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Chapter 23
J.D. came through for me,that bastard. He found a nice little shop that could custom-make a pair of chaps in a few days, had no problem with either pink or rhinestones, and who'd take an order over the phone. Considering they made high-quality bull rider chaps for a few of the pros? Well, I decided they'd work out.
Now, that he'd texted me the information around eight in the morning? Not cool. No one in their right mind should be up at that time on a Tuesday. Especially not after the weekend we'd just had, but of course J.D. was. I was kinda starting to think that he was just perfecting how to be a pain in my ass.
Then again, he'd just helped me out. The last thing I needed was him getting all the glory with her, and he seemed to be more than willing to share her attention. I knew the bastard was into her. Hell, he'd all but said it the other day. And yet, here he was, doing his best to help me out. I would never understand that freak, but adding a woman to the tour had shaken everything up. Probably more than she knew.
But it worked out. The only problem I had now was not knowing the size of her chaps. I could make a few guesses, but I didn't have the exact measurements. I had, however, seen the size of her jeans when she'd left them in my bathroom Saturday night. They didn't exactly get into her bag on their own, and so what if I stole a look? Dad taught me early on to memorize those things, because a lady will never tell you the truth.
So I gave the girl on the phone her jean size, told her it was a gift, and made a guess about how tall she was. Thankfully, she said she could work with that. When I mentioned that her last pair was probably a standard off-the-rack set, she sounded even happier, then promised they'd have something ready for me on Wednesday. That way, if things didn't fit, I could have adjustments made before Cody needed them on Friday.
Once that was handled, I started packing my crap. I'd thought about leaving yesterday, but the truth was that an extra day of sleeping did my body some good. That damned bull had hit my balls harder than I wanted to admit, and not every hotel in the world had a hot tub as nice as this one. Come to find out, I wasn't the only one who'd stayed, either. Last night, I'd seen at least three other riders wandering through the sauna.
We were all bruised, battered, and hoping to recover before next weekend, but not a damned one of us would complain. That didn't mean we wanted to sit in a truck for a few hours driving to the next stop, though. Still, if those chaps were going to be finished late tomorrow, I sure didn't need to be driving all damned day. J.D. said we were invited to a hay-stacking party in her neck of the woods, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't gimping around in front of her.
So I grabbed my stuff and headed out. The halls were empty at this time of day, except for the cleaning people. A real cute girl tossed a smile at me as I waited for the elevator. For a moment, I thought about giving her one back, but I didn't need Cody to hear about that, and the chances of someone seeing me and spilling it? Not worth it. Instead, I just tipped my hat at her and stepped through the door as soon as the elevator opened up.
On the ground floor, I stepped out into a short hall. Turning left, I aimed my feet toward the lobby so I could check out. The sound of my girl's name coming from a man's voice had me stopping in my tracks. Just around the corner, someone was talking about her.
"Cody?" It sounded like Jorge, one of the bullfighters. "That's the girl you like, right?"
"The girl bull rider." That was clearly Tanner. "Damn, but she's hot."
Jorge chuckled. "I prefer my girls to be a little less..."
"Tough?" Tanner asked. "Because don't you even try to say manly. Hell, that she's a blonde? Oh, be still my beating heart. The things I would do to her."
That was more than I could take. I was already fighting J.D. for her attention. Now this? Stepping around the corner, I didn't pause, making a straight line right for the asshole who thought he had a chance with my girl. I dropped my bags but didn't slow until I was right up in Tanner's face.
"Don't even think about her," I warned.
Unfortunately, bullfighters made bull riders look like pussies. Even me. Tanner just bowed up in my face. "Or what?" he asked.
"That's my girl," I warned him.
Tanner scoffed. "Really? Because I'm pretty sure that not even you can win over a girl in three days. Oh, wait! That's right. You didn't even know she was a girl until Saturday. So two. But lemme guess, you think that pissing on her is going to scare the rest of us off? So sorry, but it don't work that way."
"And what?" I asked. "You think that gives you leave to treat her like a piece of meat?"
