Page 8 of Just Hold On

Chapter 7

Renato came off hard.He had to contest the judge's decision for a no score, but squeaked out of his ride with a few more points added to his ranking. I figured after all that, the last thing he'd be interested in was ditching his girl and heading to the bar, but that bastard had a way of shocking me. So did Hannah.

"Rumor has it, someone has the hots for a girl," she teased, leaning against the panel where we'd left our gear.

The poor girl's belly was so large she had to hold it in both hands. I had no idea why Renato still let her come with him to the shows, but I had a funny feeling Hannah was why. I sure as hell wasn't brave enough to tell her no, and I wasn't the one sleeping with her.

"I have the hots for a whole lot of girls," I reminded her. "Pretty sure you've reminded me of that a time or two."

She just waved a finger at me, a little smirk showing the scar where she'd once worn a lip ring. "I said you screw too many girls. I'm talking about the kind that has you going home early... alone."

Yep, Renato had definitely told on me. I sent him a look that could've made hell freeze, then just smiled back at Hannah like it had never happened. "Honey, I just wanted to see if one of our rookies was truly making history. Figured you'd be all in for a female bull rider."

"Bullshit," Renato coughed into his hand.

Hannah's tongue trailed over her incisor as she flicked up that brow. "You're trying to deny it? You? Spending the night alone and trying to say it's just because she's a bull rider? I'm not that dumb, big guy."

"What do ya want me to say? I have a thing for blondes? The girl is hot? Yes - to both. Doesn't mean a thing, so stop trying to hook me up, sweet-cheeks."

I almost had her calmed down about this whole crush thing, but my wingman didn't know how to play his part. When she turned to him for confirmation, he shrugged and added, "Dunno, but he was more worried about seeing her in the stands than checking his wrap. I think he's got it bad."

I just groaned and turned away. He might as well put a stake in me. Telling his girl that I was eyeing someone for more than a one-nighter? Hannah would never let it go, and she was mean enough to scare even J.D. That meant I had two options: leave before she started in or face the music. It was a no brainer. I was out of here.

"Ty!" she called after me.

"Don't wanna hear it, Hannah."

"Just take Reni with you?" She sounded almost worried.

It was enough to make me turn back. "Huh?"

She waved back toward the parking lot. "I'll catch a ride back to the hotel with Jorge. Take Reni so you have someone to drive if you get trashed, ok?" Then she smiled. "And don't try any of those crappy pickup lines. You're sweeter when you aren't trying. Trust me, we can see right through that lame crap you boys use."

"I'm not trying to get in this girl's pants. I was just going out for a drink."

She just nodded. "Yeah, I know. That's what gave you away. I think you actually found someone you want to talk to. Maybe tomorrow I'll make a point of meeting her myself and seeing if she's worth it." With a wink, she shooed me away, but it was oddly adorable.

I almost went. Almost, but she'd just hit the one thing that I couldn't even understand myself. Oh, I sure wasn't going to ask, but if she was trying to hook me up, I might as well use her womanly intuition to my advantage. "Hey, Hannah? How do I look?"

She giggled, pressing the back of her hand over her red lips. "Try a t-shirt, Ty. Preferably a tight one. No way she'll resist that." Then she looked over to Renato. "And you need something baggy. Very big. Like a tent."

"Love you, too," he said, bending to kiss her cheek. "Sure you're ok?"

"Positive. Besides, you owe him one."

Then she grabbed the front of his shirt. I wasn't sticking around to watch them make out. Besides, I needed a t-shirt, and there was one in my truck that would work just fine. I didn't want Cody to think I was trying to impress her or anything, so a few wrinkles would help out. From the way she shot me down last night, I had a funny feeling that if I looked like I was chasing anything more than a beer, I wouldn't have a chance.

That thought almost stopped me in my tracks. I hadn't even thought about it, but yeah, I wanted a chance. Hell, I wanted a whole lot more than that, but I barely knew her. It might feel like I did, but before last night, I hadn't even known she existed. Although, what did I really need to know? I wouldn't be sticking around long enough to worry about more than what happened tonight, right?

She was cute as hell. That counted for a lot, but it was the way she was cute that I liked. My hands could fit around her waist easily, but she wasn't some fragile little thing. She had the kind of body that would go just right on a farm - nothing but muscle. When she wasn't hiding under a few layers of protective gear, she also had some curves that made me think some real bad things. Then there was her mouth. She didn't have some perfect cupid's bow for lips. She had the kind of mouth that was made to smile, with little dimples in each corner. The one time I'd gotten her eyes to light up?

Damn. I had it bad.

I wanted to have it a whole lot worse. Cody didn't look high-maintenance. She wasn't the kind of girl to care if her nails matched her lipstick. Hell, she didn't even bother with makeup, and I loved that about her. I had a funny feeling that her blonde hair didn't come out of a bottle. It had the color that came from too many hours in the sun, and I really wanted to shove my fingers into it.

I also wanted to know what had her running from me when most women ran right to me. That had to be all this was. I was pretty sure it wasn't me. Every time I got to talk to her, she went on the defensive just to relax and warm up when I didn't push her too hard. Her expressions were usually guarded, like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. That made me wonder if the first shoe really was just the hazing that came with being a rookie.

