True Nature Read Online Free PDF Page B

thought.
    Around sundown he thought the terrain looked familiar. Soon they reached a cabin he recognized from his childhood.
    “We could have driven up here, couldn’t we?” he asked. “You’ll sleep well because of the walk. You need to sleep well tonight.” With no further explanation for that mysterious statement, Fraser went to the side of the cabin and turned on a generator. He came back across the front porch, unlocked the door and led Hunter inside.
    Hunter was relieved to find the cabin had been modernized since his last visit, with a nice bathroom, a full kitchen and comfortable furnishings. At his grandfather’s direction he stowed his backpack in one of the two bedrooms. The two of them heated canned soup and ate it with crackers, topped off by peanut butter and jelly for dessert. Without being told, Hunter cleaned up. He sensed his grandfather wouldn’t tolerate him trying to get out of chores while they were here.
    Fraser stood. “Shamus will be up here tomorrow with fresh food. He’ll deliver once a week while we’re here. Good night, boy.”
    “Are we going to bed? It’s only eight o’clock,” Hunter said, astonished.
    “There’s no TV or games here. If you need something to do there’s a good selection of books in the shelves. You might want to take a look at some of the ones about Scottish lore to get yourself ready.”
    “Ready for what?” Hunter asked dumbly, but his grandfather had said all he intended.
    After doing the dishes and taking a hot shower, Hunter took his grandfather’s advice and selected a book from the shelves in the living room. Though he wasn’t particularly interested in Scottish lore, there were few other choices. He fell asleep with the book propped in his hands. He dreamed of walking through dark, never-ending woods. He kept seeing the bright eyes of predators in the darkness but they never approached.
    He awoke to rain pouring on the roof and the smell of pancakes and bacon. Shamus must have arrived with the food. His grandfather had a plate piled high for him when he got into the kitchen. He sat and drowned his pancakes in maple syrup.
    Fraser poured himself another cup of coffee and sat across from his grandson.
    “It’s time to give you your explanation, boy. I want to you to listen to what I have to say before you make any comments.”
    Hunter poured more syrup on a new stack of pancakes and shrugged. What were his choices?
    Fraser leaned back in his chair. He sipped his coffee one more time before he spoke.
    “My great-great-grandfather Thomas MacRae lived in Nairn on the Moray Firth and made his living with the tavern and inn his father had established. Even though he was approaching his fortieth birthday, Thomas was not married. His reputation as a lover was well-known in the small town, but he had never settled down,” Fraser said, his lips barely curving in a half smile.
    “He loved the sea and was walking along the shore one day when a young woman came toward him. She had the red hair and fair skin of a Scot and the beauty of an ancient siren. She looked distressed, and he immediately wanted to help her.
    “She said her name was Deirdre Killin, and she was a widow. She had run away from her brother-in-law, who planned to marry her after his brother’s death. She’d never liked him, but was now afraid of him because she’d learned he’d been complicit in her husband’s death. Everyone thought it was an accident, but it turned out the ogre brother-in-law had helped things along.”
    Fraser paused to drink more coffee and take a breath. Hunter continued to enjoy his food, interested despite himself. His grandfather had always been a wonderful storyteller.
    “Thomas gave Deirdre a job at the tavern. She could cook like an angel, and her good food brought in more guests. Eventually the two of them fell in love, and they were making plans to marry when her brother and her brother-in-law showed up. Thomas told the men that Deidre would not be going