“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.

Chapter Twelve

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?”

“Yeah. I’m hoping to stable at least six horses and have more animals, so I’ll need a place big enough to store stuff. At first, it’ll probably seem like overkill. I’ll probably only start out with two or three horses, maybe a dog or two.”

“I think that’s a smart move. See where it goes.”

Cooper heard the sadness in her tone. According to everything he had learned since arriving in town, Tessa had the same dream he did. Although hers was probably more thought through… planned out.

“Would you do it differently?”

Tessa glanced up at him, her pretty green eyes sparkling as though he’d found the one thing she loved to talk about. He suddenly really wanted to get her input.

She turned back to look out at the fields and said, “The first measure of business should obviously be clearing the land, ensuring the outer fences are in shape. Check the barbed wire, get all of that repaired. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about a bunch of garbage to be hauled off with the exception of that barn.”

That was one thing about the property that Cooper had been happy about. The land was entirely fenced and based on what he saw, the majority of it was in decent shape. Only a few sections needed to be rebuilt, but certainly manageable.

“Got it. Clean and repair first.”

Tessa peeked up at him briefly. He ran his hand slowly down the side of her cheek, encouraging her to continue.

“From there, I’d probably start out small,” she continued, resting her head back against his shoulder, sipping her beer before holding it in her lap. “Obviously dispose of that,” she nodded with her chin toward the barn. “Depending on what you’re planning to replace it with, that could take some time.”

“I’m not looking to take a lot of time,” he informed her. Not that he flaunted his money, but he had enough to do what he wanted to do and then some. “It’ll probably be the first thing I really focus on. I’d like to see it up in a couple of months, if possible.”

“That’s definitely possible, but again, that depends on the size,” she stated. “From there, assuming you’ll build the stables at the same time, you should start out with three horses, maybe four. If you’re hiring a trainer, you’ll have some help in taking care of them. They’re a lot of work for one person, so you’ll be busy just with their upkeep. Are you going to hire someone to help?” she asked, lifting her beer to her lips again.