blind8

Blind Man's Bluff

Luke was up with the first light of dawn, as usual. He was a little lost at first before he remembered where they were. Then he smiled as he realized Bo's arm was still wrapped around him. Even in jail, separated by steel bars, they couldn't be kept apart. There was something reassuring about that. Seeing that everybody else was still asleep, he turned toward Bo and reached out through the bars, gently touching his face. As Bo's eyes fluttered open, he laid his fingers over Bo's lips, silencing him. It took a few moments for Bo to wake up enough to remember the situation. He glanced around, and seeing they were the only ones awake, he let himself kiss Luke's hand.

They both sat up, wiping the sleep from their eyes. Bo had something he needed to talk to Luke about.

"Luke? I think we got a problem."

"We're in jail. I'd say that qualifies."

"Besides that. That driver who was hasslin' Daisy? The one who hit you? Did he seem familiar to you?"

Luke thought about it. "He was the one registerin' for the race Monday morning when we got there. At the time I thought he looked kinda familiar, but I realized it was because he had blond hair and a dark beard like you did at the time. It looked kinda weird, which is why it stood out." He'd been powerfully glad when Bo had shaved his off.

Bo shook his head. "I don't think that's it, Luke. His voice sounded awfully familiar. It was buggin' me last night. I think I finally figured it out, though. That phrase he used, "Jesus Christ on a mini-bike." You ever heard that before?"

Luke frowned in concentration. "Now that you mention it, yeah � "

"Rusty Dawes used to say that."

Luke's face got worried. "Before he was banned for dirty driving �"

Bo nodded. "Yup. He had real dark hair. But if you wanted people to not recognize you, you dye your hair blond and grow a beard, and suddenly you look totally different."

"Whew! I think you're right, Bo."

Bo nodded. "I'm sure of it, Luke. That's his voice. I'm bettin' Boss hired him as a ringer, an experienced pro driver in what's supposed to be an amateur race, and one who plays dirty at that. It's just his style. Somebody could get hurt, bad."

Luke nodded. "And you're about the only one who even had a chance of beating him."

Bo blushed. "You really think so?"

Luke grinned. "Well, Boss certainly thinks so! Why else would he go to so much trouble to keep us out of the race?"

Bo just shook his head. "So what're we gonna do?"

Luke sighed. "That depends on if Uncle Jesse can get us out of here. If we can get out, we need to find proof that our friend Mr. Martin is really Rusty Dawes. And warn the other drivers in the race."

Bo frowned. "It'd be just like Boss to set a real high bail so we can't get out until after the race �"

"Nothin' we can do now but wait and see, Bo."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, Boss Hogg's days of gettin' up with the sun were long gone. He rolled in about 9AM to find Jesse Duke waiting for him in his office.

"All right, JD, you gone too far this time! You just let my boys out of that jail cell this minute! You know darn well they didn't start that fight!"

Boss was going to enjoy this. "Now, Jesse, I don't know no such thing. After all, they must'a felt they had somethin' to prove after what came out yesterday!"

"After what YOU spread around yesterday!"

Boss gave his most 'innocent' face. "I didn't start nothin', Jesse. The way I hear it, it was Luke's girlfriend, Annabelle Franklin, who started this. I guess she didn't like bein' thrown over for a MAN."

"How much did you pay her, JD? Hmm?"

Boss scowled, annoyed that Jesse had figured it out. "I don't know what you're talkin' about."

"Hmph!" Jesse snorted. "I'm sure you don't, JD." It was time to turn the tables. He casually wandered over to the door and closed it. "Just like I'm sure you don't remember a certain night 40-odd years ago that I'm sure folks around here would be real interested in hearin' about, given the way they've been stirred up over my boys �"

Boss smirked. "What, Jesse? The night you seduced me and I barely escaped with my virtue intact?"

"Is that how you're spinnin it? Let me remind you, JD. It was YOU who seduced ME, and did NOT leave either of our virtues intact!"

"You know that, Jesse, and I know that. But THEY ain't gonna know that!"

Jesse came around behind JD's desk, right in front of the open window.

"Why not, JD? I'll make sure everybody hears MY version first. You think you'll get any more of a chance to deny it than my boys did? You think Lulu's gonna like knowin' your dirty little secret? She's the FIRST one I'll tell! And besides, everybody around here knows Dukes don't lie. And Hoggs DO! And tape recorders DON'T!"

