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"J.D. Adkins," J.D. replied, "your daughter's mentor."
"Is that what we're calling it now?" he asked, before looking at the second man with me.
I quickly spoke up. "And this is Tanner, one of the bullfighters."
"Oh," Dad said, sounding much happier about that.
"Tanner Burns," Tanner said, offering his own hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jennings."
"Just Dean," he assured him. "You had something to eat yet? I see you got a beer."
"I'm good, sir," Tanner told him. "Heard you might like to meet my team." Lifting a hand, he waved over the others who had already started to come closer. "This is Jorge and Isaac. The pretty one is Jorge's wife, Aubree. None of us know why she puts up with him, but she's like our mascot."
"Pleasure, guys," my dad told them. "And if my little girl hasn't said it, then let me tell you how much I appreciate you taking care of her."
Jorge chuckled. "Cody does pretty good. Knows when to park out at the side, and when to run - and which way!"
Dad nodded proudly. "Yeah, I tried to teach her good arena manners from a young age."
"You rode?" Jorge asked.
My father nodded proudly. "Back before the PBR started. I got out right about the time they were talking about it, so just rodeo bull riding and a bit of calf roping. Then ended up with a family." He smiled at Aubree. "Ma'am, we have things besides beer, if that works better for you."
She held up her bottle of Coke. "I'm good, but thanks. Someone has to drive these boys home."
"Well, good. If y'all need anything, you just let me know." He paused when headlights flashed across the area, bright against the growing twilight. "Heard there's a few more bull riders out here."
J.D. just pointed to the truck finding a place to park. "There's another. Cody, looks like Ty made it after all." Then he looked at my father. "Let me introduce you to the top Brazilian rider, Renato, and his... wife? Girlfriend? I'm not real sure what to call her."
Then J.D. gave me a look like he'd just bought me an out. Tossing him a smile, I hurried the opposite way to make sure Ty didn't get lost. I wasn't the only one. A few other girls were moving toward him as well. He stepped out of his big red truck with a smile at them, but he'd already spotted me. Making no effort to hide it, he ran his eyes over my body, taking a little extra time with my bare legs.
Then he smiled. "Girl, bull riders shouldn't look that good." And he crooked a finger, calling me closer.
I could hear the others whispering behind their hands. Not enough to make out all the words, but someone knew his name, and someone else said hot, which he was. Still, when I made it to his side, he pulled me closer, tucking us both inside his open door - but he didn't kiss me like I wanted.
Instead, Ty leaned in and grabbed something dark, pulling it between us. "I thought you might need a little something to show off this weekend."
It took a second before the square of leather made sense. Seeing the confusion on my face, Ty opened it up, revealing the front side of a pair of chaps. Immediately, my mouth fell open in shock. First, because of the color. They were smooth leather, and black - for the most part. Down by the ankles, swirls of pink had been sewn on top, the leather a damned good match to my helmet, and cut almost like flames. Along the thigh was another accent piece, complete with conchos and a few leather tassels. Both pink.
"You got me chaps?" I asked.
He shrugged, a little smile proving that acting humble wasn't easy for him. "I figure J.D. can't get all the glory, right? You got noticed in Tulsa, which means you'll be featured in St. Louis. Now try them on?"
It took a bit to get them around my waist. With one buckle in front and another in back, the first fitting was always the worst. Ty jumped in to help, handling the yoke over my butt. Once we had that sitting just beneath my belt, I bent to strap on the legs. When I stood back up, I was surprised to find they were at most a quarter inch longer than my old ones, and not enough to worry about.
"They fit perfectly," I gasped. "How?"
Ty cleared his throat and looked down. "The girl at the shop was a lot of help. Told her your jean size - "
"How'd you get my jean size?"
"You left them on my bathroom floor. I looked. Just like I looked with your hat. So do you like them?"
I hurried around to the front of his truck and gestured for him to turn on the light. When he did, I gawked at the way the pink shimmered, but even better than that, he'd had rhinestones added. Just a few to the conchos and down by my ankles, but enough to make sure that no one would confuse me with one of the guys.
"I love them," I breathed. "What do you think? Is this my new look?"
He gestured for me to turn, then made a pleased sound when my back was to him. "Just a shame you can't ride in shorts, because that, Cody, is probably the best-looking bull rider I've ever seen in my life."
"Yeah?" I moved back toward him, letting him turn off the lights and close up his truck. "So is this why you've been so quiet this week? I was expecting more texts and..." I waited until I was close enough that my voice wouldn't carry. "I thought you'd kiss me."
"Oh, if that's what you want, then I will. I just..." He sighed. "Cody, I've been an ass, ok? Not that I actually did anything, but I started thinking of you like something to win first, and J.D. called me out. The truth is that I want to be your competition first, your friend second, and anything more comes after those. So..." He shifted his hat on his head and stepped closer. "I'm gonna wait for you to tell me when I've earned a kiss. No more stealing them."
