Between Her Cowboys: (Taken by Cowboys: Part 4) A Billionaire Western Romance (4 page)

“That woman just about had a heart attack when she found out she’d have to tough it out without thirty pairs of shoes,” Spencer said, shaking his head. “Believe me, it was in my interest as much as it was hers to get her that suitcase, the way she was going on about it.”

“And I’ll never forget the time that Nate dealt with little Joe Johnson’s bee sting during that camping trip a few summers ago,” Caroline said. “That kid went from hollering bloody murder to walking around like a proud little Ranger Rick in three minutes flat. It was the cutest darn thing you’ve ever seen.”

Jess grinned and took another sip of wine. She felt her heart swell with pride in spite of herself. Spencer and Nate were such good-hearted, humble men. She liked hearing Caroline talk about them.

The bottle of wine was almost finished. Nate seemed to notice. “Another bottle?” he asked Jess.

“Yes, please,” she said.

They ordered another round of drinks. Nate had gotten Mike into a conversation about the auto shop he owned—it turned out that the men had a love of cars in common.

Jess tuned out, sipping on another glass of wine. Her head was starting to feel pleasantly muddled. She didn’t usually drink much, so a few glasses was enough to get her tipsy. She felt Caroline looking at her.

“Did you resolve those matters of the heart, 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 moved.

“Are you ok, Jess?” Spencer called anxiously.

She didn’t trust herself to speak. The bull turned a quarter turn and turned its nose downwards, then repeated the same movement going the other direction. While jerky, the movements were slow enough that Jess could hang on.

Hey, this is kind of fun!
She was about to toss her head and give a “yee-haw!” when the bull bucked forcefully forward. “Shit!” she yelled instead. It spun around quickly to the right, and then to the left, sending the restaurant spinning before her eyes. Her hands flew off the horn. The bull pitched backwards, sending her flying through the air.

Her stomach lurched up into her throat. She landed without impact on the cushioned surface of the inflatable pit.

“Jesus, Jess, are you alright?” she heard Spencer’s voice say through her daze. Her short skirt had flown far up past her hips. She felt Nate and Spencer’s strong arms around her, hoisting her up.

“I’m just fine,” she said with as much dignity as she could muster, smoothing down her skirt.

“I think it’s about time we call it a night,” Spencer said.

“Good call,” Nate said. “Unless you want another go, Jess?”

Jess blinked a few times. The sunlight pouring in through her window entered her head and curdled like sour milk. She shut her eyes again, groaning as she pulled the blankets over her head.

Dimly, memories of the night before came back to her. How had she gotten back? She remembered saying an embarrassed goodbye to Caroline and Mike, and then getting into the truck with Spencer and Nate and falling asleep in the back. They must have gotten her to her cabin. She looked down. She was wearing only her bra and panties. She wasn’t sure who had undressed her.

She looked at the clock. It was close to eleven—she had missed breakfast. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept this late. She groaned again and stuffed a pillow over her head. Her mouth was parched.

Come on, Jess. The sooner you get out of bed and get moving, the better
, she urged herself. Somehow her body didn’t want to listen.

She had almost sunken back into sleep when she heard a rap at her door. She decided to ignore it. The knock came again.

“Are you alive?” a voice called.

Instantly her mind sprang to attention at the sound of that voice. She heaved herself out of bed, wrapping the bedsheet around her. She padded across the bedroom to the front door, fumbled with the lock, and opened it. Standing in front of her, looking chipper and handsome in jeans and rolled-up plaid button-downs, were Spencer and Nate.

“The answer to your question,” she rasped, “is ‘barely.’”

She opened the door and let Spencer and Nate inside. They went to the couch, where she collapsed in between them, enjoying the feeling of their arms around her.

“You didn’t hurt yourself falling off that bull, did you?” Spencer asked anxiously.

“Just my pride,” she said. “Don’t tell me I flashed the whole saloon?”

“Sure did,” said Nate, a grin playing on his lips. “Just like a cowgirl Marilyn Monroe.”

She groaned, burying her head in her hands. “What the hell came over me?”

“A few too many glasses of pinot grigio, I’d say,” Spencer said.

“I didn’t mess things up for you terribly, did I?” she said, raising her head. “I mean, with Caroline?”

“Caroline’s a discreet person,” Spencer said. “Even if she suspected something more than we let on, she’s not one to gossip or spread rumors.”

“Thank goodness for that,” Jess said. “The last thing I want is for your guests to turn on you because they know that both of you are dating the same guest.”

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her makeup was smudged and her long dark hair more closely resembled a nest.

“God, I look awful!” she cried.

