Spiked on Horseback

Quint rode the fence line in the brush. It had been a quiet morning aside from an occasional rabbit, covey of quail, or a stray calf. He had time to think about his time in Afghanistan with constant fear of death, the plight of the poverty stricken farmers, the treachery of the Taliban, and how it different it was from the relative peace and quiet of the Texas prairie. He took the job as a wrangler in an attempt to figure out what he wanted to do with his life.

In the distance, he heard the distinct sound of a helicopter. It was used in conjunction with a few cow hands to move large herds of cattle from one pasture to another. He watched the chopper sweeping close to the ground to change the direction of the thousand or so of black Angus, and wondered if the pilot knew what he was missing: the sounds of bawling calves, of tramping feet, or the smell of sweating animals, or their waste product, or the feeling of legs hugging a horse, and the thrill of commanding an intelligent and efficient animal.

The chopper veered sharply in his direction. It was bucking up and down as though it was an unbroken pony and dropping lower and lower to the ground. The rotor slowed and the vehicle rapidly descended until it disappeared from view. He heard the sound of a crash. He wheeled Nell and at a full gallop headed toward the downed chopper. His dreaded cell phone leaped into his hand, he pushed the emergency button and said, "Chopper down in the northwest section of pasture eleven, send help ASAP."

Riding over a hillock, he saw the crumbled remains of the helicopter, smoke wafted to the northeast. He hit the ground running, not knowing if there might be an explosion or a fire. It reminded him of a similar situation during his tour, but his only thought was of the person or persons in the vehicle. The cab was intact but badly twisted and bent with no glass remaining. There were two passengers, both buckled in their seats.

He ran to the cab, reached through an opening searching for the pulse in the pilot's neck. There was no pulse. Hurrying to the far side he saw a red headed female. She was alive. He cut her safety harness away and carried her to where Nell was standing. Removing his bedroll he laid it and the girl on the ground. She was bleeding from two places on her head. From his first aid kit, he placed a large gauze pad on her head and wrapped it with a bandage. The flow of blood was stemmed but she remained unconscious. She probably had a concussion and was in shock. He checked to see if there were any broken bones and didn't find any.

He yelled into his cell phone again, "Helicopter down in pasture eleven, northeast section. The pilot is dead but the female passenger is alive but in need of medical care." There was no response. He took her pulse, and sat beside her rubbing her arms and repeating in his deep base voice, "You're going to be all right little lady, you're going to be all right."

About five minutes later three horses broke through the underbrush. One went to the chopper and two to where Quint and the girl lay. He recognized Zeb, the foreman and Putt, a wrangler like himself, but the oldest of the three he didn't recognize.

"Is she okay?" The older man asked.

"She's alive, has a steady pulse, has several cuts in her head, and probably has suffered a concussion and is in shock."

The man dropped to his knees took the still form into his arms kissing her and saying, "Julie, Julie, Julie," tears flooded his eyes and streamed down his dirty face.

Quint was congratulated by the Zeb and Putt. "We're glad you were here so fast, who knows you may have saved her life."

In the distance, the sound of another helicopter could be heard.

The man at the girl's side jumped up and said, "Pick her up so she'll be ready to be put in the chopper."

"Mr. Bauknight, that's not a good idea. She may need to be strapped to a stretcher, have a neck brace applied, or have a blood transfusion before she can be moved."

"Oh God, your right I'm not thinking straight. Thank you for keeping a scared father from causing even more harm. Thanks for being here and using you first aid skills. I'm sorry we haven't met. I'm Tony Bauknight and you're..."

"Jones, Quint Jones. I'm pleased to meet you Mr. Bauknight, although not under these circumstances."

"Did you see it crash?"

"I saw it dropping but it went down below my horizon. I got here a couple of minutes after it crashed."

The men moved out of the way as the dust from the landing copter swirled around them. Two medics raced to the victim as soon as the aircraft set down. They took her vital signs and checked for broken bones and bruises. Carefully, they removed the bandage Quint applied and replaced it with another.

"Who put this bandage on?" The taller of the two medics asked.

"I did." Quint stepped forward.

"You did a great job of stopping the bleeding. Mr. Bauknight, Julie's vital signs are almost normal, she has no broken bones we can determine, but she has a large number of bruises and contusions. She more than likely has a concussion. We won't know how bad it is until she wakes up."

