Chasing Dreams (Devil's Bend) (34 page)

“What
do we do now?” she asked, her voice muffled.

“In
the past week, have you heard from Marcus?” he asked because he needed to know.

She
seemed stunned by his abrupt change of subject, which made sense. He’d easily
gone off on another path, only this one actually led right back to where they
were.

“Not…”
Tessa closed her mouth, opened it again, but she didn’t say anything more.

“Tell
me.”

“Not
since the first day after we broke up.”

Cooper
hated the fact that they broke up, but he loved the sound of it when Tessa said
it. Only because for them to break up, they would’ve had to be a couple in the
first place. As much as he wanted to believe they were, he still wondered how
far away she was keeping herself. Now he knew.

She’d
been right there with him, but probably too scared to admit it. After
everything she had lost, he couldn’t necessarily blame her.

“Why?”

“Did
he come see you?” he asked, taking a step back and pulling his Stetson off of
his head so he could run his hands through his hair. He was sweaty, and he
needed a damn shower, but this was more important.

“Yes,”
she said slowly. “He came to see me that next Monday at the bar. The night you
didn’t come in to work,” she explained. “He didn’t stay for long, but he told
me he was there to meet with Chad.”

Her
frown made his hands ball into fists. The memory of what she’d looked like that
night after that bastard hit her… He could hardly stand to think about it for
fear he’d lose his temper.

“He
came to see me that night too,” Cooper admitted, pacing slowly in front of her.
“He said he spoke to you, but he didn’t tell me what y’all talked about. He did
tell me that he had met with Chad earlier that day, and he had something that
might be of interest to me.”

“What
could he possibly have?” she asked, just as bewildered as Cooper had been that
night. He hadn’t understood what Marcus’ angle was, but he knew it wasn’t good.

Cooper
swallowed hard and turned to face her. “Pictures.”

All
of the color drained out of Tessa’s face right there in front of his eyes.
Figuring he had better give her the whole scoop, he continued, “He told me that
I had two choices. He was going to leak the photos to the press, or I was going
to hire him back and head back to Nashville immediately.”

“Oh,
God.” Tessa’s words were but a whisper. “Oh, God. Oh, God. You’re still here.
That means…”

“No,
that’s not what it means, Tessa. There aren’t any pictures.”

“But,”
she argued.

“I had
to placate Marcus for a while. I told him I didn’t give a shit about the
pictures and gave him the story of how we broke up. I knew it was a risk, but
I’ve known him for a long time. Most of what he says is bullshit, and I was
banking on this being bullshit too.

“As
soon as the opportunity arose, I went to talk to Chad. We had a nice long chat
and yes, Dalton was there to supervise so I didn’t kill him. He confirmed that
there weren’t any pictures. Marcus had told Chad he’d be working on a record
deal for him if he could produce something. Luckily, I was able to intervene
when I did. Or rather my father was.

“I
had to stay away from you. I needed Marcus to believe that there was no chance
of us getting back together. I was banking on the press keeping the story hot,
although I had no idea they were hounding you. So, for the first couple of
days, I kept an eye on Chad and my father kept an eye on Marcus. Once we had
enough on Marcus, my father had planned to confront him. My father coming here
means it has all been taken care of.

“Marcus
won’t be working in Nashville any longer, and you don’t have to worry about
Chad. Now that he’s out of the way, the press will likely leave on their own or
at least drop the story.”

“So
there weren’t any pictures?”

“No,
darlin’. No pictures.” Cooper tilted his head, studying her for a minute. He
had no idea about the relationship she’d had with Chad, but he didn’t like her
reaction. “Should there be pictures, Tessa?”

She
glared up at him, but just as quickly as the defenses went up, they came down.
“Not that I know of. None that I would’ve allowed willingly,” she admitted. “I
swear, Cooper. I’m not like that.”

“Tessa,
you don’t have to explain yourself to me. I know how you are. I know
who
you are. I know you’re a very passionate woman, and I wouldn’t have it any
other way. It’s his loss that he was too stupid to know what to do with that.”

Tessa
looked down at the ground for a long time. Cooper wanted to give her some time
to process what he was telling her. He hadn’t stayed away because he wanted to.
And he was just waiting for his father to give him the go ahead. The fact that
his dad was back in Devil’s Bend told him everything he needed to know.
Everything was taken care of. And not a minute too soon.

