Chapter 5 #2
And I was just tipsy enough that I did the most uncharacteristic thing in the world. I tipped up onto my toes and got as close to his ear as I could, which meant I whispered into his thick chest, “Time for this cowgirl to ride something hard and fast.”
He grunted out a laugh. “That’s the spirit.”
Then I pranced confidently over to the bull before remembering I had no idea what I was doing.
Dawson followed me to the bull and rumbled, “Just go slow and easy hon. Set it to level one. That’s the beginner’s setting. And don’t forget the seat belt.”
Now that I was up close, I was getting cold feet.
Maybe this was a bad idea.
I straddled the bull and tried to make sense of the dial in front of me.
I started to get off again, but his strong hands landed on my waist, keeping me on the bull. “You got this, girl. I have faith in you.”
I lost myself in his dreamy eyes again, clutching at the edge of his flannel shirt. “I bet you could talk a girl right out of her boots.”
He chuckled. “Now there’s an idea.”
As I reached out and twisted the dial to see what happened, he said, “Now hold on a second, hon. Seatbelt first! And you’ve got the dial turned way too high.”
But by that time, it was too late. The thing had already started bucking.
This isn’t too bad.
“It’s okay,” I told him. “I think I’ve got this. It’s not as hard as it looks.”
I held on to the handles, which were shaped like bull horns, while people cheered me on.
But Dawson shook his head. “Turn it off, hon. You need to put your seat belt on. And you’ve got it set way too high.”
“How do you turn it off?” I asked with a big smile on my face. This was the craziest thing I’d done in a long time.
The bull had been in steady use all night long, and I wasn’t the first to ride it. It had looked like fun from a distance, and no one had gotten bucked off.
But my ride felt different. The mechanical bull picked up speed, and I stopped looking around the bar and stared down at the dial again.
“Wait. How do you make it slow down?” I asked Dawson.
I tried to play with the dial, but that made it worse.
The damn thing started going faster, and all I could do was hold on as tight as I could. I started to panic as it bucked me all over the place.
This thing is dangerous!
It needed to come with warning labels.
“Amy! Hold on to those handles! I’m going to try to stop it,” Dawson hollered as he stepped closer.
I managed to elbow the man in the eye as the bull bucked me around. I heard him grunt in pain, but then he was back, trying to reach the dial between my thighs.
He didn’t get a hold of the dial, but he did manage to light my pussy on fire as the bull bucked me into his hand.
After a few seconds of that, Dawson almost managed to get a hold of the dial, but not before my grip slipped and I flew off the damn thing into the air.
You know what the trouble is with flying into the air?
You come back down again.
I landed like a broken rag doll, thudding onto the dirty floor of the Bear Den bar, as every cell in my body instantly settled into a deep ache.
“Ohhhhh,” I groaned. The wind had been knocked out of my lungs, and I felt a stab go through my arm when I tried to move.
I just lay there flat on my back wondering why the Mountain Golds had such a kick to them.
Maybe if I’d only had two, I wouldn’t be in this situation. I needed to stick to my limits in the future.
Dawson appeared above my face, peering down at me with a worried expression.
“Are you okay, Amy? Holy shit, I can’t believe that happened.”
“I’m not sure. Everything hurts.” I lay there, trying not to move. Trying not to even twitch.
“Does anything hurt worse than the rest?”
“Uh, yeah. My arm.”
“Okay? Which arm?”
“The left one.”
Two more faces appeared. Rugged. Bearded. Almost as sexy as Dawson, although he still had top billing.
One of them said, “I’m Gabe. I’m part of the volunteer fire crew over in Deer Springs. We’re going to get you taken care of.”
“Hi, Gabe.”
Dee and our friends gathered round before the man with Gabe hollered out, “Everyone back. Give us some space.”
Then I heard what was likely the bartender shouting, “Bear Den’s closed. Bring up your tabs and cash out. Time to go home. We got an injured woman here.”
