Free A Soldier's Promise (Crystal Lake Series Book 2) by Laura Scott

beside him, and he forced himself to focus on his daughter. “Are you hungry, baby-doll?” he asked in a lighthearted tone.
    “Yes,” she said with a shy smile.
    “All right, give me a few minutes to clean up first, and we’ll find something to eat, okay?”
    As he finished making their beds, he heard the sound of Julie’s car driving away and winced at the flash of guilt. Julie had been nothing but kind to them, and he felt bad at the way he’d acted last night, putting distance between them.
    But at the same time, he couldn’t afford to cause his daughter any more pain.
    Time to get himself back on track. He walked back into the main living area to find Lexi waiting impatiently. “Let’s get some cereal, okay?”
    She followed him next door, and he couldn’t deny feeling like an intruder as he rummaged through Julie’s kitchen. With Lexi’s help, he found the box of cereal, bowls, spoons, and milk.
    They ate at the kitchen table, overlooking the lake, which was surprisingly noisy with boaters and skiers making the most out of another glorious day. Apparently the tourists didn’t bother attending church services either.
    Lexi looked longingly out toward the water, and he knew she wanted to swim. He needed to get some work done on the townhouse as a way to repay Julie’s kindness, but he didn’t want to disappoint his daughter, either. Although he needed to get rid of the stupid catheter in his chest, too. If Dr. Allen didn’t show up, he figured he could pull it out himself, no problem.
    “I have to do some work first, Lexi, but when I’m finished, we can go down and swim, okay?”
    She scowled and kicked her feet rhythmically under the table. He recognized the signs of her distress, but as much as he cherished his relationship with Lexi, she also needed to learn that she couldn’t always have her way.
    “Work first, then play,” he repeated. He stood and took the bowls to the sink. Julie had left hers there as well, so he filled the sink with soapy water, washed and dried them before putting everything back where he’d found them. Lexi had stubbornly remained at the kitchen table, swinging her legs and rocking a bit, but he didn’t say anything. Bringing attention to her behavior never helped. Something he’d tried to explain to Claire’s parents, to no avail.
    “I’ll be right next door if you need something,” he said, pretending he wasn’t bothered by his daughter’s silent motion as he slipped outside.
    Back inside the gutted portion of the townhouse, he picked up the crowbar and began pulling down the remainder of the blackened drywall. Within ten minutes, he was covered with dust and sweat, but despite the throbbing pain across his ribs, he felt a keen satisfaction at his slow but methodical progress.
    The patio doors opened, and Lexi came inside, and the tension around his chest eased a bit. It was one thing to tell himself that it was best to leave Lexi alone when she got in one of her moods, but following his own advice was far from easy.
    “Hey, baby-doll, stay back so you don’t get hurt, okay?”
    She gave a small nod and stayed near the patio doors as he continued to rip down the drywall. When Lexi put her hands over her ears in response to the noise, he stopped with a sigh.
    He swiped the hem of his T-shirt across his forehead and set the crowbar aside. He crossed over to Lexi. “Why don’t you sit outside on the patio for a bit?” he suggested. “I should be done here in about an hour, and then we can swim, okay?”
    She stared at him for a long moment, dark reproach in her blue eyes, but he steeled his heart against giving in.
    “Lexi, Julie has helped us a lot, hasn’t she?” he asked.
    His daughter’s lips formed a pout, but she nodded her agreement.
    “I’m doing this to help Julie. She’s giving us food and a place to sleep. All I’m asking is for an hour or so to do some work for her.” He didn’t bother explaining that his sore ribs wouldn’t tolerate