"Tonight. Tomorrow night. The night after that..." Cooper leaned in, replacing his finger with his lips as he pressed a sweet, gentle kiss to her mouth.

"Hmmm, I like the sound of that," she whispered.

"In fact, I intend to wear you out for the rest of our natural lives."

Tessa's body stilled, the urge to panic rose in her chest, but before she could say or do anything, Cooper grinned down at her.

"You're learnin'." Cooper laughed, kissing her again.

"Learnin' what?" she asked, confused.

"Not to freak out on me."

Oh, she wasn't so sure about that. Keeping herself closed off to everyone was a conditioned response, one that would take time to get past. Granted, when it came to Cooper, her heart had been freed from the chains she'd had it locked in for all these years, but that didn't mean her first instinct wouldn't be to hide within herself.

Cooper's eyes darkened, his brow furrowed as he studied her for a minute. When she thought he would push her to talk, he surprised the hell out of her by rolling off of her and climbing out of bed.

"Where're you going?" she asked, suddenly nervous that she'd upset him.

"Shower. Isn't that what you said?"

Tessa watched as he padded across her bedroom and then out into the hall. She heard the sound of the shower come on and she sighed.

What the hell just happened?

Knowing that talking to the ceiling wasn't going to get her any answers, Tessa forced herself out of bed. Grabbing Cooper's t-shirt, she pulled it on over her head and then made a beeline for the kitchen. While he was in the shower, at least she could make coffee.

Tessa met Havoc and Harmony in the hallway, their tails wagging, their big, furry heads looking up at her with such love, she felt her heart swell even more.

"I bet y'all are starving," she told them as she made her way past.

"I fed them this morning," Cooper called from the bathroom.

He fed them? When did he get out of bed? Rather than going to the food bowls, she opened the back door and let them out to do their thing. A few minutes later, she had the coffee on and was heading back toward her bedroom.

She passed Cooper in the hall, the comfortable feeling of him moving around her house so easily was both unsettling and... welcome. There was no other way to put it. After the last week, being without him had been the most difficult things she'd had to endure since...

"Shower. You. Now," he ordered with a swat on her butt that made her jump.

"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."

Epilogue.

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.

"Are you almost finished?" Tessa asked.

"Yes!" Izzy squealed. "There! All done."

Tessa turned her head back and forth, studying the woman in the mirror, admiring the up-do that Izzy had spent the last forty-five minutes working on. Had Izzy not been so jittery, it would've probably only taken twenty.

"It's beautiful, Izzy," she said admiringly.

"No, you are," her best friend said on a sigh. "God, Tessa. I'm so excited for you."

Tessa could tell. If she hadn't been a nervous wreck, she would've been jumping up and down with her friend.

After all, she was getting married.

Today.

In fact, the church was quickly filling up, and Tessa knew they didn't have much longer before the ceremony started. As much as she wanted to hide out in the bridal suite for another, oh, say, two days, she knew she needed to get this over with.

Not the wedding per se. She was beside herself with joy at marrying Cooper. It'd been six months since he proposed and they had been counting down to this day together. They'd kept the wedding simple and made a list of everything that had to be taken care of. With Izzy as her Matron of Honor and Dalton as Cooper's Best Man, everything had taken shape without much effort on their part.

In fact, getting to this point had been relatively easy. Not much stress involved when they spent most of their time enjoying one another. They'd had the opportunity to talk things through and decided exactly how they saw their future. The one thing they agreed on... whatever they did, they wanted it to be together. Just the two of them.

Which meant Tessa had to let go of some of the ghosts from her past. So, last week, Cooper had taken her to visit Richie's grave, which had been harder than she thought it would be. Thankfully, Cooper had held her tightly both at the gravesite and then later that night when she fell apart again. He had offered a comforting shoulder and let her say what needed to be said. She hadn't been to Richie's grave since the funeral, and she hated herself for that, but now that she had, she felt as though they both might be at peace. As much as they could be anyway.

Tessa would never stop loving Richie and Cooper seemed to understand that. But, Tessa knew she would never stop loving Cooper either. In a matter of minutes, he was going to become her husband and she was finally ready to take this next step. She had officially evicted the negativity from her life, and she'd learned to hope as much as she dreamed.

And all of her dreams were coming true. It hadn't been long after Cooper proposed that she had moved in with him. Days, in fact. She had been blessedly surprised that her need for independence hadn't been another obstacle they had to overcome. Cooper gave her as much space as she needed and Tessa found on those few nights he was gone for something music related, she missed him terribly.

They seemed to have found exactly where they were supposed to be. The equestrian center, which they had justly named Dream Chasers, had become as much Cooper's passion as Tessa's. Although he was the one who put the dream within reach because he had the resources required to build it, they'd both turned it into what it was today. Then, of course, there was the farm. Thanks to the high school kids lining up to volunteer, it was thriving. And yes, Tessa got her petting zoo.

So, their days were long, and their nights were longer, but Tessa wouldn't have it any other way.

It was true, chasing dreams were something she'd been doing for as long as she could remember. Now that she'd lassoed them and pulled them in, she couldn't wait to get on with the rest of her life. And to know that she would be sharing that with the one man who shared her dreams as well... Well, that was more than she ever could've asked for.

It would seem that everything did happen for a reason, and although the pain endured along the way could be enough to knock you down, Tessa knew it was all about getting back up and moving forward. Now, as she stood facing the door that would lead her into the church, Tessa was going to do just that.

Two hours later, Tessa was standing beneath one of the enormous white tents that had been set up next to the barn, with Izzy, Miranda, and Katie. The four of them were watching as a group of guys got a little crazy on the makeshift dance floor thanks to Cooper and Dalton singing one of those fast country beats they used to rile up an audience.

The wedding photographer was moving in and out of the fray, risking his life as far as Tessa was concerned. The day had been perfect. The wedding beautiful, but the reception... it was unexpected.

The barn wasn't big enough to hold everyone, so tents had been erected close by; one containing food and drinks, another the dance floor, and another still that contained more tables than Tessa could count.

Considering how intimate the wedding had been, Tessa had no idea Izzy and Dalton had conspired with their families to throw a huge reception. And technically, huge was an understatement. Tessa's entire family was there, including her mother, her stepfather, both brothers, all of her cousins from her mother's side who lived in or around Devil's Bend.

And, as if that weren't enough, there were even some she hadn't seen in, well, forever. Despite the fact that Tessa's father hadn't been a part of her life, his sister Lorrie had always made a point to keep in touch with Sheila over the years. The Walker's lived in Coyote Ridge, a small town about half an hour away, and Tessa had no idea how Izzy or her mother convinced them to come, but most of them were there. Admittedly, the cousins she spent time with regularly were intimidating enough, but Lorrie's seven sons took intimidating to a whole other level.