Chasing Dreams (Devil's Bend) (8 page)

“What
if we go talk to Luanne together? See what happens when we play her game?”

“Together?”
Tessa wasn’t sure that was a good idea. What if Luanne decided not to sell to
either of them?

“Or,
I’ll go talk to her. See if I can persuade her to my original price.”

The
disappointment swamped her. She knew she shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up.
She doubted from the beginning that he would be willing to take a step back and
take his money elsewhere. The selfish part of her hated that he was coming in
and stealing her dreams out from under her. Not that she’d gotten very far. Not
yet.

“Ok,
so I take it you don’t like that idea either,” he said before she could answer.
“How about this? We go about our business, I let my Realtor know that I’m still
thinking it over, and we give her a couple of weeks. See if she comes back to
me and agrees to my original price.”

Tessa
knew it honestly didn’t matter one way or the other. Even though she wanted the
land for herself, she knew the next best thing was for Cooper to get it. There
was nothing to say she could even get an equestrian center up and running
anytime in the next decade. It wasn’t like it was a cheap endeavor. Not in the
least. Cooper would certainly have the means to do it much sooner than she
would.

“I
think that’s a smart decision. If she is playing us, then she’ll surely get
back to you. However, if there is another buyer,” she told him, “which I
seriously don’t think there is, but it’s still a possibility, you might lose
the land.”

“I’m
not going to lose it,” he countered. “I’ll top the price if I have to, but I
think you’re right. I think she’s trying to see what she can get out of me.”

Tessa
genuinely wanted to believe that. Not because she wanted Cooper to get taken by
the likes of Luanne, but it seemed way too coincidental.

“Now,
I’ve only got one stipulation,” Cooper added, and Tessa met his eyes once
again.

“What’s
that?”

“A
date.”

Tessa
cocked an eyebrow. “Luanne’s married. I’m not sure she’ll date you. Then again,
I don’t know her all that well.”

Cooper
laughed, but she had expected him to. Tessa knew what he was getting at, but
she truly didn’t want him asking her out. She liked him. Despite the fact that
he was interrupting her entire life in more ways than one, she still liked him.

Too
much.

“With
you.”

Damn.
How was she going to get out of this one?

“How
about this? We give Luanne two weeks. If she calls you about your original
price, I’ll go out with you. If not, we’ll leave it at that.”

“Hmmm,”
Cooper said, looking as though he were pondering her suggestion. Tessa could
only hope that no matter what, Luanne would realize the error of her ways
because Tessa was almost positive that she wouldn’t survive even one date with
Cooper.

“Deal.”
Cooper held out his hand for her to shake and Tessa stared down at it.

Her
brain took a second to realize what she’d just done and then she lifted her
hand and met his, enjoying the firm grip of his touch much more than she should
have.

Yep,
she had evidently just jumped in over her head.

It
was hard to believe, but two weeks had passed since Tessa and Cooper had their
conversation at Charlie’s Restaurant and just as many days since she had hired
him on at the bar. There were no other encounters of the kissing kind during
that time, which was both a relief and a disappointment. Tessa knew she shouldn’t
want him, but the more time they spent together, the more he was growing on
her.

On
top of that,
The Rusty Nail
was running seamlessly. There were new faces
last Friday and Saturday night, all of them drawing enormous crowds, sometimes
more than her bar could handle. Cooper didn’t seem to have a problem with it.
In fact, he had already told her that next week, the acts would be even bigger.

And,
as if that wasn’t enough, she had managed to get through her first phone call
with Cooper’s infamous manager who, honestly, was an asshole. She’d had the
pleasure of talking to him on Monday night when he called the bar directly.
According to him, Cooper wasn’t answering the phone and it was urgent. At least
they weren’t busy because Manager Marcus had refused to let her got off of the
phone with him.

Much
to their dismay – her and Eric – they didn’t get to hear the showdown between
the two men because once Cooper was informed that Marcus had called her, he’d
gone outside to call him back. Tessa had no idea what Cooper told the man, but
they had yet to hear any more from Marcus the Manager.

No
love lost there.

Cooper
was a little more relaxed, although she wasn’t sure that was even possible. It
seemed as the days went by, he became more and more comfortable in Devil’s
Bend, and he was still just as anxious to get the land as he had been in the
beginning. As far as she knew, he hadn’t heard from Luanne though.

Every
night they were open, Cooper was right there beside her, working his magic and
making the crowds go crazy. If he didn’t have someone on the stage, he would
sometimes jump up there for the hell of it. Tessa enjoyed those moments,
especially when Cooper let himself go. The man was a sight to see up on that
stage.

