Page 35 of Bride Games

“Not even close, Luce. Guess what? They have rides at Silver Dollar City. Lots of rides, I think. I haven’t been there in years.”

Lucy clapped. “Rides? Like a fewwis wheel?”

“Yep. They even have a kid area especially for your age.” Eli glanced at the clock on the dash. “We should be there in less than 30 minutes.”

Lucy squealed. “I can’t wait. What else does Dollar City have?”

Eli grinned, clearly happy with his family outing choice. “Let’s see. They have old-time crafts like soap making and people who blow glass into pretty vases and bowls. They also have blacksmiths who forge horse shoes in a fire. It’s an 1880s theme park.”

“1880s, Mr. Hansen? Was that a long time ago?”

Both Eli and Emma giggled. Emma turned to wink at her daughter. “It was even beforeIwas born.”

Wriggling in the backseat, Lucy said, “Thatisa long time ago.” She sat silent for all of thirty seconds before asking, “Did you say they make shoes for horses, Mr. Hansen?”

Emma and Eli broke into laughter.

“Why are you laughing? He did say they make shoes for horses, Mommy.”

Eli slowed the car and turned his head to the side so he could see Lucy. “You’re a very bright girl. You’re right. I did mention horseshoes, so you interpreted it exactly as a six-year-old should. Do you want to hear more?”

“Uh huh.”

“Here’s the bottom line, back in the 1880s people got to places like a general store or other houses using horses. This was before cars were invented.”

“They didn’t have cars?” Lucy’s high-pitched voice captured the magic of a child’s wonder.

“Correct,” Eli answered before continuing his basic history lesson. “Men called blacksmiths used steel to forge and form the curved metal in a fire to make horseshoes. They workedwith people called farriers who specialized in horse hoof care. Farriers helped to place the shoes on the horses’ hooves.”

“I don’t understand, Mr. Hansen.”

Emma watched the interaction with a small smile. “I’ve never heard of a farrier. I’m learning something today too.”

“Lucy, I think I got too deep in the weeds. Basically, the rounded metal shoes were placed on the bottom of the horses’ feet to protect them because they had to walk long distances.”

“So, the horses weren’t barefoot?” Lucy asked.

“Exactly,” Eli chuckled. “That’s what I should have said to begin with.”

Emma leaned against the seat, happy to hand over the reins for once to a capable adult. She was exhausted from always being the mom and the dad. She turned toward her daughter in the backseat. “It’s going to be an amazing day. We’ll be there soon.”

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Eli parked among a sea of cars in multiple lots on both sides of the road. Emma’s eyes bulged. “Oh, my gosh. This has grown into a mammoth operation. We’re definitely going to get our steps in today.”

After he turned off the ignition, Eli said, “I say we take the tram. We’ll get enough exercise just walking through the park for hours.” Once they made their way to a tram station among hundreds of other park goers, Lucy’s eyes welled with tears. “I forgot Mr. Pickles. He would love ‘City.”

Some days Emma wanted to flush her daughter’s stuffed rabbit. She cursed herself for not remembering the toy but took another stance. “Mr. Pickles is watching our house for us. He likes being in charge so he can make all the decisions and sit wherever he wants.”

“Oh.” Lucy brightened, clearly enjoying the thought of her plush rabbit in charge of the entire household. Reaching for her mother’s hand, she bounced up and down when she spotted an oncoming tram. “We get to ride a train.”

“We sure do.” The threesome stood in a long line and eventually boarded a second tram. Every seat was filled. Once inside the park, the threesome stood at the entrance surveyingthe area. The area was packed with guests. As the sun beat down, Emma wished she had worn shorts and flipflops or at least a hat. She could already tell she was going to smother in her jeans but she didn’t have time to use self-tanner the night before and hated her pale white legs. Eli reached for her free hand while Lucy tugged on the other one. He leaned in, whispering, “I adore your freckles. I bet your whole face is covered with them by the end of the day.”

She grimaced. “I hope not.”

“I hope so.” Eli crouched beside Lucy. “What do you want to do first?”

“Everything!”

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