Nicole Edwards - Chasing Dreams

Tessa knew he was referring to his manager, and she noticed the frustration that lingered briefly in Cooper’s eyes. For the last couple of weeks, she’d overheard bits and pieces of several of his phone conversations, and although she only ever heard a few words, she sensed that he still wasn’t happy with Marcus or what he was telling him.

“Do you plan to just walk away from your career?” she blurted as she watched him scoop potato salad onto his plate.

Cooper’s eyes met hers, his lips a thin line as he seemed to be trying to read her intention. Smiling, she made an effort to lighten the mood. “Don’t worry, I’m not planning to go talk to the tabloids.”

He smiled back, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Feeling as though she overstepped and invaded his personal space, she followed up with, “Sorry. We can talk about whatever you want.”

“No, I’m good. Where you’re concerned, I’m an open book.”

Tessa wasn’t sure she wanted him to be an open book because that would mean he would expect the same from her and there were too many things that she shied away from talking about. Her history was one of them.

“I like this,” he said as he motioned with a tilt of his head toward the fields, “but I don’t want to give up my career altogether. Maybe slow down some. I want to do something more. There’s a part of me that is constantly looking for a challenge. I think I found that here.”

Tessa wondered whether he was referring to the potential of the farm or her.

“And you’re up for the challenge of a farm?”

Cooper tilted his head, as though studying her again and Tessa fought the urge to squirm.

“It’ll be the biggest challenge of my life no doubt. Not only will it take a tremendous amount of time, but the back breaking work will keep me occupied.” Cooper paused, his gaze still intently focused on her. “Financially, I can help in a lot of ways, such as getting the center off the ground, but I know it won’t be enough for me. Being able to work with children and horses and to see the benefit of them together, that’s where the true reward is.”

“What made you want to work with kids?” she asked.

There was a distant sadness in Cooper’s eyes that made Tessa’s heart ache in response, but for the first time, he didn’t answer her. Open book, huh? Well, it looked like he had some things he wanted to keep to himself, so Tessa didn’t feel so guilty about not sharing her life story with him just yet.

Changing the subject, she asked, “So, you don’t want to stop performing?”

Cooper forked potatoes in his mouth, his gaze intently focused on her to the point she was about to start fidgeting when he finally spoke. “No, I don’t want to stop altogether. The fans are the reason I keep doing what I do. But, honestly, I like The Rusty Nail,” he replied, sounding serious.

“So, what? You’re going to give up all the world traveling and just sing at a small town bar a couple of nights a month?”

“I’m thinking about it.” She had to break the eye contact, fearful that he would see the lust that was slowly building inside of her as she watched him eat. Luckily, the food looked wonderful, effectively redirecting her attention.

Cooper hadn’t skimped on dinner. According to the napkins, he ordered from Charlie’s Restaurant: roasted chicken, potato salad and corn on the cob. She remembered he was a man of routine and couldn’t help but think that this was definitely not his normal meal.

“Would that bother you? Me hanging around your bar indefinitely?”

Tessa grinned. She couldn’t lie to the man. “I kinda like you hanging around.”

“Well, that’s good because if I have anything to say about it, I’ll be hanging around for a long time.”

They ate in silence for a few minutes, both of them glancing out over the landscape as the night descended upon them. When they were finished, Tessa helped Cooper clean up the mess, using a large black trash bag to dispose of the containers since he didn’t yet have a trash can.

When he disappeared inside the house for a few minutes, Tessa moved over to the rickety porch swing and decided to test it out. There was a new cushion on it, probably the ugliest one he could possibly find, too. The dark red with even darker blue flowers was not at all appealing to the eyes. She liked the idea of him planning ahead for their date though and the longer she was there, the more she liked the idea of being somewhere that no one would interrupt them.

Getting comfortable, Tessa gazed out at the acres of empty space in front of her. There was no denying the jealousy she felt when it came to the land and the fact that Cooper had purchased it. It was the perfect place to build an equestrian center. She could almost picture where the barn and the stables would go, as well as the various areas that could be sectioned off for events. And despite the fact that she didn’t own the land outright, it was as though she now had the opportunity to live her dream vicariously through Cooper.

She wanted to believe that she wouldn’t harbor any ill-will toward the man for having the opportunity she knew she’d never have, but she wondered whether that was even possible.

Cooper managed to clean up what he could and then grabbed two beers from the refrigerator. He wouldn’t let Tessa know that the beer was the only thing he had stocked up on prior to picking her up. Considering the refrigerator had seen much better days, – probably back in the seventies when it was new – he wasn’t all that keen on putting anything else inside. Thankfully, his refrigerator would be delivered later in the week, and he would be able to donate that one to someone else who could put it to good use.

Making his way back outside, he let the screen door slam behind him, the loud slap making him smile. It reminded him of growing up, running through the house and right out the back door, his momma yelling at him not to slam the door seconds before it did just that. God, he missed her even though he talked to her practically every single day. Sometimes more. That was probably the only thing about being in Texas that he found disconcerting. He had always been close to his parents.

Realizing he was on a first date – although technically, it was officially their second – with a woman he actually wanted to know more about, Cooper shook off the train of thought.

