A/N: All right, here’s the second story in my Green Acres trilogy, Fire Hazards! Couples will be paired up and more in this one! Plus, more on Josie’s past life will be revealed, but even MORE will be revealed and explained in the third story, Restricted Area. So hope you like this story, I like it better than the last one myself. More drama and romance :)

Fire Hazards

Chapter One: The Topic of Mardi Gras

May 1975, Hooterville Valley

In the heat of the early morning, Sam Drucker, owner of “Sam Drucker’s General Store” in Hooterville, was in the back of his store printing out the weekly paper. This week’s main topic of interest was the upcoming Hooterville Volunteer Fire Department Mardi Gras, which was held annually. All the volunteer fire men looked forward to this event every year, and it was always proved a lot of fun. Sam had just printed out the last paper when he heard the front door open and somebody walk in.

“I’m in the back!” the kind grocer called out, wiping his hands on his apron.

“Good morning, Mr. Drucker,” he heard Oliver Douglas, the New York attorney turned farmer, say to him with a touch of his hat. “What’s the headline this week?”

“Oh, the Volunteer Fire Department Mardi Gras,” Sam answered, giving him a copy to read for himself. “We have it every May, you know. It’s only in a few more days.”

“Today’s Monday, isn’t it? So, we have about three days now?” Oliver asked as he skimmed the article. He suddenly thought, “Why is our Mardi Gras in May when everyone else has it in February?”

“That’s right. I’m looking forward to it, what with the music and dancing and good food. You and Missus Douglas going?”

“We plan to,” the former lawyer responded, laying the paper on top of the pile. “Mr. Drucker, the reason I came was to pick up a few grocery items.”

“Oh, of course, let me get out of this apron, and I’ll be right with you,” Sam answered while in the process of removing the apron. Oliver followed out into the actual store while Sam got behind the counter, placing the newspapers on top of it.

“What can I get for you folks today?” he asked him, taking a look at the list Oliver just handed him. “Hm, canned vegetables, flour, sugar, salt...in other words, the usual things, right?”

“Pretty much yes,” Oliver nodded, taking the list back as Sam turned around to get some cans of vegetables. “Uh, Mr. Drucker, has it ever occurred to you that–”

He didn’t get to finish his question because at that moment Hooterville’s local con man Mr. Eustace Haney came rushing into the store.

“Sam! Sam, please tell me you got fresh-cut daisies somewhere in here,” he asked while catching his breath.

“Fresh-cut daisies?” Oliver asked with a confused look on his face. “What do you need those for?”

“You’re lucky, Haney, this is my last bouquet,” Sam told him, handing him the arrangement.

Mr. Haney dug a few dollars out of his pocket to give to him. “Here, keep the change, I’m in a hurry.”

Oliver stared as he watched him make a dash for his truck and take off down the road. He was in shock that Mr. Haney actually paid for something, and then didn’t even stick around to get his change! Oliver looked at Sam as if requesting an explanation for this strange behavior.

“What was that all about?” he asked him, pointing towards the door.

“What? Oh, you mean Haney buying those flowers?” Sam asked him while putting the canned vegetables in a bag. “Well, as you know, Josie McAllister bought that old Watson place next door to you last month when she moved here, and the house was unfurnished and all.”

“Yes, I know,” Oliver told him, remembering the day they had picked Josie up off the side of the road the day they were heading to Chicago for the state fair. “But what does that have to do with–”

“Hold on, I’m not done,” Sam shushed him. “Anyway, since the house was unfurnished, Mr. Haney took it upon himself to do all the ordering and delivering of any appliance or other necessity she needed. And every time an order comes in, he comes running in here to buy daisies (that’s her favorite flower, you see), and passes it off as a free gift that came with the purchase.”

“What does he tell her that for?”

“He doesn’t want her knowing that he buys them,” Sam explained. “You know, he is awful sweet on her, but doggone, if he don’t get bashful around her! At the rate he’s going, it’ll be the new millennium by the time he has the guts to finally ask her out!”

“Let’s hope it stays that way,” Oliver muttered, not really approving the whole matter. “Uh, what I was trying to ask earlier, don’t you think it a bit odd for us to have a fire department when we never have fires around here?”

Sam gave that a little thought. “No, we don’t have many fires. Actually, we haven’t had one in years. But you never know when something may happen, and we have to be prepared for it.”

“Prepared for what?” asked Hank Kimball, the county agent with major memory-lapse who had just walked in.

“A fire,” Sam replied. “Is there something you need, Hank?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Mr. Kimball frowned, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling to think. “I guess I just wanted to see a paper. Today is Monday right? Or maybe that was yesterday?”

“It’s today,” Oliver told him, shaking his head in a bit of annoyance. Mr. Kimball always managed to give him a headache while talking to him.

“Here you are,” Sam said while handing Mr. Kimball a paper.

“Oh, boy! The Mardi Gras is coming up!” the agent exclaimed. “That’s always pretty fun. You fellas going?”

“I’m plannin’ on it, and Mr. Douglas is taking Missus Douglas,” Sam responded. “Say, you know whether Eb is going or not, Mr. Douglas?”

“I don’t know, but I’m sure he’ll be asking for the night off anyway,” Oliver answered. “Well, I have to be running along and get these groceries home. Have a good day!”

Aw, Mr. Haney buys Josie flowers, how SWEET! The poor dear doesn’t realize how much he likes her. Will he have the guts to tell her eventually? How are Hank and Ralph coming along in their relationship? Find out all of this plus more in the chapters to come!