Chasing Dreams (Devil's Bend) (32 page)

“You
know him?”

“Not
personally, no. He was supposed to open for a friend of mine. Some sort of
favor or something. The only reason I know is because they said the bastard was
crazy.”

“Yeah,
you could say that. The asshole thinks the world owes him something. It doesn’t
surprise me that he’d go off half-cocked.
Again
.” Jack glared at Cooper.

Why
the fuck didn’t Jack tell him all of this last time Chad pulled this shit at
the bar? If he had, maybe Cooper could’ve protected her.

Sonuvabitch!

“What
the hell does he have against Tessa?” Cooper asked.

“Chad
spent almost a year in Tessa’s bar, bragging about his
almost
fame. He
never actually made it. My sister dated him for a while. About a year or so ago.
She said he didn’t beat on her, but sometimes I wonder. He was abusive in every
other way that I could tell. When she finally kicked him to the curb, he
started talking shit about her. Being this is a small town, and considering
Tessa’s past,” Jack’s eyes went to the floor, “the rumors flew and people
swallowed them whole. Wasn’t a good time for anyone there for a while.”

His
heart felt like Jack had just seared him with a cattle prod. Why did Cooper
have to be such a dumbass?

Only
now, as some of the anger subsided, could he rationally see how his behavior
was beyond aggressive, and he hadn’t even understood what had happened.
Realizing he’d all but accused Tessa of starting the fight only to find out she
had been defending him, Cooper turned his attention to Jack and asked, “What
started it tonight?”

“Chad
likes to talk shit. From what I gathered, there’s some news crew out there
asking questions. It’s no secret that the two of you are
hanging out
.
Hell, I heard the reporter myself. They’ve been stalking her house and yours.”
Jack’s expression hardened. “My guess is Chad thought this might be his chance
at another fifteen minutes of fame.”

“Fuck.”

“That
about sums it up,” Dalton added, pushing himself off the wall. “I’m going to
see if I can help the guys get things settled down.” Dalton turned to Jack.
“Let me know if I can do anything.”

“Let’s
just hope the bastard doesn’t press charges,” Jack added as he followed Dalton
out of the house, leaving Cooper standing there staring after them.

Spending
a night in jail was the least of Cooper’s worries at the moment.

♥
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Tessa
could barely see through the tears to drive. She continued to wipe them away as
fast as they fell, but she never managed to get them under control.

Her
face hurt, but worse, her heart ached from Cooper’s reaction. Had he really
assumed she was the one to start the fight with Chad? Why would he think that?
And did he honestly think she’d want to draw attention to him? She’d been
standing up for him, and this was the thanks she got.

Her
jaw was swollen, but she didn’t think it was broken. Thankfully – if there was
anything to be thankful about – Chad had hit her with an open hand rather than
his fist.

Pulling
into her driveway, Tessa immediately looked around, making sure no one else was
there. Not that she expected anyone to be. If Cooper was a smart man, he’d stay
far, far away from her after his accusations. She didn’t care if he was pissed
or not, they were supposed to have established some trust between them. Hell,
she’d given it a try, had actually fallen for the man.

That
would teach her.

The
second she walked in her front door, every ounce of Tessa’s strength drained
right out of her. After letting her dogs out and back in, she locked the doors,
ensuring she wouldn’t have any uninvited guests, and went straight for her
bedroom.

The
ringer on her cell phone was the next thing to be taken care of, and when the
icon showed silent, she tossed her phone on the nightstand. Stripping off her
clothes, she fell into bed, pulling the blankets up to her neck as she rolled
into the fetal position.

Unfortunately,
sleep didn’t come nearly as easily as the tears had. And now, as the morning
sun peeked through the narrow slats of the blinds, Tessa felt as though she’d
been run over by a freight train and then hit by a military tank. Twice.

Every
single muscle in her body hurt. Including her heart. And now, morning was upon
her and she had nothing to look forward to, except for the aches and pains.
Rolling her head to the side, Tessa eyed her phone, wondering whether she’d
missed any calls. Figuring she was going to look at some point anyway, she
grabbed the offending piece of machinery and tapped the screen to life. Her
heart lurched into her throat at what she saw.

Five
missed calls.

Ten
missed text messages.

