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"Tanner Burns making sure Cody Jennings' family knows her condition. Here's hoping the first woman in the PBR hasn't been hurt too badly. The Tough Enough series tour is the toughest sport on dirt, so let's give her a round of applause."
I hopped back over and started walking to my place, knowing the next ride would start as soon as the hoopla was over. But the announcer couldn't just leave it at that.
"We've seen plenty of big strong men get knocked off the series for injuries. That means this sport is even more dangerous for a little lady like Cody. Regardless, she's already made history by being here. She has set the bar, but how long will it be until she's back? Can she even come back from this?"
Yeah, and that was a step too far. Signaling to Jorge and Isaac that I needed a second, I stormed towards the bullpen where Cletus was standing, ready to pick up the entertainment for the next break. I knew he had a microphone.
A hop rolled me to the top of that thing, and I didn't stop until I was up in his face. "Sorry, Cletus," I said before bending his mic out and leaning into it. "Cody's not quitting," I told the crowd. "She's not broken. She's not fragile either. Bull riders get hurt, and she knows that. She's also prepared to deal with it, so don't start writing her off yet."
"Oh ho!" Cletus said, giving me a warning look as he pulled the mic back in front of his mouth. "Is that her boyfriend speaking there, Tanner?"
I leaned into his face, knowing his mic would catch this. "Yes, the man who knows that 'pretty little lady' better than anyone else on tour, and you know what?" I smiled, hoping the cameras were on us. "All of you keep thinking she's so cute and pretty, but you missed the best part about her."
"What's that?" Cletus asked, nodding to encourage me.
"She has balls of steel. Bigger ones than most of those boys on the back of the chutes. And I bet if you ask them, they'll even admit it."
"Is that true?" Cletus called out.
And from behind the chutes at least a dozen cowboys all threw their hands up and yelled in support.
"Is that true?" Cletus asked again, turning to address the crowd this time. "Do y'all think our lady rider is really tough enough for the Tough Enough tour?"
People shot to their feet. A few pink signs were waved. No, it wasn't everyone, but from the top of the bullpen, I could see it was enough. The roar of their approval was loud, making it impossible to think Cody wasn't loved by her fans.
Which was when Cletus turned back to me, clasping my shoulder with one hand so he could point with the other. "Well, lookee at that!"
I turned to see her scores plastered on the big screen. Not great, but 78.25 was probably fair for that ride. In truth, it was much better than I'd expected, considering how the judges had been treating her.
She'd ridden two bulls this weekend. That put her up into seventh place right now, but she wouldn't hold it. There was no way. Tomorrow, these guys would get more scores, and Cody's riding arm was fucked.
But I knew she wouldn't give up because of this. Not my girl.
Chapter37
My head felta little too light. My arm hurt so much it was throbbing. From my fingers to the base of my neck, the whole thing was just one massive pain. My knees wanted to buckle, but I refused. Instead, I grabbed a fistful of Doc's western shirt and let him lead me on.
We made it out of the arena and didn't slow down. To the side, a camera pressed in, trying to catch a good shot of the latest rider injured this weekend: me. Anthony pushed between us and the camera, though, blocking most of it.
"Cody!" a reporter called out. "Cody Jennings! What's this going to do to your goal of proving women can compete in this sport?"
"Not now," Anthony snapped.
But the reporter just kept going, following as he tried to get his gossip. "Does this mean it's true? Women really aren't strong enough to do this?"
I tried to turn back, but Doc's arm tightened on my side. "Ignore it, Cody."
Then I heard Anthony. "I've had seven men back in Sports Medicine tonight. That'sjusttonight, but the first time our female rider gets the slightest injury you're saying she can't ride?" He grunted hard. "That's sexist and you know it."
"And you are?" the reporter asked.
"Anthony Young, physical therapy with Sports Medicine." He paused. "You know, the guy who sees themallcry when it hurts. That girl? She may not be impervious, but that isn't the same as not being tough. If you're looking for a story, this isn't it."
I caught the tail end of that as Doc turned us into the room he'd claimed for Sports Medicine, but we didn't stop there. In the main area, quite a few riders had their bodies in those massive chairs and some joint was being iced. As Doc dragged me past, most of the men looked up.
"Cody?" That was Djalu Fox, one of the Aussies. "Shit, you ok?"
I'd only ever seen this guy in person when we'd nearly bumped into each other. We'd never even talked, and yet the concern in his voice sounded real.
