Page 65 of A Texas Hero

Her father nodded. “We’re fine.”

Archer came to stand behind her, bless his heart, as if he could somehow fix this. He couldn’t. No one could.

“One of y’all get my daughter a glass of water, would you?” Patch asked.

Harry beelined it to the kitchen, Alec following behind. Archer wasn’t moving. He didn’t move when the guys left, and he didn’t move when Harry returned, offering her a glass.

“Thank you,” Zoey said, taking a long swallow. She glanced behind her at Archer. “I’m okay.”

He nodded, then moved closer to the rest of the men.

“Some privacy, please?” her father asked.

“We’ll be in the kitchen,” Alec said.

Zoey’s regular breathing returned, and with it, the knowledge she’d acted like a child. Just like back in the day, when her parents stood together, a united front, and refused to let her drive the cute little coupe she’d purchased with her own money, declaring it “too dangerous.” She had raged at them then. Sometimes their love had been a suffocating vice around her neck.

But she wasn’t a child any longer. These were grown-up problems. Her father was getting remarried, and she should want that for him. She wanted him to be happy, but it just hurt.

“Is it Veronica?” Zoey asked, knowing the answer, and making the reluctant choice to accept it.

Daddy blinked. “Good Lord, no! She’s twenty years younger than I am.”

The spike of relief that went through Zoey delighted her, until she realized the situation might be worse. Who else could it be? He didn’t have much time to date or meet new people, so it had to be someone he knew. Surely not her mother’s best friend!

Zoey took another gulp of water for fortification. “Then who?”

Daddy studied his nails. “Well, it’s someone you don’t know.”

At least it wasn’t her mother’s bestie. “I know a lot of people, so you might as well try me.”

Daddy leaned back with a chuckle. “Well, I hadn’t talked to this person in a long time because we lost touch.”

Hmm. So someone from his past.

“Just tell me. If you’re getting married, I’m going to assume you’ve been dating her for a while.”

He wouldn’t look at Zoey and seemed suddenly very interested in her carpet. “A few…weeks?”

“A few weeks?” Zoey set her glass of water down on the coaster beside her with force. “How well do you know this woman? What would you tell me if I was going to marry someone after only knowing him a few weeks? Really, Daddy?”

“There are about thirty years between us, young lady, and I know my mind. I’m old, honey. I know things. It doesn’t take long to know when you’re my age. I know when it’s right.”

“Okay, wow.” Zoey crossed her arms. “It sounds like you’re just coming up with excuses now. Maybe you should take five and think about this. What’s the rush? If it’s love, she’ll still be around in another year or two, right?”

He smiled and shook his head. “We don’t want to wait.”

Zoey blew out a breath and tapped her foot. “I still don’t hear a name.”

“Right. Her name is Robin Brown. She was my high school girlfriend.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Your high school girlfriend?”

“We broke up when we went to different colleges. I went to A&M on my football scholarship and she went back East. I met your mami, and the rest is history.”

Okay, so this woman couldn’t be all that wonderful or her father would have kept in touch. He wouldn’t have dropped her. Obviously, Zoey’s mother was “the one” and he realized it. No point in looking back. Relief spilled through Zoey. This was simply some kind of rebound relationship. Those second-chance love stories never worked in real life, only in books.