Flipping
through the screens she saw that three of the calls were from Izzy, two from
Jack. The same went for the texts: five from Izzy, three from Jack and two from
Eric – probably Izzy as a last resort to get her to answer.

Not
a single text or call from Cooper.

Dropping
her phone on her pillow, she rolled over, hugging herself, closing her eyes and
wishing sleep would take her.

Unsure
why she expected Cooper to come after her, Tessa was more than disappointed by
the fact that he hadn’t. Then again, she walked out on him. Rather than staying
to talk, she ran. After accusing Cooper of running from something, Tessa did
essentially the same thing. And the fact that he didn’t care enough to call was
probably what she deserved anyway.

Ten
minutes later, when sleep wouldn’t come, Tessa embraced the fact that the tears
had stopped. Her tear ducts were probably dry because heaven knew she didn’t
feel any better. Forcing herself out of bed, she made her way to the living
room, meeting her rambunctious dogs along the way and letting them out. While
they were out sniffing and searching, she opted to take a shower. That should
help her to feel better.

For
the rest of the day, menial tasks never helped her mood, but at least she felt
more human. The bruise along her jaw notwithstanding.

After
her phone continued to ring and the texts continued to stream in, she responded
to both Jack and Izzy, letting them know that she was fine but that she wanted
to be alone. Neither of them seemed happy with her response, but Tessa didn’t
have it in her to argue, so she turned her ringer back off.

Once
again, Tessa felt entirely, miserably alone.

One week later…

Cooper
was dripping sweat as he moved another pile of boards, wondering just when
summer was going to take a backseat to fall. He was in Texas, and he’d been
warned by more than one person that summer generally morphed directly into
winter, but that wasn’t until February. So, based on his calendar, he still had
another four months of hell to go through.

But
the back breaking work was good for him. It kept his mind focused. The barn and
the stables were underway, the concrete foundations poured and curing. Once
that was done, the next step was getting the structures up. He was looking
forward to the final product, needing something to keep his mind occupied.
Right now there were no horses, no tack. Nothing to show what his plans were.
But it was coming together.

For
the last few days, he had contemplated his plans for the farm. Hell, for a
couple of days there, he had even considered packing his shit up and going back
to where he came from.

Only
that wasn’t what he wanted, and a phone call with his father had reminded him
of that. He had plans, and although part of those plans had been ripped right
out of his hands thanks to his own sanctimonious attitude, he still had
something to prove to himself.

During
the days since the benefit concert, Cooper had spent his time consumed by back
breaking work. By his own choice. When he wasn’t doing something outside, for
at least a few minutes each day, he would have a phone conversation with his
father, who was now his manager, trying to lay out a plan for his career. Now
that they had worked out a deal, Cooper had set his schedule accordingly and
soon enough, he would have to start working on his next album.

Feeling
like he was running out of time, he knew where his focus needed to be. He only
had a month to get things in order at the farm. Not that he expected a finished
product, but he wanted to at least see progress. He had more help than he knew
what to do with. Between Dalton remaining in Devil’s Bend until things died
down and the generous folks in town, the work didn’t seem quite so
overwhelming. But there was still a lot to do. The road into the farm was going
to be laid in the coming weeks, but until then, there was only so much they
could do.

Since
the debacle last Saturday, Cooper had worked at the bar two days, – Thursday
and Friday – having missed Monday because he had still needed time to cool off.
If it hadn’t been for the promise he made Adam, Cooper might’ve called it all
off because seeing Tessa, but being unable to speak to her, to hold her in his
arms, Cooper was slowly going out of his mind.

He
had no one to blame but himself for that either. He’d all but accused her of
drawing attention to him. Even if she hadn’t meant to, that’s exactly what
happened. The fight with that jackass Chad Harper had been just the beginning.
It was a damned miracle Cooper hadn’t ended up in jail, but thanks to Jack,
Eric and Izzy, the bastard hadn’t pressed charges. But neither had Tessa.

For
now, everything seemed to be simmering down. The reporters were finally getting
bored. He had refused to talk to anyone, and from what he heard, Tessa’s friends
were keeping her shielded from their onslaught. His father had made a public
statement that if they wanted a story, they would have to come to Nashville and
talk to him. Surprisingly, no one had heard from Marcus, which Cooper did not
consider a good thing.

