Page 32 of A Texas Hero

Normally, Archer would agree. But in this case, the truth gave him chest pains.

* * *

That night, alone in the guest room, Archer went down the rabbit hole. Several online searches later, he had sourced a lot of information about bodyguards crossing the line with their clients. It seemed Hollywood was particularly fond of this idea. He even found a series about a secret service agent who falls for his client. It seemed this situation was quite common, though possibly not as common as Hollywood would have people think. Perhaps it was because of how much time bodyguards and their clients spent together. There were obviously ethical issues involved, and Archer was certain he’d read something along those lines in the contract he’d signed with his agency. It was definitely not encouraged and fell decidedly into a morally gray area.

In the end, it came down to what he’d suspected all along, and Archer was unbending when it came to his morals. It came with the territory of the military code. He’d never violate an oath.

But he also hadn’t counted on Zoey Lambert.

He hadn’t expected how direct she’d been with him. This was a huge turn-on, too. He loved women who knew exactly what they wanted. Women who made the first move. Unfortunately, he wasn’t in the position to return the favor, and the job wasn’t the only problem.

It was time to make a phone call and he picked up his cell. The phone rang three times before Sally, his therapist, picked up.

“You said I should call,” Archer said.

“I didn’t mean like this. It’s after hours.”

“Sorry. Never mind.”

He was about to press the End Call button when she said, “Wait! Let’s talk.”

“There’s no point. I don’t even know why I’m calling.”

“You know why you’re calling me,” Sally said. “Something must have happened.”

“Yes,” Archer said.

“And…?” She hesitated. “It’s your turn to say something.”

Archer sighed and raked a hand down his face. “I’m out of town on an assignment. That’s why I canceled my appointment.”

“Archer, don’t avoid the question. It’s okay to tell me you got overzealous again. You’re still adjusting to civilian life.”

“No, that’s not it. I…may have met someone.”

“What did I tell you? I knew it wouldn’t be long.” Archer could hear the smile in her voice.

“I said ‘may’ because it’s impossible. We…”

Archer didn’t know how much he wanted to tell her about Zoey. These calls were confidential unless he threatened to hurt himself or others, but he didn’t like discussing such private matters. Still, he had worked hard on his mental and emotional health. Early on, he’d decided to work as hard on those aspects of himself as on his physical therapy.

“The timing is off,” he said. “Let’s leave it there.”

“But this woman…you’re attracted to her?”

“Yes,” Archer groaned. “And she is attracted to me.”

There was a long beat of silence. “And she doesn’t know.”

No need to ask what she meant. “No, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“I guess that means you don’t have any thoughts of being intimate with this woman?”

Dio Mio, this was so uncomfortable.

“I…wouldn’t say that.”

“You’ve read the literature. Women are far more accepting of amputees than men realize.”