Page 16 of Just Hold On

Chapter 15

My hair was braided tightly.My chaps were on. My spurs had been buckled, and the rope finally had plenty of rosin. Pushing my black Resistol onto my head, I checked the order of go against the last rider. They were on a commercial break while the next line of bulls was brought in, which meant I needed to make my way up to the chutes. I'd drawn a beast called Overdose, which didn't sound good.

Ty had taken off just after I started working on the rope. He had more to do than hover over me, no matter how much I liked it, and that was ok. Made it easier to keep him at arm's length. I wasn't in danger anymore and didn't need to start a whole new set of rumors in this circuit. The guys who hated me had already pulled off their big play. I should be fine for the rest of the night, so long as I didn't let people think I was Ty's latest fuck buddy, and I sure wasn't about to hide in some back corner until I climbed onto my bull.

Besides, the last thing I needed was him following me around like a puppy - or worse, me following him the way I wanted to. What I needed was to get my head on straight, and he had a way of distracting me. He wasn't just sexy, but also sweet. And I was a girl riding bulls. I knew exactly how bad it would get if I thought about dating any of these guys, including Ty. Wouldn't be just greased ropes after that. It'd move up to the real threats.

The best thing for me would be to stay far away from him - or at least keep this very platonic.

But when I went up top to get ready, I checked the corner without thinking. That was where he'd been yesterday, ready to save me. He said he'd watch, but I hadn't seen him in almost an hour. I knew he wouldn't be there today. Didn't make my heart stop hoping. Then again, it was a stupid, fickle thing, and I usually tried to ignore it. It wanted love. Me? I just wanted a secure future, which meant not thinking about sexy men in cowboy hats.

And this was not helping. What I needed to be thinking about was my bull. With a sigh, I counted the chutes again, refusing to look along the rail for a hunk in a straw Stetson. The chute I was looking for was the next one down - and inside it was the smallest little bull I'd ever seen. Pitch black with a mismatched set of horns, he looked like the kind of animal that was hard as hell to ride. The big ones were strong. The little ones were fast. This one? I'd be lucky if I held for six seconds. Eight was just dreaming.

"Hey," a deep voice said behind me.

Even the sound of his voice made my heart beat faster. God, I was a mess. "Ty?"

"Yeah, won't have time to make it across the chutes before I ride, so I'm watching from back here. Who'd ya draw?"

I pointed. "Overdose."

His brow wrinkled. "Don't know that one, but I want you to do something for me?"

The look on his face was pleading, like he was sure I was about to shoot him down. "What?" I asked.

"Wear a helmet?"

Oh god. This was an argument I could never win. Taking a deep breath, I shook my head. "The last thing I need is to get any more crap because I'm scared to ride. Look, I'm fine. We have some of the best medical help here, and - "

A black and green bull riding helmet appeared under my nose from the side. My head jerked up, following the arm to a dark-skinned man I recognized a little too easily. Renato tilted his head slightly, then looked back to the helmet.

"Make ya a deal," he said. "You try it on, and I'll tell ya how to get a few more points spurring. You don't, and I'll just take it back to Emilio."

"Uh..."

He bobbed it before my face, basically daring me. "Ty wears one. I wear one. J.D. wears one. Know what we all have in common?"

"No."

Renato chuckled. "We're winning. This isn't backyard bull riding, Cody. In the big leagues, we like to keep our faces intact. Means the sponsors pay a little more, and if anyone gives you a hard time, tell Ty. He'll break their kneecaps."

"That's J.D.'s job," Ty corrected. "I'll just beat them into next week. Try it on, baby. Just this once, since you're already qualified and are already riding with a new rope."

That was what decided me. Oh, the rest was kinda cute, and something about these two being willing to protect me was a little too nice - especially the thought of Ty jumping in because someone decided to give me crap. In the end, it was the simple fact that if I was already changing everything up, then I didn't have any more good excuses. It also didn't make me feel like I was doing this to impress him.

"What makes you think this'll fit?" I asked as I passed Ty my hat.

He just turned the inside to face me. "Size seven. Printed right there on your Resistol. Had to ask around, but the only guy we could think of that's as tiny as you is Emilio. Guess what. He wears a seven."

Well, if that wasn't meant to be, I didn't know what was. "Ok, ok. Then how the hell do I get this thing on? And then how do I get it off?"

The two of them jumped in, helping me adjust the straps so that it didn't even wiggle. The grill in front of my eyes was a little strange, but the whole thing was a lot lighter than I'd expected. I also liked how it made me look like some international mess. Emilio was from Brazil, and his helmet had one of those green flags they put on everything. Ty's little brother's rope had a Canadian-colored bell hanging off the bottom. Then there was me, the American in the middle. It made me feel like I finally belonged to something, and yeah, that was pretty nice.