“I think you look delicious,” said Nate. “I like the ‘rough around the edges’ look myself.”

“I have to agree,” Spencer said. “But how you feel is another thing. Maybe a bath would help?”

“That sounds perfect,” Jess said. Then she noticed the cowboy boots that had been kicked into a corner. “Those boots!” she said. “I almost forgot. Really, Spencer and Nate, you shouldn’t have.”

“They look stunning on you,” Spencer said, kissing the top of her head as he rose and went to the bathroom.

Jess heard the sound of the faucet turning on and water hitting the tub. She took a moment to draw herself a glass of water from the kitchenette and drain it. And another one.

“Bath is ready, Jess,” Spencer called from the bathroom.

She let the sheet fall to the floor and stepped into the bathroom. She unclasped her bra and slid out of her panties as Spencer and Nate’s gaze remained riveted to her. Nate breathed in sharply while Nate let out a low moan.

“Excuse me, boys,” she said delicately, a smile on her lips, as she stepped past them and got into the tub, her skin missing them by a hair. She loved the feeling of their excitement growing—she could feel it in the air.

She sank into the bath, moaning as the hot water enveloped her. Spencer was right; it was just what she needed.

“You’re so damn beautiful,” Nate said suddenly. He knelt next to the tub and gazed at her body. “I want to ravish your beautiful body right now.”

“Jesus, I’ve wanted to do that since I saw you step out in that little white dress last night,” Spencer said. “It was all I could do to restrain myself from bending you over and taking you right then and there.”

A hard shiver passed through her. All of her dulled senses lit up at their words. “I want you both to take me,” she said breathlessly.

She felt her hands on her own body, the way she had the night the men visited her after she and Nate had made love. She always loved being alone in the bath, but now she loved the feeling of their eyes on her.

“Can you show us how you pleasure yourself?” Spencer asked.

Her breath caught in her throat. Was he asking her to…

“Let us watch you,” Spencer urged. “Please, Jess. Show us.”

The excitement was burning in her belly. She moaned and closed her eyes, letting her hand drift downward. Spencer leaned over and turned on the tap. Slowly, bit by bit, she scooted up towards it, letting her feet climb up the tile walls as she splayed her legs. She gasped as the stream of water poured into her.

She shifted to let the pressure touch every part of her, awakening every nerve ending. She moaned as she lifted her pelvis, letting the pressure of the stream touch her in her sweet spot.

“That’s it. You’re so close. I can feel it,” she heard Spencer murmur.

“So close,” she whispered, her chest heaving. She let her hands drift down to caress her clit, adding to her mounting pleasure. She squeezed her eyes shut.

“Give in, Jess. Let go,” Nate commanded.

She broke. Her orgasm gushed forth and she cried out, her body wracked with pleasure. She relaxed into the hot water, leaning her head back against the cool tiles.

She opened her eyes. She felt just as stunned as Nate and Spencer looked. She had never, ever touched herself in front of a man before—and now two were staring at her next to the tub. A satisfied smile crept to her lips.

Spencer leaned over and turned off the faucet.

“Hot. Damn,” Nate said. “That was amazing.”

“God, you’re so beautiful,” Spencer said. He reached down to stroke Jess’s damp hair. “Thank you for sharing that with us.”

“I enjoyed sharing it with you,” she whispered. “Can’t you stay? I know the tub is small, but I’m sure we can squeeze in.”

“We’d really love to, but actually, we have to get going,” he said, exchanging a look with Nate. “We have some business to attend to.”

“But don’t think you’ve seen the last of us today,” Nate added.

She felt her insides wither with disappointment.
Are they really doing this to me?
“Do you promise?” she asked, looking from one man to the other.

Nate smiled and leaned over to kiss her. “Wild horses couldn’t stop us.”

***

After soaking in the tub until it got cool, Jess rose, dressed, and decided to take herself on a walk. It would have been easy to sink back into bed—and into thoughts of Spencer and Nate—but she knew that some fresh air was in order.

She made her way to the pool. As she approached, she saw Nate and Spencer sitting at a nearby picnic table with Caroline.

“Hi!” she said brightly. She had all but forgotten about the disastrous impromptu “double date” of the night before.

Caroline looked up, startled, and smiled nervously. “Oh, hey, Jess.” There was a pause. “Won’t you have a seat?”

“I don’t want to interrupt,” Jess said, remembering that Spencer and Nate had mentioned business to attend to. They were probably talking about something important. In fact, both men looked preoccupied.

“Is everything OK?” Jess asked.

