Mabe's Burden (12 page)

He nodded. From the crown molding to
the hardwood floors, he could see the work of a master carpenter.
Being a real estate developer, he was impressed. “So I see. How did
you meet Mabe?”

“
She stopped by to drop off
some brochures for Shenanigans. She asked if I’d refer my guests
there for meals occasionally. We liked each other immediately.”
Hope sighed, folding another napkin. “I’d never known what it was
like to have a real girlfriend until I met Mabe. She’s tough on the
outside but soft as butter on the inside. She loved her dad, though
God knows he never gave her much reason to. She continued to
support him even after half the town told her to kick him
out.”

He nodded, suspecting as
much.

“
Are you here to try to buy
Shenanigans?” Hope asked.

“
Yes, but I’m not having
much luck. My friend Gavin told me about it, but I think my timing
may be really off.”

“
Maybe a little.”

He didn’t want to share everything he
knew with Hope for fear of breaking confidences. Perhaps, it may
even put her in some kind of danger. She was a wonderful hostess
plus a very beautiful woman. She just didn’t stir his juices the
way Mabe did. “Do you have any insider advice?”

Hope glanced at him. “You’ll never get
her to sell. I’d give up. But if you want her to go out with you,
you have to challenge her. Make her think she’s doing you a favor.
You might get her to agree to dinner.”

“
Oh, I’ve already got a date
with her tonight. I think her sisters pushed her into it, but I’m
headed over to the pub just to shore it up.”

Hope laughed. “Good luck. Many a man
has fallen like the mighty oak over our Mabe.” She paused, looked
him up and down, nodded her approval. “But you just might be the
one to win her over. Good luck, Mr. Shaw. You’re going to need
it.”

He jumped up from the chair, a little
of his optimism restored. “Thank you, Ms. McDonald. I’ll take your
good wishes and go get my lunch.”

Hope’s laughter echoed behind him. He
pushed through the screen door and hopped down the stairs. He
walked the few blocks down Palmer Mill Road, took a right on
Washington to stroll to the Courthouse.

He stopped a moment to admire the huge
oak, which stood in the middle of the street in front of the large
white building. He’d heard stories of the famous tree. The
townsfolk referred to it as The Hanging Tree. Every Thursday was
“hanging day”. Criminals had been executed on this very spot. Aaron
shivered. The whole area was reported to be haunted. In fact, he’d
read Monticello was considered to be one of the most haunted towns
in the south. He didn’t know if he believed it, but it made for a
fascinating story.

He walked around the courthouse and
headed up Jefferson. He stood across the street from Shenanigans,
watching the patrons revolve through the door. It truly was a hub
for the town. Locals and tourists who wound their way into town
from the nearby interstate equally enjoyed the pub. Busy place, he
mused. With a few modernizations he could make a
killing.

Aaron crossed the street. He entered
Shenanigans, standing at the doorway, searching for Mabe. There
happened to be a seat at the bar, so he wove his way toward it. He
breathed in the scents of beer and fried food. Waitresses passed
by, carrying trays of drinks, fries, wings, burgers, and salads. He
parked his butt on a recently vacated bar stool, pulling a
laminated menu from between a pair of napkin holders. He reviewed
his choices, settling on a Turkey Reuben.

“
Well, look what the cat
dragged in.” Mabe moved behind the bar. Her pink cast stood out
against her black top with the word Shenanigans across her breasts
in lime green.

“
The cast is quite the
accessory to your T-shirt. May I sign it?”

She shrugged. “Whatever.”

“
Really? You’re going to
give me attitude?”

Mabe raised an eyebrow. “They’re going
to change the cast in a week. Are you going to stick around to sign
the next one?”

“
I might.” He leaned toward
her. She smelled like fresh strawberries. He longed to run his
fingers through those curly auburn tresses down to her smooth ivory
skin. Her emerald gaze captured his. He found himself totally
mesmerized. For a moment, his brain winked out and all the blood
drained south.
Great.
Hoping he didn’t have to get up too soon, he reached for the
Sharpie marker in her apron pocket. Tugging off the cap, he
motioned for her to move a little closer. Their faces were mere
inches apart. The urge to kiss her nearly overwhelmed him. He
resisted, cleared his throat. He wrote, “It’s always great bumping
into you, Aaron Shaw” on her cast.

She laughed. “Very clever, hot shot.
What do you want to order?”

“
I’ll try the Turkey Rueben
with a beer.”

She rolled her eyes. She pointed to a
shelf with her good arm. “What kind of beer?”

He offered his lady killer smile. “You
choose.”

Mabe lifted her cast. “I guess, it
won’t be a draft.”

Aaron laughed. “I’m so sorry we plowed
into each other yesterday. Does it still hurt?”

“
Occasionally. It certainly
makes it awkward to serve anything.”

“
That’s why I’m here,” Mara
announced as she sauntered up to the bar. She snatched the ticket
with Aaron’s order on it from Mabe’s hand. “You two visit. I’ll run
this to the back so Jake the cave man can start preparing your
lunch.” She shuddered. “What he does to good food is a
crime.”

“
Oh, come on,. He’s a great
cook. People around here love his food.”

“
Only because they haven’t
tasted mine,” she tossed over her shoulder, smacking the swinging
door to the kitchen.

Aaron grinned.

“
What’s so funny?” she
asked.

“
I like your sister. She’s
not only beautiful but entertaining.”

“
Humpf
. She can also be a royal pain in the ass, but I’m glad she’s
here. I hope she doesn’t have to go back to New York too
soon.”

“
It must feel pretty good to
have your family back together again.”

Mabe eyed him warily. “What do you know
about it?”

“
Only what Gavin told
me.”

She set a bottled beer on a coaster in
front of Aaron. “Gavin talks too much. He had no right to involve
you in our problems.”