Sure,
Cooper was grateful that his father was willing to take the heat off of him,
but he knew he should’ve faced the music. Not only with the press, but with
Tessa as well. She deserved so much more than he gave her. Part of him wanted
to explain just why he hadn’t made a single attempt to talk to her in the past
week. Because he had wanted to, even if he thought she would tell him to go to
hell.

He
was being an ass, proven in the way he reacted to her, the way he ripped her
world apart, all but stealing her dreams, and then the way he threw it all back
in her face.

He
managed to talk to Izzy once, but she wasn’t as forthcoming as he would’ve
hoped. Tessa’s friends were a protective bunch, and he both appreciated and
hated that fact. As much as he wanted to know that Tessa was being taken care
of, he also wanted to know how she was doing.

A
couple of times he’d had to stop himself from going over there just to see for
himself. But more than their relationship was at stake at the moment. At the
bar, she rarely even looked at him, and she didn’t speak to him. Everything she
had to say to him – and vice versa – was handled through Eric. Or Jack.

Cooper
wiped the sweat from his forehead with the t-shirt he had shrugged off an hour
ago and grabbed the jug of water that was now half empty. In another hour or
so, he would have to go in and eat, or he risked passing out in the heat.

He
was downing what was left of the water when he noticed dust blowing up along
the driveway, the identity of the vehicle obscured momentarily. He watched as
an old red Ford came into view and he dropped the jug on the ground as he moved
at a rapid pace toward the truck.

“What’s
wrong?” he asked Izzy as soon as she jumped out of her truck, making her way
toward him like her ass was on fire.

She
was out of breath when they met in the middle, and he grabbed her arms, holding
her upright as he stared into her eyes. “What the hell’s the matter?”

Panic
was filling him, and she hadn’t spoken yet.

“It’s
– It’s… Tessa,” she huffed, trying to draw in deep breaths. “I need you to…
Just come… with me, ok?”

Cooper
grabbed her arm, all but dragging her along with him. Once they were back at
her truck, he reached into his own and grabbed the extra t-shirt he’d left in
there the day before. Pulling it on over his head, he made his way to the
driver’s door, effectively forcing Izzy to scoot over because there was no way
he was riding shotgun. She’d be able to explain as he drove.

“Talk
to me, Izzy. Where am I going?”

“To
The
Rusty Nail
!” she squealed. “Just drive!”

Cooper
glared at Izzy momentarily but then refocused his efforts on the road. His
heart was pounding like a bass drum on steroids, and his hands, which were
currently gripping the steering wheel, were white knuckled and shaking. He
wanted to press her to talk, but he was more interested in getting to Tessa.
Even if he had no idea what he was walking into.

After
taking several turns on two wheels, Cooper hit the straightaway that would lead
directly to town. When the truck hit sixty, the piece of shit started to shake,
so he had to let off the gas. Izzy really needed to get a new truck.

“Holy
fuck,” Cooper growled when the parking lot for
The Rusty Nail
came into
view. There didn’t appear to be a single empty space throughout the entire lot.
The satellites were up and aiming skyward, antennas were like sky scrapers
hovering high above the mayhem.

Glancing
over at Izzy, he saw that her eyes were just as wide as they had been earlier.
“What’s going on, Izzy?”

When
she turned to look at him, her gaze went from worried to burning mad in an
instant. “She’s being hounded. Your fucking manager gave an exclusive to the
press this morning announcing that you two have severed ties. I hope you’re
happy, but her entire life story is front page news.”

Ex-manager
, he thought to
himself. Cooper sighed heavily, then put the truck in Park, leaving it on the
side of the road because there was nowhere else to put it.

“But
that’s not the worst of it, Cooper,” Izzy said, her hand landing on his
forearm.

His
head jerked toward her as he waited for her to continue.

“You
can’t see the sign out front, but as of this morning,
The Rusty Nail
is
for sale.”

“What?”

“I
didn’t stutter, big guy. She’s put the bar up for sale, and she’s moving.”

Cooper
knew his mouth was hanging open, but for the life of him, he couldn’t get any
words out.

Izzy
leaned over, her eyes narrowed to slits. “You better make this right, Cooper. I
will
never
forgive you if my best friend leaves. Until you, she’s never
run from anything in her life, and you and I both know she hasn’t had it easy.
She’s spent her entire life chasing her dreams, not running from them.”

