by Lee, Judith
Cody softly laughed as he envisioned that scenario.
“My sponsors are setting up a special VIP tent and they’ll have food and beer as a going away party for me. I don’t know why all the fuss. You can bring Jared if he wants to come and I’ll try not to strangle him, but he better keep his hands off you in my sight, okay?”
“Yep, I’ll tell him he made the invite list. We’re all so proud of you. We can FaceTime mom and dad when we’re at the rodeo so they feel like they are with us. I know you wanted to retire when you were on top, and I know dad’s illness helped you speed up that decision. But I also know you love the ranch and it’ll be good having you home all the time and working with you.”
Jenny said her good byes, “See ya there big brother,” and they hung up.
Things were changing and Cody hoped they were all for the best. He wouldn’t lose sight that the most important thing in his life right now was his father. His heart ached just thinking what life would be like without his dad. No, damn it, he needed to be positive he told himself.
Tammy would help him get through this unknown period in his life, and if he got the chance to kick the hell out of Marcus in the meantime it would help release some of his anger over his father’s illness. Most importantly he never wanted to see Tammy hurt again.
Chapter Nine
Tammy was excited. She had packed her overnight bag and her parents were loading the car. She went up to her room to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. Her cell phone vibrated and she grabbed it out of her back pocket.
“What you wearing today, darlin’?”
“Well cowboy, I’ve got on a new pair of cowgirl boots, and wrangler jeans that hang low on my hips. I have on a white halter top, and turquoise beads around my neck and silver ear-rings.”
“No bra or panties? I’m about to do my warm ups and ride around the ring to get my juices going and I’m going to fall off the horse envisioning you like that.”
She laughed, “Well I do have a strapless white bra on and well cowboy, I’ll leave the panties or the possible lack of them to your imagination…and don’t you dare fall off any horse until I get to see you ride the full eight seconds in a few hours.”
Tammy rubbed her hand against her crotch, wondering if she should fulfill his fantasy and leave the white lace panties off. She was excited and a little scared. Before the end of this day she was going to be in his arms and finally feel what it was like to make love and not be brutalized.
He whispered, “I can almost hear you thinking through the phone. What are you thinking about Tammy?”
“Cody, I wanted to tell you something…I have never gone off the pill since…you know, because the doctor said it would keep my hormones from jumping all over the place with the stress I had gone through. And I had an examination when I first got here and I’m clean. But I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Darlin’ I’ll pick up a box of condoms so you don’t have to worry, even though I’ve just been checked and I’m clean too, but we won’t take any chances if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“This is a pretty grown up discussion we’re having here, and so out of my comfort zone, but that’s not my request. I want you to leave the condom off. When Marcus…you know when he…used me, even though he knew I was on the pill, he didn’t ever want to risk having kids so he always used condoms. He said I was unclean. And since he never cared if I was ready for him the rubber felt like sandpaper and hurt so much. I just don’t want to think about him ever again,” she sobbed.
“Oh honey,” he said in a low voice, “you know when you told me you were like a virgin because of the way he always forced you, well I’ve never been with a woman without a condom and so when I make love to you tonight I will come to you bare and virgin because I have never experienced the feeling of a woman wrapped around my cock, skin to skin. And I think if we keep talking about this I’m going to have to go and take a cold shower before I start warming up,” he chuckled softly.
“I’ll text you when we get there…shouldn’t take more than an hour.”
“Here is Matt’s phone number.” He gave it to her. “Text him too and tell him where you parked. I recommend section T. He’ll meet you with the tickets and take your bag to my truck. I’m going to have him bring you a present from me.”
“Cody, just seeing you is all I need. I don’t need a present…but what is it?” she asked gleefully getting back into the excitement of the day.
“It’s a surprise, honey. See you soon.”
She hung up the phone and smiled. That hadn’t been as hard as she thought it was going to be but like she had told Cody, she didn’t want any reminder of Marcus. He was out of her life and she never wanted to think about him again. She reached for her leather jacket with fringe, and slung it over her arm. Cody had reminded her to bring a warm jacket as the evenings got a little colder even though she already knew this; she liked how he looked out for her.
***
Cody was as nervous as a kid at his first rodeo. Of course he wanted to end his rodeo career on top of the championship board, but mostly he just wanted to ride the eight seconds for Tammy and his dad.
He kept glancing up at the row of seats his family had reserved and she wasn’t there yet. It should have only taken 45 minutes to ride up to Cheyenne from Laramie. Where was she? Could Marcus have somehow gotten to her and her family? He looked at Dakota sitting in the stands. Dakota would ride in the bull riding event right after the saddle broncs had ridden and he had promised that he would keep an eye on Tammy until he could come up and relieve him. Cameron was helping him at the shoots today, and he had Matt waiting to bring them into the stadium. Jenny was there sitting with Jared, and they were deep in conversation, his head a little too close to Jenny for Cody’s liking but he wasn’t going to worry about her today. He just wanted to see that Tammy had arrived safe.
He picked up his cell phone and tried calling Tammy again. If she was still on the road the cell phone connections weren’t always good going over the peak. He dialed Dakota.