“So
you didn’t stay away from me to hurt me?” Tessa continued to look down at the
ground, and it broke his heart to know how much he’d hurt her.

Marcus
was the only reason he had stayed away, even though Cooper had tried to
convince himself that she deserved better than him. He still felt she did, but…
Well, even if Tessa said otherwise, Cooper
was
selfish and he didn’t
want to give her up.

“I
hated that I couldn’t tell you, but Tessa, I had to protect you. I didn’t want
to stay away, but until I was sure I could get Marcus under control, I wasn’t
willing to risk you.” Cooper kept his eyes on her as he paused.

The
sad truth filled his chest as he watched the most amazing woman he’d ever had
the pleasure of meeting. She was so strong, so resilient, and so deserving of
every happiness in the world. “I still think you deserve better than me.”

When
a genuine smile formed on Tessa’s mouth, Cooper’s insides churned. He still
hadn’t learned to be patient, so waiting for her to say something was killing
him.

“I
don’t want better,” she said, and he caught the humor in her tone.

Moving
in closer, pushing his body between her thighs, Cooper cupped her face and
locked his gaze with hers. “That’s good because from here on out, you’re stuck
with me, Tessa.”

“I
think that might just be a punishment I can handle,” she whispered back as
Cooper leaned forward.

He
didn’t care how she looked at it, as long as he had Tessa, he intended to spend
the rest of his days doing his damnedest to make her happy.

“I
love you, Tessa.”

“I
love you too, cowboy.”

“Don’t
you think we should probably get out of the house at some point today?” Tessa
asked Cooper the following afternoon when they were still cuddled together in
her bed.

Cooper’s
sexy growl sounded from behind her and she smiled. Ever since they’d said the
“L” word to one another the day before, Tessa had been as high as a kite,
better than any drug in the world. And the hours they spent making love the
night before, proving just how deep their feelings were for one another, had left
her even more invigorated, despite the lack of sleep.

Because
of all of the hoopla that was going on with the press, she and Cooper had gone
to work at
The Rusty Nail
on Saturday night. Although they had expected
the worst, the night hadn’t been as bad as she had expected. Luckily, Dalton
had come in to yank everyone’s attention right off of them and over to him. The
man was good at that.

Well,
him and David, Cooper’s father. To her surprise David and Becca showed up at
the bar and when all was said and done, the reporters had been settled
somewhat.

Tessa
wasn’t sure the press would ever get tired of following Cooper around, but then
again, why would they? She knew just how amazing he was, so it only made sense
that everyone else knew it too. That didn’t mean she wasn’t happy when she and
Cooper were able to sneak into her house and lock the rest of the world outside
for a few hours.

But
now those hours were up, and she really needed to get out of bed. Just when she
was going to roll over so she could get the day started, Cooper pinned her back
beneath him, a huge smile on his face as he loomed over her.

“Where
do you think you’re going?” he asked.

“Hmmm,
I was thinking breakfast might be in order.”

“Breakfast?”
Cooper asked as he glanced over at the alarm clock on her bedside table. “It’s
a bit late for that, don’t you think?”

Tessa
tilted her head to read the numbers on the clock. Ok, so he was probably right.
Three o’clock in the afternoon meant breakfast was more like supper.

“I
need a shower,” she teased as she pretended to try and push him off of her. She
knew as well as he did that if he wasn’t willing to move, he wasn’t going
anywhere.

“Is
that an invite?”

The
devilish gleam in Cooper’s eyes said he was ready for another round, but the
aches in her body said she needed just a little time to recuperate. “Sorry,
cowboy, you wore me out last night.”

“Darlin’,
that was nothin’ compared to what I plan to do to you later.”

“Later?”
she asked, groaning as though the thought was distressing. In fact, Tessa
looked forward to later. As long as she could lay next to Cooper every night
for the rest of her life, she was more than willing to endure whatever he could
dish out.

“Yes,
later. Like tonight.”

“To–”
Before she could get the question out, Cooper’s finger was pressed against her
lips, effectively shutting her up.

“Tonight.
Tomorrow night. The night after that…” Cooper leaned in, replacing his finger
with his lips as he pressed a sweet, gentle kiss to her mouth.

