Chasing Dreams (Devil's Bend) (16 page)

“What
brings you by, cowboy?” Tessa asked as Cooper turned to face her, his entire
body hardening at the sultry sound of her voice.

“Oh,
you know. Just out and about. Was in the neighborhood.”

Tessa
chuckled, and Cooper moved closer. He found himself trying not to make any
sudden movements because the last thing he wanted was for her to panic and run
inside, similar to the way she had done just that morning when he was backing
out of her driveway.

“In
the neighborhood, huh?” Tessa’s voice had a raspy undertone that drove him
absolutely mad. Especially last night when she’d been crying out his name as
she came.

“Yes,
ma’am.” He moved closer until he was up on the porch, his body just inches away
from hers. She turned to face him, continuing to sit on the railing that
surrounded her narrow front porch, and he was immediately assaulted with
memories of the night before.

When
he stepped between her jeans clad legs, she was forced to look up at him. He
couldn’t think of a single thing to say, but his body was begging him to get
even closer. Just another inch.

“I’m
going to kiss you now,” he warned her, unable to stop himself. And that’s
exactly what he did.

Without
waiting for permission, Cooper leaned down until his lips met hers as he cupped
her head, holding her still while he slid his tongue in her mouth. When her
soft moan made it to his ears, Cooper pulled back slightly, meeting her gaze.
“Did you miss me?”

He
could’ve sworn a frown turned down the corners of her mouth, but then suddenly
she was smiling. “Maybe. Did you miss me?”

“That’s
why I’m here,” he explained. “I didn’t think I could go all night without
seeing you.”

Cooper
had finally had enough of himself and knew he needed to get out of the house.
At first he hadn’t had any idea where he was going, but when he ended up
driving down Tessa’s street, he didn’t question himself. Since the minute he
left her that morning, she’d been the only thing on his mind. He had the
bandaged thumb to prove it.

“What
happened?” Tessa asked, sounding calmer than he expected a woman to be as she
took his hand in hers and held it out.

“The
hammer jumped right out of my hand and landed on my thumb.”

“Hmmm,
maybe I need to teach you how to use a hammer correctly.” Tessa’s eyes danced
with mischief and Cooper leaned in again, stealing another kiss.

“I’m
more than happy to be your student. Anytime, anywhere.”
Here and now would
be good
.

“I’d
hate to put you to shame,” Tessa joked, her smile actually reaching her eyes
that time.

“That
right?” Cooper loved Tessa’s flirtatious side. She didn’t show it often though.
“So what do you say we go get a bite to eat? I promise not to keep you out too
late tonight. Unless of course you’d like me to.”

“What
were you thinking?”

Cooper
honestly expected her to come up with an excuse as to why she couldn’t go out
with him, so he hadn’t actually thought everything through. After that morning,
the way she had all but run inside her house when he dropped her off, he knew
she wasn’t going to be an easy woman to get close to. Those vulnerable moments
like the night before aside. It had taken a considerable amount of effort to
get her to relax enough around him, but Cooper wasn’t complaining. The reward
was so worth the effort.

“How
about we run into town and grab a burger.” He was willing to make this simple
if it meant he could spend time with her.

“I
could eat,” she said with a shy grin.

“Good.”
Pulling her down from the railing, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips
before turning her toward the house. “I’ll wait right here while you get
ready.”

The
look on Tessa’s face said she was surprised by his actions. Exactly what Cooper
had been going for. If he really wanted to push it, he would follow her inside.
But as much as he would like to get intimately familiar with her bed, he knew
Tessa wouldn’t hang around long if she thought he was only after sex, even if
she claimed it was all she wanted. Which he wasn’t. Sure, he was aching for
another round with her, but he was slowly learning how to be patient.

“Go
on now,” he told her as he swatted her on the butt, making her jump.

“Give
me five minutes.” Tessa’s words trailed behind her as she disappeared into the
house. Cooper would give her all night if she would just ask.

Half
an hour later, they were pulling into one of the busier diner’s in the
neighboring town. Tessa had mentioned that they had the best burgers and Cooper
wasn’t one to argue so he’d let her give him directions.

Taking
her hand, they walked inside together. Surprisingly, the restaurant was fairly
busy for a Wednesday night, but not nearly as jam-packed as the restaurants
Cooper was used to.

They
found a booth in the back and Cooper gave Tessa some space, opting to sit
across from her. He would much rather sit beside her, but he knew not to push
his luck. She seemed nervous, but the fact that she had agreed to go out with
him was a good sign.

