Page 46 of Where the Wattles Bloom

She laughed. ‘How can a girl resist that kind of offer?’

‘I mean—’ Lachlan grinned. ‘Right?’

‘What’s your favourite part of the show?’ she asked as they weaved through people who continued to mill and clump. ‘Is it the animals? Or the machinery and other farm stuff?’

‘I like all that.’ They passed a dagwood dog stand, the aroma of deep-fried batter tickling Lachlan’s nostrils. ‘It’s a good opportunity to catch up on the latest tech and new innovations all in one place. And who doesn’t like to see the fluffiest chook in the district?’

‘Well, yes.’ She nodded sagely, a smile playing on her mouth. ‘That’s a must.’

‘As is the largest pumpkin.’

Her eyes sparkled with laughter. ‘Absolutely. I couldn’t possibly exist another day without seeing that.’

She was teasing, but he liked it. It hummed through his body like the vibrations from a mechanical shear.

‘My favourite, though, is the woodchop events that happen in the centre ring. I really like the tree felling category where they have to chop all the way up on each side of the trunk. And I’m’—he gave a deprecating shrug—‘rather partial to the Ferris wheel.’

He’d had his first kiss at the top of the Ferris wheel at the Acacia Junction show when he’d been thirteen. It had been kind of inept and, looking back, he felt sorry for Beverly Morey, who’d had to endure his soggy offering.

But he’d never forgotten it.

‘Let me guess,’ Lachlan said, narrowing his eyes at her a little. ‘You’re a sideshow alley fiend, aren’t you?’

She laughed. ‘I am, actually. I love the rides! All the lights and colour and the loud music. And the way people’s screams bounce all around you. I love the Chair-O-Plane, the Zipper, the Hurricane, the Gravitron, the Top Gun.’

‘You like fast, huh?’

‘Oh yes.’ She grinned at him. ‘The faster the better.’

It was fair to say that Lachlan wasn’t a fan of things that went fast. His parents dying in a light plane crash, combined with investigating road accidents, had made him risk averse. On the other hand, he did enjoy belting across a paddock in an ATV, rounding up some sheep.

‘The Ferris wheel goes at a fair clip.’

Laughing again, she shoulder bumped him playfully, and Lachlan couldn’t help but laugh back. He was sure he sounded like a giant wuss. But it took a lot more than that to emasculate a guy who could shear a hundred sheep in a day.

‘I don’t mind a spin or two on the Ferris wheel,’ she said. ‘It’s like a palate cleanser. An adrenaline hiatus between the rides. But I prefer the dodgems for that.’

Lachlan grinned—he was the king of dodgems. ‘Cool. You wanna do that now?’

‘Actually …’ She slowed. ‘I was hoping to see Reggie’s blue ribbons first. I heard she swept the pool.’

‘She did indeed. Poor Madge never stood a chance.’

*

Lachlan led her into the Sir Winston Bleaker pavilion, which had been named after the first mayor of Acacia Junction. Old Winny had been largely responsible for forming the original agricultural society that had been the driving force behind establishing the showgrounds. The pavilion had been built many years ago, in time for the second ever show.

It was essentially a posh shed, with a gable roof over a large central space, surrounded on three sides by wide walkways set under a lower skillion roof and divided from the main space by iron poles. Given its size, this pavilion always hosted the entries from its extensive competition programme. Everything from arts and crafts to the big fruit and vegetables to the cooking categories were displayed here.

Everything that didn’t involve animals.

And there seemed to be as many people enjoying the offerings inside as there were wandering outside.

Around the edge of the space, under the skillion roof, could be found all the arts and crafts. Painting entries from all age groups were affixed to the walls, as were photographs taken by local amateur enthusiasts, which sat beside exhibits of children’s handwriting.

The side aisles also displayed table after table boasting exquisite examples of hand and machine sewing, embroidery, crochet, knitting, and a host of other crafty enterprises from egg decorating to teddy bears. Behind them on the walls hung quilts of stunning variety and intricacy, some of which would soon be auctioned off as a fundraiser.

As it was the largest competition category, all the baked and cooked goodies that had been entered were displayed on tables running in vertical rows in the central open section of the pavilion, allowing plenty of room between the tables for people to pass by. The cooking competition encompassed everything from kids’ chocolate crackles all the way up to wedding cake decorating and everything in between, and was popular with everyone.