Mabe's Burden (7 page)

“
Wasn’t your most shining
moment, no,” he replied, squeezing her hand with his.

“
The nerve,” she seethed.
“Coming into my pub during my father’s wake, to case the
joint.”

“
From what I saw, it wasn’t
the joint he was casing,” he commented, his lips curving in a
slight smile.

Mabe fumed. “Shut up. I’m humiliated
enough already. What did he think? He could waltz in there, get me
to go all weak in the knees. Assume I’d just sign the place over to
him? What a jerk.”

They’d reached Palmer Mill Road. A gray
BMW roared down Washington, barely slowing for the turn onto Palmer
Mill. She recognized him instantly, drawing some satisfaction at
his still dripping hair. Aaron sped past never glancing her
way.

“
He must be staying at
Hope’s place,” she commented. “I better call her tomorrow to let
her know her inn is infested with rats.”

Jake chuckled. “He seems more like a
pit bull than a rat. I’m sure you haven’t seen the last of him.
Shenanigans is a popular place. The way this town is growing, it’ll
become quite the tourist attraction. George down at City Hall has
done a great job helping folks open some nice small shops in town.
He’s also spreading the word about Monticello all over the state.
We’ll be swamped with tourists before long. It would be a great
investment for him.”

Stopping in her tracks, she swung
around to stand directly in front of him. He nearly plowed into
her. “Just what are you saying, Jake O’Leary? Are you saying I
should sell my bar to that thief, that…slimy shark?”

He put his large hands on her
shoulders. “No. What I’m saying is I see why the place is
attractive to a real estate broker. He’s probably looking to sell
it to a larger chain, make some big bucks on the deal. It’d be a
smart move on his part. It doesn’t make him a shark or a snake,
just a good businessman. Face it, darlin’, your da’s reputation
preceded him in these parts. It wouldn’t be hard to know the place
was in trouble and it’s been left to three women who have lives of
their own. I’m sure this guy thought it’d be easy to sweep in like
a knight on a horse and relieve you of your burden. But I guess you
just knocked him right out of his saddle onto his ass in front of
the entire town.”

Mabe sighed, not sure whether to be
embarrassed or pleased. “It just made me so mad. He thought he
could just charm the panties off of me and then hand me a pen.” She
clenched both fists at her side.

“
I guess you showed him
different, huh?” He paused at her front porch.

Emma danced impatiently at the front
door. “Let’s go get some ice cream. Hurry before Mom comes home.
She’ll tell me I can’t have seconds.”

They both laughed at the anxious young
girl. Jake wrapped Mabe in a big hug. “This will be the talk of the
town for days. How you took out the big bad real estate broker with
a Guinness.”

Her face flushed, but she grinned. He
always found a way to make her feel better. “Want to come
in?”

“
Nah, I’ll head back down to
Shenanigans. Help your sisters close up. They may want to come on
up here and check on you.”

She hugged her friend. “Thanks so much.
Oh, by the way, when do you plan to give Mara another ride in your
truck?”

He shook his head. “I’m sure that won’t
happen anytime soon. Your sister isn’t very fond of me. Sometimes a
woman should take a moment...remember where she came
from.”

She smiled. She didn’t miss the brief
spark in his eyes. “Maybe you’re just the man to remind
her.”

Jake laughed. He backed down the
sidewalk. “Yeah, okay. See you tomorrow.”

She chuckled following Emma to the
kitchen. She removed carton of peanut butter cup ice cream from the
freezer. “Grab the scoop. I’ll get the bowls.”

The child eagerly complied, handing the
utensil to Mabe, who promptly dug into the frozen treat. When the
two bowls were piled high, she suggested, “Let’s eat it on the
front porch. It’s a nice evening. What do you think?”

Emma looked doubtful. “What if Mom sees
me eating this much? She’ll be mad.”

“
Then we’ll just have to eat
half of it before she gets home, won’t we?”

“
Yeah.” The little girl
grinned. “Let’s go.”

“
Be careful you don’t get a
brain freeze,” she called to her niece who dashed out the front
door.

