Chasing Dreams (Devil's Bend) (31 page)

“Tessa,
would you like to help me clear the table?” Becca asked once all of the plates
were emptied and pushed away, signaling everyone had gotten their fill.

“Yes,
ma’am,” Tessa said with a grin.

“I’ll
get it,” Cooper offered, pushing his chair back to help.

“No,
sir,” his mother said, pinning him with a glare. “You boys have stuff to talk
about. We girls will be fine.”

Cooper
nodded, his attention redirected at his father. This was the reason they’d
shown up unexpected. Maybe not entirely unexpected because Cooper fully
anticipated his father coming to see him soon. He didn’t spend a lot of time
away from his parents, usually stopping in to visit at least once every two
weeks when he wasn’t on tour.

“Tell
me more about this equestrian center,” David insisted as the three men sat at
the table, glancing out to see the dogs rumbling in the yard.

“See
the barn out there?” Cooper asked as he pointed in the direction of what was
left of the old barn.

“Ain’t
that a little close to the house?” David asked, leaning back in his chair with
his hands resting on his flat stomach. At fifty-one, the man was still in top
form.

“It
is. I’m looking to tear it down and rebuild farther out. I’ve got just over two
hundred acres to play with, so I think I can make it work.”

“How
far out? What about that direction?” David asked, looking out toward the tree
line that hid the pond Cooper and Tessa had made love by a couple of weeks ago.

“Yeah?”
Cooper asked, interested in what his father had to say.

“I
think we put in a road over there, that’ll keep the traffic away from the
house.”

“Traffic?”
Cooper asked, glancing between the two men.

“You
know once the media gets wind of this, they’re gonna descend on you. If they know
the boys you’ve got helping you out, it’ll be sooner rather than later.” David
added, his expression serious.

True.
And thanks to Dalton and several phone calls, they had more volunteers than
they needed. The materials were on order and would be delivered in the next
week, coming in by the truck loads. Although he and Dalton had only briefly talked
about the plans, the man had run with the idea. He’d even spent Sunday nailing
down the help they would need.

When
Dalton Calhoun got involved, things moved pretty quickly. Cooper’s original
concept of an equestrian center focused on working with disabled children and
adults came from one of their more in depth conversations, he knew Dalton was
fully onboard with the idea.

“All
right,” Cooper agreed. “I’m game.”

For
the next half hour, the three of them talked about the logistics, even mapping
out the location on a copy of the land survey to ensure they had everything
placed within the appropriate boundaries.

When
Tessa came back out with Becca and a full pot of coffee, Cooper was already
missing her. Before she could take her seat in the chair she’d commandeered
earlier, Cooper pulled her onto his lap. When she started to squirm and tossed
him a look that guaranteed retribution later, he put his hand on the inside of
her thigh and she immediately stopped squirming.

Exactly
how he planned it.

♥
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

“What
are you boys up to?” Cooper’s mother asked as she returned to her seat.

Tessa
couldn’t believe that Cooper had trapped her on his lap, but each time she
tried to move, his hand moved up higher on her thigh. She knew no one could see
beneath the table, but she wasn’t about to risk him making her turn bright red.
Not in front of his parents anyway.

“What’s
that?” Tessa asked when she noticed the land survey sitting on the table in
front of her. There were some red marks on it, clearly marking the location of
the various outbuildings needed to support the farm, including the stables and
a separate barn.

Pulling
the paper closer, she studied it for a moment before glancing up at the others
at the table.

“Look
good to you?” Cooper asked.

“Would
you mind if I make a couple of suggestions?” she asked, suddenly feeling as
though all eyes were on her. Which they were, obviously.

“Not
at all,” David said, leaning forward. “What’s your take?”

“See
this here?” She pointed to one of the buildings on the paper. “I think you need
to bring in the road from this side,” with her finger Tessa circled the road
that ran along the south side of the property. “That’ll keep Cooper’s house off
of the beaten path. No matter how you design it, there will be people who want
to insinuate themselves into his life, even if he tries to keep them off the
property. Being that the center will be open to the public, that’s not gonna be
all that easy.”

Tessa
could feel Cooper’s eyes burning into her, and she turned to look at him. The
smile he gifted her with made her heart beat rapidly, probably heard by
everyone at the table. “What?” she asked, wondering what he was thinking.

