Nicole Edwards - Chasing Dreams

“So there weren’t any pictures?”

“No, darlin’. No pictures.” Cooper tilted his head, studying her for a minute. He had no idea about the relationship she’d had with Chad, but he didn’t like her reaction. “Should there be pictures, Tessa?”

She glared up at him, but just as quickly as the defenses went up, they came down. “Not that I know of. None that I would’ve allowed willingly,” she admitted. “I swear, Cooper. I’m not like that.”

“Tessa, you don’t have to explain yourself to me. I know how you are. I know who you are. I know you’re a very passionate woman, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s his loss that he was too stupid to know what to do with that.”

Tessa looked down at the ground for a long time. Cooper wanted to give her some time to process what he was telling her. He hadn’t stayed away because he wanted to. And he was just waiting for his father to give him the go ahead. The fact that his dad was back in Devil’s Bend told him everything he needed to know. Everything was taken care of. And not a minute too soon.

“So you didn’t stay away from me to hurt me?” Tessa continued to look down at the ground, and it broke his heart to know how much he’d hurt her.

Marcus was the only reason he had stayed away, even though Cooper had tried to convince himself that she deserved better than him. He still felt she did, but… Well, even if Tessa said otherwise, Cooper was selfish and he didn’t want to give her up.

“I hated that I couldn’t tell you, but Tessa, I had to protect you. I didn’t want to stay away, but until I was sure I could get Marcus under control, I wasn’t willing to risk you.” Cooper kept his eyes on her as he paused.

The sad truth filled his chest as he watched the most amazing woman he’d ever had the pleasure of meeting. She was so strong, so resilient, and so deserving of every happiness in the world. “I still think you deserve better than me.”

When a genuine smile formed on Tessa’s mouth, Cooper’s insides churned. He still hadn’t learned to be patient, so waiting for her to say something was killing him.

“I don’t want better,” she said, and he caught the humor in her tone.

Moving in closer, pushing his body between her thighs, Cooper cupped her face and locked his gaze with hers. “That’s good because from here on out, you’re stuck with me, Tessa.”

“I think that might just be a punishment I can handle,” she whispered back as Cooper leaned forward.

He didn’t care how she looked at it, as long as he had Tessa, he intended to spend the rest of his days doing his damnedest to make her happy.

“I love you, Tessa.”

“I love you too, cowboy.”

“Don’t you think we should probably get out of the house at some point today?” Tessa asked Cooper the following afternoon when they were still cuddled together in her bed.

Cooper’s sexy growl sounded from behind her and she smiled. Ever since they’d said the “L” word to one another the day before, Tessa had been as high as a kite, better than any drug in the world. And the hours they spent making love the night before, proving just how deep their feelings were for one another, had left her even more invigorated, despite the lack of sleep.

Because of all of the hoopla that was going on with the press, she and Cooper had gone to work at The Rusty Nail on Saturday night. Although they had expected the worst, the night hadn’t been as bad as she had expected. Luckily, Dalton had come in to yank everyone’s attention right off of them and over to him. The man was good at that.

Well, him and David, Cooper’s father. To her surprise David and Becca showed up at the bar and when all was said and done, the reporters had been settled somewhat.

Tessa wasn’t sure the press would ever get tired of following Cooper around, but then again, why would they? She knew just how amazing he was, so it only made sense that everyone else knew it too. That didn’t mean she wasn’t happy when she and Cooper were able to sneak into her house and lock the rest of the world outside for a few hours.

But now those hours were up, and she really needed to get out of bed. Just when she was going to roll over so she could get the day started, Cooper pinned her back beneath him, a huge smile on his face as he loomed over her.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

“Hmmm, I was thinking breakfast might be in order.”

“Breakfast?” Cooper asked as he glanced over at the alarm clock on her bedside table. “It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think?”

Tessa tilted her head to read the numbers on the clock. Ok, so he was probably right. Three o’clock in the afternoon meant breakfast was more like supper.

“I need a shower,” she teased as she pretended to try and push him off of her. She knew as well as he did that if he wasn’t willing to move, he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Is that an invite?”

The devilish gleam in Cooper’s eyes said he was ready for another round, but the aches in her body said she needed just a little time to recuperate. “Sorry, cowboy, you wore me out last night.”

“Darlin’, that was nothin’ compared to what I plan to do to you later.”

“Later?” she asked, groaning as though the thought was distressing. In fact, Tessa looked forward to later. As long as she could lay next to Cooper every night for the rest of her life, she was more than willing to endure whatever he could dish out.

“Yes, later. Like tonight.”

“To–” Before she could get the question out, Cooper’s finger was pressed against her lips, effectively shutting her up.

“Tonight. Tomorrow night. The night after that…” Cooper leaned in, replacing his finger with his lips as he pressed a sweet, gentle kiss to her mouth.

“Hmmm, I like the sound of that,” she whispered.

“In fact, I intend to wear you out for the rest of our natural lives.”

Tessa’s body stilled, the urge to panic rose in her chest, but before she could say or do anything, Cooper grinned down at her.

“You’re learnin’.” Cooper laughed, kissing her again.

“Learnin’ what?” she asked, confused.

“Not to freak out on me.”

Oh, she wasn’t so sure about that. Keeping herself closed off to everyone was a conditioned response, one that would take time to get past. Granted, when it came to Cooper, her heart had been freed from the chains she’d had it locked in for all these years, but that didn’t mean her first instinct wouldn’t be to hide within herself.

