Chasing Dreams (Devil's Bend) (15 page)

Damn
it.
Why the hell were people saying that? Cooper wasn’t running.

“I’ve
got some things to take care of. I need some time.”

“How
much time?” Marcus asked, relief threaded through the words.

A
year? Ten, maybe? Hell, Cooper had no idea. He had no intention of throwing
himself headlong into the fray at this point. He just bought a damn house and
he was actually beginning to feel more normal. It was a feeling he’d missed for
so long, he barely remembered what it even felt like.

“I’ve
got to go, M. I’ll call you in a couple of weeks, and we’ll figure out what
comes next.”

“Godammit,
Coop!”

With
that parting shot, Cooper disconnected the call and tossed his cell phone back
on the table. The call had successfully managed to disengage all thoughts of
Tessa, but now he couldn’t help but wonder whether he actually was running or
not. If so, what from?

More
importantly, would he be running again?

“I
still can’t believe it. Cooper Krenshaw sang at
The Rusty Nail
?” Izzy
declared as the two of them sat on Tessa’s front porch, drinking wine and
watching the dogs play in the yard.

Thankfully,
the instant Izzy realized Tessa needed someone to talk to, she came over. Then
again, the two of them had always been like that. Ever since they were
teenagers.

“He
did. You should’ve been there. It was wild,” Tessa mentioned, not turning to
look at Izzy. She knew her face was red because her skin was flaming hot as
thoughts about the night before danced in her brain.

“But
he’s still here, right? He didn’t just sing and leave town?” Izzy asked.

Because
of so many things going on, Tessa hadn’t had much time to just sit and talk to
Izzy lately, and based on her best friend’s questions, she realized how far
behind they were in playing catch up with what was going on in each other’s
lives.

“He’s
still here,” she confirmed.

“Have
you talked to him?”

Yes,
among other things,
Tessa thought to herself.

“Adam
brought him over the next day and officially introduced us.”

“And?”

“And
what?” Tessa shot her best friend a questioning look.

“Tessa
Lynn Donovan, I know you’re hiding something from me. You better spill it and
spill it quick.”

Tessa
laughed. She loved how passionate Izzy got when she felt as though someone was
holding out on her. In this case, it was true, but Tessa wasn’t willing to
share anything that happened between her and Cooper with anyone. Not even her
best friend.

Although
Izzy had stood by her when Chad went from sweet boyfriend to spurned dickhead,
Tessa still had a hard time trusting anyone with her most private thoughts.

“No
way!” Izzy exclaimed, pushing back on the porch swing and sending it rocking as
she pouted.

From
her perch on the side railing, Tessa smiled at her friend.

“You
aren’t really going to hold out on me, are you?”

“I
am.”

“You
have to at least tell me about him. Why’s he still here in Devil’s Bend
anyway?”

Tessa
sipped her wine and stared back out at the yard where Havoc and Harmony were
crashed beneath the shade of the old oak tree.

“From
what I can tell, I think he’s looking for something to do on the side.” Which
was true. “He bought the Deluth farm though, so I think he’s planning to stay
for a while.”

“Are
you serious?” Izzy’s swinging motion stopped abruptly as she sat upright and
stared at Tessa. “Cooper Krenshaw moved here? Like permanently?”

Tessa
was surprised that Izzy asked that question first. Her friend had known full
well that she was trying to buy the Deluth land as well. She had to fight the
urge to sulk because her
best friend
had missed the entire point of her
comment. “I don’t know about permanently, but yep, he bought a house.”

For
any normal person, buying a house would probably mean putting down roots. But
for a famous country music star who owned at least one other house that she
knew of, it probably wasn’t the same. He could very well be planning to build
his equestrian center and then leave it to be run by others. She just didn’t
know. Then again, she could just be letting her negative thoughts take hold.

Did
she want him to stay? The question was hard for her to answer. That meager
piece of her heart that was yearning for something she felt was out of her
reach said yes, she’d like to have the opportunity to get to know him. See if
whatever this was between them actually went somewhere.