“I
think that’s a brilliant idea,” David answered for Cooper. “Never even thought
about that. That way Cooper will have one way in and out from his house while
the public can come from the other direction. Good idea.”

For
some reason, David Krenshaw’s approval made her feel light headed. Granted,
she’d given the plans for this center, as well as the farm, a lot of thought
over the years, and just because it now belonged to Cooper, she wanted to
provide insight if they’d let her. With a renewed sense of self confidence, Tessa
leaned forward and outlined for David and Cooper all of the ideas she’d had.
When they were finished, they had used about fifty percent of her suggestions
and come up with several more collaboratively.

“Can
I talk to you for a minute?” Cooper asked, sounding serious as he took her hand
in his and stood, pushing her to her feet.

Tessa
glanced at his parents and then back at him, her confusion probably more than
obvious.

“Excuse
us for a minute,” Cooper said to his parents and Dalton before leading her
inside.

Once
they were in the darkened hallway, Tessa was about to apologize for
monopolizing the conversation when she found herself pressed up against the
wall, Cooper’s hot mouth on hers. The moan that escaped was followed by her
arms going around his neck automatically, holding him closer.

“Woman,
I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted you more than I do right now,” he whispered in
her ear, making her clit pulse as she thought about him taking her right there
in the hallway.

Feeling
a tad rebellious and a whole lot lighter because of last night’s conversation
with Cooper, Tessa leaned her head back, lining her mouth up right by his ear
and whispered, “Prove it.”

Cooper’s
body hardened beneath her hands and he pulled back, his whiskey brown eyes
pinning her in place, a smile tipping the corners of his mouth. When he grabbed
her around the waist, pulling her against him and then turning so they were
just inside his bedroom, Tessa had to swallow her squeal.

“I’m
going to make you wear skirts in the future,” he growled as he unbuttoned her
jeans while she toed off one of her boots. Without letting one another go, they
managed to ease her jeans from one leg while Cooper shoved his down over his
hips.

“Turn
around,” he growled against her ear and Tessa quickly turned to face the wall,
her hands flat. “Just remember, you have to be quiet, or my parents will hear
you.”

The
warning sent a shiver down Tessa’s spine. Last night had been hard enough
knowing Dalton was in the house. But what if his parents came inside? What if
they heard them?

When
he kicked her foot out to the side, widening her stance as he put his hand on
the middle of her back and forced her down slightly, Tessa wasn’t sure she
could wait until he was inside of her so she would just have to be quiet. His rough
touch set a fire inside of her unlike anything she’d ever felt before.

Sure,
she’d felt desired when they made love, but never like when he wanted her fast
and hard. Like the man couldn’t wait another second to have her. This was
beyond explosive, and she wanted nothing more than to have him inside of her.

Luckily,
she didn’t have to wait much longer. His fingers were teasing her pussy seconds
before his cock slid home, driving into her and forcing her to hold herself
away from the wall. When he leaned over, his mouth brushing against her ear,
she turned her head slightly.

“Fuck
me, Cooper,” she whispered so low, she barely heard herself, but his answering
growl had her pussy spasming.

“Tessa.”
Her name on his lips sounded like a warning, and when he stood back up,
gripping her hips before slamming into her, she braced herself.

She
felt the tingles in her core almost immediately, and they slowly radiated
outward, growing stronger as they went until she was sweating and hanging by
her fingernails to the fragile edge of an orgasm that was going to rock her to
her very core.

“Darlin’,
I could do this forever,” Cooper growled, but he never slowed, slamming into
her as she pushed back against him.

She
had to grind her teeth together to keep from crying out as her orgasm
detonated, making her legs weak and her arms even weaker. She barely managed to
remain standing as he slammed into her once, twice, three more times before his
body was motionless behind her, his fingers gripping painfully on her hips. The
pain disappeared abruptly as he filled her.

“Darlin’,
you do that to me much more, and I’m not sure I won’t have a heart attack,” he
joked, his voice still just a whisper so no one else could hear them. “Go get
cleaned up and I’ll meet you back outside.”