"I said she's hot," he reminded me, "and nothing else. Considering you're the one standing here trying to act like you already own her?" He lifted a brow. "Who's showing her less respect, hm?"
"The things you can do to her?" I repeated.
My hands were moving before my mind could engage. I shoved, hitting Tanner on both shoulders to push him back, but that was the wrong thing to do. Jorge was immediately between us, and Isaac rushed up from the side to pull me back. With a snarl, I shrugged them off, but yeah, I stepped back.
These guys weren't the biggest, but they pushed around our bulls all day long. The three of them worked together like a damned pack of wolves, and where one went, the other two followed. Then there was the bigger problem.
"Really?" Isaac snapped, forcing me to take another step back when he pushed in front of me. "You're gonna fuck with the guys who make sure you walk out of that arena each night? Bad call, Ty."
"You saying you're not going to do your job?" I snapped, unable to just back down.
Jorge reached over Isaac's shoulder to give me a little push. "We'll do our job. We always do. But just keep in mind that beating our asses might make you feel like hot shit, but it'll make us a little slower. We all know that one second is a long-ass time when there's a bull dancing on your head."
It wasn't a real threat, and yet it was. The worst part was that he had a point. With a snarl, I turned, throwing up my hands. "Just leave Cody out of it."
"Hey, Ty?" Tanner asked, raising his voice to be heard. "She your girlfriend?"
"Not yet," I told him. "But she will be."
And I hated that she wasn't. I hated it even more that every man on the circuit had realized that she wasn't just a woman, but a beautiful one. The kind of beautiful who could sit around drinking beer, talking bulls, and laughing like she belonged. The kind of beautiful that every bull rider was dreaming to find - or should be. And I was all too aware that a week was a lot of time for her to change her mind about us, if she'd even made it up yet.
Tanner laughed once. "So, I guess that explains why we all got invited to the cookout at her place this week, huh? Maybe your spot isn't as secure as you hoped."
"What?" I asked, turning back. She'd invited everyone? Or just him?
Tanner flashed his lopsided smile at me. "We're going. Heard Renato and Hannah are, too. Couple others who planned to stay in the area also got invites. We're all planning to crash her local town."
"She invited you?" I asked, unable to believe it.
"J.D. did," he admitted. "Said his rookie could use a little backup with the local boys, and sounds like more fun than we'd have waiting for Friday night. That means you need to get your attitude in check before then, because don't think I won't call your ass out again, and I don't care if she sees it."
Jorge canted his head like he could see a point. "Yeah, that's one way to get noticed. Don't really know Cody, but haven't met many women who like being treated like a possession."
"Ok," I groaned, knowing I was well and truly beat. "I'm sorry, guys. I shouldn't've pushed you, Tanner. We good?"
The dick smirked at me. "Sure, Ty. We're good. Doesn't mean I won't try to talk to her, but we're good."
Which was about the best I could hope for, so I just nodded. Hoping to keep as much of my dignity intact as I could, I turned for my bags, gathered them up, and walked straight to the reception desk. While I checked out, I ran the scenario over in my head at least a dozen times, thinking of the things I should've done. Unfortunately, they all came down to putting my fist in Tanner's face, and I knew that was the wrong answer.
I still wanted to. That girl had gotten under my skin in the best way. I'd planned to chase her, romance her, and convince her to be mine. That wouldn't be nearly as easy with my competition doing the same. Never mind that I wasn't completely convinced that she'd choose me over some of these other guys. I already had J.D. trying to act like her best friend. Now this?
What man would be ok with another eyeing his girl? They couldn't really blame me, could they? After all, I knew what we all did each night. Yeah, event nights made it easier to find a girl, but during the week it wasn't that much harder. Soon as a girl heard we rode professionally, she was hooked. I had a feeling it wasn't that much different for the bullfighters, even if most people still tried to call them clowns.
But the truth was that Cody needed Tanner on her side. Well, all three of them, but where one went - or thought - the other two followed. They really were a pack, but that was what made them so good. It was how they worked together. And if these three were going to visit Cody in her hometown, then I had to pull my head out of my ass and make sure they were on her side.