Then
there was her jaded side. The part of her that she kept closed off from anyone
and everyone, including her best friend and her brothers. Tessa didn’t want
anyone to know how vulnerable she actually was. It wasn’t a becoming trait as
far as she was concerned, so she tried to keep it buried down deep.

As
far as she could tell, Cooper might be willing to stay for a while. After all,
getting the farm up and running smoothly wasn’t going to be an easy task. He
was looking at months of work at minimum. She knew he had ambitious plans for
the farm, but considering he was currently running from his singing career, she
had to wonder whether this was something he did often. He didn’t seem like the
type to jump from one place to another, but she honestly didn’t know much about
him. Hell, apart from knowing his body intimately well, Tessa didn’t know much
about him at all.

“Eric
tells me he’s helping out at the bar? That true?” Izzy asked, pretending to be
interested in the answer, but Tessa could feel her excitement.

“He’s
handling the entertainment.”

“What
about Adam?”

Tessa
felt the sadness stirring to life in her heart. She hated that her older
brother had already left to go to Dallas, but the fact that he was pursuing his
dream should’ve made her happy for him. If she wasn’t scared senseless that
she’d lose him too, she might be.

“He’s
off to the police academy in Dallas,” Tessa stated, wondering how in the world
she hadn’t already filled Izzy in on everything that was going on lately. And
despite her questions, Tessa knew Izzy was up to speed on everything that was
going on in Devil’s Bend, but she liked to pretend she wasn’t.

“Dallas?
I thought he was trying for Austin?”

“He
was. They don’t have any space right now.”

“Does
that mean Cooper’s gonna be working for you for a while?”

Tessa
didn’t know what that was going to mean. Hell, come tomorrow, he may not want
to have anything to do with her. She forced her thoughts to remain in the
moment instead of drifting back to the most amazing night she’d ever had.

“Are
you dating him?” Izzy asked suddenly, and Tessa instinctively turned to face
her, much faster than her casual answer would support.

“Why
would you ask that?”

The
mischievous grin on Izzy’s pretty face told Tessa the answer before her best
friend said a word.

“Because
of
that
…,” Izzy exclaimed as she pointed at her. “Your reaction. You
are
seeing him. Wow. Tessa Donovan and Cooper Krenshaw.”

“It
is so not like that,” Tessa said with a hysterical laugh.

“So
tell me how it is then.”

Tessa
felt the scrutiny of Izzy’s gaze. She also felt her friends concern.

“I
don’t know what it is.” At least that was the truth.

As
of that morning, from the second her eyes opened, Tessa knew she was getting in
over her head. No matter her reasons for wanting to keep Cooper at a distance,
more so for self-preservation than anything else, she found herself thinking
about him constantly. Not only was last night the absolute hottest thing she’d
ever experienced, she couldn’t deny the connection she had felt.

“If
he sticks around, I could see myself dating him. For a while.”

The
long pause between them held a wealth of meaning, but Tessa hoped Izzy would
keep her thoughts to herself. Her friend meant well, and she had always been
there for Tessa when she needed her, but Tessa still never shared her most
intimate thoughts with anyone.

“Honey,
I know you’ve been hurt. And I know you miss Richie, but he isn’t coming back.”

Before
Tessa could respond, Izzy continued. “And as for that asshole Chad, he wasn’t
worth the air he breathed. I think you squashed his ego, and he didn’t know how
to deal with it. But he was an anomaly. Not all men are like that,” Izzy
stated, leaning forward on the swing, reaching for Tessa’s hand.

Tessa
gave in to Izzy’s sympathetic gesture, but it only had minimal impact on her
concern. The very idea of being painted with such a brutal, vicious reputation
was more than she could stand. Even though the rumors hadn’t been true, they
still hurt. She had managed to disassociate herself with relationships in
general just to avoid the stigma that would come along with them. She had
learned early on that the catty women in their small town enjoyed harassing her
when they thought she might even remotely be interested in a man. Not that she
was.

No,
Tessa had kept herself isolated from any and all relationships. She hadn’t even
gone on one single date in the year since she and Chad called it quits.
Considering Chad still lived in Devil’s Bend, and he still enjoyed harassing
her from time to time, probably to remind her that he was still there, she
wasn’t interested in drawing his attention any deeper. Lucky for her, Chad
feared Jack, which helped some. Mostly due to her younger brother, Chad gave
her a wide berth these days.