Jesse pulled a small hand-held cassette recorder from the pocket of his overalls. Boss panicked, screaming "Rosco! Get in here! Confiscate that tape recorder!"

But before Rosco could get past the door which Jesse had conveniently locked when he closed it, Jesse tossed the tape recorder out the window, to Daisy who was waitin' outside.

Jesse turned to Boss. "Daisy's on her way over to see Lulu right now. Now you gonna let my boys out?"

Boss knew he was caught between a rock and a hard place. "What's to say you won't just release that tape anyhow?"

"JD, you know that's not how I do things. Now, if'n you pull any more dirty tricks, yeah, I'll use it. But I give you my word I won't just let it slip out of sheer orneriness."

The sad thing was, Boss knew Jesse meant it. "All right, Jesse. You win." He waddled over to the door and unlocked it, which let Rosco suddenly fall into the office. "Rosco. Let the Duke boys out of jail."

Rosco didn't like that one bit. "What about Cooter?"

Jesse glared at Boss. "Cooter too."

When Rosco left, Boss turned to Jesse. "You gonna tell Daisy to hold up?"

Jesse nodded. "When I see my boys."

A few minutes later, Rosco returned with the former prisoners. Jesse grinned and reached for the CB in Boss's office.

"Shepherd to Bo Peep. Come in Bo Peep."

"Bo Peep here."

"You can hold off on that delivery, Daisy. We're good here. You just put that package in a safe place."

"I hear you, Uncle Shepherd! Bo Peep out!"

Jesse smiled sweetly at Boss. "Have a nice day, JD! Come on, boys."

As the Dukes and Cooter filed out of the Sheriff's office, Luke caught up with Jesse. "Just what's in that there 'package' that Daisy has?"

Jesse grinned. "That old tape recorder. I told JD I'd let slip HIS dirty little secret from 40 years ago, and he was fool enough to admit it, not knowin' I had the tape machine."

Bo and Luke looked at each other, then at Cooter, who just shook his head. He had his suspicions, but didn't know for sure.

"Um, what secret would that be?" Luke finally asked.

Jesse blushed about as red as he could get. "Now that would be tellin', wouldn't it?"

The boys' eyes locked again, knowing Jesse wouldn't be embarrassed unless he was personally involved. They decided it might be better to continue this conversation at home. So Bo changed the topic a bit.

"Uncle Jesse, that old tape recorder ain't worked in years �"

It worked. Jesse laughed, diffusing the tension. "Well, you know that, and I know that, but JD don't know that! And as long as he thinks we DO have it, well, maybe his dirty tricks will slow down a bit!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the Duke farm, Jesse put Bo and Luke to work so they wouldn't have a chance to pester him about that secret. Now, the boys knew they was bein' put off, but they also knew they'd get it out of him eventually. But for the moment they had bigger fish to fry.

"So, Luke, how the heck are we gonna get the drop on Dawes? We can't let him run in that race! A lot of people could get hurt!"

Luke shook his head. "I don't know yet, but give me a while to think on it."

Supremely confident that Luke would figure something out, Bo turned his attention to the task at hand. Despite all the worries they had goin' on at the moment, there was something comforting about the two of them working side by side just like they always had.

Jesse watched them from the back door, proud of the way they'd handled themselves through a difficult day. He knew he'd have to tell them eventually, and of course Daisy already knew the basics, having been hiding outside JD's window this morning. It just stuck in his craw that JD had been his first � and that he'd been so scared that he'd never known what it could really be like until last Friday. He couldn't help smiling as he remembered the special gift Cooter had given him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Late in the afternoon, a spring thunderstorm blew through, chasing everybody inside. Bo and Luke had both gotten soaked running around in the rain like a couple of kids, chasing each other. They were laughing and kissing as they stumbled into the house.

"Hey! Stop dripping all over my nice clean floor!� Daisy's half-amused, half-annoyed voice popped their private bubble.

Bo grinned at her. "Sorry about that, Daisy! Come on, Luke, let's get out of these wet clothes and warm up �"

Daisy laughed, guessing exactly what Bo had in mind for warming Luke up. Shaking her head, she wondered if she'd ever find somebody so special. // Those two are awful lucky. // With a sigh, she reached for the mop to clean up the trail of rainwater they'd brought in with them.

