Soldier on Her Doorstep by Soraya Lane Page B

In a part of theworld that seemed untouched. It was the postcard-perfect backdrop he would have sketched when he was away. The idyllic spot he’d hankered for. As a child, he’d always dreamt of what his life could have been like, the kind of place he could have lived in with his family if they’d been around, and if he could have chosen anywhere Alaska would have made the list.
    Even without Lisa and Lilly this place was perfect. Although they sure did add to the appeal , a little voice inside him whispered insidiously.
    They’d only been driving maybe five, seven minutes before a stretch of shops appeared. They had an old-school type of quality—a refreshingly quaint personality. He’d driven into Brownswood this way, but he’d been so focused on following directions, on finding the Kennedy residence, that he’d hardly even blinked when he’d passed the row of stores. There was every kind of store here a person could need.
    Lisa gave a toot and waved to an older woman standing on the street. She turned down the radio a touch and rolled down her window. “Hey, Mrs. Robins.”
    A few other people turned to wave. Small-town feel, small-town reality. The thought suddenly worried him. Was his being with her going to affect her standing? Surely she wouldn’t have agreed to him coming along if she’d had hesitations? But still… He knew firsthand how small-town gossip started. And spread. When his parents had died it had been as if everyone had been talking about it. Pitying him. Whispering. But no one had stepped up to help him or take him in. They’d just watched as Social Services had taken him away.
    Alex started pushing the painful memories back into the dark corners of his mind, like he always did. Just because he’d been doing better these past few days it didn’t mean he was ready for this. Didn’t mean he wanted to be seen or have to interact with anyone.
    He did enjoy Lisa’s company, he had to admit. That didn’t mean he was ready to brave the world again, though. It had taken him years to learn how to force unwanted feelings down.To push them away and lock them down. But now that he’d left the army after ten years he was struggling. Because he didn’t want to be alone.
    Having company again was kind of nice.
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    Lisa wasn’t going to hide just because she had Alex with her. She had to keep mentally coaching herself, reassuring herself that she wasn’t doing anything wrong, but it was hard.
    These people had known her since she was a little girl. Known William since he was in diapers. Not to mention known them both together as husband and wife for a good few years. And the worry, the guilt, was eating at her from the inside. She cared about what people in her community thought about her. Plus she cared about her husband. She didn’t ever want to be disloyal to him, or to his memory.
    For some reason, though, it felt like she was.
    But Alex was a friend. A friend. There was nothing wrong with having a friend who was a man. Nothing wrong at all.
    Besides, she had been forced to start a new chapter in her life the day William had passed away. Like it or not, the residents of Brownswood were just going to have to accept that. She loved being part of the community, but would they expect her to be a widow forever?
    Lisa focused her attention back on Alex. At her friend and nothing more. Pity about the flicker of fire that raced through her body when she looked at him. “Is there anything you need? Anywhere you want to go?”
    Alex dragged his eyes back toward her. She didn’t know what he had been looking at—maybe everything—but he’d seemed another world away in his own thoughts.
    â€œSorry?”
    He had been another world away. He hadn’t even heard what she’d said. “Is there anywhere you particularly want to go?” she repeated.
    He shook his head. “Maybe a fishing shop, if