Nicole Edwards - Chasing Dreams

“Yeah? It’s a little on the neglected side, but the promise of what it could be was what appealed to me.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” she mumbled, hoping he didn’t hear her. For as long as she could remember, she’d loved this old house. Especially the solitude to be found on the property.

Taking the bag from her hand, Cooper set up the food on the table after signaling for her to take the opposite chair. She noticed the chair was new, even having the stickers attached to it, and she smiled.

“I tried to think of everything. I don’t have any furniture on the inside, so I figured this would do. Not that I need anything more than that porch swing over there. It seems more than adequate for a bed if you ask me.”

Tessa looked over her shoulder at the swing he was referring to and had she been drinking something, she would’ve choked. The dilapidated swing appeared to be hanging by a thread as opposed to the two rusty chains that actually secured it to the wood rafters. Jerry had never wanted to replace it for as long as she could remember.

“Don’t worry, I checked. It’s stable. It’ll do for a while.”

Tessa wasn’t sure she believed him, but she nodded her head anyway.

When the food was laid out between them, the plastic utensils and the paper plates within reach, Tessa looked up at Cooper. “This is great, by the way. I was worried you’d be the fancy type, and I won’t lie, I’m not big into that stuff.”

“I think I knew that,” he replied, grinning.

“What are you trying to say, Krenshaw?” Tessa tried to sound stern, but her smile probably gave her away.

“We’re a lot alike. I’d much prefer to sit out here all night as opposed to wine and dine in some fancy restaurant. I’m claustrophobic in social scenes like that. I like wide open spaces. I don’t think Marcus ever truly understood that.”

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?”