Heck of a kiss

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Clinging to Dancer’s back, I watched as people saw me coming and dove out of the way. Swinging my left leg out of the stirrup, I bent and grabbed the cinch pulling the leather tight as I guided Dancer through the parking lot with my other hand. When it was tight, I wrapped the slack around the horn not stopping to tie it off. Next I reached down beside my leg and untied my lariat beginning to make a loop as I hurtled toward the commotion.

As I got closer to the screaming, the cowboy hats, and button ups disappeared and sneakers and t-shirts began appearing. The parking lot ahead of me was half empty now and everyone was either running the opposite way or hiding in their vehicles. Swinging Dancer toward the sounds I wove my way down an aisle and out into the empty space. Bellows came from the right end so I turned Dancer and galloped down the aisle.

Behind me, I could hear people and other horses running toward me. Adrenaline surged through my body like an electric shock as I caught sight of the beast which was smashing into the side of a SUV sheltering a family inside. The vehicle was rocking crazily under the force of the assault and I could hear dimly the occupants screaming.

As we charged to the SUV I began swing the lariat around my head waiting until we were close before I let fly. The lariat looped over one of the bull’s blunt horns then slipped off harmlessly. Dancer’s speed took me past the bull and I guided him around with my knees and heel as I re wound my lariat desperately, preparing for another pass.

Again the bull charged, digging his horns into the grill of the SUV and heaved with his massive shoulders and neck.  The SUV’s front wheels were lifted from the ground and the muscles in the Bull’s neck were bunched into taut knots. The grill was bent and twisted from the attacks and the bumper was reduced to a bent and dented piece of metal. The SUV skidded and turned getting free from the horns and landing heavily on the ground.

Kicking Dancer’s sides I began running back to the bull. I knew if I didn’t do something quickly the SUV might tip and hurt the occupants. As the bull backed up for another charge, it saw me coming and turned coming toward me. Dancer swerved, barely dodging the enraged bull. I threw my rope, just before it looped over it’s head, the bull ducked the rope whistling harmlessly over its head. Hissing in frustration I whirled for another pass.

I heard yelling and another horse rode past me, its rider flinging a rope as it passed the bull. This lariat also wrapped around the Bull’s horns and the rider continued riding until he was opposite me our ropes looped around the bull’s horns.  Whirling my lariat around twice I let fly and finally managed to rope the bull stopping it as it tried to go after the other rider. Yanking it to tighten the loop I kept riding allowing more rope to leave my coil as I rode to a safe distance. Quickly I wrapped the end of the lariat around my horn securing it so the rope couldn’t be jerked out of my hand. The bull wasn’t ready to give up and he lunged at me, however the other rope held him back and when he tried to lunge at the other rider, my rope held him back.

Josh and Jabe had reached the SUV and had opened the doors on the opposite side. “Come out of the car, it’s okay, they’ve caught the bull so don’t worry.”

Together they helped the occupants out and onto the ground.

My heart clenched when I saw that the oldest person in the car was a young girl probably 12 and she was holding a toddler in her arms. Two boys around 6, and 7, clambered out next and last was a little girl, perhaps four, her face tearstained and her legs wobbly. The older girl was crying, her face drawn  and tight her breaths coming in ragged gasps as she bordered hysteria.

As the kids came around the side of the battered SUV, they began screaming at the sight of the bull. The bull was scared by the sudden noise and began thrashing. Dancer began dancing, struggling to keep the bull still as it fought and shook it’s head.