"Ok," Renato said as he checked the buckles one more time. "The trick to spurring is to move with the bull. When his shoulders come up, he's pushing into your ass, right?"

"Yeah?" I agreed.

"Make sure you don't roll back onto your pockets, and just lift your knees as the bull lifts his front end. When you feel him kick out, shove your legs back down for grip. Means your spurs hold you on for the rear, and your calves grip for the kicks."

Which made so much sense. "Just, that's it? No real trick?"

So he demonstrated with his hand. "Gotta keep your leg right up his armpit, Cody. You try to slide your legs back across his ribs, and your face is gonna be in his horns. Look like some yokel doing a dumb dance." And he proceeded to demonstrate, kicking up one knee then the other in a ridiculous little jig.

I laughed, waving him down to show I got the idea. "Got it. Now to try it."

Thankfully, while Renato explained all of that, the chute assistants had worked my rope around the bull. I just had to get on and tighten everything down. Knowing it was almost my turn, I barely remembered to thank the guys before tossing a leg over the pipe and getting to work. Strapping myself in was second nature. The whole thing was routine. That was how I made sure I never skipped a step. Warm the rope, tighten the rope. The little bull took all of it like he didn't care at all - but that made me nervous. Most of them at least fidgeted a bit. Overdose was calm and placid.

"Good ride," Ty called down.

I paused in my preparations to look up with a smile and saw Renato pointing. Following his hand, I realized they weren't the only ones watching. All around the rider's side of the arena, men had lined up. It looked like if they weren't in the chute, then they'd come up to the sidelines to see exactly what I could do. Evidently, the word had gotten out, and the boys wanted to see if a girl could really ride a bull. I just hoped this little thing gave me a half-decent showing. No pressure, right?

"And now," the announcer called out, "we have a real treat for you folks. In the Red Bull chute is one of our newest rookies, but this one is going to knock your socks off. How many of you have ever seen a girl ride a bull?"

I wanted to groan. "C'mon, Overdose," I whispered to the animal. "Don't make me look bad. If you're gonna buck me off, at least make it memorable?" Then I gestured for the man standing on the gate to pull my rope tighter.

"Well, tonight," the announcer went on, broadcasting it to the packed arena, "you're going to get that pleasure. Her name is Cody Jennings, and she's currently in sixth place at the Tulsa Tough Enough Series PBR event!" I took the end, careful to keep it taut around the bull's middle, and pressed it into my gloved hand. The thinner strap made it even easier, and I decided I liked it, but the announcer was still on his rant. "This cute little blonde from Missouri is trying to prove she's the real deal." One wrap around my hand, and I eased onto the beast's back. He didn't budge. "Let's see if she has - " I nodded, and the gate burst open, the little black bull propelling himself straight into the air. " - What it takes!" the man on the loudspeakers finished.

Overdose bounced, then was right back up. There was no spin, no rear before the buck, he just launched. Each time he landed, it got harder. The third time he slipped, but I was sticking with him. My spurs were against the bull's side, my position was good, and I wasn't going anywhere.

Much too soon, the tiny little bull got desperate. I felt his grunt through the seat of my pants as he pushed himself back up, but this time, something was different. My world tilted. The bull's body bent, and then everything slammed back together on an angle. Sand splattered my face from the left, and my leg hurt. For a split second, I was confused, but everything was sideways. The damned thing had fallen, and I was under him!

"Let go!" one of the bullfighters was yelling. "Get off him, quick."

I tried. Yanking at my rope, I almost had my hand free before Overdose surged to his feet, but the wrap was still around my hand. It jerked me forward before I flipped it back around. The bull went right, I went down, and my leg was screaming at me to just stay there.

"She's down," the guy in yellow was yelling at the others.

But everyone was watching, and I knew it. I heaved myself out of the dirt and hopped to the side. "I'm good," I told them.

The guy in red had the bull's attention. Slapping its head, he turned it to the chute and the little black beast trotted out like it had been his idea all along. Now, I had to make my way out. Trying to get my breath, I popped the helmet free as I eased my weight back onto my leg. Thankfully, it held, but it sure didn't feel good. The guy in purple was headed my way. I belatedly remembered that his name was Tanner.

"You got this?" he asked, hooking an arm around my waist.

I smiled at him. "Thank God that was a little one. I'm fine. Just tell me I made eight?"

He shook his head. "No, but you got a re-ride. The bugger didn't buck, just tried to get you off. Good work up there."

I groaned, so he hiked my body up a little more, helping to carry my weight so I wouldn't need to put it on my injured leg. Together, we limped across the sand, toward the gate to get out. I let out a sigh and looked up, only to find him looking back down at me.

His eyes were hazel, the vivid purple of his shirt making them stand out. For a moment, he just looked back at me, then a sweet smile teased his lips. A moment later, the freckles over his cheeks turned a bit brighter.

