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.