“Look
at me, Tessa.” Izzy squeezed her hand and Tessa steeled her resolve as she
faced her friend. “Do me a huge favor, would ya?”

“What’s
that?”

“Give
this guy a chance. He may not be what you’re looking for, but until you give it
a shot, you’ll never know. No one is ever going to replace Richie. But, this
guy isn’t Chad either. He deserves a chance.”

Tessa
nodded her head and glanced out at the dogs still snoozing in the shade. She’d
give him a chance. At least a shot at a casual, no strings attached, friends
with benefits romp. That way, if and when the world came crashing down around
her, her heart would at least have been spared.

The
sound of an engine in the distance had Tessa releasing Izzy’s hand and turning
to see who was coming toward her house. Since she lived at the end of a long
dirt road, she knew whoever it was had her house in mind for their destination,
she just couldn’t imagine who it could be.

“Oh.
My. God!” Izzy exclaimed, jumping to her feet as the big, gray truck came
rolling to a stop close to the house. “Is that him?”

The
smile that tipped her lips came without warning. Her heart fluttered strangely
in her chest. Both because of Izzy’s enthusiasm, but more so at the fact Cooper
had come over. The idea that he wanted to see her, as much as she secretly
wanted to see him, did odd things to her insides.

Like
a crazed lunatic, Izzy set her wine glass on the railing before she darted out
into the yard, jumping up and down like a teenager with a crush.

“You’re
Cooper Krenshaw!” she screamed as he slid down from the truck.

Good
grief. The man looked freaking hot. Those damn tattered jeans encased his
powerful legs, drawing Tessa’s eyes right down his body. Then back up. The
white t-shirt he was wearing formed perfectly to the hard chest and sculpted
abs beneath. She vividly remembered what the man looked like naked and heat
suffused her face as she tried to force back the naughty image.

As
though Cooper knew Izzy, or at least women like her, he put his brawny hands on
her shoulders and practically held her so she’d stop hopping up and down. When
he grinned knowingly up at Tessa, a shiver ran down her spine.

“Nice
to meet you. Let me guess. You must be Isabelle.”

“Izzy.
Yes. I’m… Oh my God! You’re Cooper Krenshaw,” Izzy squealed and then turned
toward Tessa. “And he knows my name!”

Tessa
laughed, but she didn’t move from her front row seat. She wondered whether this
was how Cooper was greeted by women everywhere. It was clear that her very
married best friend had a major crush on the country superstar.

Tessa
couldn’t necessarily blame her, she thought to herself.

∞
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Cooper
laughed at Tessa’s friend’s reaction. He attempted to keep the tiny thing from
plowing him down, but her excitement made him laugh. The moment he saw Tessa
and the other woman sitting on the front porch, he had contemplated turning
around, not bothering to stop. Except he wouldn’t be able to do it casually
because there was only one way in and one way out, which meant Tessa would
obviously know he had changed his mind.

Looking
at her now, her pretty blonde hair swept up on top of her head, just a few
loose strands blowing around her face, he wasn’t sure he would be able to make
himself leave without talking to her.

“Oh,
my.” Izzy’s voice pulled Cooper from his trance, and he turned to look down at
the fiery red headed woman standing in front of him. She had finally calmed
down, thank goodness. “Would you look at the time? I’ve got… a… thing. Yep,
I’ve got a thing to go see.
Do
. Whatever.”

Cooper
laughed again, noticing Tessa’s beaming smile as she sat on the front porch
railing watching them.

“Yep.
Thanks for the chat, Tess. I’ll call you later.”

Cooper
was fascinated by the woman’s joy. The way she held her pinky and her thumb up
to her head, resembling a telephone. And just like that, she was skipping away
like a teenager.

That’s
when Cooper realized there weren’t any other vehicles in the driveway. He
turned to see which direction Izzy was going, and she had already set out at a
run across the field that separated Tessa’s house from her next door neighbor.
He grinned again.