Acting Happy (Texas Desires #2) Read online

  Boredom had officially taken its toll. Shoving the laptop to the mattress, Kenzie lay out flat and listened to her parents turn in for the night. She stared up at the ceiling fan blades, watching the rotation, as the sadness she’d fought all day slowly creeped in. A tear managed enough steam to slip free, pooling in her ear. She was too young to feel this old while biding her time in the one place she’d never wanted to live. If it were even possible, Kenzie hated Jason more in that moment than she had ever before, and that said a lot, because she really hated that man.

  ~~~

  Startled awake, Ty Bateman jerked forward, sitting straight up in bed. Something wasn’t quite right. Recognition didn’t immediately come until he remembered this glorious bed was his own and looked over at the digital clock on the nightstand. He’d slept a dozen or so hours, more time than he’d thought possible. Clearly he had needed the rest. Interestingly enough, seven o’clock in the morning didn’t feel quite so early in the mountains. He was missing daylight and tossed back the covers to place both feet on the cold hardwood floor.

  Due to the fall season, the nights were turning chilly, but the days were still warming up nicely. Ty went to the closet. The clothes his assistant sent were hanging neatly in place. He grabbed a pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt, shrugged them on, then reached for a long-sleeve flannel shirt and ball cap, absently tossing those on the bed as he headed to the bathroom. He quickly brushed his teeth and wet his hands, moving them over his thick mass of hair. His hair had always been hard to tame, and getting that perfect swoosh with his longer-on-top style was a pain in the ass. He doubted when this dried it would truly be much different, but whatever. Coffee and the porch were his most immediate goals. He grabbed his things and went for the kitchen.

  The strong scent of his preferred Columbian blend, rich with caramel and a nutty undertone, hovered in the air. He took a deep breath and smiled. The pre-programmed coffee maker was definitely something his high-strung, think-of-every-possible-angle, micro-manager of an assistant would have scheduled for him. It only took the opening of three cabinets to find a coffee mug. Ty tugged on the ball cap, shrugged the long-sleeved shirt over his arms, then poured himself a cup. Bypassing the trail of dirty clothes he’d left littering the living room minutes after he’d arrived last night, Ty went for the front door.

  The first step out on the porch was a seriously life-changing event. To the east, the sun shone brightly, waking up the morning. The quiet noises of nature soothed Ty’s battered heart in a way he’d never thought possible, and the air was crisp and as clean as he remembered. It was truly remarkable that his lungs hadn’t seized in his chest with how accustomed they’d become to breathing in the daily smog of New York City.

  Ty had grown up in the country—a small town in Texas—but for the last twelve years, he’d been an entrenched city boy. The hustle of New York City had taken a hold of him, motivated and driven him to accomplish great things with his life. Only lately did the weight of that world seem to settle harshly on his soul. His youthful exuberance had become tainted, jaded. The movie-star lifestyle had finally taken its toll, leaving a cynical, take-charge, run-over-them-before-they-run-over-you attitude.

  For the last year, Ty couldn’t even find a hint of compassion in any of his thought processes. He took no shit from anyone or about anything, with a regular chorus of damn-the-consequences in every decision he made. He bulldozed his way through life. Yet now, as he stood on this porch, taking a long drink of the hot brew, he could feel his world settling back in its proper place. The ruthless man he’d become began to strip free as he sat in the recliner closest to the porch rail and kicked up his feet.

  This five-bedroom log cabin with its high vaulted ceilings, multi-level rustic yet modern design, sitting at the perfect angle on the top of this mountain might have been the best investment of his life. Now, he wished he’d started his vacation earlier, gotten a few days of this peaceful quiet under his belt before his buddies arrived.

  By the time he’d finished his first cup of coffee, the itch in his beard began, but he’d suffer through. The television series he'd starred in for the last ten years didn’t allow for any facial hair, forcing him to be regularly clean-shaven for the camera. He had learned early on that was an advantage, giving him the perfect disguise for when he wanted to be left alone in public. His dark beard grew fast, covering the lower half of face completely, changing the entire dynamic of his jawline, and for the majority of the next four weeks, Ty Bateman wanted to be completely incognito.

