Page 58 of Forever with the Farmer's Daughter
Cameron crosses his arms over his chest and eyes his brother suspiciously. “Possibly. Why do you ask?”
“Great! I signed us up for the greased pig contest, so we have to check-in at the arena at two.”
“What!”
A giggle escapes me, and I immediately slap my hand over my mouth and then grab my phone to text Momma. Cameron glares while Craig continues to grin. “Yep, I signed us up.” He taps his hands on the booth and pushes away. “Okay, I gotta go tell Kenny the news. See ya at two, brother.” He throws a fist in the air. “Woo! Go, team Hutchinson!”
I’m still giggling at the look on Cameron’s face as he walks away. “You know you shouldn’t be encouraging him.”
“I know, but you know how I feel about Craig. Plus, he’s only doing it to spend time with you and Kenny.” I shrug. “It’s sweet.”
Cameron scoffs. “Sweet. Crazy is more like it.”
I lightly smack his arm. “Oh, stop, you big grump. It’ll be fun.” My phone dings three times in quick succession with text. One from Momma saying she’ll be happy to cover for us during the contest and two from Aubrey, who’s as excited as I am to watch Team Hutchinson. I giggle at her enthusiasm, type a quick reply, and slide my phone into my back pocket.
At a quarter ‘til two,Cameron, Kenny, Aubrey, and I make our way over to the arena to join Craig. I follow Aubrey into the stands, and we find a seat in the third row. While we wait for things to get started, Aubrey leans over, “Kenny tried to get me to stay at the booth, but there was no way I was missing this.”
“Oh, me either. Cameron was less than thrilled to hear Craig signed them up for this.”
At precisely two o’clock the announcer’s voice comes over the pa system. “Good afternoon, folks and welcome to the eighty-third annual Dogwood County Fair! Have we got a treat for you this afternoon. A little earlier today we had the children’s version of this competition and now we’re thrilled to bring you the adult version of the greased pig contest.” The crowd breaks into applause, whooping and hollering ready to cheer on their team. Once the crowd quiets the announcer continues. “Now the rules are a little different for the adults. We let them work in teams of three, and they’ll have to capture two greased pigs and get them into a pen. The team with the fastest time wins. So, folks what do you say we bring out our first team and get started?”
The first team steps into the arena and the announcer introduces each member. When they’re ready, two pigs are released, and the team begins working to corral first one pig and then the other. “Okay folks, let’s hear it for Team Barkley, with a time of three minutes and fifty-two seconds.”
The team waves to the crowd and heads back through the gate to wait as the other teams join the competition. Two more teams enter the arena, both posting impressive scores until finally the announcer introduces the last team. “Well, folks, we’re down to our last team of the day. Say hello to Team Hutchinson.”
Aubrey and I whistle and holler, cheering our team as they enter the arena waving to the crowd. The announcer’s voice comes through the speaker once again. “For those of you who don’t know, Kenny and Craig Hutchinson own and operate Hutchinson Farm, right here in Blossom Creek. And Cameron Hutchinson is our very own hometown hero, returning to Blossom Creek after serving in the Army for the past eight years. Welcome home Cameron and thank you for your service.” Cameron steps forward, removes his cap, and waves to the crowd. As the applause erupts, pride swells in my chest and Aubrey squeezes my hand.
“Okay, you boys ready?” All the guys give a wave, and the announcer continues. “All right, then, for the last time today, release the pigs!”
The gate at the end of the arena opens and two pigs trot out looking a little tired. Craig directs Kenny to one side and Cameron to the other as he takes the front. Everything changes once the guys close in on the pig. As Cameron approaches from the right side, he leaps forward to wrap his arms around it’s middle. The pig squeals and slips through his arms leaving him stumbling into the dirt. Craig tries to take the pig head on, but the pig runs through his legs leaving him flat on his back. Kenny sets his sights on one of the hogs only to reach the same end as his cousins.
Aubrey and I laugh until our sides hurt and tears are running down our faces. Never in my life have I seen the Hutchinson men so out of sorts, and I’ve known them all my life.
Aubrey wipes at the tears. “Oh my god, they’re going to make me pee my pants.”
Her declaration makes us laugh even harder as we watch the spectacle before us.
They regroup and try again, this time successfully wrangling one of the pigs into the pen. The second pig seems easier for them, they flank the pig getting it close to the pen this time before trying to get hands on it. Kenny takes the lead this time, grabbing hold of the pig from behind as Cameron takes the middle. Getting a better grip, they get to their feet and head to the pen where Craig stands waiting to open the gate. Cameron and Kenny step inside, release the pig and scramble back out as Craig closes the gate.
“And there you have it folks, our winners with the fastest time of three minutes and forty-eight seconds!”
Aubrey and I leap to our feet clapping and hollering for Team Hutchinson as the rest of the teams enter the arena. Each team is given a ribbon in honor of their placement in the competition. After one more round of applause, the teams exit the arena. Aubrey and I make our way down to greet the guys. As they step out, all three covered in grease and dirt, I can’t help but smile. “You guys did amazing! Congratulations!”
Craig wraps his arms around Kenny and Cameron’s necks. “You know what this calls for?” I look at Aubrey and we both shake our heads. “A group hug!”
Before either of us can protest, Team Hutchinson wraps us both in a hug, sharing all the dirt, grease, and pig stink with us.
Craig backs away as Cameron lifts me off the ground and kisses me. My hands frame his face and scrunch my nose. “You need a shower.”
He grins and runs a greasy, dirty finger down my nose. “I’m thinking you could use one too. So how about we head to the house and make that happen?"
I lean in and kiss him. “Lead the way.”
Cameron
Before the fair began Samanthahad only planned to pass out ice cream samples at the Kincaid Dairy booth on the first and last weekends of the fair. However, the summer heat coupled with word of mouth increased interest in the booth and the frozen treat we prepared. Samantha and I spent every morning of fair week at the American Legion preparing more samples to pass out in the evenings.
On the last night of the fair, Mr. and Mrs. Kincaid enter the exhibit hall, make their rounds to each booth and thank each vendor personally for participating and making this year’s fair a success. Saving us for last, they step behind the booth to join me and Samantha.
