Nicole Edwards - Chasing Dreams

“So, you’re not gonna tell this guy that he’s stealing your land?” Jack asked when Miranda walked away.

“I think she likes you,” Tessa whispered, ignoring Jack’s question.

True to form, Jack peered around the room, looking hopeful, but when his eyes met hers again, he just looked confused. “Who?”

“Miranda.”

There was a dark cloud that appeared in Jack’s midnight blue eyes, but he quickly shifted it away. “I seriously doubt that.”

Tessa tilted her head, studying her brother for a minute. She didn’t think he would hide anything from her, but she had to wonder. Knowing that if she pressed him for details he would just shut down, so she dropped the subject.

“Why don’t you want to talk to Cooper?” Jack asked again, reminding Tessa why they were there in the first place.

“Technically that land wasn’t mine. Yet. And I’m not sure what the point would be. It’s not like he wouldn’t buy it anyway.”

“You don’t know that.”

Ok, so she honestly didn’t know that, but for some reason, Tessa didn’t want to interfere. Maybe that made her chicken or weak or whatever, but part of her held out hope. The simple fact that Cooper Krenshaw had the money to build an equestrian center, and he planned to work with disabled kids… how could she argue with that? It was her life’s dream and just because she was financially hindered didn’t mean Cooper couldn’t do the same thing she had planned, only sooner.

“So…” Jack started after a few seconds of silence, obviously realizing like a loyal brother should that she didn’t have more to say.

And the way Jack was looking at her now, Tessa didn’t need to be a mind reader to know where the conversation was headed. Not that she was finished talking about Cooper and the land, but she knew this subject was touchy. She could see the concern etched in Jack’s ruggedly handsome features.

“Yes, I talked to Adam,” she told her younger brother flatly, swallowing the golf ball sized lump that automatically sprung up any time she thought about what Adam was going to do.

“And you’re ok with it?”

“It’s not my decision,” she explained sadly.

It really wasn’t either. Yes, if she had her way, Adam wouldn’t go anywhere near the police department, but that’s because she was being selfish and didn’t want anything to happen to him. There were plenty of families who felt the same way about those they loved in that line of work. She was sure they all prayed the same way she had, hoping that their loved one came home every single day.

The more she thought about it, the more the tears threatened and Tessa was tired of crying. “He’ll be a fantastic police officer,” she told Jack. “I know this is what he’s always wanted. I’ll pray for him every single day, just like I did for Richie.”

“What do you think about him going to Dallas?”

Before Tessa could answer, Miranda walked up to the table carrying their drinks. “Who’s going to Dallas?”

“Adam,” Jack explained. “He’s been accepted into the Dallas Police Academy.”

Miranda’s cheerful demeanor took a drastic turn as she glanced back at Tessa. The only thing she could do was nod her head. Miranda had been right there with her when Richie died, so the woman knew exactly how hard this was on her.

“Well, tell him that I wish him luck,” Miranda said, and if Tessa wasn’t mistaken, the words were said on a sob.

Losing Richie had been hard on everyone, including their friends. By the time Tessa was a junior in high school, they had all become a tight knit group. Even though Richie and Eric were just a little older, they had still hung out even after they had graduated, spending their days and nights doing all the things foolish teenage kids did. Or rather, everyone had been trying to reel Tessa in.

Before Tessa could ask if Miranda was all right, the waitress darted toward the back of the restaurant, leaving Tessa and Jack staring after her.

“Do you need to go talk to her?” Jack asked, his head turned away as he watched Miranda disappear down the short hallway that led to the kitchen.

“I’ll give her a little while.” Miranda wouldn’t welcome Tessa’s questions right now. If there was anyone more closed off than Tessa, it was Miranda.

“Do they have something going between them?”

Tessa glanced at her brother as though he’d just lost his mind. Hadn’t she just told him that Miranda was crushing on him? Was he really that dense? Figuring it wouldn’t help matters to remind him, she just said, “Not that I know of.”

“Well, speak of the devil…” Jack mumbled.

Tessa turned around, fully expecting to see Adam walking in the front door of the restaurant. Instead, she got an eyeful of intensely sexy cowboy as Cooper sauntered into the room, his hat in his hand as he made his way to the long counter where a couple of others were seated. He didn’t see her at first, so Tessa turned around abruptly, hoping he wouldn’t notice she was there at all. She wasn’t sure she could handle him at the moment, and she certainly didn’t want Jack giving away anything they had been talking about.

“Don’t worry,” Jack whispered as he brought his glass to his mouth. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

“Tessa,” Cooper greeted as he approached the table, startling her. “Jack.”

“Hey, man. Join us,” Jack offered, much too easily.

When he didn’t budge in his seat, Tessa knew that she was going to have to slide over if Cooper was going to join them. Which meant she was going to have to sit very, very close to the man.

Please let him say no. Please let him say no. Please…

“Thanks. You mind?” Cooper asked Tessa and the words set on repeat in her head died a slow, painful death.

“No, not at all,” she mumbled, grabbing her tea glass and sliding toward the wall, allowing him enough space to join her in the booth.

Glancing down at her glass of tea, Tessa suddenly wished she had asked for something stronger. Like a bottle of tequila.

Or maybe two.

