Chapter Ten
As they drove, and rode, into the yard Gordon McAllister came out of the barn.
"Well I see everything went all right at Mr. Quinn's. How do you like Yankee Doodle, Mike/"
"He's great!" the youngster exclaimed.
Gordon smiled at the boy's enthusiasm.
"I see Mr. Quinn let you borrow Smoke again," he said to his cousin.
"Yeah. I'm going to show the fellas, and Mike, around the area before they go home. I think we'll ride out to Aspen Lake for our fishing trip."
"Sounds like a good idea. I hope you're planning on letting me come as well."
Cam looked at him with twinkling eyes. "That depends on how well you behave yourself this week."
The girl ducked behind her friends as her cousin reached out to tickle her.
"If you have enough energy to harass me, you can just see to the buggy, Smoke and Galen while I go help Aunt Hannah with supper."
The three men, and the boy, took over the care of all the horses - feeding, watering and grooming - finishing up just as Hannah called to them to wash up.
Dinner was a boisterous and noisy affair as the group feasted on pork roast, potatoes and beets from the McAllister Garden, fresh bread with butter, plum preserves and strawberry jam, butternut squash that had butter, brown sugar and cinnamon stirred into it with gingerbread topped by a choice of applesauce or whipped cream for dessert.
Shortly after dinner a protesting Mike was shuffled off to bed. It was only when Cam promised to tell him a story about when she first met Slim and Jess, that he went willingly.
"You be careful what you tell him," Slim warned. "I can tell some stories, too you know!"
"Not as good as I can," Cam declared with a laugh.
Not too long after Mike went to bed everyone else retired as well. There were still a few days before the fair would open but final preparations and set up needed to be done.
The next day found Hannah and Cam mostly at the fair grounds. Cam left Mike in charge of Duncan under Slim and Jess' supervision and with strict instructions on the pup's behavior and diet. It was okay to take him for a run but one of the men needed to be with him in case Duncan got too strong for him or got away somehow.
Dr. McAllister had patients in and out all day but nothing serious,while Gordon spent the morning in his office working on the paperwork for an upcoming court case.
Never one to be idle when there was work to be done, Daisy accompanied Hannah and Cam to the fairgrounds and helped with the decorating of booths and arranging the exhibits as they arrived. The women on the fair committee were glad of an extra pair of hands. With everyone working together the large Grange Hall was decorated with red, white and blue bunting on the outside and autumn colors of green, yellow, orange, brown and dark red on the inside.
Tables were set up and covered with tablecloths where appropriate. Flowers were arranged in vases and placed near doorways, as well as on tables where the judges and exhibit chairmen would sit as they assisted exhibitors and compared notes on winners.