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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.
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
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.
To Jake, the best calf rider in the family.
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