With
that, Cooper pressed a light kiss to her cheek, lingering a second before he
pulled out of her and disappeared out the door. She heard the door to the other
bathroom close, and she smiled before limping into the surprisingly spacious
bathroom that was in Cooper’s bedroom.

Being
an old farmhouse, and one that Mr. Deluth had never wanted to remodel, Tessa
was surprised to see that, at some point, they had made some significant
changes to the bathroom. Tessa never had met Mrs. Deluth, she had passed away
when Luanne was just a baby, but she knew from her talks with Mr. Deluth just
how much he had loved her. Didn’t surprise her that he’d made a change like
that for the woman he loved.

Tessa
knew all too well just what lengths one was willing to go through for love.

When
she stood in front of the mirror, she froze, noticing the woman whose smile was
radiating from her flushed face, her hair a tangled mess. She looked different.
Well fucked, maybe? No, that wasn’t it. Tessa felt different too. Like the
weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Like she was… in love.

Tessa
was beginning to think that life was finally taking a turn for the better.
Right where she’d always hoped it would be. And, for the first time, she
actually thought she might have a chance at finding the happily ever after that
had been eluding her for so long.

The
following Saturday night turned out to be the equivalent of an unchaperoned teenage
dance.

A
full week had disappeared quickly, everyone busy, including Cooper’s parents
who had remained in town for several days to help Cooper get things in order.

Thanks
to his mother, his house was in much better shape. And thanks to his father and
Dalton, they had everything on order to get the fences mended, the concrete
poured for the new stable as well as the barn, and they had an outpouring of
volunteers coming the following week to help with what was needed.

And
somewhere along the way, Dalton had decided to do a benefit concert, donating
all proceeds to various organizations that Tessa worked with. Maybe the guy
felt guilty that his questions had spurred her breakdown, or maybe Dalton was
just being Dalton, Cooper didn’t know. But either way, trying to keep up with
the man wasn’t easy.

On
Thursday, Dalton had informed him that he was working with the local radio
stations to announce the benefit concert in order to garner more attendance.

Because
The Rusty Nail
could only hold so many, Dalton had asked Cooper if they
could set things up on his property. After learning that Dalton had targeted
radio stations that spanned three counties, he hadn’t had much of a choice but
to agree. There was no way to handle it otherwise.

So,
after Friday was spent setting up a sound stage and various tents for a BYOB
party, everyone was enjoying the fruits of their labor.

“Where’s
Tessa?” Cooper asked Eric when he managed to break through the horde of women
and men currently surrounding the stage where Dalton was gearing up to play.
With a full blown band.

The
guy had pulled out all the stops tonight, including an entire tent that was
being manned by a couple of famous locals whose sole focus was on collecting
money. The concert was free with a donation. Cooper didn’t even want to think
about what it would look like tomorrow when everyone left. Thankfully, he had
some time to kill before then.

“She
said she needed a break,” Eric told him, his voice raised to be heard over the
ruckus.

“Thanks,”
Cooper mouthed and then headed back through the sea of bodies until he reached
an empty space on the other side of one of the tents.

“There
you are,” he said when he found Tessa pacing back and forth, her attention
focused inward. “You all right?”

“Never
better,” she said with a huge grin. “This is amazing.”

“You’re
telling me,” he agreed. “That’s Dalton for ya. The man doesn’t do simple and
easy.”

“I
see that.” Tessa peered over her shoulder where they could see the crowd
growing. “I’ve called in backup. My cousins usually fill in as security at the
bar, so they said they’d help us out here. Tonight they’re bringing their
friends. They assured me they had it covered.”

Cooper
nodded, pulling Tessa up against him. “I had no idea he’d do this, I swear.”

“Well,
since it’s for a good cause, I’m not sure I can complain. But I will say I’m
looking forward to a few quiet hours after this.”

“Quiet,
huh?”

“Yes.
You know… You, me, a truck bed and a starlit night. How does that sound?”

“Like
heaven. Can we just sneak out now?”

“Not
a chance, cowboy,” Tessa said, placing her hands on his face and forcing him to
look at her. “But I promise to make it worth your while afterwards.”

Cooper’s
entire body heeded her words. He wasn’t sure he could wait that long. He knew
for damn sure that he didn’t
want
to wait that long.