They
didn’t have to wait long before a harried waitress approached their table,
sparing them a minimal glance as she took their drink orders and rattled off
the specials. Once she disappeared, Cooper turned his attention back to Tessa,
watching as she perused the menu.

“So
what’s good here?” he asked, never bothering to open his menu. He’d already
resigned himself to a cheeseburger. He was just making conversation.

“Depends
on what you like,” she said, not looking up at him.

“You,”
he whispered, and Tessa’s eyes shot up to meet his.

“What?”

“I
like you, Tessa.”

The
pretty blush that infused her cheeks made Cooper’s heart thump wildly, but oddly
enough, the feeling wasn’t sexual. The woman stole his breath in so many ways,
and when she lit up like that, he couldn’t help but want to wrap her in his
arms and never let her go.

“Well,
I’d suggest you go with the cheeseburger and fries, but whatever,” she said
with a strangled laugh.

He
continued to watch her until the waitress returned. This time the woman
actually glanced at them, and Cooper noticed the instant she recognized him.
Hoping she wouldn’t make a big deal out of it, Cooper took control of the
situation, “What are you gonna have?” he asked Tessa directly.

“I’ll
have the cheeseburger and fries. Oh, and a chocolate milk shake.”

“I’ll
have the same, only make my milk shake a sweet tea.”

“You’re
Cooper Krenshaw,” the woman said, her mouth hanging open. She never even
bothered to write down their order, just continued to stare at him.

“Yes,
ma’am,” he replied with a grin. “Do you need our order again?”

“No.
No, I got it. Two cheeseburgers and fries. One chocolate milk shake and a sweet
tea.”

Glancing
down at her name tag and then back up at her face, Cooper grinned as he said,
“Thanks, Rose.”

“Sure,”
she mumbled, turning away briefly and then back to stare at him. “Oh, my God! I
can’t believe you’re here.”

“Hey,
Rose, is Ron in the back?” Tessa asked, effectively redirecting the woman’s
attention.

“Yeah,
he’s here,” Rose said with a huge grin. “Hey, Tessa. Sorry, I swear I wasn’t
trying to be rude.” The waitress’s apology sounded genuine.

“No
problem,” Tessa replied sweetly.

When
Rose trotted off, Cooper looked at Tessa. “Who is Ron?”

Tessa’s
brilliant smile had him answering with one of his own as they stared at each
other.

“Ron
owns this place. I know. I know. You thought Charlie did.” Tessa laughed.
“Charlie is actually Ron’s son and no, he doesn’t work here.”

When
Tessa glanced in Rose’s direction, Cooper frowned. “Sorry about that, by the
way.”

“I
get it. You’re famous. I figure half the people in here are fans of yours, even
if they don’t necessarily know what you look like. How do you handle that
everywhere you go?”

“It
doesn’t happen as often as you’d think,” he explained. “In Nashville, it’s a
regular occurrence to see someone out and about. For the most part, I just try
to keep a low profile.”

“Has
it happened much since you’ve been here? In Devil’s Bend, I mean?”

“Not
really. I’ve been stopped a few times when I’m in town, but I think for the
most part, people are giving me my space. It’s nice to be where I’m treated
like a regular guy.” Cocking his head in the direction Rose disappeared, Cooper
grinned. “And even Rose’s reaction was tame compared to some I’ve encountered.”

“Does
it bother you when people approach you like that?”

Cooper
had to ponder the question for a minute. In truth, it didn’t bother him at all.
He felt like a normal person, so when someone recognized him and wanted to say
hello, he mostly just went with it. Only when it encroached on his time did he
get bothered by it, which honestly wasn’t often. “It’s still flattering,” he
admitted.

“If
that’s the case, what made you run from Nashville?”

The
wording of Tessa’s question hit him like a brick to the back of the head,
surprising and painful at the same time, and her interest in his answer made
him curious.

“I’m
not running from Nashville,” he said through gritted teeth. He took a deep
breath and leaned back in his chair. “Sorry. I guess I’m just having a hard
time seeing it the way everyone else is, that’s all.”

“How
do you think they see it?”

“I
get it,” he told her. “I left suddenly, and I’m hiding out. Or at least they
think I’m hiding out. But I’m not, Tessa. Right now, right here, is where I
want to be. As much as I like the limelight, as grateful as I am for the
opportunity to do what I love, it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

“So
you’re saying it’s hard work to do what you love?”

