Jack never doubted for an instant that the baby was his. The boy had the same stunning green eyes and golden blond hair as Jack and his brothers.
Just one whiff and Jack knew that Alex was his cub. The boy was a bear shifter just like him.
Jack took his foot off the pedal and slowed down. There was a small town coming up. He had been driving for hours, and he should stop to refuel and eat. Then he'd be on his way again.
He had no specific destination in mind. It was just a journey he had to take. He owed it to himself, to Alex and to everyone who cared about him. He knew Hans and Derek loved their nephew very dearly. His two brothers had been doting, adoring uncles to Alex. He knew that Hans and Derek was hurting as well, but right now, Jack simply had to focus on coming to terms with his own loss and grief. He had to heal his own heart, otherwise he was just no good to anyone. In fact, he knew that he was a disaster just waiting to happen. He had to get away and save everyone from himself.
He turned into the small town and found the nearest gas station. Redcape Grove was a quaint, almost old-fashioned little town. Some of the buildings and houses looked like they were in need of some repairs and a nice new coat of paint.
“Would you be so kind as to recommend me a good restaurant around here, M'am?” Jack asked the lady at the cashier as he paid for the gas.
“Mmm.” The woman looked him up and down appreciatively and leaned forward, giving him a generous view of her heaving bosom. “The Cottage In the Woods serves the best pies, in my opinion. It's located right at the end of Grove Street, near the edge of town,” she said, winking seductively at him. “You know,” she purred, running a red fingernail down his arm. “I make a mean Shepherd's pie myself.” The woman licked her lips slowly, letting him read her intentions. She would readily welcome him into her kitchen and her bed.
Jack smiled politely at her. “Thank you, M'am. You're most kind.”
Jack went back to his car and turned towards The Cottage In the Woods. For some reason, he liked the name of the restaurant. It was simple yet a little quirky.
Jack smirked when he heard his stomach growl. His appetite was back, it seemed.
CHAPTER FIVE
Rose stifled a scream when the man reached out to grab her wrist. Forcefully, she wrenched her hand away and took a step back. She had dealt with unruly, unreasonable customers before. “Sir,” she said firmly. “I won't tolerate...”
“You little minx,” the wolf shifter growled. “You're going into heat soon, so why don't I do you a favor and...”
“Please leave,” Rose said, pointing to the door.
Rose backed towards the counter, ready to grab the shotgun. There weren't any silver bullets in the gun, just ordinary ones. But she didn't really want to commit murder. She just wanted this obnoxious, creepy wolf gone.
The man raised a bushy brow at her and put his feet up on the table. “I'm a customer. I have a right to eat here.”
“And I have the right not to serve you,” Rose answered firmly. “Please leave now, sir.”
The man laughed, his yellow eyes glinting dangerously. “Sir! I like that. I want to hear you call me “Sir” when I'm feeding my cock into your little virgin cunt.”
Rose made a strangled sound at the back of her throat as she clenched her fists. Her breathing sounded too fast and loud to her ears, and she was all too aware that she was alone in the restaurant with a wolf. Nan was in the back and she knew that Nan would be out front in a heartbeat if she heard Rose's screams. She didn't want to expose Nan to danger, and frighten her great-grandmother. Nan had a stout heart, but still, she was getting on in years. Rose would handle the wolf herself.
“I'll ask nicely one more time,” Rose gritted out. “Leave right now.”
“Or what?” the man taunted.
Rose whipped the shotgun out and took aim at the man. “Or I'll shoot.”
Something ugly rippled across the man's face before he twisted his features into a parody of a smile. “You can't kill me with that,” he said, standing up. “I'm sure you know that. I'm a wolf, a real, virile, red-blooded wolf.” He prowled slowly towards her and chuckled. “I do enjoy a feisty female. It's more exciting when they put up a fight.”
“I said, leave! Don't take a step closer,” Rose warned, her finger on the trigger.