A half hour later, she spotted her
sisters entering the gate. Meg joined Mabe and Emma on the swing,
while Mara chose one of the white Adirondack chairs.

“
Wow, I never realized how
many people knew our father,” Mara commented, slipping off her
heels and rubbing one foot. “So many stories, some I knew, some I’d
never heard before.”

“
He had a mean streak a mile
wide when it came to us, but it seems he may have done quite a bit
of good in this town. One woman told me how he gave her enough
money to pay her rent one month after she’d been laid off by the
county. She was a single mother of four kids.”

Mabe smiled, pushing the swing with one
foot. Emma’s head lolled against her mother, the empty bowl tilting
in her lap. Mabe removed it, placing it on the small wicker table
by the swing. “He had his moments. I’ll never forget the day he
hired Jake.”

Mara stared at her. “I’m sure there’s a
story there.”

“
Mara,” Meg chastised. “He’s
been a lifesaver to Mabe. Don’t be too critical.”

Mara rolled her eyes. “The man’s a
Neanderthal. What’s the story?”

“
He showed up one day with a
backpack and ten dollars. He’d just been released from Jefferson
Correctional Institute.”

“
Oh great, a jailbird,” her
oldest sister commented sarcastically. “I should’ve
known.”

Mabe smiled. “I thought the same thing
at first, but Da must have seen something in him. He insisted
everyone deserved a second chance. He was right. Jake’s been the
best thing to ever happen to us.”

“
You told me he was in
prison for grand theft auto. How’d that happen?” Meg rubbed her
fingers gently over her daughter’s forehead.

“
He got wrapped up with the
wrong group of people. Took the fall for some drug runners who’d
stolen a car. Just a kid in the wrong place at the wrong time
according to him.”

“
Lie down with dogs, wake up
with fleas.” Mara smirked.

“
Oh, don’t be so
judgmental,” Mabe chastised. “Sometimes people do make mistakes and
learn from them. Since he’s been here, he’s done a wonderful job at
the pub. He’s turned into quite the local handy man for folks. I
don’t think there’s anything he can’t fix.”

“
You sure seem to be the
President of his fan club,” Mara commented.

“
I am. You shouldn’t be so
harsh with him. He’s a good soul. Any woman would be lucky to have
a man like him. And you have to admit he’s not bad to look at
either. Sort of reminds you a little of Alcede on
True Blood
.”

Meg laid her head back and closed her
eyes. “Mmm, yummy.”

Mara laughed. “You two are impossible.
It will be a cold day in hell before I ever admit to his being
attractive. He’s an ex-con, for God’s sake.”

Mabe rolled her eyes. Her oldest sister
was equally stubborn, just like she remembered.

“
What about Aaron Shaw?”
Meg, who still had her eyelids closed, smiled. “He’s a tall, drink
of water. Hot, too. Did you see the way his silk shirt clung to his
abs after you doused him?”

“
That’s a hunk of man I
could climb on board.” Mara agreed.

Mabe seethed. “You two are not funny.
He’s the same hunk who’s trying to steal our inheritance. I can’t
believe you’re both not furious.”

“
We are, honey,” Meg told
her. “But there’s no reason you can’t admire him while we’re
shutting him down. I believe though, at least from my observation
from afar, he only has eyes for our Mabe.”

“
Oh shut up. You don’t know
what you’re talking about.” It still stung she’d been so attracted
to him.

“
I know a come hither stare
when I see one, Mabe O’Banyon, and you were come hitherin’ all over
him until you found out who he was.”

Her face heated in the soft evening
light. “Kiss my ass.”

Meg covered Emma’s ears, but she and
Mara both laughed.

Mabe rose abruptly, jerking Emma awake.
“I’m going to bed.”

She stalked inside the house, her
sisters chuckling softly behind her.

Chapter Seven

The following morning, Mabe pulled on
her running shorts. Her sister’s laughter steamed her blood. That
bastard was about to take everything they owned and her stupid
sisters couldn’t stop blathering on about how handsome he
was.

