Chasing Dreams (Devil's Bend) (22 page)

Holding
the towel to her face, knowing the waterworks wouldn’t shut off until it was
ready, Tessa stood in the bathroom, dripping on the bathroom rug.

She
knew she should’ve been grateful for the sequence of events that led her to Mr.
Deluth’s door and ultimately to Richie, but the consequences hadn’t been as
easy for her. Or Richie.

Ultimately,
Mr. Deluth spared her. Had Jerry Deluth opted to punish Tessa for stealing his
horse, she knew she would’ve been in a lot of trouble. Not only would she have
been arrested, but in their small town, she never would’ve been able to get rid
of the stigma associated with what she had done. As it was, there was a long
list of indiscretions that she
was
responsible for.

Right
up until her nineteenth birthday, or shortly thereafter, Tessa had been a free
spirit. At least that’s what Richie liked to call her. She disobeyed every rule
that was laid out for her. Hell, sometimes she even wondered how she was still
alive with all of her ignorant stunts: drugs, alcohol, vandalism, even some
petty theft, and although safe, she had been promiscuous when it came to sex.
Tessa had pushed the envelope, tried to see what she could get away with.

By
the time she was twenty-one, Tessa had settled somewhat, at least when it came
to all of the illegal stuff. Alcohol was still her friend, although she was
getting tired of it quickly. But she was still trying to garner attention
wherever she could. Thanks to Richie and one of the youth counselors at her
church, Tessa realized she’d been acting out to get the attention of her
father. The man who hadn’t wanted anything to do with her or Adam since she was
an infant.

Not
that any of her craziness actually brought her onto his radar, but apparently
that was part of why she was doing it. That and her mother. Sheila spent days
and nights crying her eyes out, sometimes for no reason at all. Tessa never had
tried to understand her mother. Never even attempted to understand what it
meant to be depressed after her mother had been diagnosed. Not until she was
older anyway.

Her
punishment for stealing the horse had included only six months of working on
Mr. Deluth’s farm doing the jobs most people hated to do and turned out to be
one of the only things Tessa found she enjoyed. That was just one of the things
she and Richie had in common. So after Mr. Deluth freed her from her obligation
toward the end of her sophomore year in high school, she’d asked to volunteer
to help. And did so for years after.

By
the time Tessa’s father left her
The Rusty Nail
when she was
twenty-three, she had managed to get her life under control. Richie went to a
junior college and then applied to the police academy, something he’d always
wanted to do. During the years leading up to that, Tessa had grown close to Mr.
Deluth. After all, Luanne had hated the farm, wanting to leave Devil’s Bend
altogether so Tessa and Richie would spend time with him in the stables, or
sometimes even riding.

Not
going to college, Tessa had worked odd jobs, mostly secretarial work, but she
had continued to work for Mr. Deluth because confined to a desk was proving to
be her worst nightmare.

Her
marriage to Richie had been a long time coming, but Richie, being the
level-headed one, had insisted they wait until they were financially stable. He
knew that they would have a hard enough time at that point, and he wasn’t
willing to risk their relationship. She’d been working in the bar and Richie
had gotten on with the Austin Police Department, and life had been good for the
first time in Tessa’s life.

Then,
the gift of all gifts had been given to them when Tessa found out she was
pregnant. Richie had been beside himself with joy, as had she. Even her mother
was excited about the baby. But four months into her pregnancy, karma kicked
her right in the face. The doctors told her there was nothing she could’ve done
differently, but the pregnancy had terminated itself. She and Richie had been
devastated.

And
almost a year to the day after that, Richie had been killed. Tessa accepted at
that point that all good things came to an end which was why she refused to get
too attached to any one thing.

A
loud bang on the door scared her so badly, she clutched her chest. Realizing
she was standing stark naked in the bathroom, tears still streaming down her
face, she knew she had to get herself together. After all, there was no way she
could let Cooper know what she was thinking.

There
was no reason to ruin the good thing they had. At least not yet. At some point,
she knew karma would return to ensure that he was yanked right out of her life
as well.

She
just wished she knew how much time she had.

Cooper
pulled into the parking lot of
The Rusty Nail
, his mind still on Tessa.
After her shower, she’d been closed off and entirely too quiet. He could tell
she had been crying, but no matter what he tried, she wouldn’t tell him why. He
managed to get her to take a nap, or rather she fell asleep from sheer exhaustion
an hour ago.

Knowing
he had to meet Marcus, Cooper had left her a note and then went home to shower
and change. Now that he was back in front of the bar, he dreaded what was to
come.

When
he pulled into the parking lot, Cooper noticed Eric’s fire engine red muscle
car was already there, so he shut off the engine and slipped in through the
back door. He would prefer to be the one to approach Marcus, rather than the
other way around. Since
The Rusty Nail
hadn’t opened just yet, he knew
his soon to be ex-manager wasn’t there yet.

“Hey,
Coop. What’s going on?” Eric asked when Cooper approached the bar.

“Not
much. I’ve got to talk to my manager, so I figured I’d come in early.”