Cooper
knew exactly what Izzy meant. He’d spent his life doing the same thing. Chasing
dreams seemed to be the only thing he knew how to do.

Forcing
himself out of the truck, Cooper walked around to stand in front as he glanced
through the crowd. So many reporters that he recognized, most of them national
news, but he did see some local station vans.

Shit.

This
was not going to be fun. He had hoped for just a little more time.

Pulling
his hat lower on his head, Cooper tucked his hands in his pockets and started
through the cluster with his face pointed down toward the ground. Considering
he was filthy from working outside all day, he hoped no one would recognize
him. At least not until he got to Tessa.

“Is
it true that Cooper Krenshaw got another woman pregnant and then disappeared on
her?” The reporter didn’t sound familiar, but there were so many people trying
to talk, he wasn’t sure he’d recognize them anyway. The question, however,
wasn’t anything new. He was used to the lies and the made up stories.

When
there wasn’t an answer, he considered that a good thing. At least Tessa wasn’t
giving in to them.

“Is
it true, Ms. Donovan, that your husband was killed in the line of duty?”

Oh,
fuck. It was one thing for them to question her about him, but something else
entirely for them to target her personally.

“It’s
true.” Tessa’s voice sounded weak and uncertain.

“And
is it also true that, since his death, you’ve been known to hook up with
various country music singers that play in your bar?”

What.
The. Fuck.

“No,
that isn’t true,” Tessa answered quickly.

“Do
you have a relationship with Cooper Krenshaw?” A male voice sounded from
somewhere in the back.

“Is
it true that Mr. Krenshaw stole your property from you? That he came in and
decided to take over your plans to build a horse ranch?”

“No,
that is absolutely not true,” Tessa said adamantly, and Cooper stopped in his
tracks to look at her. He hadn’t yet made it through the masses, but her
response to the question had brought him up short.

“Cooper…
I mean, Mr. Krenshaw moved to Devil’s Bend with the intention of doing
something exceptionally special. Mr. Krenshaw and his manager are working to
build an equestrian center that will be used to work with the disabled, both
children and adults. This was Mr. Krenshaw’s dream, and the town of Devil’s
Bend is blessed that he chose this as his place to start his venture.”

Cooper’s
heart swelled. The way she defended his reputation, knowing full well that what
the reporter asked was nothing short of the truth, didn’t surprise him. Tessa
Donovan never sought the limelight. As a matter of fact, she always seemed to
be the one in the shadows.

“But
it is true that you were purchasing the land that he came in and bought?”

“Mr.
Krenshaw had the funds necessary to complete the sale long before I would have.
And it wouldn’t have mattered anyway because hearing of his intention for the
property, I would’ve bowed out gracefully anyhow.”

“This
wasn’t just my dream,” Cooper said loudly, his voice carrying over the group,
several people whirling on him, microphones being tossed in his direction
almost instantly. “I might’ve been the one to buy the land, but once I met
Tessa, I knew that I couldn’t do this without her. In fact, this was her dream.
She’s the one who has rounded up volunteers to help build the center and to
implement the programs.”

Cooper
was moving closer to Tessa, but she was backing away, her head shaking back and
forth as though telling him to be quiet. He was done being quiet. A solid week
had passed since he had talked to her. Here she was defending him when she
should be cursing his name for the way he waltzed into her life, taking over
all of her good intentions.

“Cooper!
Cooper! Can you tell us more about Tabitha Johnson? There was a rumor that you
are the child’s father. Is that true?”

Cooper
fought to keep his face expressionless as he stared at Tessa. He’d told her the
story, but he could still see the hurt in her eyes.

Feeling
as though he needed to defend himself, Cooper was just about to answer, when a
gruff voice sounded from behind him.

“It’s
not true.”

Cooper
turned abruptly to see his father standing just a few feet away. The relief
that flooded him was almost enough to steal the air from his lungs. He’d been
waiting for this, stalling for time and here his father was. Which meant…

“Thank
you all for coming out today, folks. I’m not sure why you’re here, but now that
you are, I’d be happy to answer any questions that I can. In case you don’t
know who I am, my name is David Krenshaw. I am Cooper’s manager.”