“Hey, man. Glad you could make it,” Cooper greeted Dalton Calhoun with a hand held out to shake, but that was quickly thwarted by the infamous guy-hug that was little more than a couple of thumps on the back.

“So glad you invited me. Shit, man. This is cool,” Dalton said as he checked out the interior of The Rusty Nail. “How the hell’d you land your ass all the way down here?”

Cooper tilted his head, a silent gesture for Dalton to follow him toward the stage. As he passed the bar, he held up two fingers for Eric and received a nod of understanding. “It’s somethin’, ain’t it?” Cooper asked.

“So this is what’s got Nashville all in an uproar. Your ass disappeared off the map to come down to BFE and sing in a little bar. Man, I don’t know if I’m pissed off or jealous.”

“Well, I’m glad you came down. You can give it a shot, see what you think.” Cooper and Dalton had become close friends over the last few years, both of them living in Nashville, chasing their country music dream. Dalton had hit the big time a year or two before Cooper, so he had learned a lot from the man, although they were roughly the same age.

“That for me?” Dalton asked, tilting his head toward the stage.

“It’s all yours tonight.”

“Hot damn!” Dalton exclaimed, glancing up at the stage.

Eric walked up, two Bud Lights in his hand and a gigantic grin on his face. Cooper introduced the two men briefly. Before Eric sauntered off, he turned around and said in a mock whisper, “Just a warning. My wife’s here tonight.” And with that, he was gone.

Cooper laughed while Dalton looked back confused. “What the hell does that mean? I swear, I don’t know his wife.”

Cooper let out another roar of laughter before he slapped Dalton on the back. “I promise, when you meet her, you’ll understand the warning. Hold up a minute, would ya?”

“Lemme run out to my truck and get my guitar. I’ll be right back.”

Cooper nodded and then headed across the bar to get Tessa. She was pouring a beer for a customer, and when she finished, he got her attention.

“What’s up?” she asked, sounding more upbeat than she had when he left her house earlier in the day.

Leaning over the bar, he gave her an expectant look and waited until she leaned forward so he could kiss her. He didn’t linger, and the smile that tipped her lips when she pulled back made him feel better.

“You got a minute? There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Tessa got Eric’s attention and let him know she would be back. The bar was quickly filling up which meant there wouldn’t be much downtime from here on out. Thankfully, although Cooper forgot his buddy was coming in, he’d had the good sense to tell Tessa a week ago that she might want to bring in her cousins to help man the doors and fill in as bouncers. Based on the folks already coming in, he’d been smart in doing so.

Now it was just time to introduce Tessa to the guy who was going to help Cooper get his farm up and running. Sooner rather than later.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Tessa had just gotten into a rhythm that helped take her mind off of her emotional morning. Truth be told, she’d been hoping for a huge crowd at the bar so she wouldn’t have to do much thinking at all. Based on the sheer volume of people flooding in through the front doors, she was going to get her wish.

As she followed Cooper across the room toward the stage, she tried to get a decent look at the guy Cooper had booked for tonight’s entertainment. She hadn’t been able to see the sign out front when she got in because there were actually cars in the parking lot already, which had surprised her.

“Who is this?” she asked Cooper, his hands flexing over hers.

As soon as they reached the mountainous cowboy, Cooper said, “Tessa, I’d like you to meet Dalton Calhoun. Dalton meet Tessa Donovan. She’s the owner of The Rusty Nail.”

Ok, so maybe she wasn’t the biggest country music fan, but she definitely knew who that was. She’d have to be a hermit not to have seen or heard something about the guy over the last few years. She should’ve known. His name was mentioned with the likes of Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, and of course, Cooper Krenshaw.

Cooper’s arm came around her, and he kissed the top of her head gently while she shook hands with Dalton. Glancing up at Cooper briefly, she then looked back at the guy who would be gracing her stage tonight. “Sorry, I’m not usually star struck, but…”

“Damn, Calhoun, I didn’t even get that kind of reception from her.” Cooper laughed, and Tessa blushed.

“See, that’s where he’s wrong,” Tessa added, “I remember very clearly how this cowboy had his hands on me that night.”

Cooper’s roar of laughter made her heart leap. For the first time all day, she actually smiled, feeling his amusement all the way to her toes. The feeling made her feel significantly lighter than she had before.

“Should’ve known,” Dalton said with a rusty chuckle of his own. “Well, it’s a pleasure to be here.”

Dalton’s smooth, country drawl rivaled Cooper’s and that was saying something. Tessa still found she liked the guttural sound of Cooper’s voice better. But then again, she was sort of biased.

“It’s our pleasure,” Tessa said, trying to find her backbone. She wasn’t the blushing type.

“Oh! My! God!” The familiar voice sounded over the low rumble of conversation taking place in the bar. The shriek that followed had almost everyone turning to the front door.

“Yep, that’s Izzy,” Tessa mumbled, laughing at her best friend.

“If you need any help,” Tessa turned to Dalton, “that guy over there is her husband. He can’t control her much, but he might be able to protect you.”

Cooper’s and Dalton’s rumbled laughter filled the space at the same time Izzy came running over. She stopped just a few feet away from Dalton, staring up at him like he hung the moon. Lord. The woman was something else.

“You’re Dalton Calhoun! Oh. My. God,” Izzy said, barely containing her own excitement. “Eric! Did you see this! It’s Dalton Calhoun!”

“Yep, baby. I saw him already,” Eric’s rich baritone echoed from across the bar, sounding amused.