Learning to Love

Chapter 18

After finding their seats three rows up in the stadium, Dee began to explain the rules and what the judges were looking for in the first event, the women’s barrel racing. Dee pointed out the invisible line where the timers start the clock and they watched on as each woman expertly led their horses around each barrel and raced back to the fence. Kadence could sense their freedom as she watched woman after woman glide effortlessly in the saddle and dreamt that one day, she’d be just like them.

In no time, their stomachs were grumbling, and the bull riding had begun. Kadence watched fascinated as each rider took their turn and every now and then Matt had to come through on his horse to get the bull back into the pen. His horsemanship was almost intoxicating to watch as man and horse rode together as one, anticipating each other’s moves without a sound given.

Finally, her stomach had her reluctantly giving up and she took Dee and Mike’s orders of steak sandwiches and went in search of the right food truck. As she was walking back around the front of the grandstand, one of the single mums she’d been sitting next too, ran after her eldest child, who got his iPad taken away. The other two boys took off towards the railing while a bull ride was in progress, but Dearne thankfully caught the youngest, calling out to the other. The middle child, 5 year old Dane ran down the steps and started to climbed inside the railing. Kadence saw what he was planning to do, and instantly felt her heart speed up, dropping the sandwiches and drinks she was bringing back to the stands, and ran towards the railing as others in the stand started to stand and called out to Matt on his horse. Kadence knew he wouldn’t be able to hear the drama unfolding in time, so she had to spring into action.

Dearne screamed out, “Dane, no.”

Kadence thanked her lucky stars she was a cross-country runner back in her school days and gained on Dane relatively quickly, cursing her laziness and not maintaining that side of her life when she heard the thud of the bullrider hitting the ground and pushed harder to reach out; a sigh of relief escaped her as she clasped hold of Dane’s hand.

Matt heard a commotion before seeing two figures climb into the arena, one medium with flying blonde hair and one small like a child and sickness revolted in his stomach. Looking over as he heard the thud of Damon falling off one of his most aggressive bulls, Jasper; he climbed back up onto Starstruck whose nostrils were flaring, he’d clearly sensed the danger as well.

He trotted Starstruck a short distance away from the railing and prayed to a god he didn’t know existed; too much was riding on them making this jump, knowing it was too dangerous to open the rails. With a sharp, “Yarr,” and a firm kick, he felt Starstruck’s muscles bunch beneath him and held his breath as the horse sprung up and over like he’d done it a thousand times before, the only sound he heard was the clip of back hooves tapping the top rail. “Yes,” he yelled as horse and rider landed and he urged the horse towards the bull already making its way towards the two people in his pen.

Holding onto the little boy who Dearne had called Dane, Kadence looked between the angry bull racing towards them and the fence railing metres away, wondering ‘should they risk it?’ Well, she certainly couldn’t just stand here and allow them to get trampled or gored by the bulls horn.

Speaking with a confidence she didn’t feel, she grabbed hold of Dane’s hand, ensuring she moved him to the side the bull wasn’t on, she spoke to him as she half pulled him along, “We’re just going to run towards the railing now Dane. I don’t want you to look back, just keep running, okay?”

Hands now slick with sweat, the pair started running, even with the sounds of people yelling and a woman screaming as she sobbed, Kadence could hear the bulls hooves pounding into the dirt and knew the clowns hadn’t been successful in their distraction.

“Kadence,” she heard a deep voice, “Matt is coming, just keep running.” Kadence’s eyes locked on Trev, surprised he’d actually listened to her and come to the rodeo. Grateful to have something else to focus on she whispered to Dane, “We’ll be ok, Dane, just keep running towards Trev.”

She heard rather than saw, a collective gasp and a thud from the horse landing as she assumed Matt was now in the arena and thanked her lucky stars someone was on their way to help them. She could feel the vibration in the ground as the bull neared them, even with the railing almost in hand, she knew she’d have to press herself against it to stop the bull getting the boy.

“Under Dane, under!” she yelled as she knelt down, plastering her body around his and felt Trev’s fingers pulling him through under the rails. Stupidly Kadence looked up to see the bull had stopped and was preparing to charge; eyes dilated preparing for the kill. She could hear everyone yelling at her to move, but it was as though her legs were rooted to the ground and she couldn’t make them move, she wondered if that’s how deer felt when they got caught in the headlights.

A loud, “Yarr,” caught her attention as she saw Matt on Starstruck flying towards them and a little glimmer of hope sparked in her chest, maybe she’d survive this after all.

Trev’s voice broke through and she turned and looked at him as though he was beyond insane, did he just say remain still? His eyesight cannot be that bad he doesn’t see that gazillion pound bull only metres from her.

“Just stay exactly where you are and don’t move,” Trev spoke again, “Bulls react to movement, you need to stay still.”

Suddenly it dawned on her, she’d made the situation worse by running and risked Dane’s life, rather than saved it. With a swift nod, Kadence turned to watch as Starstruck nudged into the bull’s side, taking its attention away from her and onto Matt and his beautiful horse. The bull took the bait and charged after the pair and Trev’s hands squeezed Kadence’s arm as he yelled to her again, “Now love, climb through now.”

She quickly stood and squeezed her body through the two railings and found herself being drawn into Trev’s arms as he patted her on the back. “Come here, love, you’re shaking. You did good.” She bit down hard on her lip to try and stem the flood gates, but one lone tear still managed to escape, and she roughly brushed it away.