Free Lakeside Romance by Lisa Jordan

tried not to let his words wound her. She only wanted to help, to lift the sag in his shoulders. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe she’d intruded without invitation.
    Emmett cleared his throat. “Young lady, are you going to stand guard in front of my door or may I go in and rest my bones?”
    â€œSorry.” Sarah stepped aside and released the door handle. “Just remember what I said.”
    Emmett frowned and grunted, pushing the door open.
    Her heart picked up speed. She wiped her damp hands on her shorts.
    Frank Sinatra crooned from the turntable, filling the room with his velvety voice.
    Thank you, Daniel, for that last touch.
    Emmett shuffled into the living room, then stopped, leaning heavily on his cane. He turned slowly, his gaze lingering on his wedding photo that Sarah had found stacked on the table and hung up where he could see it from his favorite recliner. He moved to the couch and ran a shaky hand across the afghan that lay over the back. He tightened his grip on his cane as he lowered himself onto a cushion. Patting his breast pocket, he reached for a white handkerchief.
    He shifted watery eyes to Alec. “You knew about this?”
    â€œNot exactly. Sarah asked me to trust her.”
    Sarah moved to the couch and rested a hand on the older man’s shoulder. “Mr. Browne, I apologize if I’ve intruded on your space...” Her voice trailed off as Emmett’s gaze slid around the room.
    Steadying himself on his cane, he rose. He moved from the couch to the bookcase to the table, taking in everything without saying a word. He trailed a finger down the spine of one of the books and sniffed. Then sniffed again.
    Standing in front of his wedding photo, he lowered his head, pinning his chin to his chest.
    Pressure mounted behind Sarah’s eyes as her shoulders sagged. She kept her eyes glued to her flip-flops. The last thing she’d wanted was to upset the man. She shot a quick look at Alec, who stood behind Emmett with a scowl creasing his forehead. He wrapped an arm around the elderly man’s shoulders.
    Great. What a way to win friends.
    â€œUnc—”
    â€œMr. Browne—”
    They spoke in unison. Sarah snapped her mouth closed and stepped back. She put her hands behind her back and turned to stare out the window.
    Behind her, the men spoke in hushed tones. She couldn’t stand it any longer. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out Alec’s key. She walked over to him and held it out. “Listen, I’m really sorry about this. I just wanted to help. I’ll have Caleb come back and we’ll get everything back where it belongs.”
    Emmett stepped between her and Alec. Giving his eyes a final swipe, he looked at her with a gentle smile brightening his face. “Young lady, you will do no such thing. This is one of the nicest things anyone’s done for me. I appreciate the time you took to make an old man feel at home.”
    The knots in her stomach loosened as her fingers around his suite key relaxed. She pressed a kiss against his wrinkled cheek, then stepped back, returning the smile. “I was very happy to help. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to be going.” Nodding to the men, she picked up her purse and hurried for the front door.
    â€œSarah!”
    She stopped in the hall, the loose knots in her stomach tightening again. Was he coming to yell at her for overstepping her bounds? Only one way to find out.
    She turned to find Alec striding toward her. He stopped in front her with a bemused expression on his face. “Forgetting something?”
    She frowned. “I don’t think so.”
    â€œEmmett’s key?”
    â€œOh! That’s right. Emmett stepped between us before you could take it. Sorry about that. And listen—I apologize if I stuck my nose in where it didn’t belong. It’s just that...well...the look on that poor man’s face just got to me. That’s all.” She