Page 81 of A Texas Hero

He was clutching a bouquet of flowers, and God bless him, they were yellow and orange. It was almost as if he’d been listening all along.

“For you.”

“Thank you,” Zoey said, then pulled him inside to kiss him thoroughly.

She’d never get over the feel of his lips against hers, his beard stubble rubbing against her cheek, his firm arms tight around her.

“I want you to know,” she said, holding his hand and leading him to the kitchen, “everyone asked about you today. A young girl with a streak of pink in her hair wanted you to approve of her shoes—shoes that she bought online. They weren’t even from the store!”

“Ah, that must have been Alice.” He nodded, chuckling. “She needs affirmation for everything.”

“She did say something about that.”

“She’s a good kid.”

As Zoey busied herself at the stove, Archer came around behind her and began kissing her neck while she stirred the rice and chicken.

“Hmm, you smell like tomato sauce.”

“Really? I hope you like tomato sauce.”

“Are you kidding? I’m Italian. I love tomato sauce.”

“We’ll eat in a few minutes.”

Archer sat on a stool in the same place where he’d watched her so many times before. Always asking if he could help, always getting told “no thank you.”

“Where were you when it started pouring?” Archer said, taking an apple and biting into it.

Zoey placed her hand on her chest, reminded of how happy she had felt that afternoon.

“I was showing Valerie Kinsella a black dress.”

She then told him about how lovely it had been when the locals poured into her shop to take shelter from the rain. The cozy feel of everyone being together, safe and warm under her roof.

“Even without a fire, huh? Will wonders never cease?”

“I had such a wonderful feeling come over me, just knowing these were my people. That anyone who comes into my store feels like family. What I’ve created is amazing to me. I never expected this to feel like a second family.” She pointed to him. “And you helped with that.”

Archer shook his head. “That’s all you. The window decorations, Ophelia, the wedding dresses, all the care and effort you take to make people feel like they belong.”

“I’m thinking that this is my legacy. This is what I’ve been trying to find. Not just the clothes or the wedding dresses, I mean, but the shop itself, and the way it connects us all to each other. My mother would have loved this for me.”

“I think you’re right.”

Archer made a fire again, and they ate in front of it, sitting on pillows. After they finished eating, Zoey grabbed a blanket and threw it over both of them. She straddled Archer, wrapping her legs around him. He held her there for several minutes, in the quiet, with the only sound being the crackling fire. If cozy had a smell, it would be the scent of burning wood.

“Zoey, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Is it serious?” To lighten the mood, she stuck out her tongue and made a goofy face.

Archer laughed. “It could be.”

“Don’t keep me in suspense.” She grabbed him by the shoulders.

“I was offered a job that would keep me in Texas.”

She stared at him. “You wouldn’t go to Asia at all?”