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I've never been much of a sports fan. Baseball, football, basketball, soccer, even sports car racing puts me to sleep. Rodeo, especially bull riding events, pumps my adrenalin into warp-speed. Man against beast! Waiting for that 8 second buzzer to sound can seem like a lifetime to the cowboy on top of a 2,000 lb monster just waiting to stomp the life out of the poor guy if he falls off.
8 Seconds to Die
What would you do if you came face-to-face with a 2000 lb monster whose sole purpose was to stomp the puddin' out of you? What did amateur sleuth Dr. Tullah Holliday do when she had to face down a rogue bull?
Excerpt
At
six that evening, I returned to the holding pens. The entire area in back of
the chutes was in motion. Stock was being moved up the line. A stout cowboy
attired in a black and white cowhide vest over a starched white shirt, wearing
high-heeled boots and a white cowboy hat with a peaked crown, was a blur in
motion. He walked continuously down the line of chutes, prodding animals,
asking cowboys if they were ready, signaling arena hands to bring up more flank
straps, more chute ropes, more snagging hooks.
Pick
up riders walked prancing horses around the back lot to calm their jitters. I
got a little to close and the rear end of a black horse bumped me. The cowboy
yelled, “Ma’am if you don’t stay out of the way, you’re gonna get hurt.”
I
offered an apologetic smile and continued my observations. Clay Wolfchild rode
a sorrel with a blonde mane and tail in circles. His voice was quiet and calm
as he spoke to the nervous horse. I waved and Clay acknowledge with a polite
tip of his hat. I was glad that he’d heeded my advice about not riding Domino.
The
cowboys were just as active, I observed. They were constantly milling around
the chutes in a tireless, nervous manner. Some chewed gum, not slowly and
methodically, but quickly in nervous spasms. They worked and reworked their
already perfect equipment, taking off their hats and wiping the sweatbands.
They squatted, they stood, they got up and walked around—and did it all over
again.
This
nervous energy transferred to the animals. Metal rails rang and vibrated as het
up bulls rammed their massive heads
against the bars. I’m not sure what happened. One minute, I was caught up in
the excitement and the next minute the world around me moved in slow motion. Inside
my brain I heard the old tractor driver’s voice reminding me to run like hell
and find something to shinny up if I felt the earth under me vibrate.
It
was the wolf’s howl that caused me to turn. A flash of motion caught my eye. I
had enough time to turn my head just as a red Charolaise bunched its muscles
and catapulted over the holding pen’s top rail. It was as though I was alone
with nowhere to escape. Pens filled with killing machines lined both sides of
the dirt aisle.
The
dream where Shadow Woman had visited me had become a reality. I stood still and
faced the beast. Its eyes glowed with malice; he pawed the earth sending
showers of dirt over its broad shoulders. In my mother’s language, I spoke to
the bull saying that I meant him no harm. Strings of slobber drooled from the
red bovine’s mouth and with a menacing bawl, lowered his head and charged. I
thrust my hands forward and screamed Shunkaha! My plea was answered with
a wolf’s growls.
The
impact drove me into a wall of metal bars. For a moment I wanted to giggle at
the absurdity of arms flapping up and down like a flock of gabbling birds as
wranglers tried to distract the bull. A massive gray wolf sprang onto the red
monster’s back. In my state of shock, I was certain the wolf had morphed
into…Clay Wolfchild. The last thing I remember was hearing a putt-putt-putt,
and the world went dark.
When I opened my eyes, I was laying on a stretcher. Dad, Uncle Charlie, Clay Wolfchild, and Jordy Wells stared down at me. My face hurt when I tried to smile. “What happened to the wolf? I hope it wasn’t harmed.”
Question for Readers: Was there really a wolf, or in her moment of extreme fright, was Tullah hallucinating?
****
The above scene was inspired two true incidents. The first was when I was a child, butted in the belly and was being mauled by a brahma bull yearling; and the second took place at a rodeo that hubby and I attended in Kissimmee, Florida.
8 Seconds to Die officially releases May 20, 2024.
It is available for pre-release as an Ebook. If you prefer holding a paper book in your hand, then it will be available at your favorite book dealer on May 21, 2024.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/8-seconds-to-die-loretta-c-rogers/1145014706?ean=9781509254910
https://allauthor.com/book/87552/8-seconds-to-die-a-doc-holliday-mystery-book-5/
https://books.apple.com/pa/book/8-seconds-to-die/id6479361219?l=en-GB
Reviews of 8 Seconds to Die are greatly appreciated. Thank You!
Until we meet again...
HAPPY READING!
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