Excerpt from On the Fringe by Gregory G. Barton, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

"Hey, Pumpkin, lunch ready yet?" The smile quickly turned to a frown when he saw me standing behind her. "Who's he?" the farmer inquired with a nod of his head.

"This is Adam, Pa," Mary Ellen said, running a hand along a gleaming fender. "Says he wants to marry me."

Her father raised an eyebrow and stared at his daughter, who calmly returned his gaze. He wiped his hands with a filthy rag and began to slowly circle me.

"Where you from, son?"

"San Francisco originally, but I live in Omaha now."

"And what makes you think you want to marry my daughter all of a sudden?"

"Well, I saw her practicing just now, you see...over at the pond...and¼" I trailed off weakly, realizing how absurd it sounded. But the explanation must have satisfied the farmer, for he nodded and stopped directly in front of me, towering over my head.

"You play the game much?"

"Game?" I asked in puzzlement. "I don't understand. What game?"

"Golf!" the big man answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well...yeah," I stammered, "whenever I get the chance."

"Good, 'cause if you want my daughter's hand you'll have to play for it."

"Play? Play who?" I asked, eyeing the man's big hands with dismay.

"Me," Mary Ellen said with a wry smile.

"You?"

"That's right," Mr. Parker said. "If you can whip her, you can marry her."

Copyright Gregory G Barton 2001. All rights reserved.