“If she doesn’t show up pretty soon, I’m forfeiting and going to go look for her. What if Marcus has gotten to them?”
“Calm down, Cody. If she doesn’t show up pretty soon, I’ll send out the posse for her. Hell, I’ll go myself. You keep your head in the game and focus on that bronc. You drew a mean son-of-a-bitch and you need a score to get into the top four for the finals. She’ll be here; don’t you remember how bad the traffic is during Frontier Days?”
“Yeah, I guess. Hey, I’m getting a text from her.” He hung up on Dakota.
I’m here, I would have texted you sooner but my cell phone was acting up. We’re walking with Matt now, just coming up the steps and thank you for my present. I love it.
Cody swung around and jumped up on the fence so he could see her better. He couldn’t help but smile as he saw her, Matt and her family move into their seats next to Dakota. He saw Dakota lean down and whisper to her, and she turned her head and followed where Dakota was pointing. When she saw him, her smile lit up. She tipped her white cowgirl hat at him, with the turquoise headband gleaming in the sunlight. With her shining red hair draped over her bare shoulders, Cody immediately got a hard on. Damn, she looked like a rodeo queen.
He was glad he had taken a few minutes to run over to the leather works booth and picked out a white cowgirl hat for her. The sun would have burned her pale complexion if she didn’t have some protection from the western sun. Seeing her in the white hat was a fantasy of his. God he wanted to get this ride over so he could go see her for a few minutes. Dakota was smiling at him. Okay so he had it bad and everyone knew, but damn he liked her.
It was his turn next. Just looking at the mean bronc deflated his hard on pretty quickly. He checked all his gear, tightened his safety vest and pulled his hat down tight on his head.
The announcer yelled through the speaker system, “Next up is Cody Tiller, the reigning Las Vegas World bronc rider champion. H
is current year’s PRCA standing is #3. We need to give him a big round of applause as this is his final rodeo. He is retiring after Cheyenne Frontier Days. He will be riding atop Zepher, one of the nastiest broncs on the circuit. Give it a good ride, cowboy!”
Cody jumped on the back of the bronc in the stall. He was already giving him a ride and the gate hadn’t even opened. Cody wound his hand tightly around his rope, checked his feet to make sure he was clear, put his other hand high in the air and gave the ‘go’ signal.
The horse flew out of the gate like a firecracker had gone off under his belly. Cody’s mind and body went into slow motion as he twisted and turned and tried to keep his core body firmly in the middle of the saddle. The bronc was rolling and turning every which way for the first six seconds, and then the twisting stopped and the bucking intensified. The buzzer sounded and a second later Cody flew off its back and landed on his side, dust floating up like gun powder spray. Luckily the bronc, sensing the lack of a rider, immediately calmed down and headed for the exit without much help from the escort riders.
It took him a few seconds to get up and dust off his clothes as he looked first toward Tammy, whose hands were covering her mouth, and then he looked at the score board. He thought it had been a good ride although the bronc puttered out a little at the end. The score flashed 87; he was in second place but he’d made the finals. With that he ran over and climbed on the fence. His family was waving and cheering and Jenny was holding her IPad toward him, either recording it or sending it by FaceTime to his parents. He wanted to go up to see Tammy but he had to gather with the other contestants to hear the instructions for the finals which were due to start in five minutes. He looked up at Dakota and he saw him tap the side of his head.
Alright, damn it he knew he had to stay and keep focused and not run up into the stands. Dakota smiled at him and put his arms around Tammy and raised his eyebrows. Oh, Dakota was so going to get his mouth smashed later tonight after his bull ride.
***
Dakota was explaining to Tammy and her folks that Cody was in the number two spot and that he would ride in the finals in just a few minutes. Only four other riders would go to the next round. Just because he was in second didn’t mean he still couldn’t win it all but that it was going to be tough because the number one rider had gotten a 90 score and their scores would carry over into the finals.
“About the only way he can win is if the third place rider doesn’t top him in his final score because they were only separated by two points, and if the first place rider gets bucked off and he doesn’t make the eight seconds ride, or he has a very low score. But the first place cowboy was a good rider. He’ll probably ride to the end and he’s on a mean ole’ bronc.
“Will Cody be upset if he doesn’t go out as the winner?”
“Nah, we all know we’re only competing with the bronc or in my case the bull. Just riding the eight seconds will be enough. Winning is great, but the thrill is making the eight second ride. His adrenaline when he gets done is going to have his heart pounding and everything is going to seem brighter, his sense of smell will be more intense, he’ll want to taste a cold beer, and he’ll want to touch someone, either punch them or kiss them. That’s where you come in little Tammy Anderson. Be prepared. The adrenaline is what keeps us cowboys coming back every night even if we get beat up by the bronc or bull.”
“Will he miss it Dakota?”
“Yeah, I’m not going to lie to you, he’ll miss it like crazy. But living on a working ranch will give a person about as many thrills in other ways. Don’t be surprised if you don’t see him on the back of a few of the colts when he gets home trying to tame those ornery beasts. Ranching is something we grew up with, and we all love the country and the cattle, except during calving season. That’s a grueling time with little or no sleep, and it’s something all of us brothers always come home to help with…it’s something we just have to do. When it’s over, we feel like we’ve been through special ops boot camp.”
