Chasing Dreams (Devil's Bend) (33 page)

“What
happened to Marcus Evergreen?” one woman called from the group.

“Mr.
Evergreen and Mr. Krenshaw decided to part ways. It is my understanding that
Mr. Evergreen has decided to pursue other artists, and I’m sure he’d be more
than happy to answer any questions you have. I, however, cannot speak for him.”

Cooper
slipped into the bar as soon as his father had gained the attention of the
horde of reporters. He fully expected to see Tessa because he’d lost sight of
her when his father had caught his attention. Unfortunately, the bar was empty,
with the exception of Izzy and Eric.

“Where
is she?” he asked in a rush, letting his eyes adjust to the dim light of the
bar.

“Where
is who?” Eric asked, turning to face him.

“Tessa.
She was just outside. Where’d she go?”

“She
didn’t come this way,” Izzy said, concern lacing every word.

Cooper
turned back and reemerged in the crowd, trying to see over them. That was when
he saw her sneaking around to the back of the building. Without worrying about
who saw him, Cooper took off at a flat out run, his boots skidding on the
gravel as he turned the corner. He caught up with her just as she was getting
into her truck.

“Tessa,
don’t,” Cooper commanded, but she appeared to be ignoring him. He caught the
edge of the door seconds before she would’ve slammed it closed. “We need to
talk.”

“No,
Mr. Krenshaw
, we don’t,” Tessa stated with remarkably little emotion in
her voice.

Gripping
her chin between his thumb and his forefinger, he turned her to face him, aware
that he was being the aggressor, but unable to stop himself. “We are gonna
talk.”

“There
isn’t anything more to say. I did my best out there. They’ve been hounding me
for a week, so I’m not sure why you care now.”

“A
week?”

“Yeah.
I guess you’ve managed to keep yourself pretty isolated out there all by
yourself. They’re camping out on the street in front of my house. Hell, I can’t
even let my dogs out front anymore.”

Shit.
How the hell
hadn’t he known about that? Her friends had said… whatever Tessa wanted him to
hear.
Fuck.

“I
think they know more about me and my life than I do. But that’s ok. This town
clearly isn’t big enough for both of us, so I’m going to do you a favor.”

“Move
over,” Cooper demanded, pushing himself into the truck, forcing her to have to
scoot to the center of the bench seat or he was going to sit on her. This was
not the time or place to have this conversation.

“What
the hell are you doing?” she squeaked, trying to keep from moving, but luckily
she wasn’t much of a match for him.

“I’m
getting in. Now give me the damn keys.” Holding out his hand, he waited for her
to hand them over. He didn’t have to wait long before she was slamming them
down into his palm.

Ouch.
“Thank you.”

It
was time they hash this out, and he knew exactly the place to take her to do
that.

Tessa
was somewhat tempted to fling herself out of the passenger door to avoid having
to talk to Cooper. Only she wasn’t interested in doing any more damage to her
body than she’d had done to her in the last week. But she certainly did not
want to talk to Cooper, so the idea was almost too tempting to pass up.

Somehow
she had managed to move on with her life. The last seven days hadn’t been a
party, but waking up each day and going to sleep each night was getting easier.
Life was at least back to normal. Even if normal had a new definition. The
reporters who had taken up residence in front of her house didn’t add a whole lot
of charm to the place, but she hadn’t been able to do anything about them.

She
was hoping they would get the hint because of the lack of information they were
receiving. Not only was she not talking, but the rest of the town had gone
radio silent as well. That was one thing Tessa loved about her small town. They
rallied together and as soon as word got out that they were harassing her and
Cooper, people everywhere stopped talking.

It
would seem they had another spur in their behinds these last couple of days
though because they weren’t budging, even when Tessa didn’t comment. She hadn’t
intended to say anything that morning either, but when she’d gone to put the
For Sale sign in front of the bar, she’d obviously been followed. Before she
knew what was happening, they were descending like bees, buzzing all around her
until she couldn’t go anywhere.

Then
the questions started. She hated the questions, especially those that were
about her personally. She had managed to give answers to a few about Cooper,
retelling the stories she’d heard David Krenshaw tell, but adding her own
perspective. At first, she hoped that would get them to forget about her
personal life.

The
worst were when they talked about Richie. Which they did often. Dredging up her
pain had apparently turned into a hobby for these people and Tessa wasn’t sure
how much she could handle. Which was why she was leaving Devil’s Bend.

Tessa
bounced on the truck seat, her attention drawn to where they were. That was
when she noticed Cooper was driving down the dirt path that had been rutted out
between his house and the pond just a couple of hundred yards from where the
foundation for the new barn and stable had been laid.

