Soldier on Her Doorstep by Soraya Lane Read Free Book Online Page B

was doing was enough for now.
    Lisa looked out the window as he appeared nearby. Hereached for the ax and dragged it upward in the air before slicing through a tree stump. She felt naughty watching him. Indulging in seeing his muscles flex and work, seeing the tension on his face drain away as he started to gather momentum.
    She would be forever grateful that he’d come all this way to give her William’s things. It had given her some sort of closure. Made his passing more final, somehow.
    The tags Alex had given her had been William’s older ones—the more current ones had come home with his body—but she had taken comfort in wearing them.
    This morning she had tucked them in her jewellery box, along with the folded letters and the photo of Lilly.
    She had made a decision too.
    To stop grieving. To be brave and take a big step forward.
    William was gone. It had taken her a long while to admit that.
    He’d been a great husband and an even better father. But he’d also been a soldier. And that meant she’d always known that this day, being alone, could come, and she had to face it.
    The reality of being a soldier’s wife was that you had to risk losing him. That you couldn’t hold him back.
    Well, she’d loved William with all her heart, but she’d also accepted that his being a soldier, facing live combat, could mean he could be taken from her.
    And he had.
    This was the first day of her new life as a woman dealing with life, accepting what had happened to her, and being the best mother she could be. Not a widow. The word was so full of grief, so depressing, and if she stopped thinking of herself that way it might make it easier to move forward.
    She had loved her husband. In her heart she knew no one could ever attempt or threaten to replace William. He had been too special, too important to her.
    But she did want to keep a smile on her face and try to be happy. If Alex’s company helped her do that, then she wasn’t going to feel bad about it.

CHAPTER FOUR
    T HERE was something nice about having a man in the house again. Although Alex wasn’t technically in the house, having him in the cabin was equally as good.
    She’d never felt nervous, exactly—not out here—but there had always been a certain element of unease that she’d never been able to shake. A longing to have a man at home every night. Someone to protect the fort. Someone in the window if you came home after dark.
    It was stupid, but it was true. She was a woman and she liked to feel protected and nurtured.
    The phone rang. She saw the caller identification as it flashed across the little screen.
    Great.
    Lisa had been avoiding her sister since Alex had arrived, but Anna wasn’t someone who took to being avoided very well. Her mother? Well, she wasn’t so bad, but her sister could be downright painful sometimes.
    â€œHey, Anna.” She put on her best sing-song voice as she answered the phone. If Lisa didn’t talk to her now, Anna would be likely to turn up here before dark to check on her.
    â€œHello, stranger.”
    Lisa could tell her sister was worried. She had that slightly high-pitched note to her voice. “Sorry, hon, I’ve just been flat out trying to get these recipes in order.”
    â€œYou still need a life, though, right?” Anna said.
    Lisa glanced out the window and spied Alex working on a cabin window. He was trying to force it open. Did having him here constitute having a life?
    â€œHmm, I know. I just want this book to be good.”
    â€œThey’re always good,” her sister replied instantly.
    The vote of confidence helped.
    â€œHow about you and some of the girls come by on Saturday afternoon for a tasting?” Lisa suggested.
    â€œLove to. Want me to organize it?”
    â€œSounds good,” Lisa agreed.
    â€œJust the usual gang?” Anna asked.
    Five women were plenty, Lisa thought. “Yup—and