“Yeah,
it is.”

“Did
you ever think it wouldn’t be?”

Cooper
couldn’t help but wonder what was spurring all of Tessa’s questions. He
suddenly felt like he was under a microscope and she was digging for something
specific. He never was one to circumvent the difficult questions, so he opted
to go for the truth. “I always expected to work for what I wanted. I didn’t
expect to get so far away from what I started out doing. That’s what I miss.”

“Playing
in the small town bars?”

Cooper
chuckled. “That’s part of it, but not all. I miss the fans, I miss getting in
touch with what they want. I’ve spent the last few years letting other people
make all of my decisions for me. I want to regain some of the control, I
guess.”

Rose
interrupted their conversation when she brought their drinks, but she didn’t
linger and for that Cooper was grateful. “So, what else you got for me?”

“What
brought you to Devil’s Bend?”

He
had expected that question before now, but he actually hadn’t given it much
thought. “I’m not sure what brought me to Texas,” he explained. “But as soon as
I found myself here, I called Adam. He’s the reason I came to Devil’s Bend.”

“But
you came to Texas on your own?”

“Yeah,
I did.”

“Are
you originally from here?”

“I’m
from a small town in Tennessee,” he admitted. “I grew up there, but came to
Texas my freshman year of college at UT.”

“That’s
how you met my brother.” It wasn’t a question, but Cooper nodded his
affirmation anyway.

As
much as he liked the idea of Tessa getting to know him better, Cooper couldn’t
help but wonder whether she was actually trying to deflect from herself
tonight. Not that he blamed her after their impromptu conversation over
breakfast the other morning hadn’t gone so well.

Little
did she know, but he was almost at his quota of personal information for the
night. At least until she offered up some of the same answers for herself.

After
all, it was only fair.

Tessa
was on a roll and as long as Cooper was willing to answer her questions, she
didn’t feel the need to stop asking them. That was until he pinned her with
that look. The one that told her she wasn’t going to like the spin he was about
to put on this entire conversation.

Yes,
she knew early on that if she bombarded him with questions that he’d eventually
get to take a turn. That was why she hadn’t let a single second pass before she
asked another. Hell, part of the time she barely had time to process his answer
before she was looking for something else to ask.

Apparently
she wasn’t fast enough.

“I
think it’s my turn.”

Darn
it.

“Your
turn for what?” Her rule of thumb: always play dumb, it helped to confuse them.

Thankfully,
Rose chose that moment to arrive with their food, her gaze still glued to
Cooper as she set their food on the table and went through the motions of
making sure they didn’t need anything else. Tessa was pretty sure she could’ve
asked for anything at all, and Rose would’ve agreed to go get it for her.
Instead, she chose to keep quiet, quickly tossing French fries in her mouth so
she wouldn’t have to answer any questions if Cooper decided to throw a few her
way.

Unfortunately,
that didn’t last long.

“So,
I know you grew up in Devil’s Bend,” Cooper commented, grabbing the ketchup and
pouring some onto his plate.

“Yep,”
she mumbled, her mouth full.

“You’ve
never lived anywhere else?”

“Nope.”
See, this wasn’t so bad. She could do this if he kept asking closed ended
questions.

“What
about college?”

“What
about it?” Tessa could see the irritation in his eyes, but she couldn’t help
herself. She didn’t want this conversation to turn on her. She remembered all
too well what happened the last time they tried this. As much as she liked
being in Cooper’s company, she certainly didn’t want to give him a glimpse into
her life. If she did, she risked getting too close to him.

“Where’d
you go?”

Paying
attention to the food on her plate, Tessa swallowed hard. “I didn’t.”

“Why?”

There
were many reasons, but none she cared to share with him. Not that he was going
to be pleased with her deflection, but Tessa honestly didn’t want to go into
this.

“Tessa,”
Cooper said quietly, pulling her attention to him.

His
sparkling brown eyes were so full of interest, Tessa felt like a jerk for
trying to avoid him. No, it probably wasn’t fair that she’d asked him a barrage
of personal questions, but didn’t want to sit on the other side of the
interrogation table so to speak.

“Do
we have to talk about me?” she asked, just as quietly.

“I
want to know you.”

God,
why did he have to sound so sincere?

Swallowing
hard, Tessa pushed her food around on her plate. She recalled Izzy’s statement
from earlier:
Give this guy a chance.