Cooper’s eyes darkened, his brow furrowed as he studied her for a minute. When she thought he would push her to talk, he surprised the hell out of her by rolling off of her and climbing out of bed.

“Where’re you going?” she asked, suddenly nervous that she’d upset him.

“Shower. Isn’t that what you said?”

Tessa watched as he padded across her bedroom and then out into the hall. She heard the sound of the shower come on and she sighed.

What the hell just happened?

Knowing that talking to the ceiling wasn’t going to get her any answers, Tessa forced herself out of bed. Grabbing Cooper’s t-shirt, she pulled it on over her head and then made a beeline for the kitchen. While he was in the shower, at least she could make coffee.

Tessa met Havoc and Harmony in the hallway, their tails wagging, their big, furry heads looking up at her with such love, she felt her heart swell even more.

“I bet y’all are starving,” she told them as she made her way past.

“I fed them this morning,” Cooper called from the bathroom.

He fed them? When did he get out of bed? Rather than going to the food bowls, she opened the back door and let them out to do their thing. A few minutes later, she had the coffee on and was heading back toward her bedroom.

She passed Cooper in the hall, the comfortable feeling of him moving around her house so easily was both unsettling and… welcome. There was no other way to put it. After the last week, being without him had been the most difficult things she’d had to endure since…

“Shower. You. Now,” he ordered with a swat on her butt that made her jump.

“Gettin’ kinda bossy are ya, cowboy?” she teased, relieved that he had redirected her thoughts.

“We’ve got somewhere to go, so make it quick. I’ll have your coffee ready for you.”

Before she could ask him what they had to do, he was around the corner and into the kitchen, leaving her standing in the hallway to stare at the empty space he had just vacated.

Where could he possibly be taking her?

* * *

Cooper waited patiently – yes, he was actively working on the patience piece – for Tessa to get ready. While he sat on the back porch watching the dogs in the yard, he shot off several texts and waited for the responses. It was later than he had wanted, but thankfully everything was still moving forward as planned.

When she finally emerged from the house, he was sitting on the edge of the chair wondering just how much longer he’d be able to hold out. A short whistle had the dogs running up to the house as he turned and went inside. Grabbing the travel mug that he’d put Tessa’s coffee in, he handed it off to her and ushered her out through the front door with the dogs alongside them.

“Where’re we going?” she asked, but Cooper just smiled. She would figure it all out soon enough. Maybe. Until then, he planned to keep a lid on the surprise.

A few minutes later, Cooper was pulling his truck down the long dirt road to his house, a smile permanently plastered on his face. Although the trip had been a short one, he had managed to evade all of Tessa’s questions. He couldn’t help but think about how she sounded just like Adam the last time he’d had breakfast with the man. Seemed like just yesterday that her brother had grilled him about his plans to stay in Devil’s Bend, but still felt like months had passed at the same time.

“What’s going on, cowboy?” Tessa asked sternly when Cooper parked his truck beside the spot where the new stables were going in. Nothing more than a concrete foundation for now, but he could pretty much picture the entire setup in his mind already.

“Come on,” he told her as he climbed out.

While he waited for her to join him, Cooper let the dogs out of the bed of the truck and then moved around to her side.

Taking her hand, Cooper started walking, forcing her to fall into step beside him. He had to give her credit, she wasn’t asking any more questions. Then again, she was probably too stunned to speak considering the people who were waiting for them.

Nodding his head toward Izzy, Eric, Katie, Miranda, Jack, Dalton, David, and Becca, he didn’t say a word. Once he and Tessa had joined them in the middle of what would soon be the center of the equestrian center, he stopped and turned to face her.

Still holding her hand, he felt her tremble, and he only hoped she wasn’t shaking from fear.

“Tessa,” Cooper said when he looked down at her, taking both of her hands in his. The afternoon sun was shining down on her, blonde hair glistening like gold, green eyes sparkling back at him and a measure of uncertainty written on her face that made his heart twist.

“What’s going on?” she whispered, the tremor in her hands evident in her voice as well.

“I…”

“Wait, hold up!” Dalton yelled as he took off running toward his truck.

Cooper couldn’t help but laugh as did the others. Everyone except Tessa, who seemed to be trying to figure out what was going on.

“Sorry, man.” Dalton was out of breath when he returned, but he was grinning, his hands behind his back.

It was Cooper’s turn to want to ask questions, but he focused on Tessa, the main reason they were all there.

“Tessa,” he began again, his heart clenching in his chest as he smiled down at her. “Since the –”

The sound of a horn bleating from up near the house had everyone turning that direction. Cooper was beginning to sweat, and it had nothing to do with the afternoon sun and everything to do with his nerves. The interruptions weren’t helping.

“That’s…” Tessa said, her hand squeezing Cooper’s. “That’s Adam’s truck.”

Oh, thank God. Cooper was hoping her older brother could make it. Unsure how much longer he would be able to hold out, Cooper sent up a silent prayer that Adam would get a move on so he could continue before he lost every ounce of nerve he’d worked up over the last hour.

Adam’s big white Silverado came to an abrupt stop next to Cooper’s truck and even though the sun was glaring off of the windshield, Cooper could tell there was more than one person in the vehicle, but he had no idea who Adam could’ve possibly brought with him. This had been a spur of the moment deal. Well, the scheduling part had been. The actual event had been on Cooper’s mind for some time now, but as it turns out, not everything in his life goes according to plan.