Soldier on Her Doorstep Read Free Page B

Not a big smile, just a gentle curling of his lips at each corner and a dance of something she hadn’t seen in his eyes earlier. A lightness that had been missing before.
    â€œYou’ll have to battle it out with Lilly, though. That girl eats like a horse,” she said wryly.
    Alex chuckled. A deep, sexy baritone kind of a chuckle that finally made Lisa feel like they were having an adult, woman-to-man kind of conversation.
    â€œI’m hungry, but I don’t think she’ll be much competition.”
    They grinned at one another and Lisa hollered for her daughter.
    â€œLilly! Time for a snack.”
    A cacophony of feet on timber echoed down the hallway. She watched as first Lilly appeared, then Boston, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. They were inseparable, those two. Best friends.
    She placed a glass of milk on the counter to keep her daughter busy while she dished out the goodies.
    â€œWould you like to say hello to our guest?”
    Lisa knew it was highly unlikely, but the therapist had said to act like everything was normal. To ignore her not talking and just behave as usual—as if she was still speaking to people besides her mother and the dog.
    Lilly shook her head, but she wasn’t as shy as she’d been. She climbed up onto the third stool, leaving the one in the middle empty, her eyes wide and fixed on Alex.
    â€œThis is Alex,” Lisa told her. “He was a friend of Daddy’s.”
    That made Lilly look harder at him. Her big eyes searched his face intently.
    Lilly smiled and gave him a little wave.
    â€œHi,” he said.
    Lisa was more shocked at hearing Alex talk, albeit monosyllabically, than if Lilly had spoken! “Alex is a soldier,” she explained.
    Lisa glanced at Alex and saw how uncomfortable he looked at being so thoroughly inspected by a child. Back straight, pupils dilated, body tense. She guessed if you weren’t used to the curiosity of a child it might come as a surprise. Did he not have a family?
    She left them both looking at one another and opened up the pantry. Lilly would guzzle that milk in no time and start wriggling for something to eat. Everything was neatly stacked before her—jars and containers filled with all sorts of goodies. She made Lilly eat plenty of fruit and vegetables at other times, but a mid-afternoon snack was their one daily indulgence and she loved it. Lisa reached for her homemade brownies and iced lemon cake, putting the containers within reach and placing an array of each on a big square white plate.
    â€œI hope you have a sweet tooth, Alex. This will have to do for the meantime.”
    He still looked like a nocturnal animal caught within the web of a bright light, but she ignored it.
    â€œAre you planning on staying in the area?” She pushed a plate of baking toward him.
    â€œAh…depends on what the fishing is like. I hear it’s pretty good,” he said awkwardly.
    â€œYou’re a fisherman, then?”
    She watched as he finished his mouthful, Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.
    â€œI just like to look out at a lake and fish. You know—take time out. It’s more about the sitting and thinking than serious fishing,” he acknowledged.
    Oh, she knew. It was exactly why they’d bought this house in the first place. Was he camping out alone? After being away on tour she’d have expected he’d want to be with his family. With friends.
    Lisa moved away to locate some napkins and stopped for a heartbeat to look out the big kitchen window. The water seemed to lull her, made her feel like anything was possible as she briefly stared into its depths. She’d never really liked fishing, but she loved to think, to just sit and stare at the water. When she’d heard the dreadful news that her husband had died, that was exactly what she’d done. For hours every day.
    Lilly tugged at her arm. She hadn’t even seen her slip off the stool. Lisa bent