by Soraya Lane
When he was serving, even before that in foster care, he’d never dared to imagine a life like this. A life where everything was possible. Where he had a chance to make his own family, where a woman loved him, and where he could be part of nature every single day.
He walked across the front yard, jingling his keys.
A tap made him look up.
Lisa stood in the window, her hair like a halo framing her face. Lilly was standing in front of her.
His two girls. His two beautiful girls.
He raised a hand and then blew them a slow kiss. His lips brushed his hand before he released it to wave softly up to them.
Lisa pretended to catch it while Lilly giggled. That infectious bubble of laughter that she was so prone to throwing his way.
Alex turned, his hand going up behind him in the air as a final goodbye for the day. He heard the flutter of the flag as it waved proudly in the wind. He didn’t have to turn to know it was looking down on him. The same flag that he’d tucked in his bag when he’d first joined the army. It had seen him safely through plenty of hard times, and now it was flying high in the air as a tribute to the friend he’d lost during wartime. A symbol, an ode to William and to how they’d fought over there in the desert. He wanted to show William that he’d take care of Lisa and Lilly until the day he died—just like William had looked out for him at the end.
Alex unlocked the truck and jumped in the cab. Something gave him a feeling that the other National Park ranger would give him a rough time about driving a baby-blue Chevy, but he didn’t care.
The rumble of the engine signaled he was on his way.
National Park ranger by day, husband and daddy by night.
Somehow life had finally given him a hand of cards he wanted to play.
He turned up the radio and sang along to the country and western channel Lisa had it permanently dialed to.
He would have preferred rock and roll, but if Lisa wanted country he didn’t mind one bit.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0812-4
SOLDIER ON HER DOORSTEP
First North American Publication 2011
Copyright © 2011 by Soraya Lane
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