She looked down at Cody and noticed he kept looking up at her every few minutes. When had this man, who she had only been with a short time, become such an important person in her life? What happened to her being an independent woman and not needing a man? She smiled down at him and he gave her a special look. His eyes were filled with raw sex and need, and he looked a little wicked. But strangely she wasn’t afraid of him. She couldn’t wait to touch him again.
“You know just before you got here he was on the phone to me and telling me that he was forfeiting and going to look for you. If anyone had ever bet me that he would have said that a year ago I would have bet the family ranch it wouldn’t have happened. But if you hadn’t showed up he was out of here. He didn’t care about the rodeo; he was only concerned for you. He may not even know it yet, but he’s a goner.”
“I’m a little scared, but I hope so. He’s become pretty special to me in just a short time.”
Dakota gave her a quick hug.
They watched the fourth and third place riders. Both stayed on their broncs but their scores were in the high 70s and a low 80 and neither of them jumped ahead of Cody’s current score. If he stayed on and had a decent ride he was assured of at least second place.
Cody was up next. This time he didn’t look at her. His face was one of concentration. He went through his rituals of checking off the things he needed done before he gave the ‘go’ signal.
His hand flew up in the air, and the shoot gate burst open. The ride was fierce with both bronc and rider fighting for control. They each wanted to win, and up until the buzzer went off it could have gone either way. Cody flew to the back of the rescue horse and rider, bounced off and slid down to safety.
She couldn’t tell if the ride was good enough, but she was happy he had ridden his final eight seconds. She looked questionably at Dakota.
“It was good, probably not enough points to overcome the first place rider, but it’ll be a good score. I’m damn proud of my brother.”
She looked at him and saw his eyes shining unnaturally bright, and then she looked at Jenny who was openingly bawling and clapping her hands. Jared had his arm around her and was holding the IPad with his other hand. Tammy’s eyes swung back to Cody, and he was smiling. His score was 86 and he didn’t seem to mind that he was going to get 2nd. He looked satisfied.
That was the look she had wanted to see. She didn’t want him to be disappointed. His career was over, but he was proud of what he had accomplished.
Cody walked over and climbed to the top of the rail. Cameron was there and Cody hugged his brother and Cameron pounded him on the back. The crowd cheered and applauded until Cody jumped back down in the dirt and raised his hat to the crowd before he climbed the fence again and sat by Cameron. Matt jumped up next to him and put his arm around his brother.
Now Tammy was crying as hard as Jenny. It was a happy moment and she was glad she had been there to witness his last official ride.
The last contestant was already seated on his bronc and the announcer introduced him again and he gave the ‘go’ signal.
Tammy knew by how hard the bronc was bucking and rolling and twisting that this was going to be a good ride. At 7.1 second the rider rolled to the left and the bronc twisted to the right almost as if the bronc had anticipated the rider’s move and the rider went flying onto his back. Everyone held their breaths but he got up quickly. He waved his hat and walked over to Cody. Cody jumped down and shook his hand and said something to him. The rider hugged Cody.
What had just happened? From the sounds of the crowd and the reaction of his family who were jumping down from the fence and lifting Cody into the air, she just realized that Cody had won. The rider had been thrown before the buzzer had gone off. She started jumping up and down, hugging her mom and dad, and his brother and sister. From the corner of her eye, she caught Cody throwing his cowboy hat high in the air. He jumped down and started running toward the bleachers.
When he got to them he jumped six feet
to grab the top metal rail and he pulled himself up and flung his leg over the side of the rail. He ran up the steps two at a time until he got to Tammy. She threw herself into his arms and they hugged.
She whispered in his ear, “That was a beautiful ride, cowboy!” and she kissed him on the cheek. He leaned back and cupped her face with both his hands and looked into her eyes. He was smiling with excitement. His thumbs ran over her light dusting of freckles. Her hat fell back off her head.
“I’ve missed these freckles.”
“Is that all you’ve missed cowboy?”
He smiled at her before he brought his lips to hers in a searing, all-consuming kiss. Minutes, or hours could have gone by, she didn’t know anything except this overwhelming need to hold him closer to her.
Dakota tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hey brother the announcer is talking to you.”
“Mr. Cody Tiller, could you please return for the buckle presentation. She is a beautiful redhead but we need to get this show on the road.”
His face was flushed as he pulled back from Tammy. He quickly hugged Jenny and Dakota, and shook hands with Mr. and Mrs. Anderson and said he’d be back for a proper introduction. And he gave Tammy another quick kiss before he ran down the stairs two or three at a time and flew over the railing landing on his feet in a full out run to the winner’s stand.
***
While he was waiting for his presentation he quickly texted Dakota and told him to bring Tammy down for the autograph session before he went to get ready for the bulls.
Tammy told her parents she would be right back and left with Dakota. They went down the back steps and as they were walking behind the stands a beautiful blond walked by Dakota and she smiled at him. She was holding a saddle on her hips and had a number pinned on her shirt. Dakota lifted his hat and tipped it to her.
