Johnny laughed as she pulled him towards the carousel, her carefully coiffed red hair bouncing behind her shoulders. "If you wanna ride, you got horses back home!"
"Not like these ones, silly!" He stumbled over the edge of the platform, sitting sideways in the saddle of a black stallion in red and gold tack. Retta nudged his knee with her own, watching him as the merry-go-round began to turn and loud calliope music blasted out from behind the mirrors. " 'Sides, I'd rather ride a painted pony with you than any one of my daddy's fancy racin' types."
He grinned. "Sure you're backin' the right horse? I'm nobody's favorite."
"You are too." She leaned across the distance between them, one hand on the pole holding her horse to the floor, and kissed him. Her lips were soft and full against his, and he moved towards her, one hand reaching for the small of her back. The kiss broke as Retta was pulled away by the horse's upward movement.
Johnny watched her for a long moment and she laughed at the expression on his face. "I'm gonna get you the best prize on the Midway," he said, standing up off his stallion. The ride slowed to a stop beneath their feet. He grabbed onto her arm, jogging towards the barkers beyond the delicious-smelling food vendors.
"Pick a prize," he said, gesturing to the dozen tents around them, each one with an assortment of stuffed animals and toys hanging from their eaves. "Anything you want."
"Johnny, you don't have to buy me nothin'."
"I'm not buying it for you. I'm gonna win it. Fair and square." He reached down, slinging an arm around her waist, and pulled her close. "Just like I won you."
She smacked him in the chest, pulling away, but she was smiling. "I'm not some prize to be won, Johnny. Ooh - look at that cute little skeleton!"
"Yeah?" He looked up, scanning first the big stuffed animals, confused. Then he spotted it, hanging above a stall where a pyramid of bottles stood at the far wall. He laughed, looking down at her. "That one? It's so little! Come on, doll, give me a challenge!"
She shook her head, her blue-purple eyes sparkling up at him. "Nope. I like that one." Playing along, she batted her eyes and said, "You think you could get that for little ol' me?"
He chuckled, giving her another squeeze, and walked up to the booth. "No problem," he said, handing a dollar to the pot-bellied barker in the stall.
The first baseball went wide, striking the back of the tent, but the second ball hit the wooden bottles square center, knocking off the top three. He reached for the third ball, then turned just as Retta stepped up beside him and threw it. She hit the base of the pyramid, knocking one battered wooden bottle sideways into the cloth folds of the tent, and the rest collapsed over the barrel and onto the dirt floor.
The barker laughed, taking down the fuzzy skeleton as Johnny pointed it out. "Here you are, Dead-Eye!"
"Thanks," he said, grinning, and passed the doll to Retta. She leaned into his side, hugging him. "For you, Retta."
"Aw, Johnny." She held it to her chest, squeezing it, and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Just what I wanted."
