Red And The Bear (Grimm Bears 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

like
you.”
    Nan shook her head and
laughed softly. “She is headstrong and stubborn. And she has
built a wall around her heart. She doesn't trust easily, but I can
tell that she trusts you.”
    “I will never hurt
her,” Jack promised.
    “I know. You stayed in
the restaurant to protect her. You're a good man, Jack. And I know
a good man when I see one,” Nan said firmly even before he
could open his mouth. “I saw the way you looked at Rose. It's
the same way my old man used to look at me. Like I was the most
beautiful, precious thing in the whole, wide world.”
    “You are beautiful,” Jack said sincerely.
    Nan rapped his knuckles
sharply as she got up to check on the soup. “Don't be glib,”
she scolded.
    Jack put up his hands in
surrender when Nan whirled round and warned, “And don't try to
flirt with me, young man.”
    With a loud huff, she ambled
off. But just before she went into the kitchen, Nan stopped and said
quietly over her shoulder, “You lost your son, didn't you?”
    When Jack nodded, Nan said,
“Losing a child is painful. You feel as though a part of you
has died as well. But it is only by living and loving fully that you
keep the memory of your loved ones alive. Remember, Jack, love never
dies. Never.”

CHAPTER
TEN

    Rose eased back from her
bedroom door. She'd overheard the entire conversation between Nan
and Jack.
    Swallowing hard, Rose put a
trembling hand on the door knob. She felt both apprehensive and
relieved. She was relieved that Jack knew the truth, but at the same
time, she wondered what he was thinking right now.
    Squaring her shoulders, Rose
took a deep breath and opened the door.
    Jack was sitting alone at the
dining table, deep in thought. He turned at her step and jumped up.
    “Hi,” Rose said,
suddenly feeling very self-conscious. Her hair was damp from her
shower and she was wearing a loose, red nightdress.
    “Hey,” Jack said
gently. “Nan said she's going to have her soup in front of the
TV in her room. She said for us to finish everything in the pot.”
    “Oh. Okay. I...I'll
go get the bowls.”
    “I'll help you.”
    Jack followed her to the
kitchen, and Rose almost dropped the bowl when Jack's hand brushed
against hers. “Here, I'll do it,” Jack said. “Let
me serve you. You've been serving me in the restaurant the whole
day. I'm a very good waiter. Don't look so skeptical. I used to
wait tables when I was younger.”
    He took the ladle from her
and nudged her away.
    Rose went to the dining table
and smiled when Jack came out with a tray held high above his
shoulder. He set the steaming bowl down in front of her and bowed,
“Enjoy your meal, M'am.”
    “Would you care to join
me, kind sir?” she asked coquettishly.
    “It'd be my pleasure.”
    They ate in silence for a
while. Finally, Rose looked up and said, “Why did you come to
Redcape Grove, Jack?”
    “I didn't intend to
come here,” he answered. “It just happened. It's true I
guess. Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other
plans.”
    “What plans were you
making?”
    Jack put down his spoon and
sighed. “I was planning to leave everything behind. My old
life, my memories, my pain.” He paused and said, “My
son, Alex, died six months ago. It was an accident, but I blamed
myself. He was my world, my darling little boy. I didn't take time
to mourn and grieve properly, because grieving would mean
acknowledging that my boy was really gone forever. So I just drifted
through the days in a state of denial and suppressed anger. I was
uncommunicative, and I lashed out at my brothers and my staff. I
tried to drown myself in work and drink, and I began to despise and
hate myself. I woke up one morning and I knew that Alex would be so
ashamed of me if he saw me like this. I had become a stranger to
myself and to everyone around me. I needed a break. So I left. I
promised my brothers I wouldn't disappear, and I would return when I
was ready.”
    Rose nodded and said, “You
need time to