Page 86 of A Texas Hero

“We stopped dating well before that,” Zoey interrupted.

“Whatever. Just warning you, dude, don’t get too attached to her. Her reputation precedes her. She’s had a lot of boyfriends and nobody stuck. I wouldn’t want you to get your feelings hurt when she dumps you like yesterday’s trash.”

Zoey felt her eyes welling up with tears and she fought for control of her lower lip, which always trembled when she was about to cry. Scott had never been mean to her. It wasn’t fair of him to describe her failed love life to her current boyfriend, and it also wasn’t all true. She was kind to everyone, and look where that had gotten her. She felt her temper simmering.

Archer got right in Scott’s face. “Oh, I’m not worried. Guess what? It’s not Zoey’s job to protect my feelings, no more than it’s her job to worry about yours. You got dumped? Too bad. It happens to us all, and it’s not her fault if she doesn’t want to be with you anymore. She doesn’t owe you a thing, not even the kindness I’ve personally seen her give you. You didn’t deserve it.”

“But—”

“Here’s what you’re going to do,” Archer said, putting his hand on Scott’s shoulder. “You’re going to turn around and walk away from Zoey right now.”

“Fine!” Scott shook off Archer’s arm. “Good riddance.”

Zoey could feel her entire body quaking. She wasn’t cut out for this. If only everyone in the world could have what they wanted and be happy and content. She wished that even for people she didn’t like, because everyone deserved to be loved, if nothing else. Someday, Scott would find someone, when he decided to put his partner first.

Archer tipped her chin and she met his gaze. “Tell me you’re okay.”

“Yes.” She wiped away a tear. “I’m good.”

“You are not responsible for his feelings, okay?”

She knew that all too well, but life was hard sometimes with a big heart. She nodded. “I know. It’s just a shame.”

“Yeah, I agree. It’s a shame he’s a big baby.” Archer reached for her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss it. “But I have to admit, losing you could make a grown man cry.”

Zoey couldn’t help but smile at that. He sounded like he meant it, like maybe this thing between them might be able to withstand his trip to Asia. It was all she could hope for at this point, because one way or another, he would be leaving. And though he’d had an offer to stay in Texas, she respected him more for refusing it.

Archer tugged Zoey along, heading toward the activities and rides. “And now I see what you mean. You could definitely take him. Kind of scrawny, isn’t he?”

“I tried to tell you!”

“Yes, you did.”

She laughed all the way to the hayride.

* * *

Prior to this day, Archer would have never considered a visit to the pumpkin patch. But that was what Zoey had done to him. He had the best time in years, riding in the back of a flatbed truck filled with hay and other passengers, as it took them from one end of the park to the other. They stopped to eat sweet and salty kettle corn, huge turkey drumsticks and cotton candy. Zoey refused to go in the haunted house, explaining that she didn’t like to be scared—apparently, she was far more of a harvest girl than a fan of Halloween. But they wound up going through the corn maze twice, Archer stealing plenty of kisses every chance he got. They took photos with the fun cutouts of scarecrows and sat on the “king” and “queen” thrones in front of a pile of real pumpkins approximately forty feet high. He banked enough memories of them to take him through the rest of his life.

They ran into many of the folks Zoey knew from town, and even some Archer had met. He waved to Max and his wife, Ava, who was carrying their little one in a sling on her chest. Adam and his wife Stacy were there with their two little girls, as were Cole and Valerie, with their children. It seemed as if every two feet, Zoey would bump into someone she knew, as though the whole town had come out tonight.

“You know everyone in Charming, don’t you?” Archer said.

“Because I’m a business owner, I get out there and do community events and try to connect. Twyla was a big help when I first started out. Her family has been doing it for decades.”

“Good, then I won’t need to worry about you being lonely while I’m gone.” Archer pulled her off to the side for some privacy.

“There’s plenty to keep me busy, that’s true.”

She wasn’t getting the message. He didn’t want to hold her back. Love was so important to Zoey that if she happened to find it with someone else while he was absent, he’d have to let her go. He loved her that much. Yeah, he’d hate it if she found someone else. He’d hate it so much he wouldn’t be coming back to Charming to witness it in person. Heartsick didn’t begin to describe how he’d feel, but he’d be a man and let Zoey choose who she wanted to be with. He’d be a hypocrite otherwise, given the advice he’d just given Scott. She didn’t owe him anything, either.

“What I mean is that if you want to see other people while I’m gone, I will understand. I’m going to be so far away that I can’t compete.”

“You don’t have to compete—”

“That’s what you say now, but if you meet someone, if something changes, know that you don’t owe me anything. What I said to Scott holds true for me, too. You’re not responsible for my happiness, either.”

“I know, but I—”