Chasing Dreams (Devil's Bend) (7 page)

“You
don’t know that.”

Ok,
so she honestly didn’t know that, but for some reason, Tessa didn’t want to
interfere. Maybe that made her chicken or weak or whatever, but part of her
held out hope. The simple fact that Cooper Krenshaw had the money to build an
equestrian center, and he planned to work with disabled kids… how could she
argue with that? It was her life’s dream and just because she was financially
hindered didn’t mean Cooper couldn’t do the same thing she had planned, only
sooner.

“So…”
Jack started after a few seconds of silence, obviously realizing like a loyal
brother should that she didn’t have more to say.

And
the way Jack was looking at her now, Tessa didn’t need to be a mind reader to
know where the conversation was headed. Not that she was finished talking about
Cooper and the land, but she knew this subject was touchy. She could see the concern
etched in Jack’s ruggedly handsome features.

“Yes,
I talked to Adam,” she told her younger brother flatly, swallowing the golf
ball sized lump that automatically sprung up any time she thought about what
Adam was going to do.

“And
you’re ok with it?”

“It’s
not my decision,” she explained sadly.

It
really wasn’t either. Yes, if she had her way, Adam wouldn’t go anywhere near
the police department, but that’s because she was being selfish and didn’t want
anything to happen to him. There were plenty of families who felt the same way
about those they loved in that line of work. She was sure they all prayed the
same way she had, hoping that their loved one came home every single day.

The
more she thought about it, the more the tears threatened and Tessa was tired of
crying. “He’ll be a fantastic police officer,” she told Jack. “I know this is
what he’s always wanted. I’ll pray for him every single day, just like I did
for Richie.”

“What
do you think about him going to Dallas?”

Before
Tessa could answer, Miranda walked up to the table carrying their drinks.
“Who’s going to Dallas?”

“Adam,”
Jack explained. “He’s been accepted into the Dallas Police Academy.”

Miranda’s
cheerful demeanor took a drastic turn as she glanced back at Tessa. The only
thing she could do was nod her head. Miranda had been right there with her when
Richie died, so the woman knew exactly how hard this was on her.

“Well,
tell him that I wish him luck,” Miranda said, and if Tessa wasn’t mistaken, the
words were said on a sob.

Losing
Richie had been hard on everyone, including their friends. By the time Tessa
was a junior in high school, they had all become a tight knit group. Even
though Richie and Eric were just a little older, they had still hung out even
after they had graduated, spending their days and nights doing all the things
foolish teenage kids did. Or rather, everyone had been trying to reel Tessa in.

Before
Tessa could ask if Miranda was all right, the waitress darted toward the back
of the restaurant, leaving Tessa and Jack staring after her.

“Do
you need to go talk to her?” Jack asked, his head turned away as he watched
Miranda disappear down the short hallway that led to the kitchen.

“I’ll
give her a little while.” Miranda wouldn’t welcome Tessa’s questions right now.
If there was anyone more closed off than Tessa, it was Miranda.

“Do
they have something going between them?”

Tessa
glanced at her brother as though he’d just lost his mind. Hadn’t she just told
him that Miranda was crushing on him? Was he really that dense? Figuring it
wouldn’t help matters to remind him, she just said, “Not that I know of.”

“Well,
speak of the devil…” Jack mumbled.

Tessa
turned around, fully expecting to see Adam walking in the front door of the
restaurant. Instead, she got an eyeful of intensely sexy cowboy as Cooper
sauntered into the room, his hat in his hand as he made his way to the long
counter where a couple of others were seated. He didn’t see her at first, so
Tessa turned around abruptly, hoping he wouldn’t notice she was there at all.
She wasn’t sure she could handle him at the moment, and she certainly didn’t
want Jack giving away anything they had been talking about.

“Don’t
worry,” Jack whispered as he brought his glass to his mouth. “Your secret’s
safe with me.”

