Chasing Dreams
Page 57

“Can I touch you?” Izzy asked seriously, her eyes sparkling like stardust as she stared at the much bigger cowboy.
“Yes, ma’am,” Dalton said after getting the go ahead nod from Eric across the bar.
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Izzy was plastered against him, her arms wrapped around him as she squeezed him tightly. When Izzy finally stepped back a solid minute or two later, she was beaming brightly at Tessa.
“Did you see this?” Izzy asked in a conspiratorial whisper that the entire bar probably heard.
“I saw. It’s Dalton Calhoun,” Tessa confirmed, her head turning as she caught Katie walking past them, toward the bar.
“Hey, Katie,” Tessa called out to her. “Come over here and meet Dalton Calhoun.”
Katie looked almost as star struck as Izzy had a few minutes ago as she approached slowly, her ponytail bobbing like her energy was too much to contain and had to find an outlet.
“Go on, girl,” Izzy encouraged. “You can touch him.”
The group laughed, and Katie, with a brilliant glint in her eyes, moved up and put her arms tentatively around Dalton. The man actually put his arms around her in a very intriguing protective hug that nearly had Tessa’s mouth dropping open.
“Nice to meet you,” Katie said sweetly, her face almost as red as the glowing exit sign near the back door.
“My pleasure, darlin’,” Dalton crooned in a low voice that had Tessa glancing up to look at Cooper. He seemed just as taken by Dalton’s apparent interest in the pretty waitress.
And just like that, Katie was off toward the other side of the bar, followed by Izzy close on her heels, the two women chattering about Dalton. At one point, Katie actually glanced back, and that’s when Tessa noticed that Dalton was still staring after her.
“Man, you all right?” Cooper asked his buddy with a loud clap on the back.
Dalton turned his head, a slow grin tipping his lips. “Never better. You ready to get this show on the road?”
“Always.” Cooper turned and pressed his lips to Tessa’s, making her blush like a school girl before he sauntered back toward the stage, leaving her to stare in his wake.
Wow. The difference a few weeks could make. Tessa still couldn’t believe how Cooper Krenshaw had crash landed in her life and left such a monumental impression that she was standing here, staring at him as though she were a woman in love.
Oh, hell.
Tessa squeezed her eyes shut.
Yep, that trouble she knew she was going to be in had finally caught up to her.
Shit.
 
 
Chapter Twenty Three

Two hours later, the bar was jumping. The sound of two cowboys entertaining the rowdy crowd, singing like they’d been born on the stage, filled the room. The energy was significantly different from what Tessa was used to when they had a performer up there. These two guys had a rhythm about them that had nearly everyone moving. According to her cousin Shane, there was a line that wrapped around the building, and it looked like they’d all be turned away soon enough. Izzy was behind the bar helping Tessa and Eric while Miranda had come in to help Katie. Jack was coming in to help, but Tessa hadn’t seen him yet. They were fully staffed and at maximum capacity, yet Tessa hadn’t felt a lick of stress since Cooper went up on that stage with Dalton. It was a sight to see, that was for damn sure.
When they broke out into a slower song, the bar settled somewhat, and there was another surge of people to the bar. Tessa had just finished preparing a handful of shots for Miranda to take to a table near the door when a familiar voice sent a violent shudder racing down her spine. Not the good kind.
Turning toward the sound, Tessa saw Chad standing at the edge of the bar with two women practically wrapped around him. Swallowing hard, an effort to maintain her composure, Tessa tried to force a smile but failed.
A quick glance around showed her that she was by herself because Eric and Izzy were busy with a line of customers which meant she would have to deal with Chad herself.
“What can I get you?”
Chad’s glare made Tessa’s stomach churn painfully. She hadn’t seen Jack yet tonight, which was probably the reason Chad had grown a set of balls and decided to come to the bar rather than order through one of the waitresses.
Tessa had never officially kicked him out of The Rusty Nail despite everyone’s insistence that she should. Having attempted to be the bigger person, Tessa had hoped he would just keep his distance. Based on the glint in his midnight blue eyes, she had a feeling he was about to push the boundaries.
“Three Bud Lights,” the brunette on the left of Chad said sweetly.
Well, if Tessa only had to deal with the women, she might just be able to get through this unscathed.
“Thanks, darlin’,” Chad said to the woman as Tessa moved off to get their beers. “That’s the slut I was telling you to stay clear of.”
Tessa’s back straightened at the cruel words, but she forced herself to move forward. The man had pretty much called her every name in the book before today, so it wasn’t like she hadn’t heard it before.
“Her?” the other woman with Chad asked.
“Yep. Used to date her, but she got a little too freaky for me, if you know what I mean.”
The women giggled, and Tessa’s hands squeezed so tightly around the beer bottles she was carrying she thought they might just shatter in her hands.
“Freaky, how?”
“She was always hanging on me, begging for sex. I sang in here a few times and it got to be too much trouble because she was always up on me, ya know?”
God, had Chad always sounded so stupid? Tessa wondered to herself. Just listening to his bullshit story made her want to wrap her hands around his neck and squeeze until his eyes bugged out of his head. The guy was so full of himself. Had it not been for Tessa’s generosity, allowing Chad to play in her bar on occasion, she was pretty damn sure he’d never have been allowed past open mic night anywhere else.
“God, I can’t stand women like that,” the blonde said, her hands plastered to the front of Chad’s thick chest.
Tessa bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Ok, so laughter was good. At least it meant dealing with him was getting easier.
“Ain’t that right, darlin’?” Chad asked as Tessa slid the three beer bottles toward them.
She told them the amount they owed and ignored Chad’s question altogether.