Ignoring the need to tell her to remember her roots, Tessa simply walked into the house, letting the screen door slam behind her as though it were an accident. It had taken some pleading, but Luanne finally relented and agreed to meet with her. If that weren’t a sign that something was going on, Tessa didn’t know what was.
“Thanks,” she said matching the saccharine sweetness in Luanne’s tone although she honestly wanted to grab the woman by the hair and ask her what the hell was going on.
It wasn’t a secret that Tessa and Luanne didn’t get along well. They had grown up together, graduated in the same class, but for whatever reason, as of their freshman year of high school, their friendship had turned to loathing. For various reasons, Tessa had always made a point to stay out of Luanne’s way.
“Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, thanks,” Tessa replied, lowering herself onto the pretentious little couch in the awkwardly designed living room. She had to admit, the place looked like it was straight out of a magazine and equally as homey too. She had to wonder whether Luanne had removed plastic covers from the furniture before Tessa’s arrival. Probably not. Knowing Luanne, she would’ve left them on because she wouldn’t want Tessa to touch her things.
“What can I help you with?” Luanne asked, primly lowering herself into an ugly side chair and crossing her legs like a debutante on display. Damn, this woman was absolutely nothing like her father, nor was she anything remotely close to how Tessa remembered her either. They hadn’t spoken to each other in years, not since Luanne married Jacob Matthew Rosenbough the Third about five years prior.
“I wanted to talk to you about your dad’s farm,” Tessa stated, figuring she might as well get right down to business. No sense beating around the bush when Tessa would much prefer getting the hell out of dodge as soon as possible.
“In case you haven’t noticed, the farm belongs to me now.”
Oh she noticed all right. Biting her tongue to keep from being sarcastic, Tessa forced a smile. “I’m sorry, I meant your farm.”
Luanne nodded, her perfectly coifed hair never budging an inch. She must’ve used plaster to keep that thing in place.
Shaking her head to regain her focus, grateful that her own hair actually moved, Tessa continued. “I was wondering whether you received my last payment.”
After some research, Tessa found out that her last two checks hadn’t been cashed, which meant, either Luanne didn’t receive them, or she purposely didn’t cash them for whatever reason. Based on the fact that Cooper Krenshaw believed he was about to become the new owner of the Deluth land, she had to assume the latter was the case.
“What in heaven’s name are you talking about?” Luanne asked, her real accent coming out in spades. That was an easy tell. When the woman was lying, she obviously had a hard time keeping up the rich, socialite front. That and the way Luanne’s jaw ticked, a clear sign the woman was hiding something.
Figuring it wasn’t in her best interest to get defensive, she decided to explain the situation. “Your father and I had an agreement,” Tessa began. “I’ve been paying him every month for the last several years until I could come up with the entire down payment on his land. At that point, I was going to take possession of the house and continue paying him the agreed upon price.”
Luanne cocked an eyebrow, but Tessa could tell that the confused look was for her benefit. “I’m sorry, Tessa. I don’t know about any agreement that my father made. He wasn’t very good about keeping records,” she said snidely, “and when he passed away everything was willed to me.”
Tessa clamped her jaw shut, breathing in through her nose and trying to rein in her temper. This was not going to go well if she lost it. Instead of arguing, she waited for Luanne to continue.
“And besides the fact that my father was much too generous with you over the years, I’ve actually sold the land to a really nice man who was willing to pay a much more reasonable price,” Luanne smiled greedily. “I’m sure you’ve met him.”
Wait. More reasonable than what? If Luanne didn’t know about the agreement, how would she know what was considered more reasonable?
To Tessa’s surprise, Luanne didn’t actually elaborate on whom she sold the land to. Because Cooper was famous, she figured Luanne would be all about bragging around town. But Tessa didn’t need Luanne to give her the details, she already knew.
“I’m confused,” Tessa said, pretending Luanne hadn’t out and out lied about the agreement between Tessa and Luanne’s father that she initially claimed she didn’t know about. “I’ve got an agreement.”
“And that agreement is null and void now that my father passed away. If I’d had my way, he never would’ve made a deal with you in the first place.”
Well, the truth was out at least. Not that it made her feel any better. Tessa clenched her hands at her side, but she didn’t move. “So, where’s my money?”
“Oh, honey, don’t you worry your pretty little head. I don’t need your money. You’ll get back every penny.”
So Luanne did know about the money. Did the woman not realize she was revealing her lie? Or maybe she did it so often that she didn’t even notice.
But despite Luanne’s lies and her deceit, Tessa didn’t want her money back. She wanted the land. She had plans for that land, and she was almost in a position to make her dreams come true. What was she supposed to do now?
“Since I was able to sell the land for almost twice as much as what my father was going to sell it to you, I think it’s safe to say your offer no longer holds my interest. Unless, of course, you’d like to make another offer. But, keep in mind, the person who is purchasing is willing to pay cash. Up front.”
