“Hey handsome.” Daisy said as she walked into the kitchen for breakfast.

“Hey, Daisy.” Luke answered, turning to flash a quick smile at her before he turned back to the flapjacks sizzling on the griddle.

“What are you up to today?” Daisy asked as she settled in at the table and poured herself a cup of coffee.

“Not much, just chores, and then I should go check on the back forty.”

“Want some company?”

“Sure, I’d love some.” Luke said as he placed a stack of flapjacks in front of his cousin. “Wanna tell me about it?” he asked as he sat across the table from her, folding his hands in front of him.

“Ain’t you gonna eat?”

”Not hungry. What’s up, Daisy?” Luke asked in concern as he looked at his beautiful cousin.

“Nothing.”

“Daisy, come on, I know you better than that.”

“Its just…do you ever wonder if this is it for us?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean this!” Daisy said, getting frustrated. “Every day it’s the same thing! Chores, then more chores and then even more chores! Don’t you want more?”

“I guess. I don’t think about it too much. I love the farm and really missed it when I was away.”

“But don’t you want what Bo has?”

“You mean a wife and family?”

“Yeah.”

“Sometimes.”

“Only sometimes?”

“Yeah.” Luke answered, looking even more closely at his cousin. “Daisy, what’s up with you?”

“I don’t know.” Daisy answered, staring at her plate “I guess I’m just tired of waking up alone.”

“Yeah, I get tired of that too, but I’m also too old to run around with all the “girls” in town.”

“Yeah, and I’m too old to run after all the guys. Guess I’m just going to have to resign myself to being a spinster.”

“Daisy Duke!” Luke exclaimed with a laugh, “I’d hardly call you a spinster! You’re bright and pretty and funny and anything but a spinster.”

“Thanks, Luke.” Daisy whispered looking up at her cousin with tears glimmering in her eyes. “I guess I just thought that maybe Enos and I…stupid thought, huh?”

“No, Daisy, it’s not, but I don’t see him leaving L.A. anytime soon.” Luke said, hating having to say this to her, but wanting to tell her the truth.

“Me either...and I can’t live out there, so I guess that’s it for us.”

“Daisy, there is someone out there for you.”

“No there ain’t. I’ve looked,” Daisy said, laughing derisively “heck, I think I was better off before I got my degree.”

“Don’t say that,” Luke chided gently, “any man would be lucky to have someone as wonderful as you in his life.”

“I want to believe you, Luke, but I guess I’m just scared.”

“I know you are, honey.” Luke said, putting a hand over hers where it rested on the table.

“I don’t want to be alone the rest of my life.”

“You won’t be.” Luke promised. “At least we’ll always have each other.”

“Yeah.” Daisy agreed, giving Luke a watery smile as she changed the subject. “We best get going or the chickens’ll go on strike.”

“Yeah.” Luke agreed, turning once again to look at Daisy as they both stood “Just one more thing...don’t forget that I’ll always be here for you.”

“I won’t, thanks, Luke.” Daisy said, kissing Luke’s cheek as she shooed him out the door ahead of her.

As Luke and Daisy got out of the truck from checking the crop later that afternoon they heard the phone ringing in the farmhouse and raced to grab it, Luke beat Daisy by half a step, “Beat ya.” He teased, laughing at her as he picked up the receiver. “Hello…hey…we’re good, how are you? No everything’s fine...no…no…Bo knock it off…yeah, just a minute…you too.” Luke finished his conversation and handed the phone to Daisy.

“Hey Bo…no…fine…that’s great, congratulations…of course…wouldn’t miss it…love you too, cousin…bye.” Daisy hung up the phone and burst into tears.

Luke put his arms around Daisy and drew her head to his shoulder. “Sh…It’s gonna be all right.”

“But…he’s…”

“I know.” Luke whispered, brushing his cheek against the top of her head, trying to hold back his own emotions. When Daisy had shed all her tears Luke lifted her chin to look her in the eye. “I lied earlier, I do want that, but I guess it’s not meant to be.” Luke admitted.

