Page 22 of Fern's Date with Destiny
By the time Zach called time, Fern was breathless and doubled over laughing.
“Count ‘em up!”Zach ordered.“Team Dustin-Charity: nine balloons.Shim-Amanda: thirteen!Cody-Fern…” He squinted into the pen.“That’s more than I expected.Twelve.Not terrible.”
Cody slung an arm around Fern’s shoulders as she leaned into his side, both still panting.
She grinned up at him.“Nice wrangling there, cowboy.”
Zach waved them toward the far side of the arena.“Next up, Beam Walk.Which is just fancy talk for ‘don’t fall off this two by four while balancing a cup of water.’”
Dustin groaned dramatically.“We get to break anklesandlook like idiots?Perfect.”
Zach raised a brow.“It’s all of four inches off the ground.I think your ankles are safe.”
Fern gave Cody a sly glance.“I used to pretend I was a tightrope walker on our porch railing as a kid.Piece of cake.”
“Sweetheart, if you eat dirt, I’m not catching you.”
She waggled her brows.“Youbetter.”
Turns out, balancing water while giggling at your secret boyfriend is not a recipe for success.
Fern was halfway across the wobbly beam, cup bobbing precariously, when Cody, following close behind her, muttered, “Don’t wiggle that cute ass at me, or I’ll drop mine too.”
She snorted so hard she choked.Her foot slipped, arms pinwheeling, and Cody lunged forward with a swear, catching her waist just before she toppled sideways.
The water hit his shoulder, soaking his flannel.
She shrieked with laughter as they both tumbled off the beam, landing in a heap on the soft sawdust.
Over their heads, Zach bellowed, “Disqualified!But bonus points for entertainment value!”
Fern twisted under Cody’s arms, curly hair full of wood shavings, laughing so hard her ribs hurt.She wriggled free just as Shim jogged over to help haul her upright.
“Smooth, Fields,” Shim teased, flicking a piece of straw out of her curls.“Graceful as ever.”
“Hey, I stuck the landing…with help,” she shot back, bumping her hip against Cody’s leg with mock innocence.
Cody smothered a grin, dusting hay off his shirt.“Next time I’m wearing body armor.”
They plowed through the last event.A ridiculous blindfold-and-guide relay where each pair had to direct one partner through a maze of hay bales using only shouted instructions.
Fern and Cody tanked that one too, mostly because she was snickering so hard she kept confusing his directions until he declared, “I’m trading you for Amanda next time!”
She gasped dramatically.“Rude!”
He stole a quick kiss under cover of the hay maze wall.“You’re still my favourite cowgirl.”
Zach called it.“All right, corporate event crash test dummies, you did Red Boot proud—or at least hilariously average.I’m giving everyone a free beer and calling it a win.”
Cheers and exhausted high fives flew around.Dustin bear-hugged Charity until she squealed.Shim gave Amanda a quick, bashful shoulder squeeze that made her blush bright enough to rival the sunset.
Cody threw a playful arm around Amanda’s shoulders too.“Anytime you want to moonlight at a real ranch, you’re welcome at Red Boot, Amanda.”
Shim snapped his head up, scowling.“Hey?—!”
Fern swatted Cody’s bicep as she stepped into his hug.Her voice was a mock-growl only he could hear.“Watch it, buster.”
Cody bent to murmur at her temple, grinning like a devil.“Just getting Shim’s goat.You’re the only cowgirl for me.”
