Mabe's Burden by Kelly Abell Read Free Book Online

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