Once Upon a Wish by Pam Andrews Hanson

Author:Pam Andrews Hanson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, contemporary
Publisher: F+W Media
Published: 2012-09-03T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

The first thing Dan heard when he and Amy pulled up beside a green pickup on the farm property was a metallic clink followed by male jeers.

“Feel free to join the men,” Amy said, speaking for the first time in the last ten minutes. “I guess horseshoes are the grown-up boys’ version of pin the tail on the donkey.”

“I don’t have to be here,” he said, giving vent to his growing irritation. She acted as though he’d forced himself on her when he’d only come as a courtesy.

“Just remember, this wasn’t my idea,” she said as she got out of his van and started walking toward the noisy group. She rejected his offer to carry a large box wrapped in blue paper with baby angels — or maybe they were cupids. He’d never bothered to distinguish between them.

“You didn’t try to talk me out of it,” he pointed out, taking long strides to catch up.

“I told you there wouldn’t be much mingling of the sexes, so go circulate. I’ll join the women. Apparently the landlords have loaned their parlor because Gayle and Greg don’t have room for a big group.” She stalked off toward a bunch of balloons on the porch of the large two-story yellow farmhouse.

Everywhere he looked, fields were green with corn, the stalks already knee-high or taller. In spite of his big-city upbringing, he marveled at the unbroken vista of growing plants. He’d heard that each stalk of field corn only produced one ear, but huge silos would fill with golden kernels at the end of the season. He looked forward to harvest time when big wagons would haul the corn to Heart City to be dried and eventually sold. He’d been there long enough to know the railroad cars full of corn were the lifeblood of the town.

Dan had never been shy, but he still felt uncomfortable approaching a group of men who were mostly strangers. He didn’t feel part of the community, and these friends who all knew each other made him feel more of an outsider.

“Hey, Doc!” The recent groom, Judson Carter, stopped hooting at the failure of a burly redhead to wrap a horseshoe around a stake in the ground and called out to him.

“Judson, nice to see you,” Dan said, appreciating the welcome. He almost asked how the honeymoon was but decided he didn’t know the man well enough. Who knew what constituted prying in rural Iowa?

“You can be on my team,” Judson said. “We’re a man short.”

“I’ll give it a try,” he said, although he’d never played it. How hard could it be to toss a horseshoe?

He watched the technique — or lack thereof — of a few players before it was his turn. Meanwhile, Judson introduced him to a few of the others, including the father-to-be. The majority were young farmers but there was also a construction worker, a plumber, and a guy who ran the garden center with his father. Ordinarily, he’d only meet them as patients, but being part of this group made him feel younger and more relaxed.

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