“
Maybe not, but he loves you
and your sisters. He doesn’t want to see any harm come to
you.”

“
We’ll work it
out.”

“
I know.”

Her head snapped up. He knew that was
the last thing she’d expected him to say.

“
Can I have a
tour?”

“
What for? I’m not in the
habit of conducting tours of my pub to paying patrons.”

“
I’m not just any paying
patron.” he smirked. “I’m taking the boss out for dinner. Don’t’ I
get special treatment?”

“
Maybe later, I’m busy.” She
turned on her heel and headed back to the kitchen.

He’d thrown her off her game exactly
the way he’d intended.

“
Don’t give up on her,” came
a voice from behind him.

He spun on his stool, coming
face-to-face with Meg.

“
You O’Banyon sisters are
all over the place.”

She laughed. “Yep.”

He took a moment to study the second
oldest sister. Her coal dark hair swept against creamy white skin.
Clear blue eyes assessed him. She appeared tired, but they’d been
through a lot, so it wasn’t surprising. Something didn’t look quite
right though. His instinct told him something else was bothering
her.

“
You okay?” he
asked.

For a moment, her eyes moistened with
tears, but he could tell she was fighting them back. “Yep.” Her
voice shook just slightly. “I’m good. Did you order something? I’ll
go check on it.”

“
I ordered the Turkey
Rueben, but they just took it back to the kitchen, so I’m sure
there’s some time on it yet. Sit down. You look tired.”

She sighed, but didn’t sit. “I’ve got
some orders to grab. I just wanted to stop by to say hi and tell
you not to give up on my sister. She’s stubborn, but she’s got a
heart of gold.”

“
Do you think she’ll agree
to sell?”

She laughed. “Oh, I’m not talking about
selling.”

“
You’re not?” Aaron was
confused.

Meg winked. “Heart. Gold. You’re really
not so thick, are you?” She turned, strolling to a nearby
table.

He smiled. She was playing matchmaker.
He turned on his stool. Mabe stood at the far end of the bar
struggling with a jar of olives. The cast obviously made things
awkward, but she was determined to win the war with the lid.. She
balanced the jar between her knees, using her good hand to twist
the top off.

“
Gotcha,” she crowed to the
stubborn condiment. She poured some in a dish, grinning in
triumph.

Aaron’s heart did a funny little flip.
The way he responded to her surprised him. He literally liked
everything about her—the way she filled out her skinny jeans, the
creamy softness of her skin, her sunset red hair. He couldn’t
resist the beautiful smile. Oh boy, he had it bad all right. He
just hoped he could convince her to let him help before things got
out of hand.

Mabe disappeared into the kitchen. She
came out a moment later, carrying a plate with his sandwich. She
slid it toward him on the bar. “You want another beer?”

“
No, I’m good. This looks
really good.”

“
Enjoy,” she responded,
turning to go back to work.

“
Hey, I was really serious
about a tour of the kitchen. Can I see it?”

She stopped but didn’t face him.
“Why?”

“
Curiosity. I’d like to see
how you run the back shop. I’d like to meet Jake.”

She rotated to face him. “Would you
now?”

The Irish in her voice made him smile.
He responded in kind. “I would, aye.”

Mabe winced. “Don’t ever do that again.
You sound like an idiot.”

He laughed, took a bite of
his sandwich. “Wow, this
is
good.”

“
Didn’t your mother ever
teach you not to talk with your mouth full?”

“
Yes, ma’am.”

“
I’ll be back in a minute.”
She filled a few more drink orders.

Aaron finished his sandwich. He took
just a moment to look around the pub. People seemed genuinely happy
to be there. Men and women crowded around the bar. There was a line
at the door waiting for tables to open. People chewed and nodded,
commenting on the food. If he owned the place, he’d expand into the
empty space next door. Maybe build another bar on the far side, add
some booths. The food was good, but he agreed with Mara, the place
could use a little class. He just hoped he got the chance to prove
it.

Mabe came back. “You still want a
tour?”

He swung around and hopped off his
stool. “Yep. Thanks for taking the time.”

“
I figured you wouldn’t go
until you got it, so come on.”

“
You want me to
leave?”

She sighed. “I’m sorry. I guess I
sounded really rude. I didn’t mean to.”

He softly touched the elbow of her good
arm. “What did you mean? Do you really hate me so much?”

Those eyes the color of Irish fields,
stared up into his. She was about a head shorter than he was, but
it pleased him and inspired his protective instinct. His fingers
burned where he touched her bare arm, the sensation warming him
more than the sandwich had. For a moment, he let himself sink into
her gaze where he saw something. Something which gave him
hope.

Mabe jerked, blinking. She quickly
turned. “Come on.”

He followed her into the kitchen. It
was a busy hive of activity. A few prep cooks were chopping and
frying. A tall muscular man was battering what looked like chicken
wings in a large tub. Even though he’d just eaten, the place
smelled heavenly. He caught site of Mara saying something to the
cook, who was scowling at her. There was definitely no love lost
between those two. Mara clenched a fist in his face then spun
around. She brushed by him on her way to the dining
room.

“
Neanderthal,” she
muttered.

Aaron chuckled.

“
Jake, I want you to meet
Aaron Shaw, the carpetbagger who’s trying to buy
Shenanigans.”

“
Hey,” he protested, truly
insulted.

“
Hi,” Jake acknowledged him,
gesturing to his hands with his chin. “Sorry if I don’t shake your
hand.”

Aaron glared at Mabe for a moment then
turned his gaze to Jake. “No problem. Awesome Rueben, by the way.
Thanks.”

“
Glad you enjoyed it. Mara
seems to think my cooking is…. What did she call it? Archaic, I
believe was the word she used. I’m not sure I even know what it
means, but it didn’t sound like a compliment.”