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"What happened?" Troy asked.
It was Tanner who answered, and his voice was much too calm, almost like ice. "Two men decided to jump her in the halls. Two! They want to chase her out of the sport, so if you think you can do the same - "
Max groaned, but Troy shot to his feet. "What?" the man demanded.
"That's what they do to women who don’t listen," Grace told him.
"Cody, are you ok?" Troy asked.
"I've been hit worse by a bull," I assured him. "Got some bruises, but I'll be fine by Des Moines."
Troy just pressed his hands down on the table and leaned over them. "Wow. When they said bull riders are tough, I had no idea." Then he looked up. "And Mike's wants a place on your vest."
"Why?" I shot back, all the frustration and pain more than I could hold back right now. The hit from J.D.'s vape probably didn't help much either. "Don't you two get it? My scores were shit this weekend. The judges screwed me. I rode those bulls better than most of the men here, and they fucked me over hoping I'd take the hint!"
"Did you?" Grace asked. "Are you giving up?"
"No!"
J.D. just chuckled softly, leaning back in his chair.
"She rode harder," Tanner told them. "She pushed those mediocre bulls until pictures of her on them will become collector’s items. She stuck to the back of all three, even when half the men on this tour couldn't say the same."
"But if you want your name to be seen by the media, it doesn't look like I'm the one for you," I grumbled.
"Cody," Max said. "Don't sabotage your own career."
"No," Troy said, waving him down. "I know where she's coming from. I just have one question. Cody, do you think you're the only woman who will ever want to compete in this sport?"
"Of course not," I assured him. "Dozens of us try. It's just not easy, and it takes a lot of work to get the upper-body strength to ride at this level."
"But you did it," he pressed. "So someone else might as well, right?"
"Definitely," I said.
He nodded. "So what happens to the girl who comes next?"
I felt my skin tingle as the reality of his words hit me. My heart thumped hard once, which set my ears to ringing. Maybe that was the drugs? No, it was the idea of another woman - one not as mean as me - going through what I'd just survived.
Because Austin hadn't wanted me to go home. He'd wanted to make sure I was hurt bad enough that I'd never ride again. He'd gotten hard from beating me! Alone, in the halls where no one else was likely to come though? What if he'd knocked me out? What if he did the same with the next girl? What if it didn't end there?
"If you give up," Grace pressed, "how much harder will she have it? See, Under Armour wants to sponsor you because you're blazing a trail. You are breaking new ground. That's what our brand is all about, which is why we're interested in you. Not just because of your scores, although seventh place means our logo would still be seen."
"And Mike's wants to be on this side of history," Troy admitted. "To have our logo on the first woman to ride in the PBR."
I stared at him for a little too long. Maybe it was the pain. Possibly, it was the drugs. Either way, his words made me think of the women I'd met since Tulsa.
I couldn't forget the way Shelby had screamed in enthusiasm when I'd shown her my check. The excitement she'd had to make signs and cheer me on. How she'd asked if I'd help teach her son to ride when he decided to try it.
Then there'd been the cashier in that western wear store. The one who'd bent over backwards and had been so thrilled that a woman was doing this. That I was making history.
Every time my name was called by the announcer, I'd heard the women's voices. I'd met a few of the fans. The video I'd made for a lady named Sabrina, helping her understand this sport so she could enjoy it more without worrying about the animals.
One after the other, the memories of women standing just a little taller because I was doing this all slammed into me. No, I hadn't come here to make history. I wasn't looking for fame or recognition because I was the first.Mygoal was to make enough money to have a few more options in my life, but that didn't change that I was doing this.
"They aren't going to make this easy on me," I warned the two sponsors before me.
"I think you can handle it," Max assured me.