  Two to three cups of coffee later, he heard a distant disruption moving toward him. Moments later, he saw the first of his two arrivals of the day. Ty estimated he had a couple of minutes before they made it all the way up the mountain, so he went for a warm-up to his mug. When he came back out, he took the porch steps down, gingerly walking barefooted on the small rocks of the circular drive. If he remembered correctly, Cole and Connor were to arrive first. Braden and Reed would show up later this afternoon. Somehow his four childhood best friends had managed to stay connected throughout their careers. The group of them couldn’t have turned out more differently, and life had definitely spread them all over the country, but they had managed to keep this annual vacation intact since they’d graduated high school and gone their separate ways.

  A pickup came fully into view; he assumed it was Cole’s. The terrain up the mountain wasn’t always the easiest, but that was one of the draws to the place. They got to put on their real-men attitudes and climb the mountain to their comfortable hideaway. Always the start of a perfect vacation.

  Ty pointed Cole and Connor toward the end of the drive, closer to the garage. He moved his tender feet over the rocks to greet them at the truck, mentally berating himself for not taking the minute to slide on his sandals.

  “Hey, man,” Cole yelled out, jumping from the truck. Though they’d all graduated the same year, Cole was the youngest of the five of them, which really wasn’t saying much. He retained his deep Texas accent and was the only one to stay in their hometown to follow his lifelong expected career path of farm boy on his family’s sprawling ranch.

  “Hey. Like the ride,” Ty called out, stopping at the back of his Jeep. His gear was still tucked in the back. He riffled through the bag with one hand to find his running shoes. Cole slapped the back of his brand new dually pickup truck, taking quick steps toward Ty. His buddy’s ever-present baseball cap was pushed back on his head, showing his still baby-faced good looks.

  “Just got her a couple of weeks ago.” Cole got to him about the time he got one shoe on. Big beefy arms wrapped tightly around him, drawing him close, making Ty quickly move his coffee cup away from their bodies as the liquid splashed from the sides. “Good to be here.”

  “Yeah, agreed. I needed this,” Ty said, grinning at Connor over Cole’s shoulder. “Hey, man.”

  Connor smiled, which was always a little weird, and headed their way at a more casual pace. Stoic might be the best word to describe him, but Ty wasn’t entirely sure of that since he hardly spoke. His tendency toward quietness grew more pronounced with each year he stayed enlisted in the armed forces. He’d chosen career military, rising through the ranks.

  Ty thumbed his second shoe on before grabbing his lone duffle bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

  Cole lifted his ball cap to scrub a hand over his head before absently putting it back in place. “We drove all night.”

  When Connor got within reach, Ty took his outstretched hand before he drew Connor in for a much more relaxed hug. Actually, it was probably more of a shoulder bump, but it meant the same thing.

  “Good to see you, man,” Ty said.

  “Yep, you look more Hollywood every time I see you,” Connor said, and Ty knew that was an attempt to tease him about his pampered life.

  “We all can’t pull off the buzz cut,” he said, grinning at the guys. “How was the drive?”

  “Picked him up at DFW airport and drove straight through,” Cole called ou
t as he went to the back of his truck, pulled out three bags, and tossed two to Connor.

  “You guys tired?” Ty asked.

  “Nah, not too bad. We took turns sleepin’,” Cole said, following Ty to the front porch. “You agree?”

  “Yup,” Connor said, trailing behind.

  “Cool, drop your shit in whichever room you want. Do what you need to do. I’m gonna take a quick shower. I got in last night. I need some breakfast, and we need to make a beer run. Can’t have my budding alcoholics running out of beer like we did last year. My assistant told me there’s a store in town,” Ty said, walking through the front door, holding it open until Cole got through.

  “What about coffee?” Cole asked.

  “Full pot in the kitchen. You know where it is. Help yourself to whatever’s in there,” Ty said, as he picked up his scattered dirty clothes and headed toward his bathroom.

