Jeannie Watt - The Bull Rider's Plan

ONE WILD RIDE

After careful planning, Jess Hayward is finally hitting the bull riding circuit to chase his dreams. There’s just one complication—he’s agreed to bring along his late best friend’s little sister, Emma Sullivan. Jess could use a second driver, and after calling off her wedding, Emma needs an escape. It’s a win-win arrangement...in theory.

Free-spirited and impulsive, Emma is the exact opposite of Jess—a problem he’s anticipating on the road. Only, she’s not the annoying little tagalong he remembers. And the intense attraction between them is no childhood crush. If Jess wants to be a champion, he needs to keep his head in the game. But lately all he can think about is Emma...

“Take me with you.” The words came out before the thought was formed.

The look on Jess’s face was priceless. It also ticked Emma off. “I’m not kidding.”

“You can’t come with me.”

“Why?”

“For all the reasons I’ve given over the years when you wanted to come along with me and Len.”

“I’m not underage anymore.” She was twenty-five, but he probably didn’t realize that. He started to speak, but she interrupted. “I can drive part-time, which will come in handy if you get yourself all beat up, which is a very real possibility.” He opened his mouth again, and again she jumped in. “I have a little money socked away. Not enough to start a new life, as I’d hoped, but enough to buy food for myself for four weeks.”

Jess eyed her, obviously waiting for her to run out of steam before telling her no way.

“You can buy the gas, because you’d be doing that no matter what.”

Jess waited a few more seconds, then said, “Are you done.” It was a statement rather than a question.

Dear Reader,

I knew five sets of identical twins growing up. I went to prom with an identical twin. Several years later, my husband and I were watching a television show about identical twins who married identical twins at the twin gathering in Twinsville, Ohio. I was able to point at the screen and say, “The one on the left was my prom date.” I could tell them apart even then. Funny thing, once you get to know identical twins, they don’t look so much alike.

I truly enjoyed writing my twins stories—The Bull Rider’s Plan and A Bull Rider to Depend On. Jess and Tyler Hayward look alike, but they have opposite personalities—like many of the identical twins I know—so I was able to craft two very different stories. Tyler was a wild child who depended on his brother to bail him out of trouble, and Jess is the responsible twin who needs to loosen up and follow his dream. Writing Jess’s story was particularly fun because I gave him a heroine, Emma, guaranteed to drive him crazy. Jess needed some crazy in his life, although in the beginning he would not have agreed with me.

I hope you enjoy reading Jess’s story. Please feel free to stop by my website, jeanniewatt.com, to learn more about me and my books or to sign up for my newsletter. I’d love to hear from you!

Happy reading!

Jeannie

The Bull Rider’s Plan

Jeannie Watt

www.millsandboon.co.uk

JEANNIE WATT lives in southwest Montana on a small cattle ranch and hay farm. Before moving to Montana, she spent many years living off the grid in Nevada ranch country and teaching at a rural school. When she’s not writing, Jeannie enjoys running, sewing, reading and having electricity available at the flip of a switch.

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To Jake, the best calf rider in the family.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

There were times when a guy needed to be alone with his thoughts.

This wasn’t one of them.

Loud voices and louder music washed over Jess Hayward as he pulled open the rear door of the Shamrock Pub and stepped inside out of the light June rain. After too many nights spent alone, second-guessing himself, he wanted noise and lots of it. A way to shut off his brain and focus on things other than the fact that he’d just given up a steady job to follow the rodeo for four weeks.

It was the right choice. His twin brother was tearing up the professional bull-rider circuit, and Jess knew he should take a shot before it was too late. He was a good bull rider, better than Tyler in some respects, but he was also cautious—not about rough stock, but he did have a backup plan for when things went awry. That was why he was going the rodeo route. If things worked out, he’d join his brother on the pro circuit come January. If not, he’d go back to work for the construction company that sent him all over Montana overseeing the assembly of steel-framed buildings.

But even though he’d made his decision, it was surprisingly hard to shut off the voice of sanity and reason—possibly because for most of his life he’d been that voice for both himself and his brother. Tyler had a penchant for wild behavior—or he had until he hooked up with his now-wife, Skye Larkin. Jess was no saint, but compared to Ty, he was...well...kind of boring.

No. Not boring. Careful.

He crossed the crowded floor to where his friend Gus Hawkins was standing behind the bar. He waited his turn behind a group of college girls, smiling at one of them when she turned and gave him a flirtatious once-over. Apparently, she liked what she saw.

“Hi,” she said with a dimpled smile. “I’m Talia.”

“Jess.”

Talia’s friend turned and pushed a drink into her hand, then made a gesture toward a group of guys on the other side of the room. Talia gave a helpless shrug as her friend grabbed her wrist and started pulling her away.

“Maybe I’ll see you later,” she called with a laugh before disappearing into the crowd.

Maybe. It’d been a while since he’d dated anyone and he felt kind of rusty. Something about twelve-hour days and being on the road too much. Well, he was about to be on the road too much again, but in a different way.

“This is a surprise,” Gus said as Jess stepped forward to rest his hands on the edge of the bar. “For a minute, I thought you were Tyler.”

“Easy mistake to make.” Even their mom made it sometimes.

“Because even though he’s on the road most of the time, I still see more of him than I do of you.”

“And that will continue,” Jess said. “I’m hitting the rodeo circuit.”

Gus gave a satisfied grunt. “Finally.”

“It’s now or never. The body’s not getting any younger.” Taking a beating on a bull was truly an occupation for the young.

Gus set a glass in front of him and poured a shot. “On me. For luck. How are you traveling?”