“Are
you going to sing tonight?” Tessa asked as she took a step back.

“I’m
thinking about it,” he answered simply. Dalton had asked him to and honestly,
the scene was getting into his blood. The excitement was filling him, and he
craved it.

“Well,
good luck. I’ll be listening for you.”

Cooper
leaned down and kissed her, gently at first and then he couldn’t stop himself.
Tessa amazed him in so many ways, and he found that he looked forward to seeing
her every minute of every day. To the point that he wanted to make it
permanent. Only he was scared. Not of what that meant, but of what Tessa’s
reaction would be if he suggested it.

They’d
certainly mended some rifts between them in the last couple of weeks, but he
knew she was still scared. Tessa had spent more years than not trying to atone
for her mistakes and even though he could tell she was getting better, she was
still holding herself back.

Shaking
off the thought, Cooper broke the kiss and stared down at her, running his
finger down her jaw. “I’ll check on you in a bit. Try to stay close to Eric,”
he told her. “Oh.” Cooper grabbed her hand before she could get away. “I don’t
care what happens, don’t talk to any reporter’s.”

Tessa’s
eyebrow cocked in question and Cooper smiled. “You shouldn’t have to deal with
them. I’m not worried about what you’d say, but I don’t want them hurting you.”

Her
subtle nod didn’t reassure him that she understood his reasoning, but at least
she agreed for now. Planting a quick kiss on her lips, he pulled a strand of
her hair gently and turned to leave her in peace.

Two
hours later, all hell broke loose.

Cooper
had just come off of the stage when he noticed two guys near the donation tent
going toe to toe. He couldn’t see much, but based on the crowd gathering, he
knew he wasn’t going to like what he found. Glancing around, he glimpsed Eric
at the same time the man noticed what was going on. The two of them made a
beeline for the fight, both of them coming from different directions.

After
forcing himself through the wall of bodies forming a circle around the fight,
Cooper came up short just a few feet away from Jack.

“Stop,
Jack! Please. Stop!” Tessa was screaming at her brother who had some guy pinned
to the ground by his throat. That wasn’t what had Cooper’s breath heaving in
and out of his lungs.

Tessa
was holding her shirt closed because it had clearly been ripped, her hair was
halfway out of her ponytail, and there was a mark obscuring the side of her
face. Big and red…

“He’s
not worth it, Jack!” Tessa screamed, her eyes wild as she tried to pull her
brother off of the man.

“Nuh-uh.”
The voice, along with a firm hand, pulled Cooper up short before he even
realized that he was moving in closer. “You get her,” Dalton said fiercely.
“We’ll take care of the rest.”

“Bullshit,”
Cooper growled.

“Both
of you, out of here,” Eric’s stern voice caught Cooper’s attention. “Get her,
Coop. See if she needs medical attention.”

Cooper
was trying to rein in his rage, and Eric’s statement did just that – as
efficient as a gallon of ice water would’ve been. He was just about to move to
get Tessa when the guy that Jack had pinned managed to deliver a low punch,
effectively doubling Jack over. As soon as the guy was free, Cooper got a good
look at who it was. Chad. The bastard he’d thrown out of Tessa’s bar.

Although
Chad seemed to be struggling to breathe, he lunged at Tessa, slamming her
backward. Before Cooper could get his feet in motion, Chad grabbed her by the
hair.

The
roar that escaped was probably heard for miles, but Cooper heard nothing except
for his blood thundering in his veins. He hit the asshole at a fast clip,
sending them both flying to the ground. As much as he wanted to beat the hell
out of Chad, Cooper knew he’d spend the night in jail, and at this point, this
guy was going to get the honors if Cooper could just keep himself in check long
enough.

Pushing
to his feet, he kept his eye on the man on the ground, but the bastard didn’t
try to move. He just started yelling.

“She’s
a stupid fucking cunt!” Chad spat toward Tessa. “Fucking whore! Don’t think
your famous boyfriend won’t find out the truth about you! Fucking bitch!”

The group
that was now gathered, the noise, everything faded as Cooper’s world narrowed
down to the guy throwing obscenities at Tessa. He fucking hurt her, and his
nasty insults weren’t slowing. And that’s when Cooper let loose, his fists
flying, his anger unstoppable. Chad never knew what hit him either. It wasn’t
until someone – make that several someone’s – pulled Cooper off that he
stopped.