The man's eyes turned completely wolf and Rose took an involuntary step back. His feral, predatory gaze locked on her and he let out a low snarl.
The man froze suddenly, stopping just a few inches from the barrel of her gun. He tilted his head sharply as if he'd heard a sound at the door.
One second later, the door opened and a tall, blond man stepped into the restaurant.
The man stared at Rose and the gun in her hand. The wolf shifter stepped away from Rose, and his eyes returned to human in a flash.
The new customer said nothing, but strolled to a corner table and sat down. Rose lowered her gun shakily and watched the two men in her restaurant. The blond man was a full head taller than the wolf shifter, and his plain white t-shirt was stretched across his broad frame.
Rose had never seen him before, so he wasn't local.
Great, now there were two out-of-town strangers in her restaurant.
One bad wolf.
And one tall, handsome stranger who seemed completely unfazed at the scene he had just witnessed.
The wolf shifter glanced at the newcomer and sniffed twice. Scowling, he glared at Rose and the blond man in turn, before heading to the door.
Once the door slammed shut behind him, Rose slumped against the counter. She stuffed the gun back under the counter and took a few deep, steadying breaths.
“You okay, Miss?”
Rose gasped and jerked her head up.
The blond stranger was still seated at the corner table, but he was watching her carefully. His piercing green eyes were sharp and assessing, but they were kindly and intelligent. His nonchalant, indifferent manner had been an act, Rose realized. This man was smart and sharp, and he obviously missed nothing. Rose knew at once that the man had sauntered in and parked himself at the table on purpose.
He hadn't turned on his heel and hightailed it out of the restaurant as soon as he saw the wolf and the crazy woman with the shotgun. He had stayed—to help her.
“Thank you,” Rose stuttered.
He smiled, and he suddenly looked younger, almost boyish. Rose thought he was in his mid-thirties at most.
“I'm just here for a nice dinner,” he said with a grin. “What the chef's recommendation?”
CHAPTER SIX
Jack smiled easily at the pretty, curvy redhead, and kept up the chatter to put her at ease. She was visibly shaken and she kept glancing at the door as she scribbled down his order.
“You're not from around here, are you?” she asked as she took the menu from him.
“No. I'm just passing through the town. My name's Jack,” he told her.
“I'm Rose,” she said with a shy smile. “My great-grandmother and I own this restaurant.”
“You have a lovely place. And I'm sure the food here is exquisite.”
“We use the freshest ingredients,” Rose said proudly. “And Nan is a great cook. I learned from the best.” Rose glanced down at his order. “Hmm, just one Cottage Pie? You can't stop at one. Mr Grayson always has at least two when he's here.”
“I'll just have one for now.”
Jack stared at her retreating back as she hurried to the kitchen. Only when she was gone did he allow his eyes to flash to the door.
That wolf would be back. He was sure of it.
He wondered if Rose knew that the man was a wolf shifter. She should. Rose was a half shifter herself. Jack had scented that she was half wolf. Her wolf wasn't dominant, so she probably would not be able to shift, but she definitely had wolf blood in her.
Jack had originally intended to just grab a quick dinner and be on his way. He didn't intend to stay in Redcape Grove. There was nothing f
or him in this little town.
But that was before he walked into The Cottage In The Woods.
When he first saw the exterior of the quaint little restaurant, Jack thought that the name was very apt indeed. The restaurant did look like a small cottage nestled in the woods. Clusters of trees flanked The Cottage and partially hid it from view.
Jack liked the name and the location of the restaurant. It was charming and homely. He always could spot a business with promise and potential. As the CEO of the Grimm Group, Jack had made many successful and lucrative acquisitions for the Group. He always encouraged the original business owners to stay on and continue running the business. The Group only bought shares in the business and injected much needed funds for expansion and growth. Some of the owners cashed out altogether, but many remained at the helm and took their businesses to new heights with the support of the Grimm Group. It was a win-win situation for all.