Back in their room, the boys were quick to shed their wet clothes and dive into their bed. After having spent the night in a jail cell, they were both eager for some quiet time together. Of course, with Jesse and Daisy up and about, they were both just a bit inhibited. But that didn't stop them from cuddling close.

Bo felt Luke shivering in his arms. "You cold, love?"

"Just a bit."

It was just a bit cool yet to be playing in the rain. Not wanting his love to get sick, Bo pulled back just long enough to pull the covers up over them. Then he used his hands and lips to warm Luke's chilled skin, and to light a fire in the pit of his belly. It wasn't long before Luke was throwing off the covers, their internal temperature rising to the flash point.

"Bo, Luke! Supper's ready!"

Daisy's voice was like a shotgun, once again bursting their private bubble. With a groan, Luke sank down beside Bo, burying his face in Bo's shoulder. It felt like somebody had yanked his feet out from underneath him. And then Bo started laughing, and soon Luke joined him.

"Well, that put out your fire, and good!" Bo's voice teased.

Luke cast a glance at Bo's wilted erection. "Makes two of us. Come on, we might as well get dressed and get some of that supper."
Still chuckling, they dragged themselves out of bed and put on some clean, dry clothes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After dinner, Bo and Luke shared cleanup duty, while Daisy took a long overdue break. Most nights, while the boys cleaned up, she was gettin' ready for work at the Boar's Nest. She felt strange not going in tonight.

Jesse put an arm around her to comfort her. "Don't worry, Daisy. JD will come to his senses. One night without you and that place will fall apart. He'll beg you to come back. You'll see. Heck, you should be able to get a raise out of this!"

Daisy knew he was right, and a small smile stole across her lips. "You think so?"

"We know so!" Bo and Luke had come into the parlor. Bo placed his hands reassuringly on Daisy's shoulders for a moment before coming to sit beside Luke.

Daisy patted his hand and smiled. "Thanks, Bo."

Now that they was all together, Luke decided to try one more time.

"So Uncle Jesse, you gonna tell us exactly what you've got on ol' Boss?"

Jesse gave a big sigh. He knew they'd never give up until they heard the whole story.

"All right, I'll tell ya. But you got to remember somethin'. This all happened 40 years ago. Things wasn't quite the same back then. JD and me were both members of the Ridge Runners. I guess you could actually say we was friends back then. He's always had that basic greedy streak, but he hadn't yet refined his shifty ways into their current level of meanness, if you know what I mean.

"Now, the Hoggs had a still way out in Chickasaw county, across the river. JD was plannin' a run out there, but his brother who usually rode shotgun for him was sick and couldn't go. So I volunteered to go along.

"Well, JD and I headed out, into the worst rainstorm I'd ever seen. It had been rainin' for a couple of days straight, and we barely made it across the river. While we were loading up the shine, it rained so much the river flooded over, and we couldn't get back across. We had to hole up in the still shack and wait it out."

This was where the story got embarrassing. Jesse paused, looking for the right words. "Now, there's somethin' else you got to understand. JD was 18 and I was 20. I can't rightly say JD was ever what you'd call skinny, but back then there wasn't nearly as much of him as there is today." Ruefully, Jesse eyed his own belly. "Of either of us � "

A choked laugh from Bo got the evil eye from Jesse. "Watch it, boy � just wait and see what you look like 40 years from now!"

A man in his 20's never even thinks about what he'll look like when he gets old. Bo glanced at Luke, nervously making a joke of it. "You still gonna love me when I'm old and fat and bald?"

Luke laughed, slipping his arm around Bo's shoulders. "Even then, Bo. As long as you'll still have me!"

Jesse rolled his eyes heavenward, praying that they'd have the good fortune to make that come true. But on with the story �

"Anyways, we were holed up in that still shack with nothin' much to do. We was drinkin' shine, and got to talkin' about girls. JD had just started goin' with Lulu Coltrane. I already knew I wasn't all that interested in girls. I had never told anybody about that, but I guess I had a little too much shine, and JD was the closest thing I had to a best friend back then. I made the mistake of telling him what I really wanted. He acted all shocked, but the rest of the evening, I caught him lookin' at me sideways, kinda eyein' me up.