She
took a minute to admire the area. It was going to be a beauty, much bigger than
she had expected it to be. Even the area for the outdoor arena had been
sectioned off and soon enough the electrical for the flood lights would have to
be run. Dropping her head, Tessa studied her hands as she clasped them tightly
in her lap. She hated that she wouldn’t get to see the finished product, but
getting away was her only option at this point.

When
the truck came to a stop, Tessa turned to Cooper instantly. “Talk. Then let me
go home.” She tacked on a please at the very end in her attempt to be polite.

“Get
out,” he ordered as he did the same, leaving her staring after him.

Looking
at the ignition, she realized he took the keys, so her chances at a sneaky
getaway were thwarted. Damn him.

Taking
as much time as she could, Tessa climbed out of her truck, shutting the door
easily and taking deep breaths. As much as she wanted to be angry at Cooper,
all of that had dissipated, leaving nothing but a big empty void in the center
of her chest. The same void that she’d felt after Richie died. And truthfully,
Tessa didn’t know which was worse, not being able to ever tell Richie how much
she loved him because he was no longer on the earth, or not being able to tell
Cooper how much she loved him even though he was just a few miles away.

Technically,
now he was only a few steps away, but the last thing she was going to do was to
tell him her feelings hadn’t yet changed. She wanted them too, kept hoping each
morning when she woke up that she’d forget all about him and move on with her
life. Up till now, she’d had no such luck.

The
creak of the tailgate as it lowered drew her gaze and she watched as Cooper sat
on the edge, his feet hanging down. Unsure what she was supposed to do, she
opted to mimic his stance when she climbed up onto the tailgate, but she maintained
at least a foot of space between them. To her surprise, Cooper didn’t look at
her.

“Do
you remember when you first brought me out here?” he asked after a few minutes
of uncomfortable silence.

She
nodded rather than answering. He didn’t seem to require an answer though.

“Do
you remember
why
you brought me here?”

Tessa
stared out at the calm water. “Because I wanted you to see what made this place
so special,” she admitted, her legs swinging as her heart constricted in her
chest and her throat started to clog.

She
was not going to get emotional. There’d been more than enough time for that in
the last week. She could not let Cooper see her break down.

“And
I understood what you were showing me,” he began, his voice strong yet gentle.
“But it isn’t the breeze or the stars, or even the moon that makes this place
special for me.”

Tessa
swallowed hard, his voice sliding over her like velvet.

“
You
are what makes this place special to me.”

Tessa’s
head snapped his way. She didn’t miss his use of present tense. He wasn’t
talking about how he felt in the past. He was…

“That
was a long time ago,” she muttered, watching him closely.

“No,
it wasn’t,” he answered, pushing himself back to his feet.

When
Cooper moved around to stand in front of her, Tessa’s hands began to shake and
tears formed in her eyes. She had dreamed about what it would be like to be
this close to him again. When he tilted her chin up, she met his eyes, trying
to blink the tears back.

“You
accused me one time of running,” he whispered. “And maybe that was the truth.
But it didn’t make sense to me until I talked to Izzy earlier.”

Tessa
swallowed the lump in her throat, her eyes locked on his, the turbulence of his
emotions evident in his shimmering brown gaze.

“She
told me that you’ve spent your life chasing your dreams. And I knew just what
she was saying. I’ve done the same thing. Only now, I know where I belong.”

Tessa
glanced away, unsure where he was going with this, but it wasn’t where she
thought it was. “And I’m still on that path,” she assured him. “If I keep
chasing, I’ll catch them one day.”

“That’s
where you’re wrong, Tessa. This is where you’re supposed to be.” Cooper’s
finger curled under her chin, forcing her to look at him again.

“You’re
right, Devil’s Bend is my home. I never thought I’d leave –”

“Not
Devil’s Bend, Tessa,” Cooper stated, his voice louder, sharper. “Here. Right
here.
With me
.”

Tessa
closed her eyes. Opened them. Although Cooper’s face was blurred through her
tears, she knew he was real, but for some reason, she felt like she was stuck
in a dream. Her anger started bubbling in her belly, moving outward until her
whole body was consumed by it and the tears were dried up from the blazing heat
that had engulfed her.

“For
one week, Cooper. One solid week I haven’t heard from you. Not a word. And you
want to sit here and tell me that I’m supposed to be with you? Where the hell
were you when I was crying my eyes out? I never heard you tell me you were
sorry, or that you didn’t mean to accuse me of trying to draw attention to you
when I was doing nothing more than defending you.”

She
saw the muscles in his arms tense as his hands fell to his sides. Tessa was
trapped by his golden gaze, but she wasn’t finished. “I’m still trying to get
over you. It doesn’t work like this, Cooper. You can’t just decide you want to
be with me when it’s convenient for you!” she screamed.

