“But Amy and Cal are here. We should stay for another round,” Fiona said with a pout.
“Now, you know we can’t do that, sugar. We’re booked for the largest group we’ve ever managed, and we need to make sure everything is ready to go bright and early,” he said.
Shannon and Declan watched the interaction with interest and I could understand why. While I’d only gotten to know Fiona since she moved back to Poplar Springs to help run the family trail ride program, I knew her to be fiery and intent on getting her way. There weren’t many people who could talk her down when she got stubborn, but Eli definitely had the knack.
“I still say we can stay for another game and maybe some dessert,” Fiona said, but it sounded more like she was teasing Eli than making a serious argument.
Eli didn’t bother to respond. With a hand to her shoulder, he turned Fiona around, lifted her up, and tossed her onto his shoulder. “Say goodnight, Fi.” He didn’t wait for her to speak—he simply made his way toward the door. Fiona lifted her head and gave everyone a wave and a cheeky wink that made it clear she’d gotten exactly what she wanted.
“I wish we’d known you would be here,” Shannon said, giving me a hug. Then she whispered in my ear, “If this is a date-date, then I’m super happy for you.”
When we finally settled at our table, the server was already setting drinks down. I looked to Cal and he shrugged. “You mentioned something at dinner the other night about liking the red wine and I saw they had it here. If you’d prefer something else, I can flag her down and change the order.”
I was beyond touched at how much he paid attention to me. “No, this is perfect, thank you.”
Buckman’s was set up with cages along two walls that would hold up to two competitors at a time. In front of each cage was a long table that looked like it could accommodate up to ten people. The place was built for large groups and I was hoping to set some sort of event here over the rodeo weekend.
We placed our burger orders and then read over the rules before entering the cage assigned to us. We donned our safety gear and lined up behind the foul line.
“Should we flip a coin to see who goes first?” I asked, wondering if I had any change in my purse.
Cal reached into his pocket and held up a quarter. “Call it,” he said. I chose heads and he tossed the coin in the air and caught it, flipping it over onto his arm. “Tails.” He grinned at that and I stepped back so I was behind him and off to the side.
He lifted one of the axes off the wall and got into position. There were foot markers on the floor to show where to place your feet. He stepped on them and lifted the axe over his head, taking a couple practice swings before letting it go and sending the axe rotating toward the target. The toe embedded in the middle circle toward the outer age.
“Not bad, Mr. Pierce. Not bad at all,” I said. He smirked as he stepped back.
“Do you think you can do any better?”
“Oh, I know I can.” I walked over to the wall, grabbed an axe, and returned to the foul line. Using both hands, I gripped the axe over my head and leaned into the throw. End over end it flew, before hitting the bull’s eye. I turned to him grinning. He lifted his hat, rubbed his head before he set the hat back down and gave me a suspicious look.
“Why is it I feel like you’re some sort of … axe shark?” he said, and I laughed.
“I was captain of my college team for three years,” I told him not bothering to hide my smirk.
“Of course you were,” he said, throwing his hands up. “Not only are you the most beautiful woman in this place, but you’re lethal, too.”
I had no idea how to respond to that and I could feel my cheeks heat with a blush. I was saved from having to come up with anything to say when the server returned carrying the baskets with our burgers and fries.
Cal pulled the axes from the target and placed them back in the brackets, and then we went to eat. As we ate, we talked more about our lives. I ended up sharing the number of ribbons and trophies I’d won in both axe throwing and archery, which impressed him.
While we ate and talked, folks stopped by to chat. There were a fair number of fans wanting to shake Cal’s hand and take selfies with him, but it felt as if just as many stopped to ask both of us about the rodeo and express how much they were looking forward to attending.
Each and every time, Cal was quick to turn the credit to me, stating that any success the rodeo had would be because of my hard work. Buckman’s general manager stopped by our table to discuss setting up some events during the rodeo, and I gave him my card. He promised to call me in the next couple of days to discuss his ideas.
I was hungrier than I’d first thought and when we both finished our burgers, I suggested ordering another round of spicy fries before returning to the cage. But once we’d polished those off, I was ready for another round with the axes. When I hit the bull’s eye for the third time in a row, I was impressed to see that instead of throwing a temper tantrum over me showing him up, Cal asked me to show him what he was doing wrong.
I went through the fundamentals of grip, stance and rotation. “Since your axe is sticking, it’s not your rotations that are a problem, so let’s look at your grip and stance,” I said and demonstrated how I stood so he could mimic it. “That looks good. Okay, try it again.” I stepped out of the way and he threw the axe, this time barely making it onto the target.
“Well, shit. How is it I’ve gotten worse instead of better?” he asked shaking his head.
“Two reasons. You’re throwing your elbow out wide, which has your aim off, and you’re thinking too hard. This is a game of focus. If your mind is cluttered, your accuracy will be off.”
“You have to be the first person to ever tell me I thought too much,” he said with a chuckle. “Help me, Obi wan, you’re my only hope,” he quipped and I laughed.
“Let me guess, you dressed up as Han Solo for Halloween?”
He shook his head. “Nope, but there was a year where I was Chewbacca and my sister was Darth Vader. It was Jen’s first Halloween with us and I was determined she’d have a good time. My mom made our costumes, and they turned out great—except for the fact that I was allergic to the fake fur. I started itching but was too stubborn to say anything because we were raking it in trick or treating. By the time we got home and I took my mask off, I was completely broken out in hives.”