There had to be more to it than that. My gut said the two things went together, and I could make a few guesses. I knew the kind of crap we did to each other. I could only imagine how much worse it'd be for a pretty little girl. She wouldn't be getting greased ropes and embarrassing comments. I figured it was a little more like wet t-shirts in December and locker raids when she was in the showers.

Well, she wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. I'd make damned sure of it.

I was pulling on that clean shirt when Renato eased his truck into the spot beside me. He didn't bother getting out, just rolled down the window and leaned on the door. "Driving or want a ride?"

Lifting both hands, I admitted defeat. "What does Hannah suggest?"

He chuckled. "Driving, so if you get the chance to give her a polite ride home, you can take it."

With a sigh, I nodded, knowing this was my last chance to pretend like I wasn't really as interested as I was. "Tell her thanks for me?"

He just shrugged. "Let's wait to see if you've finally met a girl that just isn't interested, or if she's a crazy psycho bitch. Figure it has to be one or the other. Where we going?"

I pointed right across the street. "Same place as last night. If she's not there, we'll check the next closest and hope she hasn't run back to her hotel for the night."

"Sounds like a plan. See ya there?"

I lifted a hand, waving him off before I climbed behind the wheel. A twist of the key had the glow plugs warming. By the time I had the thing running, he was already pulling into the parking lot of the bar. Not even a whole block, but I wasn't dumb enough to try to cross that road at two a.m. when I was staggering drunk. And if she turned me down, that was exactly how I planned to end my night.

I just hoped she was there. It was where she'd gone last night and, considering neither of us were local, well, it wasn't like we had much to go on. Thankfully, that'd make it a little easier to track her down, but damn. All of this was counting on her acting like every guy I knew, and Cody Jennings was definitely not a guy.

Renato was waiting by the door. When I got there, he pulled it open and the sound billowed out along with the smell of cheap beer and clashing perfumes. The dim lights made the neon beer signs into illumination instead of just advertising. Hoping I was right, I aimed for the bar, intending to grab a beer and play off my quest for the perfect girl like nothing more than coincidence.

The strange thing was that the counter by the bar was mostly empty. Oh, there were still a few buckle bunnies hanging around like they were looking for a good time, but I didn't see any faces I knew. No bull riders at all. J.D. always camped out at the bar, and he usually didn't leave until the last call when he grabbed the most desperate girl around and called it good enough. His cronies weren't really any better, but that made it nice for the rest of us. The cream of the crop was always available until well after midnight, so we didn't even have to work fast.

Halfway there, I figured out why. Renato tapped my arm and pointed at the corner. The first thing I saw was her. The second was J.D. He was sitting beside her, but he sure didn't look happy. The third? Yeah, I looked over just in time to catch Cody throw half of something very yellow at Austin Chambers.

That was when all hell broke loose. Austin lunged for her. J.D. pushed the table, shoving it right in his path. The guys who followed Austin like lost puppies surged closer, proving this ordeal already had a crowd. Then there was her. My sweet, timid little cowgirl forced herself to her feet and backed up, but even from over here I could hear her.

"Go to hell!" She clenched her fist at her side, but I was already making my way closer. "And don't you ever put your hands on me again!" Then she stumbled.

I caught her before she hit the ground, but she sure wasn't making it easy. "Cody," I hissed, trying to keep her flailing hand from smacking me in the face.

But J.D. wasn't worried about her. His full attention was on Austin, and he was pissed. "Let's go, motherfucker. You think you're a big man? Yeah?" He shoved the table again, forcing Austin back.

A hush had fallen over the bar, making it even easier to hear what was going on. Everyone was looking, and there was no way we were getting out of this without a fight. I pulled Cody behind me, but J.D. just looked back and shook his head.

"Time to go, Ty."

"What the fuck, man?"

J.D.'s face was contorted with rage as he pointed at Austin. "Fucker wants to make sure we all know his balls are so small he's scared of a little girl." The way he glared at the guy had me a little worried. "And no one fucks with my riders. No. One."

"You dick," I growled, putting his words together with Cody's actions to figure out what he meant, but J.D. put his other hand on my chest, stopping my rush before it could start.

"Time to go, Ty. Bar fights are a twenty-five grand penalty. I have a funny feeling she doesn't have it to spare, and she's trashed." Then he laughed, but it sounded like the devil himself. "I do, and I'm gonna make sure this fucker knows to never do it again. That's my goddamned rookie, Austin. Ya hear me?"

"You aren't the boss of us," Austin snapped back. "You like to pretend you are, but only the little girls think you're hot shit."

"After I put your ass in the ground I sure as hell will be. Let's go, dumbass."

I swear I didn't see his hand move, but J.D. grabbed a fallen beer bottle off that table he was pushing around, and he smashed the end off. This whole thing had just escalated a little too quickly, and I wasn't sure if J.D. was bluffing, but I wasn't dumb enough to stick around and find out.

"Let's go, Cody."

"He grabbed me," she slurred. "I'm not his toy. I'm not your toy, either."

"No, baby, you sure as hell aren't."

I also wasn't giving her any more options. Scooping her into my arms, I caught Renato's eye and fell in behind him. Tonight, he was my wingman, and right now, I needed a clear path to the door. Cody wasn't fighting me, but I had no idea how long that was going to last. I also didn't want to risk letting her jump into that fray. I had a real funny feeling that she wasn't exactly the type of girl to back down from anything.

She was a bull rider, after all.

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