The
fans were still bombarding him, but they were at least trying to be polite
about it. Tessa wasn’t sure that would ever slow down; after all, he was
famous, so it did make sense that people would want to meet him. So far, they’d
been able to manage them easily.

“Hey!
Can I get a beer over here?” Tessa looked up to see Cooper walking toward her,
a huge grin on his face. For some strange reason, she felt the urge to smile
back.

It
could’ve been because the man was sinfully attractive with his dark hair and
glowing golden eyes. Or possibly, that body that looked good enough to eat in
those damn dark Wranglers that showcased one of the finest asses she’d ever
seen. Not that she was attracted to him or anything. She’d gotten over that
about thirteen days ago.

Ok,
so she was in denial too.

She
was still doing a damn impressive job of pretending though. They had managed to
work side by side each night and had even shared a few casual conversations,
which gave her a glimpse into his life a little bit.

He
was looking for something, obviously, which was why he ended up in Devil’s
Bend. Tessa just wasn’t sure he was going to find it. He seemed to be running
from his own life. The problem with running is that you generally didn’t end up
where you wanted to be either. She kept waiting for Cooper to announce to them
all that his tour bus was waiting outside and he was riding off into the
sunset.

Without
even thinking about it, Tessa poured him a beer, knowing that he preferred
draft to bottle thanks to his frequency in the place. When he approached the
bar, she passed it over and beamed at him. His grin was contagious. “Why’re you
so happy?”

“Why
wouldn’t I be? I just received a phone call from my Realtor. You know what that
means?”

Tessa
shook her head, though she still smiled because that devious grin on his face
was infectious.

“It
means no more motel rooms for me.”

Thank
God he didn’t mention the date. After all, they’d agreed if Luanne called him
first, Tessa would go out with him. And clearly, he must’ve received an
agreement on the original price. For some strange reason, she wanted to walk
around the bar and wrap her arms around him. She was a sucker for that sort of
emotion, and he seemed genuinely happy.

Even
if his happiness was at her expense.

“I
take it she went with your price?”

“She
actually came down a few thousand. Seems that playing hard to get works out
sometimes. We should celebrate,” he stated after she was smart enough to keep
her feet glued to the floor where she was.

“I
just gave you a beer.” Tessa laughed. “What more could you possibly want?”

“Dinner.”
The smile was still on his face, but there was something else lingering in his
golden eyes. Heat maybe? Since she felt it too, she was hard pressed to be able
to deny what she saw there.

“With
who?”

“You,
of course.”

“Sorry,
cowboy. I’ve got a bar to run.”

“You
do. But I also know you happen to have Tuesday night off. What do you say?”

Tessa
didn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure what to say. Tuesday was still a few days
away, but her nerves didn’t seem to understand that. The smart part of her
brain told her she needed to say no. The other part wanted to jump up and down
like a giddy school girl and announce to the bar that Cooper Krenshaw wanted to
take her on a date.

Before
she knew what was happening, Cooper was leaning over the bar, mere inches from
her face and Tessa could hardly breathe. His eyes were glowing with what
appeared to be elation, but worse than that, she couldn’t take her eyes off of
his mouth. If she just leaned forward a fraction of an inch, she would be close
enough to feel the heat of his breath against her mouth. If she moved a
fraction of an inch more than that, she would get to confirm yet again that
those sensual lips were as soft as they looked.

Damn.
Damn. Damn.

Tessa
managed to lean back slightly while trying to hide her reaction to him.

“One
dinner. That’s all I ask.”

“You’re
telling me that if I go to dinner with you one time, you’ll leave me alone
indefinitely?”

“If
that’s what you want, then yes. One date.”

“You
just said dinner, now date. Which is it, cowboy?”

“Date.
After Tuesday night, when I return you to your front porch, if you decide that
you don’t want to go out with me again, I’ll leave it at that.”

Tessa
had to think about it for a minute. Oh, who was she kidding? There wasn’t any
thinking involved. She was merely fantasizing about what it would feel like to
taste his lips again.

Rather
than speaking, she nodded her head. She didn’t trust her voice. Based on the
look on Cooper’s face, he didn’t need the words.

“Perfect.
I’ll pick you up at five on Tuesday. Be ready because I’ve got plans for us,”
he told her and then grabbed his beer and sauntered off across the bar, leaving
her to stare after him.

Tessa
wanted to be angry with herself for giving in to him. There was just something
about him. He was enigmatic. Charming. And, of course, he smelled so damned
good. One night, Tessa had even searched on the internet and come up with the
answer that it was pheromones that caused her to be so drawn to his scent. She
knew it had to be something because no one should be able to smell that
delicious.

