CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT #2
There’s a short break to allow everyone time to grab a fresh drink and a bite from the chow house, where the food had been transferred from the kitchen, and then the next category, breakaway, is under starter's orders. There are almost twice as many contestants for this category and a few are women. I hadn’t seen any cowgirls while walking around, so they must have come later is what I’m thinking, but there is going to be some fierce competition.
They are all fast as fuck when it comes to this event, but one of the women wins it hands down. Her horse moves like lightning, greased lightning at that. I swear that horse is sitting back on its haunches before the rope drops over the calf's head.
The ol’ ladies are next, and we all cheer for them as they enter the arena.
Colt takes a moment to explain to everyone that this is a fun event and that the cowboys shouldn’t expect too much.
Star takes offence at this, as do some of the others, and they give Colt a hard time for his attempt at gentlemanly behavior.
Some of the cowboys have volunteered to be the targets for the ol’ ladies, and when they strip off their shirts at what they see as encouragement, the women's men see as a challenge.
Knuckles is the first one off his straw bale, and leaving his cut, folded behind him, he stalks into the arena, strips his t-shirt by ripping it off, and stands before Jo’s cowboy.
Jo’s cowboy is no slouch when it comes to his physique, but Knuckles dwarfs him.
It isn’t long before every cowboy is faced off against a member of the MC.
They all grin and take defeat like men and walk out of the arena.
All except one. One cowboy remains, and we all feel sorry for what is about to go down.
Colt walks over to the two men, one a cowboy, one a biker. He speaks softly to the two of them, and they both nod. Taking his bullhorn, he announces that we have a standoff. Neither man will leave the arena voluntarily, so they are going to fight for the honor of remaining as the ol’ ladies steer.
There is no doubt about it, Star looks as pleased as punch that two men are fighting over her. It is also painfully obvious when she kisses Meat that she expects him to win, hands down. The cowboy doesn’t look so confident when she touches his cheek and shakes her head as though he is about to die.
Colt raises his bullhorn again and announces that the fight will begin on the count of three. “One…Two…Th…”
The cowboy throws a punch at Meat before the count of three, and Meat catches the incoming fist in his huge left hand, clamping down and stopping it mid-flight.
What he does to it, I don’t know, but the cowboy drops to his knees screaming in pain.
Meat grunts at him, and as he looks up at Meat, his jaw impacts Meat’s right fist, and we all see the cowboy's lights go out.
The MC cheers, and I half expect a massive brawl to break out, but two of the cowboy's friends walk in and pick him up. Carrying him out of the arena, they shake their heads and lay him on straw bales. Checking he’s only unconscious and not dead, they leave him there and we all get back to the contest.
All the women start to throw their lassos and, of course, Star lands hers on the first throw.
That’s when I notice Cora doesn’t have a target.
Her cowboy skedaddled with the others. Before I can say anything to Cork, one of the brothers rips his t-shirt off and offers her his services.
He is a good-looking specimen, too. He is fit as all hell and knows it.
He struts up to Cora like he’s the rooster in the henhouse, kisses her hand and then walks away to be her target.
“That’s Fist. I’m glad we’re not in the arena for this category.”
“I didn’t think it was fair to pit myself against the ladies, but why are you bothered?” I ask him, curious why he would say that.
“Because before the end, he will have started a fight that will involve every one of the men in there and probably some of the women, too. He can’t help himself and just look at the audience he will have. It is inevitable.”
Sure enough, as Fist walks by Knuckles, he gives him a push, and Jo’s lasso drops to the ground where he’d just been standing. Knuckles lunges at Fist, misses and bowls into Fox. Fox backpedals and knocks into BS. BS doesn’t budge an inch but shoves Fox away and right into TwoCents.
TwoCents lashes out at Fox, who sees it coming and pulls Stitch into the line of fire.
Stitch takes the blow on the chin and punches TwoCents, who reels back and knocks Ruger into Colton, who knocks Nyx on her ass.
Picking Nyx up, Colton makes sure she’s okay and launches himself at Ruger who has just punched TwoCents.
From this point on, it is every man for himself.
Punches fly and land. Men go down and then get up, grabbing at anyone within reach.
Cork is screaming his head off at anyone and everyone.
‘Go on, Colton! Put him on his ass’, ‘Knuckles, look out!’, ‘Watch your back, Pres.’ While he’s doing this he knocks the cowboy to his right who spills his beer.
The cowboy takes a swing at Cork, misses and hits Wings.
Buzz finds this hilarious until he’s met with one of Wings' fists to the nose.
Looking around, I see Colt sitting on his impromptu stage from where he did all his announcing.
Picking my way through the ever-increasing battlefield, I grab a couple of beers from someone's ice bucket and join him.
Sitting there, enjoying the beer, we watch as a scene from a comedy western unfolds before us and everyone becomes involved by accident or choice.
Some of the ol’ ladies join us while others take to the fray.
Like Star, who’s riding a cowboy’s back and biting his shoulder, or Winter, who is back-to-back with Target and throwing anyone, regardless if they’re biker or cowboy, that gets within reach to the ground and stomping on their crown jewels.
This goes on for around fifteen minutes and then the cowgirl who won the breakaway category appears with a Winchester rifle. She fires three shots into the air, and everything comes to a halt.
Colt looks at her as though she just hung the moon and mutters, “Windage and elevation, Mrs. Langdon. Windage and elevation.”
Recognizing the John Wayne quote, I burst out laughing, spilling my beer all over Jo who’s been sitting by my feet.