When he walked back outside, he found Tessa sitting on the swing, her legs curled up beneath her as she stared out at the overgrown fields that surrounded the house.

“What are you thinking right now?” he asked as he approached, handing her one of the beers.

“Huh?”

She was stalling, so he merely smiled at her, letting her know he’d caught onto her game. “I can tell you’re lost in thought. Where’d your mind go?”

“Nowhere,” she lied and Cooper frowned.

Figuring they knew each other better than most first date couples did, Cooper went ahead and sat on the swing beside her, wrapping his arm across the back and around her shoulder, easily pulling her up next to him. He loved the way she felt against him. The soft skin of her bare arm brushing against his, the sweet smell of her hair, it was a combination that brought out his protective side in a bad way. Then again, everything about her seemed to do that.

“See the old barn out there?” he asked her as she settled against his side, sighing as though she’d resigned herself to his questions.

“The one that’s falling down?” she giggled.

“That’d be the one.” Cooper took a swallow of his beer, then rested the bottle on his knee. “I’m gonna tear it down and build another one. I want to push it back a hundred yards or so. Get it farther from the house.”

“I’m assuming it’ll be bigger?”

“Yeah. I’m hoping to stable at least six horses and have more animals, so I’ll need a place big enough to store stuff. At first, it’ll probably seem like overkill. I’ll probably only start out with two or three horses, maybe a dog or two.”

“I think that’s a smart move. See where it goes.”

Cooper heard the sadness in her tone. According to everything he had learned since arriving in town, Tessa had the same dream he did. Although hers was probably more thought through… planned out.

“Would you do it differently?”

Tessa glanced up at him, her pretty green eyes sparkling as though he’d found the one thing she loved to talk about. He suddenly really wanted to get her input.

She turned back to look out at the fields and said, “The first measure of business should obviously be clearing the land, ensuring the outer fences are in shape. Check the barbed wire, get all of that repaired. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about a bunch of garbage to be hauled off with the exception of that barn.”

That was one thing about the property that Cooper had been happy about. The land was entirely fenced and based on what he saw, the majority of it was in decent shape. Only a few sections needed to be rebuilt, but certainly manageable.

“Got it. Clean and repair first.”

Tessa peeked up at him briefly. He ran his hand slowly down the side of her cheek, encouraging her to continue.

“From there, I’d probably start out small,” she continued, resting her head back against his shoulder, sipping her beer before holding it in her lap. “Obviously dispose of that,” she nodded with her chin toward the barn. “Depending on what you’re planning to replace it with, that could take some time.”

“I’m not looking to take a lot of time,” he informed her. Not that he flaunted his money, but he had enough to do what he wanted to do and then some. “It’ll probably be the first thing I really focus on. I’d like to see it up in a couple of months, if possible.”

“That’s definitely possible, but again, that depends on the size,” she stated. “From there, assuming you’ll build the stables at the same time, you should start out with three horses, maybe four. If you’re hiring a trainer, you’ll have some help in taking care of them. They’re a lot of work for one person, so you’ll be busy just with their upkeep. Are you going to hire someone to help?” she asked, lifting her beer to her lips again.

Cooper glanced down, watching as her lips touched the edge of the bottle, the way she tipped it up just a little before moving it back to her lap and sliding her pretty pink tongue over her bottom lip. He suddenly had a craving to lick that bottom lip himself.

Maybe it was the fact that they were somewhere private for the first time since he’d met her, maybe it was just being outside with nature, or maybe it was simply the woman… Any way he sliced it, Cooper hadn’t felt this content in a long time. For years, he’d been going ninety miles an hour, never slowing down. But here, this place, this woman, he felt as though he had a chance to enjoy it.

“Do you think I should hire someone?” Lifting his gaze back to the rapidly darkening expanse of sky in front of them, Cooper listened to the crickets as they chirped loudly around them.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea. You can check in with the high school. They’ve got an agriculture program and might have some kids looking to learn.”

Cooper liked that idea. A lot. Apparently Tessa Donovan had done her homework. It confirmed for him that she’d been telling him the truth from the get go.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither of them needing conversation to make things comfortable. Cooper loved sitting outside like this. With nature being the only sound disrupting the breeze flowing across the acres of tall grass. Other than the light from the kitchen spilling through the screen door and spraying a soft, buttery glow over the wooden planks of the porch, it was now almost totally dark. There weren’t any other lights in the distance, no other houses within miles to disturb the perfection of the evening.

“Why haven’t you done this yet?” he asked, using his hand to gesture toward the barn in the distance.

When Tessa flinched in his arms, her soft body no longer pliant, he tightened his arm around her, unwilling to let her run from him. She didn’t have to answer the question, but he didn’t want her to go. Not yet.

“You just seem so passionate about it, especially when you talk.”

Tessa tried to pull away again, but Cooper held her tight. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” she asked, once again trying to sit up straight.

“Don’t run away. I’m sorry. Forget I even asked.”

Long seconds passed before Tessa eased back against him, but Cooper noticed that she wasn’t relaxed anymore. Her body was rigid beneath his arm, her shoulders tense. He lowered his head toward her, pressing his lips against her hair and inhaling her sweet, fresh fragrance.