Page 74 of A Texas Hero

She glanced up. “Hey.”

“You did good today,” Archer said. “I’m proud of you for the way you handled Robin. I know how hard that was for you.”

“She’s a nice person.” Zoey lowered her eyes. “Just not my mother.”

“Well, no. Your mother can never be replaced. That’s how it is when you love someone.”

She smiled. “It sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

He realized that she’d just spoken his truth out loud. Unfortunately, he’d fallen in love with Zoey, which was crazy. It had happened so organically and felt as easy as a warm bath. He had no business falling in love with her and even less telling her that he had. If he told her, she’d want him to stay and wouldn’t understand when he couldn’t. He had to make a living; he had to save money and get established in his career. Zoey deserved nothing less than a man fully in control of his own future. He wasn’t there yet.

“Hey.” He sat beside her on the couch. “It’s time for me to go.”

Her shoulders slumped. “What? Tonight?”

“Probably in the morning,” Archer said. “They arrested the guy who was making the threats, and he won’t be a problem anymore.”

“For now,” she said. “It seems my daddy always says something on TV that pisses a sports fan off.”

Archer snorted. “No doubt. It’s too bad people can’t agree to disagree more often.”

“Tell me about it.” Zoey set her book aside and stuck out her lower lip. “I’m going to miss you.”

“Yeah? You won’t have a helper in the boutique anymore, but you’ll do fine without me, just like you did before.”

“I’ll find out how much foot traffic dies down once you’re gone.” She crossed her arms.

“Not much, I bet.”

“Maybe I could have a cardboard cutout made out of you and put it by the front door. No matter how hard you tried, you still always looked like you were standing guard.”

He cocked his head. “Sorry. That was my real job.”

Zoey scooted closer. “Yet you got pretty good at giving fashion advice to both men and women.”

“Difficult to believe.” He lowered his head, biting back a smile.

“Do you know that so many men came in purposely asking for white button-down shirts like yours?”

He suspected as much, since they’d asked him where he bought his shirts. Unfortunately, not at Zoey’s boutique, so he pretended not to know. He didn’t want people shopping anywhere else but at Zoey’s. Then he’d noticed that Zoey had started stocking shirts that looked an awful lot like his.

“Did you start selling white button-downs because of me?” he asked.

She grinned. “I’m ordering more because I don’t think the need will die with you.”

He rather liked the sound of that: Zoey remembering him, even in some small way, after he was gone. She’d think of him every time she sold a white button-down. People didn’t die when they were always in your thoughts; not that he was dying, but he may as well be for all intents and purposes. He’d be out of sight, out of mind. Gone from her life. And Zoey wouldn’t be alone for long.

With those words, she lowered her head to his chest and they just stayed there for a long time.

At least he had a chance to say goodbye.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The first morning Archer was officially free from his duties as Zoey’s bodyguard, he went out for coffee while she swam laps. He didn’t even bother to set the house alarm when he left. Living dangerously.

Archer stood in line at The Green Bean and caught sight of Alec, one of Patch’s bodyguards, standing in line.

“Hey,” Alec said. “Heard you’re between jobs now.”