“Hmmm,
I like the sound of that,” she whispered.

“In
fact, I intend to wear you out for the rest of our natural lives.”

Tessa’s
body stilled, the urge to panic rose in her chest, but before she could say or
do anything, Cooper grinned down at her.

“You’re
learnin’.” Cooper laughed, kissing her again.

“Learnin’
what?” she asked, confused.

“Not
to freak out on me.”

Oh,
she wasn’t so sure about that. Keeping herself closed off to everyone was a
conditioned response, one that would take time to get past. Granted, when it
came to Cooper, her heart had been freed from the chains she’d had it locked in
for all these years, but that didn’t mean her first instinct wouldn’t be to
hide within herself.

Cooper’s
eyes darkened, his brow furrowed as he studied her for a minute. When she
thought he would push her to talk, he surprised the hell out of her by rolling
off of her and climbing out of bed.

“Where’re
you going?” she asked, suddenly nervous that she’d upset him.

“Shower.
Isn’t that what you said?”

Tessa
watched as he padded across her bedroom and then out into the hall. She heard
the sound of the shower come on and she sighed.

What
the hell just happened?

Knowing
that talking to the ceiling wasn’t going to get her any answers, Tessa forced
herself out of bed. Grabbing Cooper’s t-shirt, she pulled it on over her head
and then made a beeline for the kitchen. While he was in the shower, at least
she could make coffee.

Tessa
met Havoc and Harmony in the hallway, their tails wagging, their big, furry
heads looking up at her with such love, she felt her heart swell even more.

“I
bet y’all are starving,” she told them as she made her way past.

“I
fed them this morning,” Cooper called from the bathroom.

He
fed them? When did he get out of bed? Rather than going to the food bowls, she
opened the back door and let them out to do their thing. A few minutes later,
she had the coffee on and was heading back toward her bedroom.

She
passed Cooper in the hall, the comfortable feeling of him moving around her
house so easily was both unsettling and… welcome. There was no other way to put
it. After the last week, being without him had been the most difficult things
she’d had to endure since…

“Shower.
You. Now,” he ordered with a swat on her butt that made her jump.

“Gettin’
kinda bossy are ya, cowboy?” she teased, relieved that he had redirected her
thoughts.

“We’ve
got somewhere to go, so make it quick. I’ll have your coffee ready for you.”

Before
she could ask him what they had to do, he was around the corner and into the
kitchen, leaving her standing in the hallway to stare at the empty space he had
just vacated.

Where
could he possibly be taking her?

∞
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Cooper
waited patiently – yes, he was actively working on the patience piece – for Tessa
to get ready. While he sat on the back porch watching the dogs in the yard, he
shot off several texts and waited for the responses. It was later than he had
wanted, but thankfully everything was still moving forward as planned.

When
she finally emerged from the house, he was sitting on the edge of the chair
wondering just how much longer he’d be able to hold out. A short whistle had
the dogs running up to the house as he turned and went inside. Grabbing the
travel mug that he’d put Tessa’s coffee in, he handed it off to her and ushered
her out through the front door with the dogs alongside them.

“Where’re
we going?” she asked, but Cooper just smiled. She would figure it all out soon
enough. Maybe. Until then, he planned to keep a lid on the surprise.

A
few minutes later, Cooper was pulling his truck down the long dirt road to his
house, a smile permanently plastered on his face. Although the trip had been a
short one, he had managed to evade all of Tessa’s questions. He couldn’t help
but think about how she sounded just like Adam the last time he’d had breakfast
with the man. Seemed like just yesterday that her brother had grilled him about
his plans to stay in Devil’s Bend, but still felt like months had passed at the
same time.

“What’s
going on, cowboy?” Tessa asked sternly when Cooper parked his truck beside the
spot where the new stables were going in. Nothing more than a concrete
foundation for now, but he could pretty much picture the entire setup in his
mind already.

“Come
on,” he told her as he climbed out.

While
he waited for her to join him, Cooper let the dogs out of the bed of the truck
and then moved around to her side.

Taking
her hand, Cooper started walking, forcing her to fall into step beside him. He
had to give her credit, she wasn’t asking any more questions. Then again, she
was probably too stunned to speak considering the people who were waiting for
them.