“Tessa,”
Cooper greeted as he approached the table, startling her. “Jack.”

“Hey,
man. Join us,” Jack offered, much too easily.

When
he didn’t budge in his seat, Tessa knew that she was going to have to slide
over if Cooper was going to join them. Which meant she was going to have to sit
very, very close to the man.

Please
let him say no. Please let him say no. Please…

“Thanks.
You mind?” Cooper asked Tessa and the words set on repeat in her head died a
slow, painful death.

“No,
not at all,” she mumbled, grabbing her tea glass and sliding toward the wall,
allowing him enough space to join her in the booth.

Glancing
down at her glass of tea, Tessa suddenly wished she had asked for something
stronger. Like a bottle of tequila.

Or
maybe two.

The
last person Cooper expected to see when he walked into Charlie’s Restaurant was
Tessa. In fact, he’d just been thinking about her, so it was almost as though
she had materialized right out of his thoughts. Not that he minded in the
least. She was a sight for sore eyes and being that he wouldn’t get the
pleasure of seeing her at
The Rusty Nail
because they were closed on
Sunday, he welcomed the few minutes he would get now.

After
all, since the moment he kissed her, Cooper had thought of little else. He was
bombarded with memories of that kiss, and he welcomed all thoughts of her.
Hell, he relived the first time he met her more than he probably should. So,
when Jack invited him to join them, he couldn’t resist.

“How’s
it feel to be back in Small Town, USA again? I’m sure it’s a lot different than
being on the road, touring and all that,” Jack stated as soon as Cooper had
moved into the booth beside Tessa.

He
glanced over, noticing she was eyeing her tea glass as though she would be able
to morph the amber liquid into something else.

“I’m
getting used to life in the slow lane.” Leaning back, Cooper hooked his arm at
the top of the booth behind him, casually letting his hand rest close to
Tessa’s shoulder between them.

“Do
you think you’ll enjoy being on the other side of the fence when it comes to
music? Adam said you’re handling the entertainment at Tessa’s bar.”

“That’s
the plan. Right now I’ve been ordered to sit around and look pretty,” Cooper
said, peering over at Tessa. He noticed the way she grinned slightly as she
continued to study her glass.

“Look
pretty?” Jack questioned. “That’s not easy for you, is it?”

Cooper
laughed, liking the way Jack said what was on his mind, unlike so many people
who spent their time trying to kiss his ass and make him feel important. He
didn’t want to feel important. He wanted to feel as though he contributed to
something. Something more than other people’s wallets.

“I’ll
admit, I’m not good at it,” Cooper added.

“Not
true,” Tessa mumbled and Cooper slid his arm around behind her on the booth,
still being careful not to touch her.

“What
was that?”

“Nothing,”
she said, peering over at him while using her hair to shield most of her face.
He still managed to get a peek at the bright pink blush that suffused her
cheeks.

He
let it go, but he kept the information filed away for later. So it would seem
she might actually be attracted to him more than she was letting on. Although
based on the way she had kissed him back, he wasn’t sure he should be all that
surprised.

“I
hear you’re buying the Deluth farm,” Jack commented as Miranda brought another
glass of tea and set it in front of Cooper.

After
saying thank you to the waitress, Cooper turned his attention to Jack. “That
was the plan. I thought it was all a done deal initially, but the woman who
owns the property called my Realtor a few minutes ago and told her there was
another offer on the table. Said I might want to reconsider the price if I
really wanted the land.”

“What!”
Tessa jerked as though someone had hit her before turning to face him more
directly.

At
her passionate reaction, Cooper focused on her, watching her expression change
from shocked to angry and then back again.

“Something
wrong?” Cooper noticed that the pretty blush was gone and reflected in those
crystalline green eyes was something more like fire.

“You
didn’t offer more money, did you?”

“Not
yet, no.”

“Don’t.”
The single word was a command, and Cooper suddenly wondered what she knew that
he didn’t.