  Chapter 2

  For a place tucked so far out of the way from anywhere, the Stanton Café and Steakhouse was packed with patrons. Ruggedly dressed wilderness junkies sitting side by side, taking every available space at the four eight-foot tables that made up the dining area. The restaurant had zero formality. The chairs were the standard metal fold-out deals, rolls of paper towels sat in the middle of the table at about every other chair and the plates were a hard plastic—absolutely no fear of breakage.

  Ty and his buddies had found the only available space, sitting at the very end, the farthest away from the door, right up against the wall. Ty got the seat at the foot of the table, Cole to his left, Connor to his right. From this angle, he could see the whole dining room and every time he moved, his chair scrapped against the back wall. The deep indention in the sheetrock proved it to be a regular occurrence.

  This whole eating experience might actually be one of the top five reasons why Ty loved this part of the world. He’d been parked at the table for at least thirty minutes and no one seemed to recognize him or treat him any differently than any other person in the place. He couldn’t see anyone purposefully eavesdropping or discreetly snapping pictures. Yes, he had worn his baseball cap and dark sunglasses, and his thick beard was growing in nicely, but if any of these people thought he looked familiar, they never said a word.

  Ty shoveled the last bite of food inside his mouth. Only a small piece of bacon remained. The grits were gone, the overly buttered toast had only bread crumbs to prove it had ever existed, and now, the scrambled eggs were history. Tossing the bacon in his mouth, Ty pushed away his plate while not yet entirely full. Apparently relaxation and good home-cooking made him hungrier than normal. “So Reed’s settled down?”

  “Yep. And she’s pregnant,” Cole added while Ty eyed Cole’s plate and decided that, out of the three of them, Cole was the smart one. He’d ordered the breakfast sampler and still had some strategically uneaten food pushed off to the side. Since they were like brothers, Ty knew Cole saved certain bites to savor at the end of the meal. Cole liked to eat and seriously planned his food at every meal, but as any good sibling might do, Ty made a stealthy, unexpected move and reached over to spear the last sausage link left on Cole’s plate.

  “Hey!” Cole shouted. Ty quickly shoved the whole link inside his mouth when he saw Cole’s fork rising to fight for the piece. The anger that flashed over Cole’s face made Ty sit back as far as he could. It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that his buddy would execute a throat punch to get his sausage link back. Connor just snickered as Ty chewed quickly then reached for the glass of water. He had to swallow this meat before he choked to death trying to keep from laughing at his victory.

  Ty took a drink of the iced water, swallowed, and took another drink before he spoke, trying to stay on the subject of the remarkable turn of events in Reed Prescott’s life. He also eyed a piece of biscuit and gravy left on Cole’s plate. If he could divert attention and move quick enough to get that food on his fork and to his mouth, he might succeed in getting that bite too. “Reed as a dad is kind of weird. You guys like her?”

  Cole’s eyes narrowed on Ty before he looked down at his remaining food. He then draped an arm around the top of his plate to protect what was his. “Order more if you’re still hungry.”

  “Answer the question, douche,” Ty said, still focused on the food.

  “Sure, she’s fine. Didn’t get that gold-digger vibe from her,” Cole said.

  “She’s pretty and sweet,” Connor added. He’d shoved his plate out of the way, resting his elbows on the table as he drank from his coffee mug.

  “I got the email Linda sent,” Ty said, taking another drink of the water. Though Linda was Braden Bryant’s mother, in that small town Texas way, she acted as a mom to them all. The Bryants had adopted Reed when they were all young, bringing him into their circle, making his new girlfriend and upcoming baby a prideful topic to be spread around the family. “He seems happy. I’m just surprised. I never thought he’d ever settle down.”

  “He’s whipped, but she kind of seems so too,” Connor added. Through the distraction of Reed’s love life, Cole had quickly finished his plate, mopping up that last little bit of biscuit and gravy. Damn.

  “Well, if she’s good for him, he needs that. The guy pushes too hard,” Ty added as the waitress moved to their side of the table and laid the check down then cleared away the dishes.

  “You guy’s need anything else?” she asked.

  “No, we’re good. The local store’s close by, right?” Ty asked, still watching her for any signs of recognition.

