Between Her Cowboys: (Taken by Cowboys: Part 4) A Billionaire Western Romance Read Online Free PDF Page B

Jess?” she asked.
    “I sure did. In fact, I took your advice, Caroline,” Jess said. “I listened to my heart.”
    Caroline nodded slowly. “How do you feel now?”
    “Ecstatic,” she said. “Happy as can be.” It was the honest truth.
    She sat back in her chair and sipped her wine. Her gaze wandered across the room and landed on the mechanical bull. “I want to ride that bull,” she said suddenly.
    “You want to do what? ” Caroline exclaimed. Jess looked around the table. Nate looked amused, while Spencer’s face showed more concern.
    “I want to ride the mechanical bull,” she repeated.
    “Those things are pretty rough,” Mike said. “They’re not made for city girls like you.”
    “Mike’s right. Those bulls can get pretty dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing,” Caroline said.
    “Say what you want. I’m doing it,” Jess said firmly. Once she had set her mind to something, she was not one to back down. “I’m not concerned about breaking a nail or mussing my hair.”
    Mike chuckled. “Girl knows what she wants.”
    “That I do,” she said, fixing him with a pointed look. She picked up her wineglass, drained it, and stood a tad unsteadily.
    Spencer and Nate both stood at the same time. “I don’t know if now would be a wise moment to attempt this, Jess,” Spencer said.
    “Let Jess have her fun,” Nate said. “It’s plenty safe. That’s what the inflatable pit is for.”
    “Yes, but Nate, she’s—” Spencer began, turning to his friend to protest.
    Jess had already begun making her way across the restaurant, navigating between the tables with intense focus as she kept her eyes on the bull.
    “A little blitzed?” Nate said with a grin.
    Spencer sighed, and without a word, he and Nate followed Jess’s retreating figure across the dining room.
    Jess felt the gazes of the other patrons sitting at the tables and at the bar swivel towards her as she got closer and closer to the bull.
    “Can I help you with something, miss?” the bartender asked, coming out from behind the bar.
    “Yes, sir. Is the bull in operation?” she asked.
    He smiled, clearly amused. “Well, we usually don’t get a lot of riders on a quiet weeknight such as this.”
    “But if I want to ride, you can turn it on, right?” she pressed.
    “I don’t see why not,” he said. “Hop on.”
    Jess stepped over the low barrier of the pit, holding her skirt down over her behind as she did. The soft give of the inflatable threw her off, and she stumbled before regaining her balance. If all eyes in the place weren’t on her before, they were on her now.
    Spencer sighed. “Keep it on low, will you, Joe?” he said to the bartender.
    Joe chuckled. “You got it,” he said. “Is this gal a friend of yours?”
    “She’s one of our guests,” Nate said. “From New York.”
    “Glad you’re showing her a good time,” Joe said drily. “Something to write home about.”
    He picked up the control box from below the bar. Jess was standing in front of the bull, staring, as if trying to decide how best to approach it. Resolving herself, she placed her hands on the bull and hoisted herself up. She was sure she had given the restaurant an eyeful, but it was too late to care.
    “Ready, darlin’?” Joe called.
    “Ready,” she said, though she felt anything but. Suddenly she felt like a swarm of butterflies had invaded her insides, fluttering around her stomach and up to her throat. She straddled the bull and gripped the horn, leaning forward as she tried to find a position that felt steady. The bull was harder than she thought, and covered in a rough hide that scratched her bare thighs. A short white eyelet dress was definitely not the best choice of outfit for the occasion, but she definitely hadn’t anticipated this when she was getting dressed.
    Without warning, the bull bucked. Her hands practically flew off the horn. She managed to keep them steady, her thighs gripping the bull hard as it