avoiding her. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Besides after all the grief she’d been giving him since she got back, it didn’t hurt to give her a little payback.

Daisy looked up in surprise as Lynn stormed back into the house, cursing under her breath and slamming the door. “What’s got you so riled?” Daisy asked mildly curious about Lynn’s outburst even though she had a suspicion about what caused it.

“Luke!” she growled “What else? Oh…he makes me so mad sometimes!”

“What did he do this time?”

“I tried to tell him I was sorry and he just ignored me.”

“Well, can you blame him?” Daisy asked her with a chuckle “You haven’t been very nice to him since you got back.”

“I haven’t, have I?” Lynn admitted with a thin smile. She leaned back against the sink and crossed her arms across her chest.

“No, you haven’t.”

“So what do you suggest?”

“Start playing nice with your friends.” Daisy told her with a laugh “Didn’t your mama teach you any manners?”

“Well…” Lynn said with a wicked smile and a twinkle in her eye “I always did have a lot of fun playing with Luke…”

“Lynn!” Daisy exclaimed unable to keep from laughing at Lynn’s suggestive remark about her cousin.

“Sorry, Daisy.  I couldn’t resist.” Lynn told her with a chuckle.

“Well, I have to get to work.” Daisy said “Are you off today?”

“Yeah….I got some stuff to do at the house so I’m gonna git out of here too.” The two girls walked outside together. Luke was still working on the General and didn’t pay any attention as they got in their separate vehicles and left. Twenty minutes later, Lynn’s voice came over the CB. “Hey, Luke….you got your ears on?”

Luke leaned in the window on the drivers’ side and grabbed the mike to the CB. Pressing the transmit button, he said “Yeah, this is Luke. What do ya need?”

“Some help. Some idiot just ran me off the road over here on route 36.” Lynn told him “I need pulled out of the ditch.”

“I’m on my way.” Luke told her. He climbed beneath the wheel and turned on the engine, heading in the direction of Route 36, one of the main highways leading into Hazzard. Ten minutes later he pulled up to the scene of the accident. Lynn was leaning against the side of her car which was sitting in the ditch, nose first. Luke pulled the General over to the edge of the road and cut the engine, climbing out of the car.

“What happened?” he asked as he climbed into the ditch and crouched down to inspect the undercarriage of the car.

“I ran into ole Hoby….literally.”  She told him. Hoby was the town drunk. He was menace when he got behind the wheel of a car but that didn’t stop him from driving. Trouble was ole Hoby could never decide which side of the road he wanted to drive on, so he ended up driving on both of them.

“Welcome back to Hazzard, Darling.” Luke told her with a chuckle. He straightened up, brushing his hands off on the seat of his jeans. “I got some bad news. It looks like you broke an axel. I’ll give Cooter a call to tow ya to the garage.”

“Terrific that’s all I need.” Lynn muttered. She sighed and watched Luke as he walked back over to the General to call Cooter to bring his tow truck. She couldn’t help smiling faintly. Luke always did look good walking away. He had nice hitch in his giddy-up. Finishing his call to Cooter, he walked back over to Lynn.

“He’ll be here in about ten minutes.” Luke told her, leaning against the side of the car to wait with her.

“Thanks….”

“You gonna need a ride home?”

“Kinda looks that way.” Lynn told him with a smile. An uneasy silence fell between them. It was almost as if neither of them could think of anything to say to each other. Finally, Lynn said “Luke, are you doing anything this afternoon?”

“No. Why?” he asked cautiously not sure why she was asking.

“How would you like to go on a picnic?”

“Why?” Luke said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice “So we can fight the whole time? That’s all we ever do.”

“No fighting. I promise.” Lynn told him “I was hoping maybe we could talk.”

“I’m not sure there’s anything to talk about anymore.” He told her his words sounding harsher than he intended.

“I really am sorry, Luke. I thought maybe we could try and start over….” Lynn told him, her voice soft and gentle for a chance. “Unless you don’t want to…..”

Realizing that she was sincere this time, Luke smiled faintly and nodded his head “I’d like that.”  He admitted.