“Oh, don’t go to all this trouble for me.” I said as I tried to move my head, but it hurt too much.
“Nope. No, ma’am,” Gabe growled, holding my head still. “Whatever you do, don’t move your head. We’re going to get you to Fernwood to check over your injuries. The question is, do you want to wait for the official ambulance or go the country way?”
They were acting as if I was hurt way worse than I thought I was. “I think it’s just my arm. I’m going to be fine.”
The man grunted out, “And we’re going to get you to a doctor so they can tell you that. Now, answer me, should we go now or wait an hour for the real ambulance?”
I glanced at Dawson without moving my head. “What’s the country way?”
His hand looped into mine. “Gabe’s just being dramatic.
The volunteer fire department doesn’t have a big enough budget for a real ambulance.
So, the mountain has rigged up a cargo van we use in these situations.
They’ll have you strapped on a gurney in the back.
It’s safe. It just depends on whether you’d rather wait for a ride with all the bells and whistles or go a little more primitive. ”
“I don’t think I need any of this,” I told him as I tried to sit up. But a jolt of pain shot through me when I shifted my back. “Oh, my god. That hurts.”
The men exchanged a glance that made me scared. “I’ll go the country way,” I decided on the spot. The faster they could get someone to look at me, the better. Maybe I did need a doctor.
The two men nodded and disappeared. Then it was only Dawson and Dee looking down on me.
Dee looked absolutely shattered. She was actually crying.
“I’m going to be fine, Dee. Don’t worry about me. But I may not need a ride home. Why don’t you get Ann to take you and Sharon home now, okay?”
“Are you sure? I can’t believe this happened. I feel so bad.”
“Don’t worry about it. Go on. I’ll see you at work.”
As they shuffled out, my ex showed up, kneeling down next to me. “Do you want me to go to the hospital with you?”
Even while I was lying here injured, he managed to annoy me. “No. Finish your date. I’ll be fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
I couldn’t deal with Chris right now on top of being injured.
Dawson may have read my energy, or it might have just been a coincidence, because he went alpha on his ass right then. He leaned over me protectively and said, “Get out of here, dude. She’s in good hands with me.”
Chris blustered, “I know her, man. We’re friends.”
Dawson was undeterred. He growled out, “I’m taking her to the hospital. If you want to meet her there, you can. But Amy’s told you to go. You should listen to her.”
When Chris opened his mouth to rebut, Dawson yelled out, “Max! Come tell this cowboy the bar’s closed.”
Heavy boots tromped up, and I watched as Chris relented to the other men.
He looked at me one more time. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”
“No, please just go. They’ll get me to a doctor just fine. I don’t need any extra distractions right now.”
He looked offended at being relegated to the status of a distraction. But he’d had his chance with me and blown it. So I didn’t need to soften my words for him.
With an angry snort, he stomped out, his poor date trailing behind him.
It felt like such a relief when he was out the door.
Now it was just Dawson and me, and the ragtag rescue crew.
His hand held me steady, comforting me.
Quietly I told him, “You don’t need to stay either. I’m sure this isn’t how you planned to spend your Friday night.”
But he looked at me, steady and serious, and rumbled, “I feel so bad that I talked you into getting on the bull. There’s no way I can leave your side until I know you’re okay.”
“You didn’t buck me off the thing.”
“I know. Your fool ass did. Why’d you turn the thing to maximum speed, anyway? Were you trying to impress the crowd? No one rides it at level ten.”
“I didn’t notice any speed settings.”
“Didn’t you read the signs? It’s right there on the wall. Level one, which is where you should have been, is for weekend cowgirls like yourself. Level ten is for rodeo professionals to train.”
I shifted my eyes to the wall behind the bull. Sure enough, there were clear instructions and warning signs.
The man was right. I’d ridden the thing at rodeo level.
“Do I get an award for riding it at level ten?”
He laughed, seeming relieved that I could still be sassy in a situation like this.
“I’ll give you an award, hon. Just wait for me to draw one up.”