Title #7 of Short Horror Story Anthology: The Blood Rose

This story explores the dynamic between a young woman and an old man.

The Blood Rose
     Fleur is in her last year of high school. Driving home from school one day, she loses control of her car, causing damage to a maple tree on Old Man Edward's lawn. To avoid having any charges pressed against her, she agrees to Old Man Edward's request that she do menial chores around his mansion, to pay for the damage done to the tree. Now Old Man Edward was a 107 years old and a heartless man, with no relatives or friends that cared about him.  He had lived in his mansion his whole life--alone. As the weeks fly by, Fleur begins to care for him but soon she stumbles upon his past. As mean-spirited as he seems now, she soon realizes one thing: He has a heart--buried deep in snow.