She slipped her foot into
one running shoe, jerking the strings tight. The man had brass
balls. She would give him that much credit. To show up at the wake
had been pretty bold.
I bet he thought he
could win me over with his charms. He thought I’d just melt at his
feet. Well, he’s in for a surprise. Mabe O’Banyon doesn’t roll over
for anyone
.

She grabbed her iPod, wrapping the
sleeve around her arm. Stalking through the kitchen she spotted her
sisters eating muffins and drinking coffee. They both smirked at
her when she walked by. She ignored them, jamming her ear buds in
her ears. A nice long run was just what she needed this morning to
blow off the rest of her mad.

After she bounced down the stairs, she
took a few minutes to stretch in the muggy Florida air. She hated
this time of year. The latter part of summer was so steamy she
started to sweat even before the door hit her in the ass. But she
wouldn’t trade the weather come winter. Those cool, low humidity
days were just pure heaven when December rolled around. Once
hurricane season was over the best time of year began. Hopefully,
this whole mess would be behind her by then. She had no idea where
she’d get the money to pay off those loan sharks, but find it she
would. She’d call a family conference when she got back. They would
work out how to pay back the debt. If she had to go to the bank to
beg, borrow, or steal the money, she was not about to let some real
estate jerk have her bar. Not ever.

Mabe jogged down the sidewalk, turning
right on Washington Street. Her route took her down by the
courthouse, around by the Hanging Tree, to Jefferson. She’d pass
Shenanigans, cross Washington up to Palmer Mill Road by The Hope’s
and Dreams Inn, owned by her friend Hope McDonald.

As she passed the white Georgian
Mansion, she noticed the same BMW from the night before was parked
in the drive. She thought about dropping in to tell Hope what a
snake she had for a guest, but decided she was being truly surly
this morning. The man had deceived her, true, but he was just
looking for a cheap real estate deal. He’d have no way of knowing
what the pub meant to her. Normally, she wasn’t a rude person, but
the fact he’d just assumed she’d be willing to sell because she
couldn’t run the place with her father gone, banked her anger all
over again.

She rounded the tall green hedges
flanking the inn and ran full on into Aaron Shaw. The collision
force knocked them both backward on their butts. She yelled out,
breaking her fall with her elbow on the hard concrete. They both
sat for a moment, Mabe cradling her injured arm, and Aaron shaking
his head. He stood slowly, held out a hand for her.

“
I’m so sorry. I didn’t see
you or even hear you coming around the hedge. Are you all right?”
He stared at her for a second. “Oh, it’s you,” he commented,
withdrawing his hand, leaving her to struggle to her feet
alone.

“
Thanks for the assistance,
asshole. The least you could do is help a lady up once you plow her
over in the middle of the sidewalk.” She twisted her arm gingerly
to examine the damage. It had already begun to swell, and blood
dripped from her elbow.

“
I’d hardly call you a lady,
but your arm looks pretty bad. Why don’t you come into the inn? Let
me see if we can get you some ice. I’ll drive you to the ER if
you’d like.”

She lifted her chin. “I can drive
myself to the ER if I need to go, but I wouldn’t say no to some
ice.” She limped toward the front of the inn.

He hustled around her and opened the
gate. He wore a tight T-shirt which hugged a nicely toned body. She
didn’t miss the muscular thighs extending from his black running
shorts. His hair was pulled back into a short tail, but most of it
waved about his face in wild damp curls. His brown eyes showed some
concern, but she didn’t suspect for one moment he regretted
knocking her down.

When he caught her staring,
she fought desperately to keep the heat from rising in her cheeks.
She positively hated this man, yet she found herself attracted to
him at the same time.
Why does he have to
be so sexy? Why couldn’t he be some short, balding, pudgy man who
was easy to bully and ignore. Shit.

“
I think Hope went to the
store, but she showed me where everything is, so I can put an
icepack together for you.” He led her into the charming yellow
kitchen from the back door. Hope’s basset hound waddled up to her,
licking at her scraped legs.