"Damn! Thanks for your quick arrival. Let's get her to the hospital. I'm going to ride along," Mr. Bauknight said.

She was placed on a stretcher and Quint, two medics, and Putt carried her to the back of the chopper. As soon as she was safely strapped in the pilot took off with a roar and a swirl of dust. The plane disappeared in the distance.

* * *

Julie began mumbling after being admitted to the Brownsville hospital. A private nurse in a crisp white uniform and her father sat at her side. She kept repeating the same phrase over and over. Late that night her mumbling became more clear, "blah blah all right blah blah little lady"

"Do you think she's dreaming?" Tony asked the nurse.

"I don't know. It could be anything," she responded while surveying the instruments. "Oh my God, her blood pressure's dropping," she said pushing an emergency button. "Mr. Bauknight, I'll have to ask you to leave. A doctor will be here shortly."

Tony sat with his head between his hands in the crowded waiting room. All he could envision was his youngest daughter laying unconscious in a hospital bed. She was the last to leave the nest and while he didn't try to show favorites it was obvious to everyone she was. Her mother had been his third wife, who died in an automobile accident in a car with another man, but they produced a beautiful, redhead, who was intelligent, athletic, and stubborn. He loved her attitude even though she went up in the helicopter against his wishes. That may have been the worst mistake of my life, he thought.

"Mr. Bauknight, she's going to be okay. I medicated her and her vitals are back to normal. She's still unconscious but her mumbling is becoming clearer. You can go back in now and see if you can figure out what she's saying. By the way I'm doctor Quan."

"Thank you Dr. Quan, thank you very much," he said returning to his daughter's room.

"Going...to ...be ...all right... little lady ...you're ..."

Do you know what it means?" the nurse asked.

"It sounds as though she repeating something someone told her. It must have been a male because she keeps saying 'little lady.'"

The nurse left and he dozed. The next thing he heard was "Daddy, daddy what happened? Why are you here? Where am I? "

"Julie, darling you're awake. I thought I might lose you."

"What happened? All I remember was the chopper turning the cattle. It was beautiful watching how Chad had that large herd heading in the right direction. I don't remember anything after that except someone rubbing my arms and a deep confident and reassuring voice kept saying, 'You're going to be all right little lady, you're going to be all right.' Who was it that was with me?"

"Can you describe the voice?"

"I'll never forget that deep resonating voice and he had calloused hands that rubbed me softly."

"That was Quint Jones; he was the first one to reach the accident. He pulled you out of the cab of the copter and bandaged your head."

"Can I see him? I want to thank him for saving my life."

Of course, I'll bring him by tomorrow.

"What happened to the pilot, Chad?"

"Chad was killed. You were unconscious."

"I'm sorry about Chad? Did he suffer?"

"No, he probably died instantly. Why were you repeating that phrase?"

"I must have been dreaming. All I remember is those words, the deep voice, the comfort I felt from his statement, and his rubbing my arms. I won't ever forget that voice." Julie sat up for the first time. "I'm hungry."

* * *

Tony Bauknight drove Quint to the hospital. On the way he filled him in on her background. How he allowed her stubbornness to overcome his better judgment and he let her go with Chad in the helicopter. Quint told Tony about his love of being a wrangler, of his tour in Afghanistan, and of his need to make a decision about a career.

"After Julie's back on her feet let's you and me have a conversation about your future with my outfit."

"I'd like to stay in ranching and your outfit is a good one."

The huge hospital consisted of white concrete and glass that shown like crystal in the south Texas sun. Tony went into the room first to check to see if she was up to a visitor. Tony ushered him in, "Julie this is Quint Jones. Quint this is my daughter Julie." He indicated with a wave of his hand.

They were both smiling as she extended her hand. "Pleased you meet you," they said simultaneously. They held each other's hand.

Julie shuddered as the sound of his deep voice and the soft touch of his rough hand.

Quint stared at her beautiful face and felt her strong grip and warmth.

"Julie began mumbling soon after she arrived at the hospital. At first we couldn't understand what she was saying, but as she got better we picked up on individual words. However, we didn't know until she woke that she was repeating what you said to her while you waited for help to arrive," Tony said.

