Read Online Lakeside Hero (Men Of Millbrook Lake Book 1) by Lenora Worth - Free Book Online Page A

fat white magnolias and deep pink azalea blossoms.
    “I’d like to meet your mother,” he said. “My aunt knows everyone in town, but she speaks highly of your parents.”
    Marla smiled at that. “Joyce and Walt Reynolds. They know just about everyone in town, too.”
    “Except me, apparently.”
    “I’m sure they’ve heard of you.”
    He wasn’t sure how to respond to that comment. Had her parents heard the gossip about him? About his injuries? Probably.
    As if sensing his insecurities and doubts, Marla glanced up at him. “You’re a returning hero, Alec. This whole town knows what you sacrificed.”
    He wanted to snap at her and tell her this whole town felt sorry for him, but that wasn’t true. He just felt sorry for himself at times. But when he thought of how some of his buddies had come home in body bags, he straightened and thanked God he had an opportunity to start all over again. He would honor them by trying to be a better man.
    “Thank you,” he said, the burst of anger and regret lifting out in the wind that played through the old oaks.
    They’d reached her table and so far, he hadn’t said or done anything stupid.
    “Hey, Mom.” Marla leaned down to hug a plump older version of herself. Marla’s mother had short blondish-brown hair with a few streaks of silver mixed in. But her eyes were the same spring green as her daughter’s. “Have you met Alec?”
    Her mother smiled and shook her head, her gaze moving over Alec with interest. “No, not officially, but he’s been helping all of us to our tables, so we appreciate you, Alec.”
    Alec reached out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Reynolds.”
    “Call me Joyce,” she said. Then she introduced him to all the curious women at her table. After the small talk had died down, she continued, “We love this garden. It was so thoughtful of your aunt to include me and insist that Marla takes a break and sits with her old mama. That’s a rare treat for us.”
    He glanced over at Marla and pulled out the heavy white plastic chair for her. “Then I’ll let you enjoy your luncheon. I know the food will be delicious.”
    Marla sat down and let him help her with the chair. “Thanks,” she said again, her smile hesitant. “And get yourself a plate of food.”
    “I will,” he replied. With a wave to all the women, Alec turned and hurried back to the house. His limp only reminded him that he couldn’t move as fast as he used to, but in a pinch he could make a gallant escape. Escorting the women to their tables required going slowly, so that hadn’t been so difficult after all. Getting away from his newfound feelings regarding Marla—well, that proved to be more of a problem than he’d considered.
    Once he was inside, he leaned against the hallway wall and took a deep breath. Every now and then, he had sudden panic attacks that came out of nowhere. But with therapy, he’d learned to control them. So he took another deep, calming breath, and closed his eyes and focused on the image of Marla sitting in the garden with her mother.
    A sweet image that did bring him a small joy. He often wondered what his life might have been like if his father had lived and if his mother had taken time to enjoy her life and her only son.
    “Alec?”
    He opened his eyes and stood up straight. His aunt touched a hand to his face, over his scar. “Thank you, darlin’,” she said. Then she kissed his cheek the way she’d done so many times when he was a boy. “Your mother would be so proud of you.”
    And with that, she breezed away, her floral dress swishing, her pearls glistening and her spine straight.
    But Alec had to wonder.
Would
his mother have been proud of him?

Chapter Seven
    “Y our house is amazing.”
    Marla had packed up the last of her supplies and helped the hired staff put away the leftover luncheon food and tidy up the kitchen. Thankfully, she’d calculated a good amount with no waste. Her food had been a hit, and she’d received several