"I, uh…" He shifted his hand, moving it a bit further away from my breast - never mind the heavily padded vest that wouldn't have let him feel anything. "Sorry, I was just treating you like the guys."

"I'm so ok with that," I assured him. "Thanks, Tanner."

The sound of his name made the guy smile, but that was all. He patted my back and stepped away just as I made the gate. I got one last smile, the kind that was caught somewhere between friendly and a little more, then he turned back for the arena.

It wasn't Ty who met me inside, but Renato. The Brazilian ducked under my arm and took half my weight on his shoulders. "Need to see the doc?" he asked.

I pointed to the side. "Just gimme a sec. I think I'm ok, but I wanna check."

First, he helped me to the fence. While I leaned against it to probe my leg, he took the helmet back, turning it slowly in his hands. "So I can assume you're going to be using this again?"

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks, though."

He just shoved it under my nose. "I think Emilio will agree."

There, along the side, was a white scuff about four inches long. It hadn't been there before my ride, and I sure hadn't felt it. Slowly, I looked up, my mouth hanging open in shock.

"I hit the wall?"

He nodded. "Hard."

Holding one hand vertical to represent the wall, he slowly pushed the helmet down in the angle I'd fallen, then slid it forward. The charade was clear. I hadn't just hit the wall, I'd slammed into it with the force of a bull, then been pulled along it. I just closed my eyes and whispered a prayer of thanks. The first time I wore a helmet, and there was a good chance it had just saved my life.

"Tell Emilio I owe him," I said, reaching up for the helmet. "Thank you."

He nodded, then pointed to my leg. "Wanna get that taped?"

Carefully, I eased myself away from the fence. The leg held. "It'll be ok. Maybe after my next ride, before it has a chance to swell."

He just chuckled and shook his head. "You're starting to make me feel like a baby. Just make sure you don't let your pride screw up your re-ride, Cody."

"Promise, but I'm fine."

I flashed him a smile then headed back toward the chutes. Since I was in sixth place, that meant there wasn't a whole lot of time before I'd be back on a bull. At most, six riders. At worst, they were already waiting on me. I just hoped my next bull was a little nicer and brought a few more points.

"Cody!" Ty's voice came from the level of my ankles.

Looking down, I saw him strapped in and ready to go. "Got a re-ride," I yelled at him. "So you'd better get at least eighty-six, or I'm gonna rub it in that you got beat by a girl!"

"Can do," he swore, then nodded.

The gate opened, and he was off. The brown monster he was on could buck. Clutching the rail of the chute he'd just been in, I couldn't pull my eyes away. In my head, I was counting. So far, so good. Ty could ride. His technique was perfect, but the animal was powerful, and they were always unpredictable. When my lungs started to burn, I realized I was holding my breath and let it out just as the buzzer went off.

Ty pulled his rope and moved to dismount, but that was when the perfection ended. The bull twisted, sliding him off the hip and came back for more. Ty hit the ground first. A split second later, the massive animal was on him, thrashing with its head before pounding him under its feet. Ty rolled, but it wasn't enough. In slow motion, I watched a back foot come down right on his thigh and heard the groan. It didn't come from the animal, but the man, and I knew he was hurting.

"Ty!" I screamed, unable to stop myself.

But the bullfighters were there. Someone grabbed Ty's good leg and pulled. Another one jumped between him and the angry bull. The third yelled and pushed it off. The whole thing had happened in a split second, but Ty wasn't getting up. He was just lying there, rocking slowly from side to side. All around me was silence as the other riders waited to see if he was going to be ok.

In the background, I could hear the announcer talking about the accident, but I ignored it. All that mattered was that he was still moving. I could see the Wrangler patch rise and fall, making it clear that he was still alive at least, but each second felt like an eternity.

Then he finally sat up. Before he did anything else, Ty pulled off his helmet and sighed, then held up a hand to the bullfighter closest to him. The guy stepped in and helped haul him to his feet. They were headed to the same gate I'd just left. I hobbled back as fast as I could, reaching the stairs just as he did.

"You ok?" I asked.

He groaned. "Bastard hit me in the nuts. That's all, Cody. Hard, too."

"He landed on your leg!"

He waved that off. "Trust me. After his skull tried to take off my balls, the leg was nothing." He huffed out another breath, then chuckled weakly. "I'm fine. Thanks for worrying, but I'm fine. Go ride."

"You headed to the doc?" I asked.

He looked up just enough to meet my eyes. "Gotta watch my girl ride, first. Just do me a favor?"

"Sure."

He flexed his arm, positioning it like he was riding. "Settle your pinky over the spine a bit more. Will use less power if the bull turns into your hand, but won't weaken you if he turns out of it. You ride over here, but try it," he showed me the difference, "more like this."

"Sure. I can do that." I turned for the stairs.

"And wear the helmet," he yelled.

I just held it up and kept going. If he was giving me riding advice, then he was going to be just fine.

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