She
allowed herself a few more seconds of admiring his ass before she turned back
to what she had been doing before he walked up. And she would get right back to
doing it… if she remembered what it was.

∞
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Score
a point for the cowboy
, Cooper thought as he forced himself to walk away
from Tessa.

Not
only had he finally signed a firm contract on the house, he scored a date with
the woman who managed to insert herself right smack in the middle of his mind
and taunt him when he least expected it.

And
if dreaming about her wasn’t enough, he was also waking up with his dick hard
enough to hammer nails into concrete. Of course, he’d been playing it cool when
he was around her. Or he would like to think he was anyway. Tessa was skittish,
and he knew he had to take his time with her. He wasn’t looking to rush
anything, so he had all the time in the world. If only his dick would feel the
same way. Before it was over, his balls might be cobalt blue, but Cooper was pretty
sure it would be worth it.

Making
his way up onto the stage, Cooper set his beer on top of the stool and grabbed
his guitar.
The Rusty Nail
might not boast live music every night, but
this was what he’d been missing these last few years. He wanted to sing, and
this place gave him that opportunity. On his nights off, or during some of his
spare time, he would write the songs, practicing in his motel room. So far, no
one had complained, but he was thrilled to be able to move into his house to
get more privacy.

According
to the Realtor, he wouldn’t have to wait long. Everything was going to move
fast because he was paying cash. In fact, she’d told him that all of the
paperwork would be ready and waiting for him first thing Monday morning. He was
counting down. As soon as he signed the papers, and the electricity and water
were turned on, he’d be moving in.

Not
a minute too soon.

Obviously
it helped that he had ignored Luanne’s first call a week ago. And then he’d had
his Realtor call her back late last week to tell her he was concerned with her
new price. Apparently the woman realized her luck had run out, and as of
yesterday, the ball was back in his court. Now that it was Friday, everything
seemed to be waiting for the beginning of the next work week.

“Bear
with me folks,” he spoke into the microphone, glancing out at the few people
scattered throughout the bar, his eyes landing on Tessa. “I’ve been working on
this one recently. Not yet finished, but I’d be glad to hear what you think.
It’s called
Angel in Blue Jeans
.”

A
couple of people clapped, making Cooper smile. Closing his eyes, he got lost in
the music for the next few minutes, trying to feel out every word. By the time
he was finished, there was another round of applause, and to his delight, Tessa
even joined in. He wasn’t sure what it was about her, but to know she liked
what he did made it all worthwhile. Of course, the song was about her, but he
didn’t think she would appreciate knowing that. Yet.

Over
the course of the last few weeks, he’d learned that he much preferred the
sincerity of the handful of people he had come to call friends in this small
town over a stadium full of people in an unfamiliar city. Many of those who
came out to see him night after night he was now on a first name basis with.

“Thank
you, thank you,” he grinned at the crowd, keeping his eyes locked on Tessa’s.
In her cowboy hat, her tiny tank top and those hip hugging jeans, she made his
mouth water. Not that he was trying to think about what she would look like
with all of those clothes removed, but he couldn’t help himself at times. Like
now.

Realizing
he was seconds away from embarrassing himself with a hard on that even his
jeans wouldn’t be able to conceal, Cooper turned his attention back to the
group. At least he could get distracted for a few minutes.

By
the time three o’clock rolled around, the bar was empty. This had become his
routine, working on his laptop after closing while Tessa, Eric and Katie shut
everything down. Tonight he’d been engrossed in a project. A surprise for the
bar he’d become so fond of.

One
of the pluses of being in country music, the number of friends he had made were
endless. And he wasn’t just talking about acquaintances. He’d built some
relationships over the years, and he knew the people he kept close would
support him through a time like this and at this moment, he needed all the help
he could get.

Not
only was he looking to get some solid entertainment onboard at the bar, but he
was also looking for some volunteer work on his farm. That was still a couple
of weeks away, but once he got the stables up, he fully intended to get the
ball rolling with the equestrian center. That was his main goal and his friends
would make the end result that much sweeter.

“I’m
gonna call it a night,” Eric told Tessa who was standing behind the bar, wiping
down the counter top.

“I
don’t blame you,” she answered, sounding tired. “Katie’s already gone, so can
you lock the door on your way out? We’ll go out the back door.”

“Yes
ma’am.” With that, Eric swatted Tessa on the ass with a towel as he passed her
by.

Initially,
Cooper hadn’t been all that fond of the gesture, but once he learned that Tessa
and Eric went way back, and, in fact, Eric was married to Tessa’s best friend,
he’d seen a different aspect to their relationship. They were friends, that was
obvious. Cooper knew that he wouldn’t walk away with his junk intact if he
swatted her on the ass like that.