Mabe's Burden (6 page)

“
She’s right. We aren’t
selling. There’s got to be a way we can get a loan or something to
pay these crazy people off.” Mara crossed her arms over her
chest.

“
Before you get all haughty,
missy, you might want to hear what the offer is. It would take care
of your problem and set all three of you up for life with what he’s
willing to pay for the place. I’d weigh this decision heavily if I
were you.”

“
Gavin, Da isn’t even in the
ground, and this vulture, is already trying to pick his bones.
Sheesh. Give us a chance to bury our father for Christ’s sake,”
Mabe said.

“
Honey, I know you want time
to grieve your da, but I’m telling you those blasted loan sharks
aren’t going to wait much longer. Shane’s owed them a lot of money
for a long time. They want it back. Aaron’s willing to do a quick
sale under the table and deal with these people for
you.”

“
Why?” Mara
asked.

“
What?” Gavin stared at
her.

“
Why is he so willing to
deal with these people for us? He doesn’t even know us. Is he part
of this, Gavin?”

“
No…no. At least not so far
as I can tell. He got wind the property was in trouble, and he
wants it. Says it will make a good investment. Prime location and
all.”

Mara stood in front of her two sisters,
her back to Gavin. “If it’s a good enough location for him to want
to buy it so desperately, then it’s good enough for us to keep.
I’ve got some money saved, little sister. I’ll help you pay off the
loan sharks. We’ll do whatever it takes to keep
Shenanigans.”

“
Got two hundred grand in
your purse there, do ya?” Gavin taunted, his Irish accent growing
thicker with his frustration.

“
Two hundred grand! You’re
shitting me!” She whirled on the man. He moved back.

Mabe draped an arm around her sister’s
shoulders. “Calm down. We’ll figure something out.”

“
I swear if Da wasn’t
already dead, I’d kill him myself for this. Leaving you practically
stranded in the cold after you’d spent your entire life looking
after his sorry drunken ass. I should have strangled him years ago.
I could have taken you to New York with me. Not a soul would have
blamed me.”

“
Mara! Do not speak ill of
the dead in this house,” Gavin chastised. “What, do you want to do,
bring his spirit down upon us?”

Angry tears sprang to her eyes. “If I’d
spoken ill of him enough while he was alive, we all might not be in
this predicament.”

Meg put an arm around each sister.
“It’s late. Let’s get some rest. I’m sure all of this will seem a
bit brighter in the morning.” She swiveled her head to the family
lawyer. “Thanks for telling us everything. We’ll take it all into
consideration and get back with you. Will we see you at the funeral
tomorrow?”

He nodded, stuffing his papers back
into his leather case, his anger not yet abated. “You girls
seriously consider what I’ve told you. I can only hold the wolves
at bay for so long.” He stalked out, slamming the door behind
him.

Mabe stared after him. “My God, you’d
think he was benefiting from the proceeds of the sale the way he’s
carrying on. There’s got to be more to this story. I’m going to get
to the bottom of it.”

“
We’re right there with you,
sister,” Mara replied. “Meg’s right, though. Let’s forget about it
and get some sleep. I’ll go unpack. The Neanderthal you sent to
pick me up better not have destroyed all my toiletries. Where in
the hell did he come from anyway?”

Mabe stifled a grin. “That’s a long
story for another day.”

Chapter Six

The funeral was well attended, the wake
even more so. It seemed to Mabe every soul in Monticello turned out
to Shenanigans to celebrate her father’s passing. She leaned
against the bar, watching the crowd sharing stories. Laughter
filled the room, followed by tears. She shed a few herself. It did
her heart good to know he was so loved in spite of what a shit he
was at times.

Her prodigal sisters were the center of
attention. Most of those who’d known them since they were girls
were overjoyed with Meg’s little Emma. Mabe made a mental note to
take the child to Tallahassee to buy her something very special for
enduring all the attention from so many strangers.