“Why
not?”

Cooper
studied her, watching as she looked over at her brother. He followed her gaze,
noticed the way Jack cocked an eyebrow as though giving her some sort of
signal. Apparently Cooper was right because she sighed. Before she said
anything, Miranda brought out two plates, setting them in front of Jack and
then Tessa.

“I’ll
have yours in just a minute,” Miranda told him and then turned away quickly.

“You
didn’t order anything,” Tessa commented as she glanced up at him.

“I
don’t have to these days. Seems I’ve become a regular in here, and they bring
me the same thing every time.”

“Would
you order something different?” she asked, a cute smile tipping her lips.

Cooper
laughed. “No, probably not. I guess they’ve figured out I’m a man of routine.”

Tessa
turned her attention back to her food, but she didn’t start eating.

“Go
ahead. Don’t wait for me,” he told them both.

Jack
dug into his food like he hadn’t eaten in a month and Cooper tried not to
stare. He had so many questions running through his head, most of them having
to do with the land and what these two knew that he didn’t, but he didn’t want
to interrupt their meal. Luckily for him, he didn’t have to wait but a few
minutes before Miranda was back with a plate containing chicken fried steak, mashed
potatoes, and green beans.

“Can
I get you anything else?” she asked the three of them. When everyone said no,
she moved on to the next table.

“So,
one of you want to give me more details on the land? Or do I have to guess?”
Cooper asked before he put the first bite in his mouth.

He
noticed Jack didn’t stop shoveling food in his mouth, his cheeseburger never
getting too far away from his lips. Cooper figured the guy was making sure he
didn’t have to talk. Tessa, on the other hand, wasn’t eating much of anything.
She was pushing her onion rings around on her plate, flattening them with her
fork.

“Finish
eating,” she told him. “Then we’ll talk.”

Cooper
nodded, realizing he wasn’t going to get any further with the conversation
until Tessa was willing to talk anyway. Doing as she said, he resumed eating,
and the three of them talked mostly about the bar and the events of the night
before – which were rather mundane for a Saturday night according to them.

Once
Jack was finished, he looked over at Tessa and then back at Cooper before he
spoke. “I just realized I had something to do,” he blurted. “I’ll get the check
on my way out.”

“Wait!”
Tessa called to him, but he was already climbing out of the booth.

Cooper
noticed the wry grin Jack sent Tessa. “I’ll catch up with you later. Let me
know if you need anything.”

“Dammit,”
Tessa muttered, snapping a bite of food in her mouth.

“I
see he bailed on you,” Cooper joked. “What are you going to do now?”

If
she had her way, she’d probably knock him out of the booth and onto the floor.
When his teasing didn’t get a rise out of her, he grew concerned. “I take it
there’s a problem?”

With
the booth on the other side now empty, Cooper knew he should move, but he
didn’t want to. In fact, he wanted to stay right where he was for the duration.
Sitting close to Tessa, inhaling her sweet fragrance and listening to her
mutter obscenities under her breath was making his body stand up and take
notice. Yes, he was even turned on by her irritation.

“Only
if you consider Luanne Deluth a problem,” Tessa said, not looking at him.

“So
you know about the other offer too?”

“I
don’t think there is another offer,” she admitted.

“Why
would you think that? Do you know her?” Now Cooper was thoroughly confused.
Tessa must have realized it too because she continued, not looking at him
though.

“I
went to see Luanne,” Tessa began, another long sigh as she paused to wipe her
hands on a napkin. “I had an agreement with Jerry Deluth, Luanne’s father,
before he passed away a couple of months ago.”

“What
sort of deal?”

“To
buy the property.”

That
got Cooper’s attention. Pushing his plate away, he decided he did need space.
This conversation didn’t sound like the intimate one he’d have preferred to
have with Tessa over dinner. Once he was situated across from her, he rested
his forearms on the table and waited for her to continue.

