Dani and the Bull Ch. 02

It was no surprise to Bull; she had made it clear she had agreed to the date tonight simply to avoid staying at home tonight as Dani had. Well, that was her choice. He couldn't give her what he wasn't willing to give and while she had enjoyed his little lapse last night, she was well aware that she had no chance to go beyond friends with him. That was fine with him, it was her choice, and he had learned after talking to Dani this morning that if she found out about what had happened in the bathroom he'd be doing a lot of groveling to get back in her good graces. Now Sue was just sitting back listening to the music, and he was sitting back in his chair checking out a varied example of the local talent. Not that he was in any hurry just yet, but it was nice to know his demon would have something worth his time the next time he needed to be fed.

From what he saw, none of the women in here looked like pros, his women of choice. They were all wives, girlfriends, and women who simply wanted a good time a possibility but not very likely. As he got up to go to the bathroom, he felt eyes watch him and smiled softly. He was used to it. If his coloring didn't grab the attention, his size was sure to. Men were intimidated by his size and women wondered if what he had in his pants matched the build. Sometimes he felt like just whipping it out and shaking it in everyone's face just for the hell of it. But those days were over, he had a goal and he intended to reach it.

When a big busted waitress came and asked if they wanted another round, Zach had shook his head, instead he glanced at Annie. "We're going to take off, you going to stay here or take off too?"

Bull shook his head, it was barely ten at night but it was over. "No, I'm going to head back to your folks place, I want to see if your dad will let me use his shed to check out a couple things on the hog."

When he took Sue home, she barely looked at him as he walked her to her door. He didn't expect a good night kiss, or even a warm handshake. As he said good night and turned to head back to his ride, he got what amounted to warning. "They ain't going to let you have her you know, you lay a hand on Dani, and Jack and her brothers will kill you."

He couldn't let it go, "Even if she wants me to touch her?"

"It won't matter, Jack is protective of Dani, and so are her brothers. My advice is you leave town and don't look back Bull. Save yourself a lot of trouble." With that she went in and he went back to his ride. He was just about to start it when a man came out the front door at a run toward him.

"You're one of those men that hang around the Lazarus house aren't you? You stay the hell away from my daughter. Understand me; I don't want to see her near you again."

With a grin, he looked at the man who he could break with one hand and had enough sense to realize it as well. He reminded him of a preacher. Bull kick started the Harley "Don't worry mister, I won't be back, you're daughter isn't the reason I'm here."

During the ride back to Dani's he opened the ride up and listened to the sound of the engine. Sure enough, he could hear just the start of a miss. He hoped that Jack was still up; Zach had talked about a run to some place called Elton Lake tomorrow. If he was going to go check the place out, he wanted his ride running right. Even riding solo, he kept his ride in good shape. Zach was one who didn't and they had spent some down time just on the trip here.

Jack opened the door to the shop and led Bull inside. "Here you go, got all the tools you might want or need for everything from a tune up to a complete rebuild. If you need parts, I know the best place in the state to go. Just up the road a ways. You need one, I'll be glad to give you a lift in the morning." He was proud of his shop, and had spent a lot of hours in here with friends, family and just by himself.

Bull looked around the she and nodded in appreciation of what he saw, Jack could run a business as easy from here as from the shop Zach had told him he had in town. From the variety of bikes and engines around the main room, it was likely he did. "Appreciate it, that ride and I been through a lot, don't like the idea of having to leave her along some road and have her be gone when I come back for her." He looked around the large room then glanced back at Jack. "This is nice, a good place for a man to work on things he enjoys and a place to think at the same time."

"You get tired, there's a couch and some chairs over there in the corner. It's my hideaway when things get too hectic for me, and with six kids, it used to be that way a lot around here."

From the tone in Jack's voice he had no doubt about that, his own dad had a place like this, an artist studio that he used on occasion to paint and forget he was a bayou fisherman. A part of him wondered how Jack and his father would get along, probably both of them being Louisiana would be enough, it would be the same with Helen and his mom, they were all about the same age, the same disposition, The true binder would be him and Dani, the two of them bringing together two families and joining them forever.

Thinking of Dani made him feel good, he liked how she had faced her brother toe to toe and never backed down, she had told him outright that her friends were more to her than friends, they were like sisters, and wouldn't let anyone hurt either of them, friend or foe, or blood. She might not like the way her family was but there was a part of her that was as grounded in her roots as anyone could be.