"I could feel your hands rubbing my arms and could hear your resonating voice saying 'You're going to be all right, little lady. You're going to be all right.' I felt and heard you until I woke up, and your hand and voice do not do you justice."

"Thank you Ms. Bauknigh."

"Please don't be formal, call me Julie."

"Okay Julie, I just happened to be at the right place at the right time to pull you from the wreckage. I didn't do anything special."

"Oh yes, you did. Your touch and words are what kept me going as I lay unconscious. You're my savior. What can I do to repay you?"

"I don't need to be repaid; just seeing that you're all right is payment enough."

"Now daddy doesn't he sound a little too modest. Would a pay raise or promotion be out of the question?"

"Quint and I have already talked a little about his future, but your suggestion is not out of line."

The door opened and a tall, handsome, blonde man hurried into the room.

"Julie, I came as soon as I heard." He kissed her on the lips.

She blushed at the kiss and stuttered, "Da...Dax I... wa...want you to meet the man who saved me from the crash, Quint Jones. Quint this is Dax Brison, my boyfriend.

Dax was about two inches taller than Quint, he was fair while Quint was dark, and they were about the same weight, 175-200 pounds. The visitor handed Quint a limp hand shake and they exchanged greetings.

"Hello Mr. Bauknight, nice to see you again. Is anyone going to tell me what happened," he asked looking at Julie.

"I'll be leaving, you two have a lot to catch up on," Quint said, moving toward the door.

"Julie, I believe I'll go too," Tony said giving her a kiss on the cheek. "There's always work to do. I'll be seeing you later Dax," he said shaking his hand.

Dax turned to Julie not speaking to Quint.

Quint took a quick look at an obviously upset Julie as he and Tony stepped from the room.

"I apologize for the interruption Quint. I wanted you and Julie to get to know each other better. This is between you and me. I don't like Dax and don't understand why she does. He's an arrogant playboy who's looking for an easy pay day.

"I wasn't impressed with his hand shake, but he is handsome. Looks can turn lots of female heads."

"Let's not talk about them. What kind of experience do you have?"

"I was raised on my father's ranch, went to college at UT and earned a BA in business administration while serving in the ROTC. Right out of college I went to Fort Benning in Georgia and from there to Afghanistan."

"A young man with your ability, even if you love being in the field, you ought to be building a career in some ones business."

"I've come to that conclusion too, but I haven't begun to look yet."

"When you make a decision come and see me, there may be a place in my office."

"Thanks Mr. Bauknight, I'll remember that."

"I saw you looking at Julie." He smiled. "You have my permission to see her if you're as interested as I think you are. I want someone to save her from Dax."

* * *

It was Friday, Quint walked to the bunkhouse as his cell phone rang.

"Quint this is Julie, put on your best pair of jeans, a cowboy shirt, and comfortable boots. I'll come by about eight. We're going line dancing." She hung up.

It had been a tough day and he was tired. By the time he'd showered, dressed, ate dinner, and thinking about Julie he was refreshed and ready to go. It'd been almost a week since they'd met. She was exactly the type of woman he was attracted too; gorgeous, about five feet six inches tall, long red hair, nicely built, intelligent with a fiery personality.

He waited anxiously on the porch of the bunkhouse when a Jeep Cherokee came roaring down the road and made a screeching halt in front of him.

A door swung open, "Jump in we're late."

He climbed into the bucket seat to find himself being kissed. "What was that for?"

"For saving me, for being ready, on time, and because I wanted too." She put the jeep in gear and tore off down the road.

She was wearing jeans, a tight cowgirl shirt with the top four buttons undone, and an expensive pair of alligator boots. "Do you like to line dance?"

"It's been a while but dancing with you will be a pleasure."

"You should be a diplomat rather than a cowpoke. It's obvious your educated why are you riding fence line and saving women from disaster?"

"I grew up on a small ranch and always loved being around the animals and did some rodeo riding while in college but wasn't much good at the rough stuff."

"If you have a college degree why are you working for my father?"

"To get to know his daughter," he said patting her on the leg and laughing.

The dance ended at midnight and they had danced almost every line except for a couple of breaks to have a beer. They were both wet from the heat and dancing, and went for a walk.