“Oh,
that guy.” Eric’s exasperated tone put Cooper on edge.

“What’s
wrong?”

“Not
a damn thing.” Eric glanced at the front door and then back to Cooper. “Now
anyway. The asshole was waiting out front when I got here. Once I got inside,
he started pounding on the door. The man’s kinda dense.”

Cooper
would agree with that assessment, but he didn’t say anything.

“Anyway,
I told him we weren’t open, and he tried to invite himself in. When I refused,
he got snippy. Don’t be surprised if his nose is off center when you see him. I
slammed the door in his face, and he finally left.”

Well,
shit. That would mean Marcus was already primed for a bad mood. And what Cooper
had to tell him wasn’t going to make him happy anytime soon. Which, Cooper knew
from experience, meant Marcus was going to retaliate. In probably one of the
worst ways.

“Hey,
didn’t you say you had some big name playing tonight?” Eric asked as Cooper was
setting up his laptop on the bar.

“Son
of a fucking bitch!” Cooper had completely forgotten about that.

Nearly
an hour later, Cooper watched as Tessa walked in through the back door. He had
cued up some music after he updated the sign out front to display the live
music talent he was expecting to show up at any minute. Now, as he watched her
move across the floor, his heartbeat rivaled the thud of the music. The one
thing he noticed was that she looked like she had put on a solid layer of
armor.

Gone
was the sweet girl he’d seen the night before in her short jean skirt and soft
sweater. In her place, was the no nonsense woman who had caught his eye in the
very beginning. She wore a form fitting black t-shirt, jeans that accentuated
her luscious ass, boots, and her cowboy hat that shielded her eyes. Her blonde
hair curled down her back and over her shoulder, making Cooper want to reach
for her and pull her close by wrapping his fists in the silky strands.

Not
that he would. She looked like a woman on a mission. He felt better when she
returned a smile as she passed by, but he decided to leave her be for a bit.
The front door opened, and in walked just the man he had been waiting for.
Before anyone could notice him, Cooper intercepted him in his path to the bar.

“Hey,
man. Glad you could make it,” Cooper greeted Dalton Calhoun with a hand held
out to shake, but that was quickly thwarted by the infamous guy-hug that was
little more than a couple of thumps on the back.

“So
glad you invited me. Shit, man. This is cool,” Dalton said as he checked out
the interior of
The Rusty Nail
. “How the hell’d you land your ass all
the way down here?”

Cooper
tilted his head, a silent gesture for Dalton to follow him toward the stage. As
he passed the bar, he held up two fingers for Eric and received a nod of
understanding. “It’s somethin’, ain’t it?” Cooper asked.

“So
this is what’s got Nashville all in an uproar. Your ass disappeared off the map
to come down to BFE and sing in a little bar. Man, I don’t know if I’m pissed
off or jealous.”

“Well,
I’m glad you came down. You can give it a shot, see what you think.” Cooper and
Dalton had become close friends over the last few years, both of them living in
Nashville, chasing their country music dream. Dalton had hit the big time a
year or two before Cooper, so he had learned a lot from the man, although they
were roughly the same age.

“That
for me?” Dalton asked, tilting his head toward the stage.

“It’s
all yours tonight.”

“Hot
damn!” Dalton exclaimed, glancing up at the stage.

Eric
walked up, two Bud Lights in his hand and a gigantic grin on his face. Cooper
introduced the two men briefly. Before Eric sauntered off, he turned around and
said in a mock whisper, “Just a warning. My wife’s here tonight.” And with
that, he was gone.

Cooper
laughed while Dalton looked back confused. “What the hell does that mean? I
swear, I don’t know his wife.”

Cooper
let out another roar of laughter before he slapped Dalton on the back. “I
promise, when you meet her, you’ll understand the warning. Hold up a minute,
would ya?”

“Lemme
run out to my truck and get my guitar. I’ll be right back.”

Cooper
nodded and then headed across the bar to get Tessa. She was pouring a beer for
a customer, and when she finished, he got her attention.

“What’s
up?” she asked, sounding more upbeat than she had when he left her house
earlier in the day.

Leaning
over the bar, he gave her an expectant look and waited until she leaned forward
so he could kiss her. He didn’t linger, and the smile that tipped her lips when
she pulled back made him feel better.

“You
got a minute? There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Tessa
got Eric’s attention and let him know she would be back. The bar was quickly
filling up which meant there wouldn’t be much downtime from here on out.
Thankfully, although Cooper forgot his buddy was coming in, he’d had the good
sense to tell Tessa a week ago that she might want to bring in her cousins to
help man the doors and fill in as bouncers. Based on the folks already coming
in, he’d been smart in doing so.

Now
it was just time to introduce Tessa to the guy who was going to help Cooper get
his farm up and running. Sooner rather than later.

♥
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Tessa
had just gotten into a rhythm that helped take her mind off of her emotional
morning. Truth be told, she’d been hoping for a huge crowd at the bar so she
wouldn’t have to do much thinking at all. Based on the sheer volume of people
flooding in through the front doors, she was going to get her wish.

