Page 58 of A Texas Hero

Excitement poured through Zoey. Maybe Twyla had figured out a way to surprise her. She clasped her hands together.

“Who’s coming?”

Archer held up two fingers.

“Two people? Is it Twyla and Noah?”

Then he pointed from himself to her and once more held up two fingers.

“Just you and me?” Zoey swallowed hard and he nodded. A party of two.

He was torturing her with what she couldn’t have.

* * *

Finally, Archer had everything ready.

He’d been working on this plan since the decision was made to cancel the party. A bright idea came to him while lying in bed, staring at the cracks in the ceiling and trying to sleep.

What if he threw the party for her?

He wasn’t much of a party planner. He could have asked Twyla for help, but he wanted this to be his baby, his plan. It had taken a little time and imagination, but he was pretty proud of himself, considering he’d never done anything like this before. He’d pulled out all the stops.

“Why don’t you go and change, and I’ll meet you outside at six?”

“Outside?” She blinked, eyes wide.

“Yes. Stop asking questions. This is a surprise, okay?”

“O-kay, Mr. Bossy.” She brushed past him on the way to her bedroom.

“And don’t forget, casual is the word of the day.”

“Right.”

He hadn’t seen Zoey in anything but a dress—or a swimsuit—during the day. She was always polished and put together. And her hair might be called a work of art, as he knew she spent hours in her bedroom getting it just right. All these things he knew simply from the gift of living with her for the past two weeks. There was so much more to know, and he wanted to, even if he didn’t see the point. As he’d told Zoey, he might well leave the state when this job was over. Ian was the only member of the team centrally located in Houston because he’d started the satellite office, and though Ronan Sheridan was based in Charming, he still traveled a great deal. He’d made Charming home because of his family, and now his wife.

Archer would love a reason to make Charming his home base, but at the moment he didn’t really have one. He was ready to travel again, ready again to see other parts of the world in a different way than a soldier, this time, under less duress. Yeah, it would be nice to have a family someday, but he couldn’t think that way. It wasn’t time. First, he had to work on a career postmilitary that would support him and a partner.

He didn’t have forever to offer Zoey, but he certainly had right now. This day. This moment.

Setting up the two-person pup tent in a corner of Zoey’s massive backyard didn’t take long. It had been the first box to arrive followed by several boxes of camping supplies. One night, he’d searched the garage, finding it so clean and pristine it could be an extra bedroom. Clearly, a man did not live in this house. Even the gardener didn’t keep his supplies in here. Archer had to order everything. He now had a lantern, flashlights, a portable firepit, sleeping bags, even a small gas stove and “cowboy” coffeemaker.

Thanks to him, Zoey would spend a night under the stars.

He had everything set up by six o’clock, and when Zoey strode through the patio doors and past the swimming pool—wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, but still looking every bit a supermodel—he called out to her from the side.

“Over here,” he said, emerging from the tent. “What do you think? We’re going camping!”

His chest pinched when Zoey’s jaw went slack. She walked toward him slowly, each step measured as if stepping into a different timeline. When she smiled wide and held up her hands to cover her mouth, Christmas came early for him.

She lowered her hands. “Oh, my gosh! What a surprise! Are we seriously doing this?”

“You’re sleeping under the stars tonight! Now you see why I didn’t want it to rain and ruin my plans. You’re getting a fire, campground style.” He pointed to the firepit he’d loaded with wood he’d also had delivered. “Do you realize you can practically order anything online now?”

“I’m a business owner, what do you think?” she replied, but she was grinning, as she simultaneously took in the entire setup. “My little baby boutique has to compete with the giants, which is how I got the idea to sell one-of-a-kind items. Even so, I can’t offer free shipping or I’d always be in the hole.”

“Yeah. And there’s all the damn packaging.” Archer shrugged. “Well, I’ll plant a tree.”