“Same here.” Daisy whispered, resting her head on her cousin’s strong shoulder once again.

“Damn it!” Daisy exclaimed as she looked at the calendar a few days later.

“What is it, cousin?” Luke asked, glancing up from his newspaper.

“Valentine’s Day.” Daisy spat. “Or more to the point, the town dance…yet another year going alone.”

“Go with me.” Luke suggested.

“Luke, what would everyone think!?”

“Who cares? We know where our relationship ends.”

“But still…this is a small town, people’ll talk.”

“Hon, they probably are already anyway.” Luke said, turning and laying aside the paper. “Think about it. Two reasonably attractive single people of the opposite sex living alone all the way out here.”

“But we’re cousins!”

“So? As I recall someone said once that that had never stopped anyone in this family before.” Luke said, smiling at Daisy as he recalled the conversation years ago between Daisy and Bo.

“That was a joke!” Daisy said. “This is serious!”

“Daisy, nothing will happen. I swear. But you don’t want to go alone and neither do I. And most of the other single people in this town we’ve either dated and it didn’t work, or we don’t want to date. So what’s wrong with going together?”

“Nothing, I guess, though we could just not go.”

“People will talk more if neither of us show up.”

“True.” Daisy reluctantly agreed.

“So you’ll go with me?”

“Okay, you’re on.” Daisy answered, having second thoughts as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

On the morning of the dance Luke walked into the kitchen just as Daisy was setting breakfast on the table. “Hey, Daisy.”

“Good morning, Luke.” Daisy answered, sitting down across the table from her cousin. “I was thinking, maybe we shouldn’t go to the dance tonight.”

“I keep thinking the same thing, but…Daisy we can’t let other people rule our lives. Let’s just go together and have a good time. If either of us meets someone, then great, if not we’ll come home and wallow in self-pity together.”

“Okay.” Daisy reluctantly agreed.

“You look gorgeous.” Luke said, smiling as Daisy came into the living room later that evening dressed in her new black jeans and a soft pink sweater.

“Thanks, you look good too.” Daisy said, taking in Luke’s own tight black jeans and black pullover, offset with a brown leather vest.

“Shall we?” Luke asked, holding out Daisy’s coat to help her into it.

“Let’s go.” Daisy said, slipping into her coat and waiting for Luke.

Luke ushered Daisy into the fire hall a few minutes later, his arm protectively around her waist. As soon as they were through the door both of them were surrounded by their friends and taken off in separate directions. They each danced with other people all night, both so busy they hardly had a chance to breathe, let alone to take a break.

It was only twenty minutes before the dance was to end that they were able to catch up to each other. Luke reached for Daisy’s hand as she approached him, just a friendly gesture, nothing more. “Having fun?” he asked his cousin, taking in the flush on her cheeks and the brightness in her eyes.

“Yeah, thanks for bringing me.” Daisy said, smiling more brightly than she had in days.

“You’re more than welcome.” Luke said, grinning at her. “So, you riding home with me?”

“Yeah, most of the guys I’ve been dancing with are taken.”

“Yeah, all the ladies are too.” Luke said, just as the last slow dance was called. “Care to dance?”

“I’d love to, I did promise you one dance, after all.”

“Yes you did.” Luke said, guiding Daisy to the floor.

Daisy wrapped her arms around Luke’s neck, unable to stop the involuntary tingle that raced through her as Luke wrapped his strong arms around her.

“I’m glad you had a good time tonight.” Luke whispered as they danced close.

“I’m glad you did too.” Daisy responded, feeling as though she were lost in a dream as her mind wheeled with long suppressed desires.

“I’m glad we came.” Luke said, closing his eyes as he inhaled Daisy’s intoxicating perfume.

“So am I.” Daisy whispered, unconsciously moving even closer to her dance partner.