“It will be,” Spencer said, heaving a sigh. “We’re just having a bit of a discussion about some troubles here at the ranch.” His expression softened as he met Jess’s eyes. “Please, Jess, sit down for a minute.”

Well, what choice do I have
? Jess took a seat on the bench next to Caroline, across from her two men. “What kind of troubles, if I may ask?” she said, her curiosity getting the best of her.

“Financial,” Nate said. “We’re not getting enough guests.”

“Really?” she exclaimed. “But Getaway is such a beautiful place! Everyone here seems to love it, and for good reason!”

“Yeah, but that’s not enough,” Nate said. “We need to drive new business, but we’re having trouble getting the word out. There are plenty of guest ranches out West, and it’s pretty hard to convince people to come to ours, even though we know they’d love it if they did.”

“That’s because you have bad PR,” Jess said. “
Duh.”

Nate looked amused, but Spencer furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Jess exclaimed. “You want to spread the word about Getaway, so you try and get your guests to bring their friends and you send out mailers to people who might be interested, like me. But what about the people who never thought about taking a Western vacation?”

“What about them?” Nate said.

“You have to find a way to reach
them,
” Jess said. “You need to work on your PR.”

“How do you suggest we do that?” Spencer asked. He was leaning in on his elbows and looking at Jess intently.

“Oh, there are tons of ways,” Jess said. “The easiest would be to have a big event. Invite a bunch of New York City lifestyle journalists to come check out Getaway. Everyone is looking for their next big story. The trick is to make it easy for them.”

“I don’t get it,” Nate said. “Why would they be interested in a couple of…”

“Don’t you see?” Jess said, exasperated. “Two former Wall Street brokers—who happen to look like Calvin Klein models—move out West to start a dude ranch? You’re the
perfect
story! They would go crazy for you!”

“I’m not sure about the Calvin Klein part,” Spencer said. “But how would we find these journalists?”

“Easy,” Jess said. “I have
tons
of contacts I could hook you up with.”

“You’d do that for us?” Nate asked.

“Of course!” Jess said. “I didn’t swim through that shark tank for nothing. I’m more than happy to help. In fact, it sounds like fun!”

“I think it’s a bad idea,” Caroline said bluntly.

Jess felt like she’d just been doused with a bucket of cold water.

“Why is that?” Spencer said, his brow knitting.

“I don’t think that it will help our ranch to have a bunch of New York journalists crowding in here,” she said. “What do they know about what we do? What if they turn around and write a bunch of nonsense? What if they make fun of us?”

“But Caroline—” Jess began.

Caroline cut her off. “No, I think it’s a bad idea and no good can come of it.” She paused. “I appreciate the suggestion, Jess, but we have this under control.”

Jess blinked, trying to conceal the wave of hurt that passed through her. She had never expected Caroline to talk to her like that.

“I see,” she said quietly. “Well, I was just trying to help. But you’re right. I really don’t know anything about Getaway.” She rose. “I’ll leave you to it.”

“Jess, wait,” Spencer began. Caroline looked at him sharply. A tense silence hung in the twilit air.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Jess repeated. She stood and numbly. “See you later, I guess.”

She began to walk back to her cabin, having forgotten about the pool. Caroline’s words, and the way she’d delivered them, hurt her. She’d thought they were friends, but there was clearly something that Caroline didn’t like or didn’t understand about what was going on between Jess, Spencer, and Nate. The tone she had taken with Jess had been decidedly harsh, and it stung.

As she turned over the events of the day, it occurred to her that she hadn’t even thought about her ex, Todd, once in the last few days. Back in New York, he’d still lingered on her mind months after their breakup. It hadn’t been amicable; more like a slow burn leading to a fiery explosion. She knew she was better off without him, but that didn’t stop her from thinking about him jumping into bed with a first-year med student as he was finishing his medical school residency. He had started the affair with her, Jess found out, in the last four months they were dating, growing colder and more distant all the while. Finally he’d admitted that he was seeing someone else, and that he was breaking up with Jess to be with her.

Usually the memory brought a fresh wave of pain along with it. Today, though, she felt nothing. It seemed distant and far away, almost like another life.

“I’m a different woman,” she said out loud, to no one. Having arrived at her door, she took out her keys and let herself in.

The sight of her cell phone on the table reminded her of what she had been putting off. She needed to call Dani.

She had never dreaded calling her best friend before. But as open-minded as Dani was, Jess didn’t know how she would take the new developments in Jess’s love life. She couldn’t leave in fear of her friend’s judgment, though—she would just have to be honest and see how Dani would take it. Plus she needed to check on her apartment and her cat, Scampers, who Dani was looking after.