“I
had a verbal agreement with Jerry to buy the land. We agreed that I’d come up
with twenty percent down and then I could take possession of the house and
continue paying out the rest of the note.”

Cooper
didn’t take his eyes off of her. He noticed the way she wrapped her arms around
herself as though trying to hold herself together. “Go on.”

“Apparently,
now that he’s gone, the agreement he and I had is null and void. At least that’s
what Luanne told me a little while ago. She said you were paying her double
what Jerry was charging me, and she wasn’t going to pass up an offer like that
for my measly price.”

Fucking
hell.
Cooper didn’t like the sound of this. It wasn’t that he didn’t want the
property because he did. Even at the price he agreed to, but something was off
here. What were the chances that he had stumbled on some property that Tessa
was in the process of buying – without a legal, written agreement?

“I
would bet that she’s using me to try and get more money out of you,” Tessa
offered. “I was having a hard enough time coming up with twenty percent, and
that was at half the price you agreed to. As it was, I could barely afford what
I was paying Jerry monthly just for the down payment.”

“What
about the money you’ve already paid?” he asked, still wary of how this all came
about.

Another
sigh, then Tessa sipped her tea, although her glass was practically empty. He
waved Miranda over to refill her glass while he waited for her to continue.

“Luanne
said she’d give me my money back. Said she didn’t need it.”

“Did
she?”

“Not
yet, no. I just talked to her right before I came over here.”

Well,
that explained the phone call he’d received from his Realtor a few minutes
before he got to the restaurant.

“What
were you planning to do with the land?” he asked, having a feeling there was
more to this story than Tessa was telling him.

Finally,
she looked up at him. When their eyes met, Cooper saw the sadness in her eyes.
His stomach clenched painfully at the sight.

“I
was going to build an equestrian center,” she said softly.

“Seriously?”
he asked as he leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. He realized he
looked as skeptical as he sounded.

“Yes,”
Tessa answered firmly, her eyes locked with his. “Quite the coincidence, don’t
you think?” she asked snidely.

He’d
have to agree. And yet he still wondered whether he was the butt of someone’s
joke here. Was there a conspiracy to try and get more money out of him?

“I
thought someone had told you and you were messing with me. I’ve had plans for
that land, and if you don’t believe me, I’ve got the designs to prove it. Not
only was I going to build an equestrian center to provide equine therapy to
both the disabled as well as troubled youth, but I wanted to build a farm that
would give the troubled kids a place to go. I’ve grown up around horses and
figured it was the best of both worlds.”

Holy
shit.
Still leaning back, Cooper stared across the table at Tessa, noticing the way
the soft waves of her hair fell over her shoulder, resting just above her
breasts. God, the woman was beautiful, and for some reason, when she looked
vulnerable like that, his protective instincts kicked in. He was pretty sure
she wouldn’t want to know that though.

“Why
troubled teens?” he asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

Tessa’s
expression turned stony. “That’s a conversation for another time.”

Figuring
that pushing her would only make her get up and leave, he decided to take a
different route. “So what do we do about it?”

“
We
?”

“Yes,
we.” Cooper smiled. “It sounds like we’ve got a few things in common and I’m
not here to step on any toes. Maybe we can work out a deal.”

“What
kind of deal?” Now it was her turn to sound disbelieving.

Not
that he blamed her for not trusting him. After all, it looked as though he’d
waltzed right into her life and stole her dream right out from under her.

♥
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Tessa
wasn’t sure what Cooper was angling at, but she was a bit surprised.
Truthfully, she had expected him not to care one way or another about what she
had put into the land so far. Not that the money was her greatest concern.
Sure, she wanted her money back if she wasn’t getting the property because she
could certainly use it to put toward something else. But the Deluth land was
something she had wanted for a long time. Not only because of the price, but
because of the location. She would be able to stay in Devil’s Bend. Something
she fully intended to do.

This
was her home.