"What if I want to steal one?" I asked.
He smiled. "I promise I won't resist at all. I like you, Cody Jennings. What little I know so far, that is. Thing is, I'd kinda like to learn a whole lot more about this girl with a boy's name who's putting most of the PBR to shame. Tell me, now that I'm sitting here in your hometown, what is it that made such an amazing woman, well, amazing?"
"Guess that means you wanna meet my daddy, huh?" I stepped back, still wearing the chaps he'd bought for me. "Because I'm gonna show these off. Need a beer to brace for it?"
"Hell, yeah," he agreed.
I started walking, knowing he'd follow, but enjoying the way the heavy leather flopped against my legs. These weren't cheap chaps. Oh no, I was willing to bet that he'd gone all out. I'd never worn leather so soft, especially not this thick. The yoke was cut with a curve, as if the maker understood how to keep them on a woman's hips. The best part, though, was watching the little rhinestones glitter in the light of the bonfire and moon, because it was almost full dark.
Snagging a beer from the Yeti cooler in the back of Renato's truck, I offered that back to him, then grabbed another for me. Spinning off the cap, I tossed it in the bed of the truck, and Ty mimicked me, then we were moving again. I'd already spotted my dad and Shelby over by the fire. The collection of men's backs and cowboy hats was a little harder to make out, but I was pretty sure that was my crowd.
And yeah, I thought of the guys from the PBR as my crowd now. They felt more like where I fit in than most of the people in this town. When I got close enough, I stepped in beside my father, then before him, so he could see my new chaps in the firelight.
"What do you think, Dad?" I asked.
"Whose are those?" he asked.
"Hers," Ty said, moving beside him. "Mr. Jennings, I'm Ty McBride. The guy who placed behind your daughter last weekend. She rides good. You teach her?"
He accepted Ty's hand with a smile. "I sure did. Then again, bull riding's about the only thing I know. Kinda nice to see there are some men in the world who aren't scared of a girl showing them up."
"Not at all," Ty promised him. "Renato over there is the one who convinced her to wear a helmet. J.D. made sure she has one of her own, so all that left for me were the chaps. But, that means Brazil, America, and Canada have all made it clear that we're in full support of her."
"Best riders in our countries," J.D. clarified.
Renato chuckled once. "And the PBR," he added. "Been a while since we found a rookie who could shift our rankings. It's normally all about what bull we draw. Cody, though?" He smiled at me. "Once she figures out how to spur with those short little legs of hers, we'll all be chasing her."
"Thank you, guys," Dad told them. "I've been pretty worried, thinking that you'd all assume she was just some buckle bunny or something."
"No, sir," J.D. told him. "That's my rookie, and there ain't no man who's gonna treat her like that. I take damned good care of my friends." He shrugged. "It's a short list, so easy to keep track of."
"If you don't get me thrown in jail for one of your stunts," I teased.
He shot me a dirty look. "I told Ty to get you out before I pulled my stupid. Give me a little credit here, Cody."
I held up my fingers not even an inch apart. "Very little, hun."
"That's enough." Then he tilted up his bottle and downed the last of his beer. "So, who's driving back to Rolla? Because I need to know if I should have another or give up for the night."
Ty groaned. "I'll drive, but means I'm crashing there."
J.D. just tossed his keys over. "Sold. We'll pick up your truck tomorrow. Leave the keys with Cody."
Digging into his pocket, Ty actually obeyed, acting like the brand-new trucks they were showing off weren't a big deal at all. Then he smiled. "Gives me a reason to check in. Make sure you're still coming."
"I'm coming!" I promised.
Tanner moved up beside me. "Pretty sure we've already talked her into it. Just need to make sure she has a ride between shows."
"She has a ride," J.D. promised.
"Or two," Ty offered. "Up to her to pick which one she's using."
My dad just looked between the three of them, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Boys? You know that she can kick your ass, right? I didn't raise some delicate little girl, so just keep that in mind when you're all trying to piss on her to claim your territory."
"Dad!" I cried.
He just lifted his hands and stepped back. "I told you, Cody. I know how they think. Just promise me that you won't take your eye off the real prize, ok?"
"I just want to ride bulls," I told him.
He nodded. "That's my girl. And if you boys get out of line? Gerardo has both castration bands and emasculators. We'll string you up in that barn and geld you. Don't make me prove it."
"No, sir," J.D. told him. "Besides, ain't no one touching my rookie - not even me - without her permission."
Dad laughed once and pointed at J.D., still stepping away from the fire. "I was wrong, kiddo. I think I actually do like him. Don't stay out all night. I'm going back to the house so I don't cramp your style."
"Love you, Dad!"
"I love you too, Cody. This looks good on you, and not just the pink." Damn, but my father knew how to make my eyes get all misty.
