Page 67 of A Texas Hero

Archer didn’t have that problem.

“This is different. It’s my father. He should have had me meet her first before he asked her to marry him. Maybe he’s slipping in his old age.”

“I didn’t see any sign of that.”

She crossed her arms. “Well, I worry about him.”

“And he worries about you. Hence, my presence here.”

“You don’t know. I’ve personally witnessed women of all kinds throwing themselves at my father. Right in front of me, as if I wasn’t even there. His only daughter. He has money and they know it. Maybe I should have never moved out of the house. That way, I’d have been there to stop this from happening.”

“At least give her a chance.” Archer tipped back on his heels. “If she’s horrible and an obvious gold digger, I’ll help you get rid of her.”

“You will?” Zoey smiled for the first time in hours.

He nodded and said mysteriously, “And I know how to make a person disappear.”

“You better be kidding,” she said.

The facetious grin on his face assured her that he was—thank God—but she appreciated that he had her back.

* * *

Archer found it funny that Zoey didn’t think her father should find love again, or that four years was long enough to grieve someone. Part of him understood. He’d like to think he’d be accepting if the situation happened in his family, but his mother was also irreplaceable, so…he understood. Archer also saw that Zoey hadn’t entirely worked through her grief, and this latest development might be pushing it. She’d given up the day she’d shared with her mother, and now this. Her father was getting married, just like that. Archer sympathized, even if he’d continue to play devil’s advocate.

He agreed that her father’s timing could have been better. Zoey had just had to cancel an event that meant a lot to her due to her connection to Patch Lambert. Then again, the man wasn’t getting any younger. And he’d fallen for someone his own age when he could probably have any woman he wanted. The truth was, it sounded to Archer like it could be a real relationship, and maybe that was the part that bothered Zoey the most. This wasn’t a fling, and it wasn’t temporary. There was a lot of good in that, but unfortunately, Zoey only saw this woman as a replacement for her mother, and not as someone who could simply make her father happy for however long he had left.

The next afternoon, Rachel returned to the boutique and chose the dress without the long train. While Zoey was in the back with her, Archer minded the store, giving advice when and where he could. He’d become better at this, understanding that women wanted simply to be seen. And he could do that.

“Which one?” A young woman held up a sparkly pink dress next to a black one with a scandalous slit up the side. Archer’s inner big brother reared his head.

“This one.” He pointed to the pink dress. “Black is boring.”

It would also make this girl look far too sexy for her age. Better for her to look like someone’s prom date.

“That was interesting,” Zoey said from behind him. “I thought you liked black.”

“It looks good on most women, but that one was too risqué for her,” he said. “She’s too young.”

“Hmm, yes. I agree.”

Later, after closing up the shop, Archer and Zoey headed to the restaurant to meet Patch, his bodyguards and his new fiancée. Zoey’s nerves were on full display as she drummed her fingers anxiously against the console of his car.

“The truth is, I’m trying to keep an open mind,” she said, fingers tapping. “I want to be fair.”

“Good.”

“She might be nervous, too.”

“Naturally.” Archer reached for her hand as much for comfort as to still it. “You’re the most important person in his life. If she doesn’t win you over, this isn’t going to work.”

“Right,” Zoey said, squeezing his hand. “But the thing is, I have to look out for my daddy. He’s been lonely, so he might fall into the clutches of a woman who wants his money or his fame. And to be honest, he grew up in Section 8 housing. He got out of that neighborhood with his talent, but I’m not sure the same could be said of most people at his high school. Like Robin.”

They arrived minutes before Patch pulled up with his entourage, and Archer received another crash course in the world of celebrity. He’d already had a taste of it with his first job. People in general could be funny when it came to seeing a celebrity walking around like a regular person. Eyes bugged and jaws dropped. Archer had never been privy to this before becoming a bodyguard. His closest experience had been when a four-star general visited his platoon.

But this was different.

He hadn’t anticipated just how popular an NFL Hall of Famer could be.