Jack was just making a mental note to have a chat with the owners of The Cottage In The Woods when he pushed into the restaurant.
He certainly never expected to see the owner herself standing right in the middle of the restaurant aiming a shotgun at a wolf shifter.
Jack had instantly scented the wolf's rage and lust. The ravening wolf was closing in on Rose, and Jack had let his bear rise to the surface as he strode to the corner table. He knew the wolf would scent his bear, and he had growled real low to convey a warning to the wolf. His growl was too low to be heard by human ears.
He hoped the wolf would come after him, but he doubted the coward would dare clash with a powerful bear shifter. He would probably go after Rose and her Nan. Defenseless women were much easier targets. Through from what he saw, Rose wasn't defenseless at all.
She was gutsy, tenacious and she could handle a gun.
He also saw that she was fiercely protective of her Nan. She had held her ground and handled the situation herself, instead of yelling and screaming for help. No doubt her Nan would drop everything in the kitchen and rush out to aid her great-granddaughter, but Rose didn't want that. She wanted to keep her Nan away from the ugliness and the danger.
Jack glanced out the window. It was still pretty early for dinner, but he was hungry after his long drive. And he was real glad he stepped into The Cottage In the Woods when he did.
As he glimpsed Rose coming out of the kitchen with a tray, his heart clenched and he felt his bear stirring just beneath his skin.
He would stay, he decided right there and then. Just until he was sure that Rose wasn't in danger.
As Rose leaned in to serve him his meal, Jack folded his arms across his chest to stop himself from reaching for her. He had this insane, almost irresistible urge to touch her, pull her to him and smooth that stray strand of red hair away from her face.
“Enjoy your meal,” Rose said, her gray eyes eager and expectant. She hovered beside his table, waiting for him to take the first bite.
Jack dug into his pie and his eyes widened. “This is the best pie I've ever tasted,” he said with his mouth full.
“Really?” she beamed.
He nodded. “Yep, and you're absolutely right. One isn't enough. I'll have another two. Wait, make that three more.”
Her eyes and mouth rounded. “You're joking. You can't possibly finish them all!”
Jack smirked. “Wanna bet?”
Rose laughed and shook her head. “Nope.”
“Why not?” he teased.
Rose cocked her head at him and said, “Something tells me that you're a man who always finishes what he starts. And—you never, ever lose a bet.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Rose busied herself attending to the other customers in the restaurant and helping Nan in the kitchen. Once all the food was done, Nan sashayed out to chat with some of their regulars. The place was about half full, and quite a few diners had come and gone.
But Jack was still here. He had been sitting at his table for a full five hours now.
Rose had observed Jack chatting amicably with old Mr Grayson earlier at the next table, and when Mr Grayson left, he let Jack have his copy of the newspaper.
Rose was sure Jack had finished reading every page and every line of the whole paper by now. He sipped his coffee and ordered more dessert as he read the paper leisurely. He seemed in no hurry to leave. In fact, he seemed quite intent on staying till closing time.
Rose saw that Nan had been studying Jack quietly even as she chatted with the other customers. Her great-grandmother was very observant, and she was generally wary of strangers. But she seemed to warm very quickly to Jack. In fact, she saw Nan sneak into the kitchen and come out with a big bowl of soup.
“On the house,” Nan whispered to Jack. She waved away Jack's protest and said, “It's good for you. It keeps you warm, here and here.” She pointed to his tummy and his heart.
Rose raised a brow at Nan when Nan walked past her with the empty tray. “On the house?” Rose mumbled.
“He's a good chap,” Nan sniffed. “And a fine-looking fellow. I have a soft spot for pretty boys.”
Rose coughed, choking on her soup. She was drinking a bowl of that fine soup at a table near the kitchen.
Nan patted her on the back. “I can appreciate a fine male specimen, can't I?”
“Nan...”
“I think I'm going to invite him home tonight.”
“Nan!” Rose spluttered, spewing soup from her nose.