The last person Cooper expected to see when he walked into Charlie’s Restaurant was Tessa. In fact, he’d just been thinking about her, so it was almost as though she had materialized right out of his thoughts. Not that he minded in the least. She was a sight for sore eyes and being that he wouldn’t get the pleasure of seeing her at The Rusty Nail because they were closed on Sunday, he welcomed the few minutes he would get now.

After all, since the moment he kissed her, Cooper had thought of little else. He was bombarded with memories of that kiss, and he welcomed all thoughts of her. Hell, he relived the first time he met her more than he probably should. So, when Jack invited him to join them, he couldn’t resist.

“How’s it feel to be back in Small Town, USA again? I’m sure it’s a lot different than being on the road, touring and all that,” Jack stated as soon as Cooper had moved into the booth beside Tessa.

He glanced over, noticing she was eyeing her tea glass as though she would be able to morph the amber liquid into something else.

“I’m getting used to life in the slow lane.” Leaning back, Cooper hooked his arm at the top of the booth behind him, casually letting his hand rest close to Tessa’s shoulder between them.

“Do you think you’ll enjoy being on the other side of the fence when it comes to music? Adam said you’re handling the entertainment at Tessa’s bar.”

“That’s the plan. Right now I’ve been ordered to sit around and look pretty,” Cooper said, peering over at Tessa. He noticed the way she grinned slightly as she continued to study her glass.

“Look pretty?” Jack questioned. “That’s not easy for you, is it?”

Cooper laughed, liking the way Jack said what was on his mind, unlike so many people who spent their time trying to kiss his ass and make him feel important. He didn’t want to feel important. He wanted to feel as though he contributed to something. Something more than other people’s wallets.

“I’ll admit, I’m not good at it,” Cooper added.

“Not true,” Tessa mumbled and Cooper slid his arm around behind her on the booth, still being careful not to touch her.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” she said, peering over at him while using her hair to shield most of her face. He still managed to get a peek at the bright pink blush that suffused her cheeks.

He let it go, but he kept the information filed away for later. So it would seem she might actually be attracted to him more than she was letting on. Although based on the way she had kissed him back, he wasn’t sure he should be all that surprised.

“I hear you’re buying the Deluth farm,” Jack commented as Miranda brought another glass of tea and set it in front of Cooper.

After saying thank you to the waitress, Cooper turned his attention to Jack. “That was the plan. I thought it was all a done deal initially, but the woman who owns the property called my Realtor a few minutes ago and told her there was another offer on the table. Said I might want to reconsider the price if I really wanted the land.”

“What!” Tessa jerked as though someone had hit her before turning to face him more directly.

At her passionate reaction, Cooper focused on her, watching her expression change from shocked to angry and then back again.

“Something wrong?” Cooper noticed that the pretty blush was gone and reflected in those crystalline green eyes was something more like fire.

“You didn’t offer more money, did you?”

“Not yet, no.”

“Don’t.” The single word was a command, and Cooper suddenly wondered what she knew that he didn’t.

“Why not?”

Cooper studied her, watching as she looked over at her brother. He followed her gaze, noticed the way Jack cocked an eyebrow as though giving her some sort of signal. Apparently Cooper was right because she sighed. Before she said anything, Miranda brought out two plates, setting them in front of Jack and then Tessa.

“I’ll have yours in just a minute,” Miranda told him and then turned away quickly.

“You didn’t order anything,” Tessa commented as she glanced up at him.

“I don’t have to these days. Seems I’ve become a regular in here, and they bring me the same thing every time.”

“Would you order something different?” she asked, a cute smile tipping her lips.

Cooper laughed. “No, probably not. I guess they’ve figured out I’m a man of routine.”

Tessa turned her attention back to her food, but she didn’t start eating.

“Go ahead. Don’t wait for me,” he told them both.

Jack dug into his food like he hadn’t eaten in a month and Cooper tried not to stare. He had so many questions running through his head, most of them having to do with the land and what these two knew that he didn’t, but he didn’t want to interrupt their meal. Luckily for him, he didn’t have to wait but a few minutes before Miranda was back with a plate containing chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

“Can I get you anything else?” she asked the three of them. When everyone said no, she moved on to the next table.

“So, one of you want to give me more details on the land? Or do I have to guess?” Cooper asked before he put the first bite in his mouth.

He noticed Jack didn’t stop shoveling food in his mouth, his cheeseburger never getting too far away from his lips. Cooper figured the guy was making sure he didn’t have to talk. Tessa, on the other hand, wasn’t eating much of anything. She was pushing her onion rings around on her plate, flattening them with her fork.

“Finish eating,” she told him. “Then we’ll talk.”

Cooper nodded, realizing he wasn’t going to get any further with the conversation until Tessa was willing to talk anyway. Doing as she said, he resumed eating, and the three of them talked mostly about the bar and the events of the night before – which were rather mundane for a Saturday night according to them.

Once Jack was finished, he looked over at Tessa and then back at Cooper before he spoke. “I just realized I had something to do,” he blurted. “I’ll get the check on my way out.”

“Wait!” Tessa called to him, but he was already climbing out of the booth.

Cooper noticed the wry grin Jack sent Tessa. “I’ll catch up with you later. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Dammit,” Tessa muttered, snapping a bite of food in her mouth.

“I see he bailed on you,” Cooper joked. “What are you going to do now?”

If she had her way, she’d probably knock him out of the booth and onto the floor. When his teasing didn’t get a rise out of her, he grew concerned. “I take it there’s a problem?”