Nicole Edwards - Chasing Dreams

“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.

Tessa’s breath hitched, and Cooper squinted in order to make out the other people with Adam. He didn’t recognize the big man who climbed out of the passenger side, but the woman that Adam was helping out of the back seat looked vaguely familiar, although Cooper was certain he’d never seen her before.

“Mom? Michael?”

Well, that explained why the woman looked familiar. She was an older, taller version of Tessa. And as it turned out, Adam had managed to do what Cooper thought would be impossible.

“What’s going on?” Tessa asked when she looked back at Cooper, reminding him why he was there.

Squeezing her hands gently, he stalled for a moment while Tessa’s parents joined them. Once they were standing with the others, Cooper smiled down at the woman he loved.

“Tessa…” Wow, he was tongue tied. For a man who wrote love songs, he found it difficult to come up with the words to express to this woman exactly how he felt about her. Then he thought about the first time he laid eyes on her and the words began tumbling out of his mouth.

“Since the very moment I saw you, when your eyes met mine from across the room, I felt something. A connection that I had never felt before. At that moment in time, I never would’ve imagined that I had just looked into the eyes of the woman I would soon fall in love with.

“And from the first time you fell right into my arms,” Cooper smiled, the memory so vivid, he could practically smell the scent of beer and sawdust, “I knew you’d be the biggest challenge I’ve ever come up against.”

The group behind them chuckled, but Cooper continued. “I knew that walking away from Nashville was going to change my life, but had I known just how much… I would’ve come to Texas a lot faster than I did.”

“Nobody’s perfect,” Jack muttered, and everyone laughed.

“Hey, he got here didn’t he?” Izzy retorted. “Not everyone can be lucky enough to be born here, you know.”

Cooper’s gaze never strayed from Tessa’s face. He could see a shimmer of tears in her eyes, and he forged ahead. “I admit when I came here, I was chasing a dream, but little did I know that what I had set out for wasn’t what I thought it was. Building this,” he glanced around and then back to her face, “it’s what got me here, but you, Tessa, are the one that kept me here. It all comes down to you. You’re my dream, Tessa. You’re everything I’ve wanted, everything I’ve prayed for.”

A tear leaked down Tessa’s cheek, and he paused.

“Get on with it, cowboy,” Tessa whispered, making him laugh.

“We’re two souls after the same thing. We’re dream chasers, and I think it’s high time we stop chasing those dreams and realize we’ve found what we’re looking for,” he said, his throat tightening. Taking one step back, Cooper lowered himself to one knee.

Releasing Tessa’s hands, he retrieved the ring that had been burning a hole in his front pocket. “I love you, Tessa Donovan. More than I ever thought I could love anyone. You’re my heart, my soul… my everything. I want to spend the rest of my days making you happy.” Cooper had to swallow hard. “Will you marry me, Tessa?”

Cooper held his breath as he stared up at Tessa, his heart stuttering in his chest as he waited for her answer. Her tears flowed steadily now, and he couldn’t stop the fear from clogging his throat. He wanted her to be his wife, to spend the rest of her days beside him, loving him. And letting him love her.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I’ll marry you, cowboy. Yes.”

Cooper barely heard the words, but his heart didn’t have any problem understanding what she said. Now his hands were shaking but he managed to slide the engagement ring over Tessa’s finger, his eyes never leaving hers. Pushing up to his full height, he couldn’t stop the tear that escaped, nor did he try to.

“I love you, Tessa.”

“I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that, cowboy.”

When Tessa flung herself into his arms, Cooper grabbed her up and held her close, his mouth finding hers. The group that was gathered behind them started to clap, several piercing whistles got the dogs excited, and then a booming “Yeehaw!” sounded, causing Cooper to look over at Dalton.

The man was holding the For Sale sign that Tessa had put up at The Rusty Nail. He grinned and then spun the sign around. On the other side was a handmade sign that read:

Dream Chasers

Equestrian Center

“It’s perfect,” Tessa said on a sob. “Absolutely perfect.”

“Yes, you are,” Cooper told her, squeezing her tightly. “You certainly are.”

Tessa was a bundle of nerves and Izzy’s excitement wasn’t helping much. Her best friend was all but bouncing around the tiny room, a grin on her face as she continued to work on Tessa’s hair. Getting all “prettied up”, as Izzy referred to it, was proving to be a time consuming ordeal.