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Cricket’s hand wrapped around her throat. She looked panicked and unsure. I grabbed her shoulder in reaction and we sat helplessly waiting. There is nothing more pitiful than feeling that out of control.
Slamming on his breaks, he narrowly stopped himself from hitting Ellie. I heard Cricket inhale a sharp breath.
“Oh God, he missed her,” she breathed, bringing her hand to her heart.
There was a split second of utter calm before pure chaos and all hell broke loose. The cattle spooked, most ran through the gate and dispersed into the pasture but at least seventy head lost route and followed the fence line in all different directions.
Jonah, Pete, Drew and Ethan scrambled to get as many as they could, while Cricket and I took care of as much of the herd as we could on our side, guiding them across the road and into the new pasture. Once all the cattle were through and the first gate was closed, Jonah dismounted his horse, wrapping his horse’s lead at the closed gate. Before I’d had a chance to react, Jonah approached the driver’s side, ripped open the door and started yelling.
“Shit,” I whispered and dismounted, handing Cricket my lead and running over to Jonah’s side.
Ethan quickly stood beside Jonah as well. The driver got out and got in Jonah’s face, chest to chest and I pulled them apart, holding Jonah back. Ethan held the driver back.
“What in the hell is your problem!” Jonah yelled. “You had to have seen us!”
“Fuck you!” the guy responded, because he had nothing else to defend himself with.
Jonah surged forward and I had to use all my strength to hold him back. He was livid.
“You could have killed her!” he screamed.
The guy staggered back a little and it became apparent why his reaction time was so lethargic. Ethan let him go and joined Jonah’s side.
I studied him. “You’re drunk,” I told him.
“You!” he yelled, not hearing me. He pointed at me. “Let’s go!”
“I’m not gonna fight you, asshole, but I will fix your problem,” I told him calmly, setting Jonah aside. I looked at him, letting him know to stay where he was.
I walked around the inebriated fool and removed his keys from the ignition. The guy tried to swipe them from me, but it was an exaggerated attempt, making him fall against the side of his truck.
“I’ll be keeping these,” I told him. I looked around for Cricket. She was still on her horse. “Call the cops?”
She nodded.
The guy stood upright, but it took his door to help him do it. “I’m gonna kick your ass,” he slurred.
“I don’t think so,” I said. “You’re going to wait right here and when the cops show up, you can explain why you’re plastered at eleven in the morning and driving.”
I turned and began to follow Jonah back to the fence to retrieve our horses but felt a tug on my jacket. My head fell back in reaction. Oh, shit.
I spun around and ducked as the idiot took a swing. Don’t hit him. Don’t hit him. He took a swing again, but I stepped back quickly.
“Stop,” I demanded.
He staggered forward. “Your ass is grass, pretty boy,” he taunted.
“Sit your ass down in your truck, or I’ll put you there.”
His face flamed red and his eyes narrowed in hate. Here we go. He took a swing but I avoided it easily, then laid an uppercut that knocked the bastard clean out.
“Whoa!” Jonah yelled, dragging it out. “Awesome.”
“Help me,” I told him, panicking, pulling the guy by his jacket toward his truck.
I laid the guy down on the side of the road and had Jonah reposition the truck on the shoulder. I let down the guy’s bed and we lifted him onto it.
“He’ll be safe here until the cops come,” I said.