Luke held Daisy close and began to hum the love song that was playing. Daisy swayed against Luke, feeling safe and secure in his strong embrace, feeling like she belonged there. Luke couldn’t believe how right it felt to be holding Daisy as they danced. Both of them knew that they shouldn’t be feeling the way they were, but they couldn’t have stopped themselves if they had wanted to, it felt so right.

“I guess…” Luke started, feeling a little lost as he still held Daisy’s hand.

“Yeah, we should probably go.” Daisy said, taking a shaky breath.

“Yeah…meet you outside in five minutes?” Luke asked, not wanting to let her out of his sight, but knowing that they both had people they had to say goodnight to, and knowing that they each needed a moment to gather their thoughts.

The ride to the farm was silent, each one lost in their own little world, each afraid of the feelings racing through them, but almost as afraid to let those feelings go. When they got back to the farm they each headed in their own separate directions, barely saying a word, except to say goodnight.

Luke lay in bed, his mind reeling, thoughts jumbling together, old fears surfacing, old jokes and taunts haunting him. Memories of times past racing through his mind. He was desperately afraid of what he was feeling, afraid of rejection, and to an extent afraid of acceptance. “What the heck do I do?” Luke asked himself, punching his pillow in an effort to get comfortable. “I sure as shootin’ shouldn’t feel like I do right now…it ain’t like I’m an out of control teenager.” Luke berated himself. He had just closed his eyes, intent on forcing himself to sleep when there was a knock on the door. “Come in, Daisy.” Luke said, making sure that he was covered as the door opened.

“Sorry to wake you.” Daisy said, stopping just inside the door.

“You didn’t. I haven’t been able to get to sleep.” Luke admitted, patting the bed next to him.

“Me either.” Daisy said, sitting down next to Luke. “I don’t know what to say…what to do…”

“Neither do I.” Luke said, reaching up to brush a wisp of hair out of Daisy’s eyes.

“This shouldn’t be happening…” Daisy said. “I shouldn’t be feeling like this…not about you…you’re my cousin.”

“I know…and I shouldn’t be feeling like this about you…but I do…when I held you earlier it felt so right, so natural…”

“I know, dancing in your arms I felt like I was where I belonged. But now I don’t know what to do about it…I want more than I should…”

“I know, so do I…I want it all…I want us to be together…but yet I know that we shouldn’t…that it’s not right. Yet it feels so right…I don’t know how this can be. How can I want something with all my heart, that my brain is telling me I shouldn’t have?”

“I don’t know…I keep asking myself the same thing.”

“Plus I’m so afraid of hurting you…hurting us…what if we try it and it doesn’t work, what happens then, we’re not exactly strangers that can go our separate ways.”

“I know…but I also have to wonder what happens if we don’t try…how can we continue to live together and not want to be together…”

“What do we do?”

“Take it slow.” Daisy whispered, tilting her head to brush a kiss against Luke’s cheek.

“Really slow.” Luke said, brushing a fingertip over Daisy’s slightly parted lips. Daisy smiled at Luke and brushed her lips against his, running her hands into his dark hair to hold him close. Luke gathered Daisy to him and held her tightly. “I’m almost afraid to let you go, afraid that this will all have been a dream.”

“It’s not a dream though, Luke.” Daisy whispered. “It’s very real.”

“I know.” Luke whispered, again brushing Daisy’s soft lips with his own. They both shivered with the sensations running through them, as well as the cold in the old farmhouse. “Care to join me?” Luke asked softly, holding the covers open.

“I’d love to.” Daisy whispered, slipping beneath the covers and snuggling into Luke’s warm embrace.

“There’s no going back, you know…”

“I know, Luke, but there was no going back as soon as this started, when you asked me to the dance. Now we can only go forward.” Daisy said, resting her head on Luke’s shoulder.

“I know, I couldn’t go back if I wanted to, and I don’t want to.” Luke said, brushing a kiss into Daisy’s sweet-smelling hair.

“Neither do I.” Daisy responded, kissing Luke’s shoulder.

