A Hero's Reward by Amy Morrel Read Free Book Online Page A

do find you attractive and certainly
wouldn't kick you out of my bed if you wanted to be there. I'd never
ask for sex as repayment for any help I provide you though. It would
have to be because you were willing, not as any form of repayment. I
prefer my partners willing and not coerced. Besides, it's been long
enough for me that I'm not sure I'd remember what to do.”
    Despite his attempt at levity at the
end of his statement, Margaret was blushing an even deeper red now,
if that were possible. Midway though his statement she had turned her
gaze to the floor again. After a moment's silence she managed to
mumble a reply:
    “Thank you, I'm sorry for having
doubted you.”
    The next statement was soft enough that
Greg was sure she hadn't meant for him to hear it:
    “Why you'd want me in your bed,
I'll never know.”
    Greg answered the statement, if softly,
despite his surety that he hadn't been meant to hear hers:
    “Because you're the first woman
in years that I have found attractive and enjoyed the company of.
Because instead of insisting that I help you, you keep trying to
convince me not to. Because I want to wipe the lines of sorrow from
your face and replace them with anything that means you're happy.”
    Margaret obviously heard him, for a
third time that day she burst into tears. This time they seemed to
alternate between despair and joy, although there was far more
despair in the mix.
    “Oh Greg, you don't even know me.
Maybe we can talk about it when your back feels better. We'll have
had a chance to get to know each other some by then. I won't bother
you about it though. If you still feel that way later on, you'll need
to bring it up with me but I think you'll change your mind once you
get to know me.”
    “I'll hold you to that.”
    Greg shuffled out into the kitchen and
started a pot of fresh coffee. He found the whirring of the blades as
the coffee maker ground the beans to be a good anchor back to how his
life normally went. Currently he was adrift, strong painkillers and
strong emotions had his mind whirling about. He knew Margaret was
right and that they needed to get to know one another better before
anything else. He knew from experience that you could easily fall for
someone that you thought you knew and have them turn out to be not
the person you thought they were at all. He had been bitten once, now
he was suffering through the twice shy portion of the old adage. From
what he could see, Margaret had had an even worse experience, and
might be even more wary about any form of relationship.
    When the coffee was done brewing he
took two cups of steaming hot java out to the living room and handed
one to Margaret. The surprised look on her face when she took a sip
told him that she wasn't familiar with fresh-brewed gourmet coffees.
This batch was Jamaican Blue Mountain, one of his favorites. The
full-bodied coffee had a low acidity and a hint of chocolate flavor
to it as well as being almost completely lacking in bitterness.
Margaret had obviously noticed and he would swear that for a moment
he had seen a hint of a smile on her mouth when she lowered the cup
after her first drink.
    “That is simply incredible. This
is just coffee?”
    “Yes, like I said, good coffee is
one of my few vices. I have a few different types I like to keep
around but this one is my overall favorite. I thought you might like
it, I'm glad to see I was right.”
    “I normally just drink Folgers or
a generic if the budget is tight that month. This is so much better
it's almost like they aren't the same drink.”
    “I drink the cheap stuff a lot
when I'm out. When I'm relaxing at home though, I prefer something a
bit more interesting. I also keep some single serving packets of
instant around for when I go camping”
    They sat back and sipped their coffees
in companionable silence for a while.
    “Do you listen to music?”
asked Greg.
    “Yes, I do.”
    “What kind do you like to listen
to?”
    “Anything but Country-Western,