  “Yep, about a block or so down,” she said and turned away.

  Score! He smiled and then sighed at his confirmed incognito status.

  Cole waited for the waitress’s retreat and looked around to see who was in hearing distance before he quietly added his two cents, “You push yourself too hard. You’re always on the TV or in a movie. I don’t know how you keep up. You never answer the damn phone. How many movies did you make last year?”

  Ty didn’t respond to that question as he rose, pulling his wallet from his back pocket, dropping a couple of twenties on the table. The guys had never really understood his industry. Out of all of them, Reed was the only one that didn’t give him grief about his packed schedule and that was only because he worked so damn much himself. Instead of answering the question, he stuck with the standard response he always gave his buddies as he went for the front door. “You know, I gotta strike while the iron’s hot. At any point, I’ll be irrelevant, and it’ll all be over.”

  “Yeah, that answer doesn’t hold much weight anymore.”

  Ty pushed open the diner’s front door and stared up at the sunny blue sky with a sprinkling of white billowy clouds for as far as the eye could see.

  Cole walked through the open doorway and patted Ty’s chest as he passed. “I think this iron’s smokin’ hot because you’ve been sayin’ those same words for the last seven years and nothin’s cooled off. Besides, Linda came over to the house a few nights ago. She wants me to tell you to answer the phone and slow down or she’s comin’ to New York.”

  “Oh lord,” Ty said, chuckling. Linda Bryant was as Southern as any country-folk stereotype used in a movie. She wrote the book on cooking comfort food, raising a pack of children, and staying all up in their business to make sure they followed a proper lifestyle. He couldn’t imagine Linda finding too much good if she came lurking around his life.

  “Mom says you’re datin’ some model. She showed me her picture on the internet. If it’s true, does she have a sister?” Cole asked, but didn’t wait for his answer as he moved toward the Jeep, rounding to the backseat. With the hard-top off, his buddies had no use for doors. Cole grabbed the roll bar and hoisted himself inside. As he settled in the seat, he added, “She said she’s one of them Victoria’s Secret models. She ever wear those wings?”

  “You’re dumb,” Connor added, rounding the hood, going for the passenger side. Ty laughed a little at the exchange, and he honestly had no idea what online tabloid might
pair him with anyone—male or female, but no, he wasn’t dating anyone. The whole acting community was way too ambitious to date. Monogamy was laughable. They straight-up fucked. Either before, during, or after business, and generally, if he got lucky, he got some twice during any exchange.

  “Okay, that’s not the first time I’ve heard I’m dumb, so I’m guessin’ that might be true, but does she?” Cole asked again. Ty got behind the wheel and laughed solidly now. Man, Cole was something else. He never stopped. The guy had so much confidence that nothing ever slowed him down. Cole and Connor were the best of friends and they were so funny together. Connor was Cole’s straight man. Better than any comedy duo he’d ever seen. “Also, that diamond bra. I saw that on YouTube. She wear that?” Cole asked, anchoring both forearms on roll bar, leaning into the front seat.

  “He serious?” Ty asked, shoving the key in the ignition, turning to Connor for confirmation.

  “Yup, think so,” Connor confirmed after looking back at Cole. The rare grin spread, and the guy laughed a little.

  “You are dumb.” Ty started the Jeep and began to back out, changing the subject. “I’ve already seen more people than I wanted to for the whole trip.”

  “You didn’t answer the question,” Cole said, somewhat put out, and Ty stopped the vehicle halfway out of the parking spot, looking back at Cole, then over at Connor who seemed to want to know the answer to Cole’s question too.

  “Okay, well, here’s the truth. I think the woman your mom might’ve showed you, well, she struggles at keeping her clothes on. Google that shit, and you tell me if you think she wears it.”

  “Dammit! I should’ve been an actor,” Cole said, dropping dramatically into the backseat, whipping the baseball cap off his head to hit against his knee. Ty followed Cole’s lead, taking the bill of his cap and pushing it to the back of his head so it wouldn’t blow off when he drove. “I have to work entirely too hard to get anyone’s clothes off.”