“Good.” Luke said, brushing his fingers through Daisy’s silky hair as he again kissed her lips. Daisy parted her lips in soft invitation as she made small circles on Luke’s muscular chest with loving fingers. “You’re so beautiful.” Luke whispered between light kisses, his hands trailing over Daisy’s side, down to cup the slight swell of her hip.

“You’re not bad yourself…for an old guy.” Daisy teased gently, her fingers snaking up under Luke’s shirt to gently card through the surprisingly soft hair on his chest.

“You keep that up and I ain’t gonna feel old for long…” Luke murmured, as his hand slid under Daisy’s silk nightgown, lingering over her even silkier skin.

“Make love to me?” Daisy whispered, her words brushing over Luke’s ear as she spoke.

“Are you sure?” Luke asked softly, for the moment ignoring the desire her words stirred in his soul.

“Yes, I’ve wanted this, wanted you, for so long.” Daisy answered, her hand stroking down Luke’s flat stomach to brush against his straining manhood.

In answer Luke pulled slightly away from his soon-to-be lover and eased her nightgown off, taking a deep breath as Daisy’s beauty was exposed to him in full for the first time. “Breath-taking.” He whispered, his hands gliding over her perfect body.

“My turn.” Daisy said softly, sliding her hands under Luke’s tee-shirt, helping him to shed the thin barrier. Daisy let out a sigh as Luke’s chest was bared. “Perfect,” she whispered, groaning softly at the loss of contact as Luke stood to remove the sweatpants he had been sleeping in.

Luke lay back down next to Daisy, running his hands once again along her silky smooth skin, down to the top of the pair of very brief panties that were the last barrier between himself and her womanhood . “So beautiful.” Luke whispered, as Daisy arched her hips in invitation. Luke slid the panties off over Daisy’s legs, tossing them to the floor to lay with the rest of their discarded clothing.

“Please, Luke…don’t make me wait…” Daisy begged.

“Darlin’, I’ve waited too long to rush this like a teenager.” Luke murmured, running his lips from where he was nuzzling her neck, past the swell of her breasts to come to rest on her flat stomach.

Daisy wound her fingers into Luke’s hair, holding him close, guiding him to the rosy tips of her breasts. Luke parted his lips, taking one of the nubs in his mouth, suckling hungrily on her sweet skin. Daisy arched into the touch, her hands playing over Luke’s back as she urged him on with low murmurs. Luke trailed his hand over the swell of her hips to come to rest near her womanhood, his fingers lightly playing over the soft moistness of her desire.

“Luke…please…” Daisy moaned, arching into his hand.

“Soon, love, very soon…” Luke promised, nuzzling his lips between the swell of her breasts.

“Luke….please…” Daisy begged again, her voice hoarse with desire as Luke’s lips once again found hers, silencing her with the sweetest of kisses.

Luke moved over her, sliding slowly into her warm depths then easing himself out only to move slowly into her once again. After long moments of this slow progress, broken by many kisses and murmured words of love and desire, he slid home. Resting inside the woman he had desired all his life he gazed down at her “I love you, Daisy, I always have.” He murmured again touching her lips with his own, in a sweet, possessive caress.

“Love, you.” Daisy whispered as the kiss ended with a teasing nip. She began to move against him, signaling her readiness for completion, her need to feel his release within her.

Luke began to move again, his body taking it’s cues from her, bring them both to the brink and then back time after time, until they both gasped and exploded in shuddering release. Coming off the high of their release they rested together, encircled in the warmth of each other’s love.

Long minutes later as Daisy lay cuddled in Luke’s embrace, nuzzling a kiss against his chest she whispered. “Thank you…”

“No, love, thank you.” Luke whispered, bushing a kiss into her soft hair.

“I love you, Luke.” Daisy whispered as she drifted to sleep.

“Love you.” Luke whispered as he closed his eyes, preparing to sleep with his arms wrapped around his beloved for the first time, already looking forward to many more nights of holding her close.