Once I had my receipt in my hand, I turned back for the trio I'd left waiting at the side of the room. Jorge sighed when he saw me walking toward them, and yeah, I deserved it. But rather than making yet another scene, I jerked my head, inviting Tanner over. The guy narrowed his eyes at me, patted Isaac's shoulder, but he came.
"What?" he asked when he was close enough.
I lifted a hand. "I'm a jealous fool," I told him, making it clear that I'd already learned my lesson. "But I'm pretty sure you have no idea why J.D. is calling everyone over to her place, right?"
"Because he's bored?" Tanner guessed. "Man, I wasn't about to question my good luck."
"Well, you should." I dropped my bag one more time, simply because I wasn't going to stand here holding twenty pounds of gear on my already aching shoulder. "Sounds like the local rodeo boys have been giving her a hard time. And I'm not talking the usual crap we throw at each other. You heard someone greased her rope, right?"
"Yeah," he admitted.
I nodded. "Wasn't the first time. She knew exactly what the risks were, and she was ready to scratch. Not desperate like most fools. She knew there was no way to fix it. Makes me think it wasn't her first time. So, if you're actually interested in impressing her? How about you make sure she stays in one piece so she can make it to St. Louis?"
"I'll make sure they know."
Which didn't really give me a lot to work with, so I kept going. "I know her ex was in on it. Not how or why, but she mentioned that much."
"Well, I know that J.D. has made it clear that she's not a buckle bunny," he told me. "He's let everyone know that messing with her is the same as messing with him." He laughed once. "So are you really dumb enough to pick a fight with that maniac?"
"He knows I'm chasing her," I promised. "He's also working on a sponsor for her. I'm not sure what game he's playing, but I figure that so long as he thinks she's some new toy, he'll keep her safe from the hazing."
"That bad?" Tanner asked.
All I could do was shrug. "Look, she was hoping no one would realize she was a girl. When that bull on Saturday hooked her into the wall? That was her biggest worry: that we all knew she was a girl. Not that she could've been hurt, but that we'd figured it out. Dunno about you, but to me, that says a whole lot. I'm just worried that the guys are going to think of her as a piece of ass first and a rider second."
"Well," he said, "I can promise you three things. First, that I'll do everything I can to keep the bulls off her. Second, that there's not a lot that I'm scared of. Not you, not some rednecks from her hometown, and not even J.D. Adkins. And third? That if you get in my face again, you'll be the one to regret it. Am I clear, Ty?"
Man, having a guy four inches shorter than me, and at least fifty pounds lighter rub my face in it hurt bad. That I knew he wasn't full of it was just like a little salt in my already raw ego. Still, the guy had a point. Our bullfighters were usually pretty laid-back guys. They weren't looking to be in the spotlight. Instead, they were adrenaline junkies, always trying to be the one to get the save.
These three had taken more knocks - and harder ones - than I ever had. They made half the money, drove just as far, and worked just as hard as the rest of us. None of them were big guys, at least not on the outside, but they all had balls of steel. If there was anyone Cody needed on her side, it was them.
So instead of answering, I asked back, "We gonna have a problem if I don't back off?"
"Nope," Tanner assured me. "We gonna have a problem if I don't?"
I lifted a shoulder in a weak shrug. "I won't break your face for it. How's that?"
"With you," he said, "I think that's about all I can hope for. Just remember, if you fuck up, I'm going to be right there to sweep her off her feet." He smiled. "Literally."
I turned to grab my bag one last time. "Then I guess this means I shouldn't fuck up, because I'm the one she kissed before she left. Just remember that when you're trying to make her feel special."
Tanner huffed at me, then dropped his eyes to make it clear he was sizing me up. "Yeah, I think I'm ok. Besides, we all know that you'll fuck it up before next weekend's over. Ty McBride has never been able to keep his hands off the fans. Pretty sure my loyalty trumps your fame and fortune, cowboy."
I didn't bother to reply. Mostly because there was nothing at all I could say. So, I did the only thing I could. I walked the other way. The lines had been drawn, and it seemed my girl had already gathered quite the fan club.
This was going to suck.