“Richie
and I fell in love in high school,” she began, which wasn’t necessarily true,
but close. Tessa wasn’t going to tell Cooper that she’d been a wild child, one
that had ventured long past smart ideas and into extremely reckless territory
and that was actually how she met Richie.

“I
had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, so he went to college while I
stayed back here and worked. At the time, Jack’s dad had just had his second
heart attack, and Adam had already started his first year at UT. And because he
wasn’t always here, I felt obligated to stay here with Jack. Not to mention, I
didn’t have the money to go. Neither did my mother.”

“What
about your father? Where was he?”

“Who
knows. The guy was unreliable. He left when I was two and he wasn’t much on
being a father after that. I think I probably saw him ten times my entire life
even though he lived just a couple of miles away.”

Tessa
hated talking about her father. No matter how she tried to spin the story, she
never could rationalize his behavior. He didn’t have anything to do with either
of his kids, nor did he help out her mother much financially. It wasn’t until
he left
The Rusty Nail
to her and Adam when he died that Tessa even felt
as though he’d acknowledged he had kids.

At
first, she was defiant, not wanting anything from the man. Except Richie
managed to calm her down – something he’d gotten used to doing – and after they
talked about it, Tessa decided she would take over the bar. And she was still
grateful to him for that because, at this point, it was the only thing she had.

“What
about your parents? Where do they live?” Tessa asked, hoping Cooper would take
the hint before he started asking about her mother again. She wasn’t sure she
had it in her to talk about Sheila tonight.

“They
live in Tennessee. Probably two of my biggest fans,” Cooper said quietly.

Obviously
her sad story was weighing on him. She truly didn’t want this date to go that
direction like the first one had, so she smiled and decided to dig further.
“I’m sure they’re proud of you.”

Cooper’s
smile actually reached his eyes, and the golden brown orbs lit up with pride.
“They are. My dad’s not a big fan of Marcus though.”

“Well,
I could never imagine why,” Tessa remarked, grinning. “I have to say, I’m not
his biggest fan either. When do you think he’ll show up to drag you back
kicking and screaming?”

Cooper’s
face hardened, his mouth a thin line, an immediate response not forthcoming.
Tessa knew she’d opened her mouth and inserted her whole boot. Grabbing her
milk shake, she made herself appear interested in the other patrons in the
restaurant, hoping he wouldn’t be too angry at her.

“I’m
not going back, Tessa,” Cooper said sternly, drawing her eyes back to his face.
She couldn’t come up with anything to say, so she just watched him. “I want to
be here, even if you don’t believe that yet.”

Did
she believe it? Had he given her any reason not to? Tessa wasn’t sure. The only
thing she knew for sure was that she enjoyed his company, liked talking to him,
and did want to get to know him better. Even if that street went both ways.

Nodding
her head in understanding, Tessa pushed her half eaten burger away. “Richie and
I had only been married for a little over a year when he died. I was so hurt
and so angry at him for leaving me. That’s all I could think about for the
longest time. My grief consumed me. I had never been so thankful for
The
Rusty Nail
and my brothers until then.”

Cooper’s
eyes stayed locked with hers, but he didn’t say a word, so Tessa continued. “I
spent the next two years focusing only on managing the bar. Adam finished two
years of college before he came back home. He was supposed to go to the police
academy with Richie, but he stayed home to help with Jack’s deteriorating
father.”

Tessa
expected to see pity in Cooper’s eyes. Her story wasn’t an exciting one and
yes, she’d had her fair share of grief. More than her fair share actually. But
she didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for her. But that’s not what she saw when
she looked at Cooper.

“You’re
a strong woman, Tessa.”

Most
of the time she didn’t feel strong.

“So,
what do you do in your spare time?” Cooper questioned.

Tessa
let the relief flood her. She could talk about this. “If it’s outside, you’ll
probably find me there. When I’m not at the bar, that is,” she answered simply.
“The dogs and I spend a lot of time out and about. I volunteer as a youth
counselor at our church.” The last part was something she didn’t necessarily
care to elaborate on, more specifically what had gotten her into that
particular area.

“And
for the last couple of years, I spent a lot of time with Mr. Deluth, just
hanging out with him, helping with his garden when he wanted help. Or simply
just talking to him.”

“And
that’s how you and he came to an agreement on the land?”

“Sort
of. I’ve never purposely kept my dream a secret.” Tessa left off the ‘
except
from Adam’
part. “I want to help people, and I love working with kids. I
was just a kid when I first fell in love with horses, and I never actually grew
out of it. I’ve volunteered at the high school’s Ag barn a few times to help
them out. Both the horses and the kids have brought me such joy, I guess I
figured I could have the best of both worlds.”