Tessa felt defeated. It wouldn’t matter at this point what she did or said. She couldn’t even afford a lawyer to fight Luanne. If Cooper was willing to pay twice what Tessa had agreed to, she would never be able to afford it. Not to mention, she hadn’t even been able to come up with the down payment in cash, much less the full asking price.
Realizing she was beating a dead horse, and she was only going to get herself worked up, Tessa decided enough was enough. Her temper was hovering on the brink of explosive, and the last thing she wanted was for Luanne to see how defeated she felt.
Standing from her seat, Tessa headed toward the door without saying another word. It was that, or she was going to scratch the woman’s eyeballs out. Her emotions were churning like a violent, straight-line wind, and any minute, it was going to start swirling, taking out everything in her path.
Fifteen minutes later, Tessa was pulling into Charlie’s Restaurant. After leaving Luanne’s, she called Jack and asked him to meet her. She wasn’t sure why she needed to talk to her younger brother, but she knew, if anyone could, he’d be able to put this entire situation in perspective. She couldn’t call Adam because he had no idea that she had even been trying to buy the land, and she didn’t want to put him in the middle. Since Cooper was his friend and the man who was buying the Deluth farm, she felt as though he might not understand.
“Hey, Sis,” Jack greeted as he approached the table she was sitting at. “Uh-oh, what the hell happened?”
Tessa loved her baby brother. He was actually more protective of her than Adam, and that was saying something. She watched as he eased down into the booth across from her, his muscular body folding into the seat awkwardly. There was a reason he’d garnered the nickname “Tiny” in high school. Of course, she didn’t dare call him that because Jack had always hated that name, but at six-foot-six-inches, he wasn’t necessarily small.
“Did you know that Luanne was selling her father’s land to Cooper Krenshaw?” she asked, forgoing any pleasantries.
Jack’s eyebrows shot downward as he stared back at her. “What? I thought you were buying the land?”
Tessa had told Jack about the situation a couple of years before when she wanted to rent the house she was currently living in, which happened to belong to Jack. He’d g
rown up in the house, and when his father met their mother, they’d bought a bigger place just on the other side of town. After Jack graduated from high school, his father had given him the house, but for reasons Jack wasn’t willing to talk about, he never moved back there.
So when Tessa had needed a place to stay, she felt compelled to explain why she wasn’t looking to buy a house at the time and since they’d all been so worried about her because of Richie’s death, she had told Jack everything.
“Well, it looks like that isn’t the case,” she whispered, fighting the urge to cry.
“What about the money you paid him?” Jack asked, his voice lethally low.
“Oh, Luanne assured me I’d get it back. Said she was getting twice as much as Mr. Deluth was willing to sell it to me for.”
Tessa had been close to Jerry Deluth, helping him out for years when he needed it. After all, he had been the reason her entire life took a radical shift in course when she was a teenager, so she felt as though she owed him. Because they’d spent so much time together, Tessa figured he’d been inclined to make her such a good deal. Now that he had passed on, she knew there was nothing she could do about it.
“Have you talked to Cooper? Does he know?”
Tessa hesitated, staring over at her brother. “No, I don’t want him to know.”
“Why the hell not? Maybe he’ll back out and you can still get it,” Jack argued.
“First of all, Cooper plans to open an equestrian center.”
“Are you fucking serious? Did Adam tell him about your plans?”
“Not that I can tell, no. After talking to Luanne, I didn’t get that she did either, but I don’t know for sure.”
“Don’t you find it strange, Tess?”
Yes, she did. She thought it was more than a little coincidental that Cooper descended on their small town with the same end goal as her. She didn’t answer, she just shrugged.
“Hey, Tess. Jack. What can I get you two?” Miranda Wynter asked when she approached the table.
Tessa forced a smile, hoping her friend wouldn’t notice that something was wrong. Miranda spent her days waitressing at Charlie’s and on Thursday and Monday, and sometimes extremely busy weekend nights, she helped out at the bar. It went without saying that the two of them were close, and Miranda would likely bombard her with questions if she thought Tessa needed someone to talk to.
“You hungry?” Tessa asked, turning to Jack.
“Was that rhetorical?” he laughed and then turned his signature grin at Miranda. “Have you ever known me not to be hungry?”
Miranda laughed, her eyes lingering on Jack for a surprisingly long time. Forgetting all of her worries momentarily, Tessa stared up at her friend. The woman she’d known since grade school looked like… She looked like she was crushing on Tessa’s younger brother.
Oh, hell.
Jack didn’t seem to notice because he glanced between the two of them, gifting Miranda with the million kilowatt smile before saying, “I’ll take a cheeseburger and onion rings if you don’t mind.”
“I’ll have the same,” Tessa added. “And two sweet teas.”
“Sure thing,” Miranda grinned as she jotted the information down on a well-worn notepad. “Be back in a minute.”
“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 se
xy 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.
Chapter Seven
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.
Chasing Dreams (Devil's Bend) Page 6