In his mind, she was all a man could want as a friend, a lover and a partner in life, all he had to do was wait another 24 hours and he could come clean with all he had wanted to tell her this morning. He could wait that long, no matter how hard he wanted to do it now, wanted to tell Jack that the man's daughter had brought him here. But there would be time for that later. For now he wanted to work on his ride and enjoy being with someone who knew his part of the country. Even if the man was old enough to be his father and not the father of the woman he was already half in love with.

Jack sat on a stool and watched how Bull treated his bike. His big hands were almost caressing the chrome and steel and it was clear that he had great respect for his ride. He was the same way, and it showed in how he treated Helen. "Dani told me this evening you got family down in the bayous. Did she tell you I was from New Orleans?" He lit a cigarette. "Been a long time since I been back, not since my daddy died about ten years ago, Dani was just a little girl then."

Bull spoke softly, "It's been fourteen years for me. Dad and I disagreed on my life's ambition. He wanted me to either be a priest, or take over the fishing boat. I couldn't do either."

"How old were you?" Jack knew there was no way that Bull was over thirty.

"Fourteen, been on my own half my life."

That was a hell of a long time for a man, no, a boy to be alone. Jack had come here when he was twenty, on leave from the Marines. He had rode into town on his old pan head, met Helen on her way home from school and been lost. She had helped him find the address the attorney had given him and welcomed him to town with a smile and an invitation to dinner at her house. By the time he left town, he was in love, and she belonged to him body and soul. Six months later, he had come back, married her with a baby already in her belly, and he had never looked back.

Jack gave Bull his honest opinion about the man's father's choices for his son. "Can't see you being a priest Bull, or a fisherman, what do you like to do?"

The big man considered the question. "I like making things run right, engines. I love the sound of a well tuned motor; man told me once I had an ear for it. That I could hear a sound and tell right off what was wrong with it."

Before Jack could say much more, Dani came in the shop and he noticed that Bull looked up the minute she entered. Jack started to say something about the shorts and pajama top she was wearing but what could he say, she was almost an adult and covered.

"Dad, mom sent me down to tell you get in the house, she's got something she wants to show you."

Jack grinned. He bet Helen did, she had in a hot mood all day. God was it any wonder they had three boys the first five years they were married. All he had to do was look at her and he was hard as hell. About the same way Bull was looking at Dani. To make it worse, the smile in her eyes was almost teasing, flirting with the man. He knew Helen had told her about the birds and the bees, but had she warned him about men like Bull?

Still Jack could find no reason to think that Bull would intentionally hurt her. With a shrug, he looked at Bull. "Be sure and let me know in the morning if you'll need that ride." The big man nodded, and Jack turned his attention to Dani. "Come on baby girl. It's late and we got a big couple of days coming up. You need your rest."

Dani nodded. "Yes daddy, good night Bull."

They walked back to the house and Jack was tempted to ask Dani what she thought of the big man. Instead, he pulled her close and wrapped his arm around her as he had done so many times before. His baby girl was grown now, and yet he found it hard to think of having to let her go someday.

"Just a couple more days baby girl, hard to think of you being eighteen. You're going to be the same age your momma was when I met and married her."

"Don't worry daddy, I don't plan on running off with any stray Marines who happened to be passing through town any time soon. To be honest, I haven't really thought about being with someone. And you can relax on the other point, I do like men, I just haven't found the right one."

"Well, if you do, he better be a good man Dani, one who will treat you right." Jack hated to admit that the thought had crossed his mind, considering...but that was not a subject to think on while Helen was waiting for him. At Dani's door he kissed her forehead and went down the hall. As he entered the bedroom, he saw his wife waiting for him and decided he could put all his thoughts to rest for tonight.

*

(Author's Note: This is going to be a long one folks, so I apologize if you get bored before you finish.

This story was actually started and written the year before Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the gulf Coast. I have never been there, and now I wish I had seen it before the storm. I have always been fascinated by the stories I have heard, the movies I've watched and the books I've read about the city and the surrounding area. I've also had great respect for the men who go out and harvest the sea life that call that area home. So when I started this, I had no idea it would turn into what it did, part romance, part paranormal, part something else, but then I considered where it was set, and a part of me is a firm believer that we all do have a demon inside of us, one that drives us in some way.

Dani and Bull came alive under my fingers on the keyboard, and they wrote the original story, but I have gone back and almost rewritten the entire thing so far. So I hope they will forgive me for what I have changed.

Please let me know how you like the story as it progresses and while I may not accept any critical words with good grace, I am open to all suggestions and idea you may have about how I could make it better.

And on a final note, I ask that you all stop and take a moment to send your blessings and good tiding to those in the gulf who have again been devastated, this time not by nature, but by man, and send a silent prayer to whatever higher power that it will never happen again.

Peace

Darkstone57)