Cooper
pushed his plate away and stared back at her, his forearms resting on the table
in front of him. Tessa could feel his full attention focused on her, and she
fought the urge to squirm in her seat. She continued, “Jerry and I were talking
one day and I told him what I wanted to do. We’d been on the back porch,
staring out at the rickety old barn that was falling in on itself. That’s when
he mentioned his property would be perfect for what I wanted. I explained to
him that I didn’t have that kind of money, so we worked out a deal. I’m not
sure I ever would’ve had enough for the down payment, but I was trying hard.”

“And
then I waltzed in and stole it out from under you.” Cooper’s tone had turned
bitter, surprising Tessa. She sat up straight as her eyes roamed over the hard
lines of his face, too startled to continue.

“Goddammit,
Tessa,” he growled, his voice low. “How the hell did you let me do that?”

All
of a sudden, the sweet, laidback country boy was nowhere in sight and Cooper
Krenshaw was more than a little pissed off. Tessa sat motionless, watching as
he grabbed his hat – which he took off when they came inside – from the seat
beside him and then stood. She couldn’t bring herself to move as she watched
him walk over to Rose, handing her some money before he walked right out of the
restaurant.

Shit.
He was her ride.

Figuring
she had no choice but to follow, Tessa stood quickly, waved at Rose as she
passed and then followed him out into the parking lot. To her surprise, Cooper
was standing by his truck, his hands braced on the bedside.

“Hey.”
She kept her voice low, unaffected. She was confused, and probably annoyed that
he’d walked out on her, but she was more interested in what happened. Why was
he acting like that?

“Tessa,
I had no idea,” he whispered as he turned to face her. She could see the
anguish on his face, and her heart broke a little.

Tessa
knew that was only a partial truth. He had known. Maybe not how much she wanted
the land, but he had definitely known. But for some reason, she didn’t hold it
against him. “Don’t,” she told him. “Please don’t feel sorry for me, Cooper.”

“Sorry?”
He laughed without mirth. “Darlin’, I don’t feel sorry for you. I feel like a
selfish bastard. I walked in here and stole that land right out from under
you.”

She
couldn’t deny the truth, but for some reason, she wanted to comfort him.
Although she’d been torn between hating him for stealing her dream, there were
other emotions that had been more prevalent recently.

Tessa
moved in closer, planting her palms flat on his chest. His heart was pounding
wildly, his golden eyes shadowed by the black Stetson on his head. It was her
turn to grip his chin and make him look at her. When their eyes met, Tessa
swallowed hard. “As much as I hate it, everything happens for a reason, Cooper.
Considering we’re both going after the same dream, I can’t say I’m sad that you
were able to buy the land. At least something good is going to come of it. Much
sooner than I ever could’ve made it happen.”

“Tessa…”
Cooper’s voice sounded strangled, his eyes weary. “I can’t help but think that
if I’d never shown up here…”

Breaking
eye contact because she truly didn’t want him to think that way, Tessa eyed
Cooper’s truck and an idea came to her.

“Give
me your keys,” Tessa said firmly, releasing his chin so she could hold out her
hand.

“What?”
It was Cooper’s turn to be surprised, but Tessa didn’t want to explain more.

“Just
give me the keys, Krenshaw.”

When
he finally handed them over, Tessa ordered him to get in the truck. She moved around
to the driver’s side and started the engine. A few minutes later, they were
heading back to Devil’s Bend.

Before
Cooper had a chance to regret his decision to go after his dream, Tessa wanted
to remind him what he had. And she knew exactly how to do that.

∞
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

He
was such a selfish bastard.

Selfish,
selfish, selfish.

Sonuvabitch!

Up
until that moment when Tessa laid out how her dream had evolved, Cooper hadn’t
given much thought to the fact that he was actually stealing her dream out from
under her. And why? Because of something he wanted? Did it even matter that
they both had the same goal in mind? Had he even considered how important
Tessa’s dream was to her?

The
answer was a resounding
fuck no
. He knew what she’d wanted, but that
hadn’t stopped him. Hell, he had even been given the opportunity when Luanne
decided to up the ante on the property. But then Tessa had selflessly pushed
him to go after the land, to make sure that at least one of them could
accomplish what she’d been working toward her entire life. And he didn’t bother
to think of anything except what he wanted.