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Connor had been using.
    “Shh…” Ty said, looking around. They were drawing attention now. He hit Connor in the arm to get him to stop staring and started to move around the aisle, his head lifting every so often to watch her movements. As he got closer, his original guess that she might be too young faded.
    “I can take you over here,” the older woman said.
    “We can wait for this line,” Cole added cheekily from beside Ty.
    “Dude, get over there.” Connor knocked Cole in the shoulder with enough force to move him into her line.
    “Kenzie, I see you have some interested suitors,” she said playfully.
    “Hmm,” Kenzie replied, drawing the word out, but she never looked up from her task at the register.
    “Kenzie. I like that name. You know her?” Cole asked the older woman behind the register as he dumped the steaks on the counter.
    “I do know her pretty well. She’s my daughter. Just moved back home from the city,” she stated proudly as she organized the white-wrapped pieces of meat with the prices facing up.
    “Is that right? We came up here last year, and I would have remembered her if I had seen her before,” Cole answered. Ty found himself staying in the background like he normally did, trying not to draw unwanted attention.
    “Where are you guys from?”
    “Well, I’m from Texas, ma’am,” Cole said, bending over, propping himself along the countertop. All his attention was on Kenzie who had to be purposefully ignoring them because she never looked their way. Only out of frustration with his own inaction did Ty force himself to move, push his way to the counter, shoving his heavy basket on top for the cashier to checkout.
    “Where are the rest of you guys from?”
    “We’re all originally from Texas, ma’am. Scattered out across the country, much like Cole here is across your counter,” Ty said, letting that natural Texas drawl settle back into his voice. He stepped on Cole’s foot and elbowed him in the side as he reached across to take the groceries out of the basket. “Sorry, dude. My bad.”
    “That’s okay. I’ll just scoot closer to Kenzie,” Cole said, and that had everyone in the place laughing, even causing Kenzie to fight a grin, but she stayed focused on her task and still hadn’t made eye contact.
    “What’s a pretty thing like you doin’ in a place like this?” Cole asked, now standing in the small space between the two cash registers.
    “You need better lines,” she said and finally cut a cool gaze toward Cole.
    “She makes those outdoor chairs over there by hand,” her mother said, and Ty looked over to see a rustic-looking rocking chair by the front door as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “Let’s see. That comes to three hundred and seventy-five dollars.”
    “What?” he asked, the sum drawing all his attention to the older woman behind the cash register.
    “The meat’s expensive and with all that beer,” she explained. His gaze connected to hers and it happened…that moment of recognition crossed her face. “You’re that guy…”
    He lifted a finger toward his lips before he began thumbing through his wallet for his American Express. Luckily she did stop speaking, closed her mouth up tight, and didn’t say another word as she finished the charge, but her eyes kept moving from her cash register over to him.
    As potentially devastating as being outed might be, Ty couldn’t help looking over to see Cole had finally engaged Kenzie in conversation as Ty stood there paying this enormous charge. Cole had toned it down a notch, quietly giving his best attempt to flirt, and he was dangerously good at it. When a faint blush crossed her cheeks and a small smile hit her lips, Ty knew he had to do something other than pray this woman behind the counter didn’t out him.
    “We’re gonna be in town for a few days. Could use some sightseein’ with the pretty store clerk,” Cole said.
    Thinking fast, Ty spoke out loud, damn the consequence of