"You're a good dancer and I like you a lot."

"As much as Dax?"

"Did you have to bring him up?"

"He's your boyfriend."

"Not for long. I'm going to break up with him," she said taking his hand. I've been dreaming of you ever since you came to the hospital."

"What kind of dreams?"

"You're not supposed to ask a lady that kind of question."

"Are you a lady?" He asked taking her in his arms and kissing her.

She kissed back and then said, "Would you like to make love with me?

"I haven't thought about anything else since I saw you in the hospital."

She kissed him, took his hand and said, "Come with me."

* * *

She drove rapidly down a paved two lane highway, turned off onto a rutted dirt road hardly fit for a cow, and stopped in front of a clapboard shack. It looked like something out of an old western.

He followed her. A single light flashed on. The single room was dusty, contained a rough wooden table, and a canvas cot. She was standing facing him with her arms wide open, "Say something, anything."

"Why are we talking when we should be getting undressed?"

"The sound of your voice sends electricity up and down my spine, and your words are a mirror reflection of my own."

"What have you been thinking?" He took her into his arms kissing her passionately. His tongue pushed between her lips and explored her mouth.

She responded in the same way, holding him by the cheeks of his ass.

They separated and simultaneously said "Wow!" They grabbed each other's jeans.

"Boots," he said sitting on the floor pulling them off.

Boots and clothes came off like rain off a roof.

She fell to his erection. He groaned as she worshiped the bulbous head, and stroked the entire length of his cock. Helpless, he lay there as she had her way with him. Groaning and moaning he writhed under her relentless efforts and finally had to grab her ponytail to pull her away.

"Ouch, that hurt."

"Too bad, I don't want to waste a load in your mouth."

"It won't go to waste."

"I know." He laid her on the cot, pushed her legs apart, and dropped his face to her pussy. Wet from perspiration her pubic hair was soaked but she smelled like a woman with a need. His tongue added to her wetness, ran circles around her labia lips, and then up and down her slit.

She moaned, "Ooooah!"

Her smell, her taste, her feel, her sound motivated him. He slipped one and then two fingers into her opening. His other hand pulled her lips apart, uncovered her hooded clit, and he flicked his tongue over it.

She moaned louder, "Aaaaaugh!"

His fingers probed as deep as he could while searching for her G-spot. At the same time, his tongue gently massaged her love button.

Her hands held his head in place and she writhed under him.

Increasing the pressure on her clit he moved his head up and down and from side to side. She had a smell and taste all her own, it was wonderful. He looked up. She looked at him threw her head back, roiling it from side to side, and clutching her breasts.

He buried his head deeper into her and his tongue became a rasp trying to erase her clit.

She screamed "Stop, stop, stop! I can't take anymore. I want you in me."

His cock slid deep into her before she could calm down. He heard her intake of breath, and her pussy muscles tighten around him. With her legs spread wide and pulled high he pummeled her like a Longhorn steer.

"God damn, you're tight," he said withdrawing his cock to its globular tip and tickled the entrance of her pussy. She squirmed under him to his delight, and he slipped back into her and rooted the end of his dick against the bottom of her tunnel. He pressed as hard as he could into her. He felt her body tremble just before she climaxed screaming, "I'm coming, I'm coming." Pushing her legs back to her head, he slid in and out of her pussy with slow strokes. After a long time the feeling he expected grew. He increased his speed until with one last plunge he jettisoned his pent up passion and desire into her with spasm after spasm of fluid, and a loud groan.

* * *

After a month of regular love making, Julie met Quint after breakfast between the bunkhouse and the horse barn. "Dax has asked me to marry him."

"I thought you were breaking up with him?

"I was but I didn't. Does that concern you?"

"Yes, because I thought you and I had something special going on, but it seems you've been fucking both of us at the same time."

"I haven't been fucking him."

He laughed.

"Don't you laugh at me?" Her face turned red and she balled her fists.

"Then don't lie to me." His voice rose.

"I wasn't lying to you!"

"Now let me get this straight. You're twenty-four or twenty-five years old and you've been seeing Dax for how many years and haven't had sex with him."

"I didn't say that." She stared fearlessly into his eyes.

"What did you say?" He raised his arms with his palms up.

"I said I haven't been intimate with him since you and me..."