The door to the pub swung open for a
tall, ebony haired man wearing an expensive tan suit. Mabe
straightened. Riveted, she stared at his strikingly angular face.
His chin, grooved by a slight dimple, struck her as
sexy.

His gaze roamed the bar,
settling on her. Warmth radiated through her entire body. Never had
she felt such an intense attraction to a man.
Who the hell is he?
She didn’t recall
ever seeing him in the pub. Her nerves tingled. Resembling a
panther, he wove his way through the crowd. Slightly ashamed of her
attraction to a strange man at her father’s wake, she turned her
back, resuming her position behind the bar. She spoke to several
patrons, mentally noting their drink orders on her way.

“
No one could pull a pint
like your da,” an old grizzled man at the end of the mahogany
counter stated. “Smooth like silk he was.”

Mabe smiled. “He was, Angus. We’ll miss
him.” She handed a frothy mug to the man. “Here you go. Enjoy
that.”

“
I will,” Angus declared,
raising his glass to her. “To many years.”

She picked up a glass of soda, clinked
it against Angus’s mug. “And to you.”

“
I’ll have one of those if
you don’t mind,” a deep voice spoke from behind her.

Turning, ready with a flirty response
on her tongue, she came face to face with her handsome stranger.
His eyes matched the deep rich mahogany of the bar. His smile,
while slightly crooked, seemed genuine and swept the words right
out of her brain.

“
Uh…sure. Name your
poison.”

“
Guinness?”

She nodded, and pulled the beer,
scraping the foam from the top. “I’ve never seen you here before.
What’s your name, and how did you know my dad?”

His gaze caught hers, sympathy
reflected in his eyes. She tried to look away, but she couldn’t.
The man was a god.

“
I’m sorry for your
loss.”

“
Thanks. He will be missed
for sure.”

“
I just realized…this is his
wake, isn’t it? A private party?”

“
It is.”

The man smiled gently. “I’m sorry. I’m
afraid I’m intruding. I should go.”

She set the beer in front of him. “Nah,
we’re all friends here. It is a private party, but stay if you’d
like.” She gestured. “Those are my sisters Meg and Mara. We own the
place now.”

“
It’ll be hard to run it
without your father, won’t it?”

Mabe sighed, leaning on her elbows. “It
won’t be the same, for sure, but we’ll do okay. It’ll take some
work….” She glanced lovingly around the pub with all its Irish
paraphernalia adorning he walls. “Da, loved this place. I grew up
here. It’s our place. We’ll make it work.”

She shivered, feeling his intense
stare. Her skin burned under the laser scan of his eyes. Her pulse
jumped. If the room were empty except for the two of them, he’d be
in some serious trouble. He took a sip of the Guinness, still
watching her over the mug.

She licked her lips then broke the
gaze. She swiped at the glossy mahogany top with a rag. “What
brings you to town?”

“
Business,” was his
response.

“
Ooh, cryptic, are we?” She
flirted.

“
Suits me for
now.”

A man at the end of the counter
signaled for her. She held up a finger then approached her guest.
She served a few more beers, all the while being extremely aware of
the handsome newcomer’s gaze. His allure was more powerful than any
she’d ever experienced. Monticello wasn’t full of dashing men in
expensive suits, but the town had its fair share of good lookers.
Lord knew she’d flirted with some from time to time, even dated a
few, but none of them stirred in her what this man did.

No longer needed, she returned to him,
eyeing his empty mug. “Another?”

He nodded, offering her a
smile.

Her knees weakened. She
steadied herself by grasping the smooth wood.
What the hell is wrong with me?
She
pulled his beer, but before she handed it to him she asked, “What
did you say your name was?”

He chuckled. “I didn’t.”

She set the mug down in front of him.
“Oh, come on. You’re not going to waltz into my pub during my
daddy’s wake and not tell me who you are. It’s not
polite.”

One dark eyebrow rose. “Not polite,
huh?”

“
Not at all,” she declared,
leaning on the bar, offering him her most dazzling
smile.

