"Is that Danny? Danny!" Ace called out, spotting his cousin near a stall decorated with stacked hay bales. His voice rose above the chatter of the crowd. "Hey, Danny! Over here!" He waved enthusiastically, drawing a few curious glances.
"Ah, don't shout. Can't we just walk over there?" Mandy hushed him, her tone exasperated. Ace's sudden outburst had shattered the refined, gentlemanly image she'd crafted for him in her mind. She shook her head, muttering under her breath about her stupid brain romanticizing things.
Soon, they reached Danny, who greeted them with a smile. "You guys made it."
"Where are the adults? Don't tell me you're lost," Mandy teased, her voice light but laced with mischief. She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms as she looked at her nephew.
Unfazed, and clearly accustomed to her playful jabs, Danny shrugged casually. "They headed to their table in the gymnasium to socialize with the other adults."
"Then what are you doing here?" Ace asked, his gaze shifting to the scene behind Danny. People were throwing hay bales in an enthusiastic competition. His brows furrowed in confusion. "Is that some sort of game?"
"It's the Hay Toss. I was planning to join it for a chance to win that large turkey leg," Danny explained, pointing toward the stall where comically oversized turkey legs resembling those show in cartoons were being glazed in honey on a giant grill with a glass shield. The smell wafting over was rich and savory, making Ace's stomach rumble faintly.
Danny's grin turned sly as he added, "But now that you're here, help a brother out, will you?" He patted Ace on the shoulder, his tone half-joking but hopeful.
Ace glanced at the stall again, then at Danny, and sighed with mock exasperation. "I should've known you'd rope me into something ." Mandy chuckled, her lips curling into an amused smirk as she watched the exchange. Ace sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly in mock defeat as he resigned himself to the task. "Where do I sign up?" he asked, shaking his head with a reluctant smile as with his physical stats participating in these games was basically cheating.
"Here," Danny said, holding out a ticket. "I already bought it. Get in line, cus. Make it count—it's $10 per ticket." He pointed to a small queue nearby. Many of the participants in the line had sturdy builds, but almost all sported noticeable beer guts. Ace's gaze lingered on the line, and he couldn't help but deduce that the comically large turkey leg prize must have drawn in a very specific crowd.
As the line inched forward, Ace's attention was caught by a familiar figure collecting tickets and judging the Hay Toss. It was Luke—the man who had sold him the 1874 Sharps rifle. When their eyes met, they exchanged nods of recognition, a silent acknowledgment passing between them.
When it was his turn, Ace handed his ticket to Luke. "What are the rules?" he asked, his brows furrowing as he observed that most of the participants before him had not managed to win, even though they had hurled the hay bales far past the designated line.
Luke's lips twitched in a faint smile as he explained, "You stay behind this line and throw the hay bale onto that target line. As long as any part of the bale touches the line, you win." He passed Ace a rectangular hay straw bale and added with a warning, "Careful—it's heavy."
"Thank you," Ace said politely, gripping the bale. Its weight surprised him—it was hefty, around 60 pounds—but it was nothing for him. From behind, he heard Mandy and Danny cheering enthusiastically.
"Go, Ace!" Mandy called out, her voice brimming with encouragement.
"You can do it! Danny needs that turkey leg!" Danny added, clapping his hands in anticipation.
Ace adjusted his grip, hoisting the hay bale over his shoulder as he squared his stance. Taking a deep breath, he focused on the target and chucked the bale with calculated precision. With a satisfying thud, the bale landed squarely on the line.
"Yeah!!!" Danny shouted, pumping his fist into the air. "Ace, you did it!" His voice carried over the noise of the crowd, and Mandy joined in with a delighted cheer, her face lighting up with pride.
Ace glanced back at them with a triumphant grin, the festive energy around them growing as the spectators clapped and cheered.
"Good job, kid," Luke said, handing Ace a coupon for a free comically large turkey leg. However, before Ace could fully accept it, Danny snatched the coupon with a gleeful, "Thank you!" and darted off toward the stall where the oversized turkey legs were being honey-glazed.
Pressing his face to the glass shield, Danny eagerly scanned the rows of turkey legs, his eyes narrowing as he zeroed in on the biggest one. Pointing at it, he handed the coupon to the lady behind the counter and said, "I want that one in the third row."
"Sure, my boy," the lady replied with a warm smile.
Meanwhile, Ace called out from a distance, "Lola, hi!" His eyes widened as he finally recognized her face, obscured by the hair net and mask.
Lola, who was helping her mother glaze the turkey legs, looked up to see the handsome transfer student waving at her enthusiastically. For a moment, her heart raced, her cheeks flushing faintly. But her gaze shifted to the beautiful Mandy standing next to him, and reality sank in. She quickly tempered her emotions and gave a polite wave. "Hi, Ace."
Ace strolled over to the stall, pulling up the sleeves of his jacket. "Hi, ma'am. You need a hand?" he offered, flashing a friendly smile at Lola's mother.
"No, Ace. I've got this," Lola's mother replied, her tone kind but firm. Then, turning to her daughter, she nudged her gently. "Lola, take a break and go hang out with your friends. Have some fun."
Lola's eyes widened slightly, catching her mother's knowing smile. She pinched the bridge of her nose and squinted at her mother, silently pleading for her to drop the idea. "No, Mom. You can't manage this alone," she protested, her voice steady but her cheeks still tinged with color. Mandy's presence next to Ace only added to her reluctance to leave.