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"What about your gear?" I asked next. "Thought your rope was for riding left-handed."
She shook her head. "The rope J.D. got me was, but Austin greased it today. The backup Ty got me in Cheyenne is for either way. It'll work."
"Glove?" I pressed.
Her face fell. "Maybe I can get a new one?"
Which meant I needed to find a store. Either there would be some vendor selling bull-riding gear out there where the fans were shopping, or there would be a place in town. There was always a place in town, wasn't there?
Because if Cody was going to do this, she had to do it right. She'd need a right-handed glove, and sadly they didn't sell those things in pairs. I was pretty sure J.D. would help me figure it out, though. We'd get her one tonight.
"And strapping in?" I pressed.
"Thought Jake might help," she muttered. "Or maybe Ty? Ty knows how I wrap."
"And if shit goes bad?" I pressed.
Her eyes jumped across my face, but then she smiled. "Just hold on, right? Because if I'm coming off, it don't matter after that. I got this, Daddy."
I nodded, then looked over at the doctor. "Think I can get behind the chutes?"
"Why?" the doctor asked.
"Because I know damned well how she wraps too," I assured him. "And I trust me a hell of a lot more than some boys who think she's just a thing to fuck and forget. Cody, if you're gonna do this, I wanna pull for you and help you wrap. I wanna make sure you got this, and if I say it's a no, then you scratch."
"I can do this!" she insisted.
"I know you can, baby girl," I promised. "I also know it don't hurt as bad as it will yet. So you agree or I take your little ass home with me and ground you for a week."
"I'm too old to be grounded!" She rolled her eyes.
"And you know those boys will help me," I went on.
She pulled in a deep breath, and then gave in. "Fine."
Oh, she sounded just like her momma when she said that. But for all my worry, that little attitude she pushed out convinced me more than anything else. My daughter might not be tough like the guys, but that didn't make her weak.
Cody was tough like a woman. She was tough enough to put up with the bullshit, the bulls, and the boys. She was the kind of tough no man could ever understand. Maybe she looked real girly doing it, and maybe these cowboys would underestimate her, but I knew better.
This young lady was going to do this, and my job was just to keep her as safe as I could. I might not be able to stop everything from hurting her, but I'd sure put myself in the way when I could. Sadly, this was one fight that I, as a man, couldn't fight for her. I also knew it was a whole hell of a lot bigger fight than most people realized.
She was proving herself to those who didn't want her to. She was right. She had to do this.
"I'm pulling," I declared, "and if you agree to that, you can ride."
She nodded quickly. "Ok, but just a simple wrap?"
"Around and back," I agreed, referring to how the rope would wind around her hand. "And we both know you can do this."
That earned me another smile just as the doctor secured the last piece of Velcro. "This stays on all night," he ordered. "When you have a shower, you leave that arm out of the water. I'd say you can take it off, but you will need help to get it back on, and I know J.D. can't help."
"I can," I promised. "So can her boyfriend, and I bet he'll be the one in the shower with her."
"Dad!" Cody groaned.
But the doctor simply patted her leg. "Go home, Cody. Get stoned. Take one of those pills every eight hours, and I'll see you in here tomorrow morning, right?"
"Yes, sir," she agreed, sliding off the bed.