“
Okay then…if you
insist.

“
I do.”

He held out his hand. Mabe reached out,
taking his warm palm in hers. The air between them practically
crackled with tension. “Aaron Shaw.”

Her previously heated blood
froze. In one swift moment, all the allure she’d experienced
earlier evaporated.
This is the shark
trying to buy my pub. The nerve of this man, waltzing in here,
flirting with me, when all the while he’s casing the joint for a
future purchase.
She grabbed his beer
unceremoniously dumping it on his head.

“
What the hell?” he shouted,
jumping off the stool. The dark brew dripped from his hair all over
his tan suit.

“
Get out of my pub,” she
yelled at him.

Her sisters rushed over.

“
Mabe, what’s gotten into
you?” Meg exclaimed, reaching for a cloth. She started mopping at
Aaron’s suit. “I’m so sorry, sir.”

“
Don’t you dare apologize to
that snake,” She snarled at her sister.

Meg’s eyes widened. “Really, Mabe. What
is wrong?”

“
Sisters, may I introduce to
you Mr. Aaron Shaw.” She stretched out one arm and
bowed.

Mara’s brows drew together. Seconds
later her mouth formed an O. “You’re the man who wants to buy
Shenanigans, am I right?”

He glared at Mabe and then over to
Mara. “I’m thinking of making an offer to take this place off your
hands.” He brushed Meg’s hand away. “But after your sister’s rude
behavior, the original figure has dropped considerably.”

“
Why are you here?” Meg
demanded. “At our father’s wake? Why would you walk into a private
party at a time like this?”

His cheeks flushed. She was glad to see
he at least had the sense to be embarrassed. “I didn’t realize it
was your father’s wake. I offered to leave, and Red here told me
any who came in here was a friend, that I should stay.”

She stomped around the back end of the
bar and faced him. She squared her shoulders, tilted her head and
poked a finger into his soggy suit. “You’re no friend of ours. Get
out.”

He approached her. Meg placed a hand on
his arm. “This is not the time or the place for a display. Mr.
Shaw, I suggest you leave. Jake,” she turned to the bartender.
“Please take my daughter and my sister home. We’ll wrap things up
here. See you back at the house.”

Jake nodded and wrapped an arm around
Mabe. She stiffened, not ready to leave. She glared at the man in
front of her.

“
Mr. Shaw….” Mara stated,
drawing his attention away from her sister. He glanced at her.
“I’ll escort you out.”

“
That won’t be necessary,”
he ground out through clenched teeth. He turned on his
heel.

Just as he reached the door, Mabe
shouted, “And Stay Out!”

She squirmed at the attention she’d
attracted. It was so quiet she could hear the beer dripping from
the tap. Suddenly, someone yelled out, “You tell him, Mabe!” The
place erupted with cheers.

Tears sprang to her eyes. She glanced
at Jake then down at little Emma who’d slipped a tiny hand in hers.
“Let’s go home.”

Exiting into the steamy Florida night,
she strode up Jefferson Street, practically dragging Emma behind
her.

“
Hey, slow down.” Jake
called, bringing up the rear.

Her anger and humiliation at having
fallen for Aaron Shaw’s charms kept her from realizing how fast she
was walking. She stopped, glancing down.

Those wide blue eyes peered up at her.
“Are you sad, Aunt Mabe?”

She knelt in front of her niece. “Yes,
honey. I’m sad.”

“
Who was that man you poured
beer all over?”

She glanced away; embarrassed she’d
behaved in such an uncharacteristically bitchy manner. “It doesn’t
matter, sweetie. He’s gone. Let’s go home and get some ice cream,
okay?”

Emma’s expression brightened. “Okay.”
She skipped ahead down the sidewalk.

Mabe walked beside Jake to the
intersection of Jefferson and Washington. They’d turned right,
strolling up Washington when she finally spoke in a hushed tone.
“Guess I pretty much made a complete ass of myself back
there.”