"Eventually, we fell asleep. Now, you might have noticed, there ain't much in the way of vices that JD don't like, whether it's food, or shine, or money. And I guess in his mind this became just one more pleasure he wanted to sample. I woke up in the middle of the night to feel his hands on me �" Jesse's voice trailed off as the red crept up his neck and he glanced helplessly at Daisy. He just couldn't say any more with a lady in the room. But the memory was vivid in his mind �

Jesse woke to the feel of JD's hand inside his overalls. He was already hard, which made him wonder just how long that hand had been there.

"JD? What the heck are ya doin'?"

Hogg grinned. "What do ya think I'm doin', Jesse? Ain't this what you wanted?"

Jesse couldn't deny that. What JD was doin' felt a whole lot better than anything else Jesse had ever done. Just knowin' it was another man touching him made it better. "Well, yeah �"

That was all the invitation JD needed. The next thing Jesse knew, his friend was lying on top of him, his own hardness answering Jesse's. A few rough kisses were exchanged before both of them surrendered to an almost animalistic passion. JD all but ripped Jesse's coveralls off, then quickly opened his own pants, leaving them hanging around his knees. He pushed Jesse over, running one hand over his backside as Jesse assumed the position on hands and knees. No lubricant, no preparation, JD just shoved right in.

Lord, it had hurt, but when it stopped hurting, Jesse couldn't believe how good it felt. It answered the need inside him like nothing else ever had. Jesse reached down and wrapped his hand around his dick, pulling on it in time with JD's thrusts. Soon, he felt the pressure building, and he exploded, every muscle in his body contracting. He vaguely heard JD cry out as his spasms triggered his friend's release. And then JD pulled away, and Jesse fell to the ground, exhausted.

Jesse shook himself out of the memory. "Anyways, you can guess what happened. He started it, and I cooperated willingly. It � it wasn't what you'd call romantic. Heck, it was barely friendly. We never talked about it, not even the next morning. But it wasn't long after that that JD sort of stopped hanging around with me. I suppose in a way that's what started this feud between Dukes and Hoggs � that and the fact that they got greedy on that big run a couple of months later �"

Bo and Luke grinned; they'd heard THAT story a million times. Daisy laid a gentle hand on Jesse's shoulder. "Uncle Jesse, can I get you some coffee or something?" She knew the rest of this conversation would go better without her presence.

Jesse patted her hand. "That would be a kindness, child." He watched as she disappeared into the kitchen.

The boys glanced at each other, knowing they had a short window for questions. As usual, Luke took the lead. "So after that, you never � anything? � till last weekend?"

Jesse nodded, hanging his head. "It's always rankled me that JD was the only one. But back then, things was different. He went off and married Lulu, and I hooked up with Martha, because I had to."

Bo got up and took the seat Daisy had vacated, laying his hand on Jesse's shoulder. "I know it's not what you really wanted, but I think I speak for Luke and Daisy when I say we're glad you did. You gave us a good home."

Jesse managed a smile at that. "I guess I got the added blessing of a family. That makes up for all the years alone �"

Luke smiled. "But you're not alone now." It was a statement, not a question.

Jesse blushed. "Well, I don't know as to that. Cooter's a good friend and all, but it ain't love, leastwise not like you two have."

Daisy came back in with the coffee. "I wouldn't worry about that, Uncle Jesse. Ain't one in ten regular couples have the kind of love these two have."

Now it was the boys' turn to blush. Jesse patted Bo's leg. "She's right. And even though things might get a bit rough the next couple of days, if you just hold on to that love, you'll make it through."

Bo sighed. "That's if I live through that race Saturday."

Jesse's eyes shot open at that comment. "Now just what do you mean by that?"

Luke jumped in. "It's bad enough that there are drivers who think Bo is an open target because he's gay. But we think Boss has a ringer in the race � Rusty Dawes. Who's known for dirty driving."

Jesse frowned. "Wasn't he the one who got thrown off the NASCAR circuit?"

"That's him."

"Are you sure?"

Bo shook his head. "He dyed his hair and grew a beard, so he looks different, and he's usin' a different name, but I'm sure it was his voice, Uncle Jesse. He's the one who started the fight last night. We got to find some way to prove it's him."

Before Jesse could answer, Luke suddenly stood up. "Dyed his hair � that's the answer! Daisy, you up to a little play-acting?"

A wide grin split her face. "Sure thing, Luke! What do you need?"

The Dukes put their heads together and worked up the details of the plan �

Continue on to Chapter 9

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Ch 8