“Out
of here now!” Eric barked, pulling Cooper until he stumbled backward. When the
noise and the lights assaulted his senses, Cooper realized where he was, and he
immediately searched for Tessa, finding her as Jack was leading her away.

Apparently
the bastard now lying in the dirt must’ve gotten in a few solid punches because
Cooper felt as though he’d been run over by a truck. He managed to limp toward
Tessa, gently pulling her into his arms as Jack moved to clear the area.

“Take
him back to the house,” Jack ordered Tessa, referring to Cooper. “Don’t come
back until I tell you.”

The
next thing Cooper knew, they were in his truck, tearing across the back pasture
toward his house. Once they were locked inside of his house a few minutes
later, he took stock of her condition. Yep, that was going to be a nasty bruise
on her jaw.

“What
the fuck happened?” he asked, realizing how cruel he sounded. He was doing his
damnedest to get his temper under control, but the only thing he saw was when
that bastard knocked her down. And Cooper knew full well that his anger was
obscuring his common sense, but he couldn’t rein himself in no matter how hard
he tried.

“You
don’t want to know,” Tessa said as she inhaled deeply, her bottom lip already
swelling.

“I
told you to stay the fuck away from him, Tessa.” Cooper growled, forcing
himself to stand up straight although his ribs protested as he did.

Tessa
glared at him, her anger matching his. “You
told
me?”

“Yes.
I fucking told you to stay away from him.” Moving closer, he lifted her chin,
forcing her to look at him. When she flinched, he felt like an asshole, but he
couldn’t help himself. He checked out the mark on her cheek as he waited for
her to answer him.

Tessa
pulled away, walking to the other side of the room.

“What
the fuck made him hit you?”

Tessa
shrugged, and Cooper’s anger was like a wild fire roaring to life again,
gaining momentum as it barreled through dry brush. “You don’t know? This is the
second fucking time he’s gone after you. Did you start the fight, Tessa?”

Her
incredulous expression pinned him in place, but Cooper was long past sane at
the moment. “Did I not tell you reporters would be here? Are you fucking trying
to draw attention to me? As it is, they’ve probably got it all on video. Shit,
it may be all over the television by now.”

Obviously
she didn’t like the question or his tone of voice because her hands balled into
fists at her side, her eyes shooting daggers.

“Why
would you ask that?” she asked, her voice much stronger than minutes before.

“Is
there something I should know?”

Tessa’s
body straightened and her eyes narrowed on him. “Yeah, you should know that I’m
just the town whore as far as he’s concerned. That make you feel better?”

The
words were like a slap to the face and Cooper actually recoiled. How the hell
had this conversation turned in this direction? “
What?
”

“You
heard me,” she yelled. “I need to go.”

Before
he could stop her, Tessa disappeared out the front door, and she was making a
run for her truck. He tried to follow her, but his ribs protested, forcing him
to stop and breathe through the pain. With no choice but to let her go, he
watched until her taillights disappeared at the end of his driveway.

Sonuvabitch!

A
few minutes later, Dalton and Jack came inside the house.

“Where
is she?” Jack asked as soon as he stepped into the living room.

“Hell
if I know.”

“What
do you mean you don’t know?”

“Just
what I fucking said,” Cooper yelled, taking a step closer to Jack.

“Hold
on now,” Dalton stated, pushing an arm between the two of them. "Tempers
are hot right now. You two need to calm down.”

“Fuck
you, Calhoun.” Cooper turned his wrath on his friend.

“Chill
the fuck out, Coop. This ain’t helping, and you know it.”

“She
was defending your sorry ass,” Jack stated, his voice low and laced with venom.

“What?”
Cooper’s head jerked back toward Jack as though his neck were a rubber band.
“Defending me? What the hell did
I
do?”

“Nothing.
That’s the damn problem.”

Cooper
felt like he’d been sucker punched. Again.

Jack
thrust his hands through his hair as he turned to pace the room. “His name is
Chad Harper,” Jack said by way of explanation a minute later.

“
Chad
Harper
?” Dalton asked incredulously, his tone causing both Cooper and Jack
to turn to face him.