As
she followed Cooper across the room toward the stage, she tried to get a decent
look at the guy Cooper had booked for tonight’s entertainment. She hadn’t been
able to see the sign out front when she got in because there were actually cars
in the parking lot already, which had surprised her.

“Who
is this?” she asked Cooper, his hands flexing over hers.

As
soon as they reached the mountainous cowboy, Cooper said, “Tessa, I’d like you
to meet Dalton Calhoun. Dalton meet Tessa Donovan. She’s the owner of
The
Rusty Nail
.”

Ok,
so maybe she wasn’t the biggest country music fan, but she definitely knew who
that was. She’d have to be a hermit not to have seen or heard something about
the guy over the last few years. She should’ve known. His name was mentioned
with the likes of Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, and of course, Cooper Krenshaw.

Cooper’s
arm came around her, and he kissed the top of her head gently while she shook
hands with Dalton. Glancing up at Cooper briefly, she then looked back at the
guy who would be gracing her stage tonight. “Sorry, I’m not usually star
struck, but…”

“Damn,
Calhoun, I didn’t even get that kind of reception from her.” Cooper laughed,
and Tessa blushed.

“See,
that’s where he’s wrong,” Tessa added, “I remember very clearly how this cowboy
had his hands on me that night.”

Cooper’s
roar of laughter made her heart leap. For the first time all day, she actually
smiled, feeling his amusement all the way to her toes. The feeling made her
feel significantly lighter than she had before.

“Should’ve
known,” Dalton said with a rusty chuckle of his own. “Well, it’s a pleasure to
be here.”

Dalton’s
smooth, country drawl rivaled Cooper’s and that was saying something. Tessa
still found she liked the guttural sound of Cooper’s voice better. But then
again, she was sort of biased.

“It’s
our pleasure,” Tessa said, trying to find her backbone. She wasn’t the blushing
type.

“Oh!
My! God!” The familiar voice sounded over the low rumble of conversation taking
place in the bar. The shriek that followed had almost everyone turning to the
front door.

“Yep,
that’s Izzy,” Tessa mumbled, laughing at her best friend.

“If
you need any help,” Tessa turned to Dalton, “that guy over there is her
husband. He can’t control her much, but he might be able to protect you.”

Cooper’s
and Dalton’s rumbled laughter filled the space at the same time Izzy came
running over. She stopped just a few feet away from Dalton, staring up at him
like he hung the moon. Lord. The woman was something else.

“You’re
Dalton Calhoun! Oh. My. God,” Izzy said, barely containing her own excitement.
“Eric! Did you see this! It’s Dalton Calhoun!”

“Yep,
baby. I saw him already,” Eric’s rich baritone echoed from across the bar,
sounding amused.

“Can
I touch you?” Izzy asked seriously, her eyes sparkling like stardust as she
stared at the much bigger cowboy.

“Yes,
ma’am,” Dalton said after getting the go ahead nod from Eric across the bar.

As
soon as the words were out of his mouth, Izzy was plastered against him, her
arms wrapped around him as she squeezed him tightly. When Izzy finally stepped
back a solid minute or two later, she was beaming brightly at Tessa.

“Did
you see this?” Izzy asked in a conspiratorial whisper that the entire bar
probably heard.

“I
saw. It’s Dalton Calhoun,” Tessa confirmed, her head turning as she caught
Katie walking past them, toward the bar.

“Hey,
Katie,” Tessa called out to her. “Come over here and meet Dalton Calhoun.”

Katie
looked almost as star struck as Izzy had a few minutes ago as she approached
slowly, her ponytail bobbing like her energy was too much to contain and had to
find an outlet.

“Go
on, girl,” Izzy encouraged. “You can touch him.”

The
group laughed, and Katie, with a brilliant glint in her eyes, moved up and put
her arms tentatively around Dalton. The man actually put his arms around her in
a very intriguing protective hug that nearly had Tessa’s mouth dropping open.

“Nice
to meet you,” Katie said sweetly, her face almost as red as the glowing exit
sign near the back door.

“My
pleasure, darlin’,” Dalton crooned in a low voice that had Tessa glancing up to
look at Cooper. He seemed just as taken by Dalton’s apparent interest in the
pretty waitress.

And
just like that, Katie was off toward the other side of the bar, followed by
Izzy close on her heels, the two women chattering about Dalton. At one point,
Katie actually glanced back, and that’s when Tessa noticed that Dalton was
still staring after her.

“Man,
you all right?” Cooper asked his buddy with a loud clap on the back.

Dalton
turned his head, a slow grin tipping his lips. “Never better. You ready to get
this show on the road?”

“Always.”
Cooper turned and pressed his lips to Tessa’s, making her blush like a school
girl before he sauntered back toward the stage, leaving her to stare in his
wake.

Wow.
The difference a few weeks could make. Tessa still couldn’t believe how Cooper
Krenshaw had crash landed in her life and left such a monumental impression
that she was standing here, staring at him as though she were a woman in love.

Oh,
hell.

Tessa
squeezed her eyes shut.

Yep,
that trouble she knew she was going to be in had finally caught up to her.

Shit.