Page 47 of A Texas Hero

“Of course.”

“Archer, you know I’m going to ask my father why he really hired you, right after I tell him I canceled the party.”

He sighed. “I had a feeling.”

“He can’t keep me in the dark. It’s not fair to you, or me.”

“I admit it’s been tough pretending this is all about the ex. Not that he hasn’t been inappropriate, but you were always right. No reason for a bodyguard. Should we start calling your guests soon?” Archer asked.

“I’ll need to tell Twyla first.” Zoey stood and walked to get her cell from the countertop. “She’s going to be so disappointed.”

Zoey thought of the beautifully engraved invitations and all the planning which had gone into the guest list. All those unnecessary background checks. She could have done without knowing that Vince Hunman at the post office had been divorced twice and was behind on child support.

In the end, Twyla took the news better than Zoey expected. She was, of course, worried about Zoey, which made sense. But Sweetheart Day wasn’t a holiday Twyla had ever celebrated with her mother, so she would have no trouble letting it go. For Zoey, this would hurt for a while. It might sound like an exaggeration, but to her, this signified the end of an era. No one else understood the way Mami would have. It had been their tradition. Had she been there, she wouldn’t have let Daddy stop the party. She’d have just made it smaller, including only a few special people. But the day would stand and they would still celebrate love.

While Archer excused himself to the patio, presumably to give her privacy, Zoey made the call to her father.

“Hey, baby girl! What’s—”

“I’m canceling the party. Does that make you happy?”

“What party?”

Zoey groaned and dragged a hand down her face. “Are you kidding me? The one I have to cancel for a reason I don’t understand. Scott is no longer bothering me, and I doubt now he was ever the issue. He’s not the reason you hired a bodyguard for me, is it?”

He was silent for too long and she had her answer.

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

It didn’t take long for it to dawn on Zoey then that the issue might have nothing to do with her at all. There was one main reason her father had bodyguards: overzealous fans. A woman who swore that Patch Lambert was her soulmate had once sneaked into his hotel room. Another had broken into their house and was arrested, but not before she’d declared her love on every mirror of the house. In lipstick.

“Do you have another obsessive fan?”

“Worse than that, but I don’t want to talk about it. All you need to know is that it’s being handled by my security team. And you…well, you’ll be safe, too. That’s all I care about.”

Zoey closed her eyes and remembered the year her father had received death threats. Surprisingly, the memories weren’t horrible for her, possibly because she was too young to understand the gravity of the situation. Her parents had done a good job shielding her from the haters, and her father was still doing it, even though he’d been retired for years.

“I see. It must be pretty bad if you won’t talk about it. What did you do? Support the wrong team again?”

He groaned. “I was a guest commentator and criticized the Chiefs’ defensive line.”

“Oh, no. Not the Chiefs!”

“Most people forgot about it a week later, but someone who is a die-hard Chiefs fan started sending threats. And after a while they got ugly. A few days ago, he crossed a line by mailing a package to the headquarters of my foundation in Dallas. And the FBI is now involved.”

“Daddy, are you going to be okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine. I have so much security detail I can’t even eat a steak without someone examining it first.”

“You shouldn’t have to live like that.”

“It’s something I’m used to, but the fact I’m still in the public eye should not affect you. You have your own life to live, and God knows you never wanted anything to do with football.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. I’ve always loved that you are your own person and know exactly what you want, and also what you don’t want.” He sighed. “And I’m done trying to match you up with someone I like.”

“Thank you.”