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Both of the guys flapped their hands at me, grumbling profanities under their breath, but they left. My head was pounding even worse now, but I could also feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins. My only regret was that I hadn't punched Casey first. I should've just swung. Damn, that would've felt so good.
And then Cody wrapped her arm around my waist and pressed her head against my chest. "Thanks, Ty."
No, maybe she didn't sound like she was fawning all over me, but that was ok. She was used to bullying. She'd been putting up with it for as long as she'd been riding cattle. This girl was always braced for the next bad thing that was going to happen to her, and she acted like it was all completely normal.
That bothered me.
Which was when I realized I'd just found my place. J.D. might be her mentor. Tanner was her official boyfriend. Me? I'd just named myself her protector, which gave me a damned good reason to follow her around like the desperate man I was.
Because someone had to keep her safe. This shit wasn't about to stop, and the assholes who wanted to chase her off were getting more and more brave. Back in Tulsa, it had been a greased rope. Now it was childish games of keep-away and getting in her face. I didn't even want to think about what came next.
But if I was here, then nothing would happen to her. Besides, my little excuse about the media attention increasing our paychecks wasn't a lie. I knew it could go either way, but having a woman make history in anything tended to make the world take note.
And the more people who looked at Cody, the closer I wanted to be to her. The more I wanted to keep her safe. Protector? Yeah, so far as I cared, that was a real good reason to act on all this confusing shit I'd been feeling about her. Protectors stayed close. They were hands-on. To me, all that sounded like the things I wanted to do anyway, and I might even be able to show her the things I hadn't figured out how to say yet.
Chapter28
I wasn't even pissedabout Derek and Casey fucking with me. It was exactly the sort of thing I expected. For as long as I could remember, the cowboys had picked on me, trying to make it clear I wasn't one of them. Well, too bad for them, I didn't care about that.
I was here to ride bulls. I'd come to earn a check. I had J.D., Tanner, and Ty as friends - and more, but the assholes trying to chase me off didn't need to know that. I wasn't alone, I wasn't helpless, and I wouldnotbe scared off the Tough Enough series tour.
And while I appreciated Ty coming to my rescue, I also hated it. I despised knowing that the only reason those idiots had stopped was because amanhad stepped up. I hated the fact that I was too short to simply take my rope back, too new to risk my place on the circuit with a kick to the balls or a punch in the gut. I just fucking hated that being a woman made the rest of the world think I couldn't do this!
Was that why the sponsors hadn't been eager to sign with me yet? Max had done his best, I was sure of that. I just had no idea how I was supposed to prove myself. I'd ridden good yesterday. I was fifth, which was definitely in the top ten. I also knew I could get bucked off and lose it all, and the anxiety was starting to build because this was what I'd dedicated my life to. If I failed now, I'd probably never get another chance.
But Ty had stepped up, so I grabbed him around the waist for a hug. He kept it casual, but a few seconds later, he set up his gear beside me, just like he had yesterday. I tossed my rope over the panel provided for that purpose, then let out all my anger as I worked rosin into the fibers.
"You ok?" Ty finally asked.
"Yep," I promised.
"Cody, it's ok to be pissed," he assured me.
I nodded once, then yanked my glove down the rope again. "Oh, I'm pissed," I promised. "Doesn't mean I'm not ok."
"That's my girl," he praised.
I glanced over to find him smiling at me. Ty was always so careful about what he said in public, so aware of what might cross a line somewhere. I didn't normally worry about it because I knew they'd talk shit about me no matter what I did, but hearing him say that?
"Oh,yourgirl?" I asked, keeping my voice down.
His lips curled into a smile even as his focus returned to his own rope. "Yep. First woman on the top circuit of the PBR. Figure you're kinda all of ours, and that's the story I'm stickin' with."
It was like he'd finally figured something out, but I couldn't ask what here. Not where everyone walking past could hear us. In the time it had taken to deal with Casey and Derek, the area had gotten even more crowded, which meant we had to be getting close to start time.
So where were Tanner and J.D.?
"Hey, you seen the guys?" I asked as I pulled out my chaps and started putting them on.
Music was starting to play in the arena, letting me know the show was warming up. Today, I was riding in fifth place, which put me near the end. J.D. had come in third, and Ty was in first. So while I buckled on my chaps, I tried to figure out which of us would pull ropes for the others, but I wasn't quite sure the timing would work out. It was just too close together.
Like me, Ty was putting on his chaps. "I have a feeling one of them is moving a little slow," he said when our heads were close enough together. "Tanner won't be late, though."
"Ok," I breathed as I stood back up. "But I'm basically ready."
Ty grunted and hurried up with his last buckle. "Wanna go watch the scores?"
"Sure," I agreed.