“It’s
not fucking convenient for me, Tessa!” Cooper yelled, his voice echoing out
over the water and bouncing off of the trees. “I don’t fucking deserve you,
don’t you get that? You’re better off without me. I’m a selfish bastard, and
that’s not gonna change. I go after what I want, and I get it no matter the
cost.”

“You
didn’t go after me,” she said sadly.

“But
I did, Tessa. I did go after you. Until I hurt you. Until I couldn’t see past
my own self-righteous attitude, and then I let you walk away. You deserve so
much better.”

This
time Tessa was the one to touch him, grabbing his face between her hands and
forcing him to look at her. “I do deserve more than you showed me the last time
we talked. I’ll give you that.”

“See.
That’s exactly what I’m talking about. I was so blinded by my anger, furious
that you were hurt, but I turned it around and blamed you.”

“That
was one time, Cooper. That means you’re passionate about your feelings, it
doesn’t make you selfish. You’re not a selfish man. If you were, I wouldn’t
have fallen in love with you. Look what you’ve accom –”

Shit
.

Shit.
Shit. Shit.

She
so did not want to admit that out loud, but now the words were out there, and
the look on Cooper’s face said he heard them loud and clear.

“Say
it again,” he pleaded, his work roughened hands coming up to cup her jaw. “Tell
me, Tessa. Say it again.”

Even
through the haze of her own tears, Tessa could see the moisture building in his
eyes, and the fact that he was breaking down just as easily as she was, took
the last of her control. “I love you, Cooper.” Clearing her throat, Tessa
continued, “I’ve prayed that it would be easy to stop loving you. I don’t
want
to love you.” The tears were coming faster, Cooper’s thumbs brushing over
her cheeks as he tried to stop them, to no avail.

“I
never thought I’d hear you say that,” he choked out. “I never thought you’d
understand how hard or how fast I fell for you. I was just grateful to have you
in my life, but then you were gone.”

Tessa
wanted to hear him say the words back. To admit in three little words,
everything he was telling her. When he didn’t say anything more, she pushed his
hands away. “I’m not gone yet. But I will be.”

“No.”
Cooper’s voice thundered in the thick, humid air. “I don’t want to lose you
again. Tessa, I don’t even know how to say the words. I spend my days playing
songs about love, but I can’t figure out how to express what I feel for you.
It’s so much more than love.”

“But
you didn’t realize it until I was leaving. What does that say about us,
Cooper?”

“It
says that I’m an idiot. I should’ve never let you go. But I needed to give you
space. I wanted you to want me as much as I wanted you. I needed you to love
me, Tessa.”

“I
do love you, Cooper. But I don’t think it’s enough.”

“It’s
more than enough. It has to be enough because I love you. I’ve loved you since
I first laid eyes on you in the bar. From the first time you fell into my arms.
And from the first time I closed my eyes and dreamed about you. I don’t want to
lose you. I promise, I’ll be better.”

“Better
than what?” Tessa didn’t want him thinking he had to change for her. She didn’t
want that. “I don’t want someone else. I want you. Just like you are. I think
we’re looking for the same thing here,” she said, the beginnings of a smile
tipping her lips for the first time since she woke up that morning.

He
said he loved her. Her heart had doubled in size as soon as he had said the
words and then it cracked wide open. “I think we just have to figure out how to
stop running. How to stop hiding. If we can do that, I think we’ll have it
made.”

Cooper’s
lips were on hers in an instant, and Tessa couldn’t resist him. Her entire body
was trembling from the mountain of emotions crumbling inward, threatening to
bury her alive.

And
for the first time in a week, she wasn’t willing to let it all come tumbling
down on her. She wanted to dig herself out.

∞
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Cooper
had no idea where everything went wrong, but with Tessa in his arms, he felt
like he could right everything again. He’d spent the last week wishing that he
could hold her, wanting nothing more than to feel her in his arms and to inhale
her sweet, fresh scent. And now she was here.

He
couldn’t help but wonder how long that would last though. She sounded just as
optimistic as he felt, but they both needed the reassurance that they would
stick it out.

As
hard as it was to tell her his feelings, he needed to know that she wasn’t
going to run. How he managed to stay away from her for this long was beyond
him. It could’ve been his desperate attempt to give her some semblance of peace
after he came in like a whirlwind and toppled everything in her path, leaving
her to clean up the mess.

Only
her peace didn’t come, and he hadn’t been the white knight to come in and save
her. At least she wouldn’t think he had. Because he had a secret that he’d yet
to share with her.

Releasing
her mouth, Cooper stood in front of her, his hands still cupping her jaw as he
watched the passion and lust recede from her gaze.