A Match For Addy (The Amish Matchmaker Book 1) by Emma Miller

“Gideon’s right. None of you will come close to our score.” It was a brazen lie, but Gideon had sacrificed his reputation to protect her, and she had to support him.
    She knew she’d never been popular, so it didn’t matter so much. The community expected her to be prickly. But Gideon was an outsider. She didn’t want them to think he had English ways or thought himself better than them. She had to speak up and give them all something else to talk about. And as soon as the bold words were out of her mouth, she frantically tried to think of some further way to defend him. But before she could, Ellie spoke up.
    “Gideon’s not exactly telling the truth when he says he’s the
county
champion,” Ellie called in a loud, clear voice. “Gideon won the corn toss competition in Cashton, Hillsboro, Medford and Clark Counties. And he was the top scorer at the Wisconsin State Fair last year. I think that makes him a state champion.”
    “That was Wisconsin,” Thomas shouted. “Wait until you see what us Delaware boys can do.”
    “You tell him,” Jane called good-naturedly. Others joined in the friendly teasing and the couples lined up to play.
    The game was simple. Someone had set up two wooden platforms measuring two feet by four feet. The playing boards were fashioned of plywood and painted with crudely drawn corn stalks on each one. The boards were angled so that the top was about a foot off the ground and the bottom at least four inches.
    Opposing teams competed by tossing beanbags filled with corn kernels into a single six-inch-round hole cut near the top of the board. A beanbag through the hole was worth three points, while one that stayed on top of the platform without sliding off onto the ground was worth one point.
    Charley had marked out a pitcher’s box with lime a distance from the corn boards. Each player got four chances to get their beanbags in, in each inning, and any player who stepped over the line was automatically out of the game. The first couple to make twenty-one points was the winner. Then the winning teams of the first round stepped aside to compete again against other finalists.
    Addy was nervous when it came her turn to throw, but Gideon had gone first and earned ten points. “Take your time,” he cautioned. “And don’t worry. We’re a shoo-in.”
    Her first beanbag missed the hole, struck the board over the opening and lay with part of the bag hanging over the edge of the hole. Her hands were shaking when she raised the second beanbag. This time, she kept her eyes on the board and threw with a little less force. To her surprise, the bag dropped neatly through the hole.
    “What did I tell you?” Gideon leaped straight in the air and laughed. “Did I tell you? She’s a natural!”
    Her third throw overshot the target, landed on top of her first beanbag, and teetered there. “Go in,” Addy urged. “In.” And then, as she stared at the beanbags, both slid into the hole and plopped onto the grass. Everyone began to cheer.
    “One more, Addy. Go for it!” Gideon yelled.
    Mary clapped and laughed. “You can do it, Addy!”
    Addy made her final throw of the inning and shut her eyes as the beanbag left her hand. She was afraid to look, but Gideon’s excited shout told her that she’d scored. Twelve points for her, plus Gideon’s ten! Violet and Elmer were their opponents, and together they only made eleven points. Addy couldn’t help breaking into a wide smile when Charley directed them to stand with the finalists.
    The corn toss tournament continued until there were only two couples left: she and Gideon, and Thomas and Ellie. Charley had drawn a special pitching box for Ellie that was much closer to the board, but no one minded. With her height, it was only fair. Addy certainly didn’t begrudge her friend any advantage she could gain. But no one had expected Ellie to be so good at the game.
    In the final inning, Thomas and Gideon both scored twelve points, Ellie seven, and