Free Acting Happy (Texas Desires #2) by Rylie Roberts

some. He suspected this new side to her might be the normal Kenzie which now began to make her a bit of a puzzle. She turned away again, that genuine smile still in place.
    “Whoa,” she whispered as she faced the back deck which had been strategically built to extend out over the mountainside. He thought that the breathtaking view held her spellbound until she angled her head toward him and spoke. “They seem to always be staring. Why is that?” He looked around to see what she was talking about, and all four guys had stopped talking and were looking their way.
    Not even two minutes ago, he’d heard their constant chatter outside. They were animated, catching up on their lives. Now… He suspected they were staring at him more than anything else, wondering what the hell happened, because he never acted this way. He’d certainly never waited for anyone like he had in the kitchen.
    “I’d like to say it’s because they haven’t ever seen a beautiful woman before, but I think it’s more me. Cole and I had a battle in the kitchen when I first saw you standing outside my front door tonight. I wanted the first shot to get to know you. He, being the pain in the ass he is, decided to torment me,” Ty said, putting a hand to her back guiding her the rest of the way onto the deck. Cole sat on the bench that surrounded the entire ledge, and after hearing Ty’s words, he reached down and patted the seat next to him.
    “Kenzie, I saved room for you,” Cole said sweetly, his eyes on Ty the entire time.
    “It’s a long drop,” Ty said, hooking a hand around her waist, moving her to the other side where Reed was lounging in a patio chair. “He’s safe. Sit over here.”
    “Let me go over this again,” Kenzie said, placing her water bottle on the patio table before pointing to each man as she spoke. “You’re Reed. That’s Connor, Cole, and Bray or Braden? I’ve heard it said both ways.”
    “Impressive memory. My friends call me Bray. I would bet you’re probably a teacher if you can recall names like that.”
    “I did some early education in my undergrad, but no, I decided to go into social work. My case load required that I remember those little details,” she said and took the seat next to Reed before unscrewing the water bottle and taking a drink. He wouldn’t say she was necessarily comfortable, but maybe getting there. Ty grabbed the back to the free patio chair and moved it closer to her before taking a seat.
    “Social work. Wow. I bet you’ve seen everything,” Bray added.
    “There’re some heartbreaking situations, but I worked for the county hospital so I saw a lot of good. I like it. What do you guys do?” she asked, looking around.
    “Let’s see. Reed over there, he owns the world. Braden’s an attorney in Dallas. Connor’s military, and Cole’s a bum living off his family,” Ty explained, pushing his legs out in front of him. The breeze had turned a little cooler, but someone had gotten the fire pit going to help warm the area while he’d been in the kitchen waiting on Kenzie.
    “Hey!” Cole yelled, crunching up his empty beer can and throwing it in Ty’s direction.
    “No, I’m just kidding. He’s in the family business. They’re farmers. Like those massive sprawling farms,” Ty explained.
    “And you’re an actor?” she asked, looking over at him. She was sitting with her legs together, her hands in her lap, and her long hair fell over her shoulder when she looked over at him.
    “Yep.” He nodded, not sure if it would be in his favor or not to add Sexiest Man Alive to his list of credits. If it would help win her over, he might just say it.
    “I can’t believe I didn’t figure that out. I knew something about you seemed different, but I don’t watch a lot of television,” she confessed.
    “That’s because you were so focused on me you couldn’t quite wrap your head around him. It’s understandable. Anybody want another beer?” Cole said, getting up, taking the