Nodding
his head toward Izzy, Eric, Katie, Miranda, Jack, Dalton, David, and Becca, he
didn’t say a word. Once he and Tessa had joined them in the middle of what
would soon be the center of the equestrian center, he stopped and turned to
face her.

Still
holding her hand, he felt her tremble, and he only hoped she wasn’t shaking
from fear.

“Tessa,”
Cooper said when he looked down at her, taking both of her hands in his. The
afternoon sun was shining down on her, blonde hair glistening like gold, green
eyes sparkling back at him and a measure of uncertainty written on her face
that made his heart twist.

“What’s
going on?” she whispered, the tremor in her hands evident in her voice as well.

“I…”

“Wait,
hold up!” Dalton yelled as he took off running toward his truck.

Cooper
couldn’t help but laugh as did the others. Everyone except Tessa, who seemed to
be trying to figure out what was going on.

“Sorry,
man.” Dalton was out of breath when he returned, but he was grinning, his hands
behind his back.

It
was Cooper’s turn to want to ask questions, but he focused on Tessa, the main
reason they were all there.

“Tessa,”
he began again, his heart clenching in his chest as he smiled down at her.
“Since the –”

The
sound of a horn bleating from up near the house had everyone turning that
direction. Cooper was beginning to sweat, and it had nothing to do with the
afternoon sun and everything to do with his nerves. The interruptions weren’t
helping.

“That’s…”
Tessa said, her hand squeezing Cooper’s. “That’s Adam’s truck.”

Oh,
thank God. Cooper was hoping her older brother could make it. Unsure how much
longer he would be able to hold out, Cooper sent up a silent prayer that Adam
would get a move on so he could continue before he lost every ounce of nerve
he’d worked up over the last hour.

Adam’s
big white Silverado came to an abrupt stop next to Cooper’s truck and even
though the sun was glaring off of the windshield, Cooper could tell there was
more than one person in the vehicle, but he had no idea who Adam could’ve
possibly brought with him. This had been a spur of the moment deal. Well, the
scheduling part had been. The actual event had been on Cooper’s mind for some
time now, but as it turns out, not everything in his life goes according to
plan.

Tessa’s
breath hitched, and Cooper squinted in order to make out the other people with
Adam. He didn’t recognize the big man who climbed out of the passenger side,
but the woman that Adam was helping out of the back seat looked vaguely
familiar, although Cooper was certain he’d never seen her before.

“Mom?
Michael?”

Well,
that explained why the woman looked familiar. She was an older, taller version
of Tessa. And as it turned out, Adam had managed to do what Cooper thought
would be impossible.

“What’s
going on?” Tessa asked when she looked back at Cooper, reminding him why he was
there.

Squeezing
her hands gently, he stalled for a moment while Tessa’s parents joined them.
Once they were standing with the others, Cooper smiled down at the woman he
loved.

“Tessa…”
Wow, he was tongue tied. For a man who wrote love songs, he found it difficult
to come up with the words to express to this woman exactly how he felt about
her. Then he thought about the first time he laid eyes on her and the words
began tumbling out of his mouth.

“Since
the very moment I saw you, when your eyes met mine from across the room, I felt
something. A connection that I had never felt before. At that moment in time, I
never would’ve imagined that I had just looked into the eyes of the woman I
would soon fall in love with.

“And
from the first time you fell right into my arms,” Cooper smiled, the memory so
vivid, he could practically smell the scent of beer and sawdust, “I knew you’d
be the biggest challenge I’ve ever come up against.”

The
group behind them chuckled, but Cooper continued. “I knew that walking away
from Nashville was going to change my life, but had I known just how much… I
would’ve come to Texas a lot faster than I did.”

“Nobody’s
perfect,” Jack muttered, and everyone laughed.

“Hey,
he got here didn’t he?” Izzy retorted. “Not everyone can be lucky enough to be
born here, you know.”

Cooper’s
gaze never strayed from Tessa’s face. He could see a shimmer of tears in her
eyes, and he forged ahead. “I admit when I came here, I was chasing a dream,
but little did I know that what I had set out for wasn’t what I thought it was.
Building this,” he glanced around and then back to her face, “it’s what got me
here, but you, Tessa, are the one that kept me here. It all comes down to you.
You’re my dream, Tessa. You’re everything I’ve wanted, everything I’ve prayed
for.”