“Tsk, tsk. That's a splendid idea, don't you think? I spoke to Jack, and he told me that he hasn't found any lodgings for the night,” Nan said in a conspiratorial whisper.
Rose was too busy dabbing at her face to answer.
Nan hummed happily and disappeared into the kitchen. “I'm going to start cleaning up the kitchen now. You handle the last few customers, and then you can start tidying up the front,” Nan called out.
One of the customers signaled for the bill and Rose jumped up, still frowning. Surely her great-grandmother was joking about bringing Jack home.
What was Nan thinking? Nan had a quick mind, and she was perceptive and a great judge of character. She obviously liked Jack. Well, Rose liked Jack too. In fact, she felt a lot safer with him around. She honestly didn't want him to leave, but she didn't want to set herself up for disappointment and heartbreak.
He was just passing through and he would probably be gone by tomorrow.
Her Nan knew her better than anyone else. Did her astute great-grandmother see her sneaking glances at Jack the whole evening? What else did Nan and Jack talk about when Nan stopped by his table? Nan was chatty but she always listened more than she talked. And she listened carefully to all the answers, both spoken and unspoken ones.
Rose had a feeling that Nan had already found out everything she wanted to know about Jack in that few minutes of conversation.
The door closed with a musical tinkle as the last two customers left the restaurant. Rose smiled at Jack as she went to clear his table.
“Can I get you anything else?” she asked.
He folded up his newspaper and stood up. “No. But I'll wait until you and your Nan are ready to go.”
“You don't have to do that,” she said quickly.
“Don't worry. I won't get in your way.”
“That's not what I meant.”
“I don't have anywhere else to be, so I'll just hang around till you ladies are done.” He sighed and added softly, “Helps me pass the time. At least the night won't seem so long.”
She detected a flicker of pain in his eyes before he turned away.
“Okay,” she said, touching his arm. She just wanted to comfort him, soothe away his hurt and pain.
They both jerked at the contact. The air seemed to sizzle between them and Rose felt the heat spread from her fingertips to ignite every nerve in her body.
She was suddenly conscious of the fact that they were standing too close to each other and she could feel his breath on her cheek. Her tr
aitorous eyes moved to his lips and she could see the stubble on his strong jaw. How would that feel against her soft, bare skin? What would it be like to kiss him and feel his mouth and hands all over her?
Rose's hand flew to cover her mouth, as if she was trying to stop herself from voicing her lustful thoughts out loud.
“I...I should help Nan in the kitchen,” she muttered breathlessly and stumbled away.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jack walked out of the restaurant into the cool night air. He needed to clear his head and pummel his bear back down.
With his bear all worked up and highly aroused, he couldn't trust himself to be around Rose. He wanted to be near her. He wanted to touch her so bad, but if he did, he wasn't sure if he could stop.
He had wanted to protect Rose and her Nan, because on some instinctive, primal, bone-deep level, he knew that they were his. More accurately, Rose was his. Nan was her family, which made her his family as well.
He had been kidding himself earlier when he decided that he would leave Redcape Grove once he was sure that Rose and Nan weren't in any danger. There was no way he could leave Rose.
His bear would never allow him to leave Rose.
“Ah,” Jack swore under his breath as he paced in front of The Cottage. He should be happy that he had found his mate. Rose was beautiful, feisty, and she had a protective streak a mile wide. She was perfect.
She would be a wonderful mate.
But—he couldn't say the same for himself. He wished he wasn't so broken, so messed up. If he had met Rose when Alex was alive, he would have proudly courted her and claimed her. He was confident, capable, rich and successful. He would have been able to give her the life that she deserved. But he was no longer the man he used to be. His confidence was in tatters and his wealth no longer mattered to him. He hadn't even been able to protect his precious little boy.
He didn't deserve a beautiful, pure, loving woman like Rose. She deserved much better than him.
Red And The Bear (Grimm Bears 1) Page 2
