Read Online Mabe's Burden by Kelly Abell - Free Book Online

holding the rag
while she reached in for the ice, but pain shot from her elbow all
the way into her shoulder. “Ow, damn it.”
    “ Here, let me get that for
you.” He rushed to her side.
    He smelled like a forest after a rain
as he reached around her to get the ice. He placed two handfuls
into the towel, wrapping it expertly into a makeshift ice pack, and
passed it to her. “Try this.”
    Easing onto one of the white ladder
backed kitchen chairs, she gingerly placed the pack on her tender
elbow. Purple bruising had started to bloom from the knobby point
all the way down her forearm.
    He gave her a wet paper towel to wipe
the scrape then grabbed a chair, straddling it. “Even though you
dumped a beer on my very pricey suit, I still didn’t mean to run
you down. I didn’t see you.”
    Mabe glanced up from examining her arm.
She was trapped by his look of concern. “Thanks for the apology, I
guess. You didn’t seem very sorry a minute ago.”
    “ That was before I saw your
damn elbow turn purple before my eyes. You better go have it
checked out. I’ll pay for it. It was my fault after
all.”
    For some reason, it touched her he’d be
so willing to take all the blame. She’d been at fault too. It was
an accident really. She debated on whether she needed to go to the
hospital. Her instinct told her it was just a really bad bruise,
but it was swelling alarmingly fast. She prayed it wasn’t broken.
Gritting her teeth, she attempted to move it. Pain shot up her arm,
halting her efforts. It hurt like hell. It’d be a while before she
pulled any pints. She settled her elbow back on the ice pack,
choking back a whimper. There was no way she’d let this man see her
display any weakness.
    “ It might be broken,” he
repeated.
    “ I don’t think so. I
probably just jammed it the way I landed on it. It wasn’t your
fault. I should have slowed down.” She looked at him through
lowered lashes. His look of concern melted what anger remained
inside her. “Listen, Mr. Shaw—”
    “ Aaron, please. I think
first names are doable since we’ve knocked each other on our
asses.”
    She sucked in a breath. “I didn’t even
think to ask. Are you all right?”
    His mouth curved in a slight smile.
“I’m fine. Just hurt my pride is all.”
    “ Good. And….” She shifted in
her seat, uncomfortable with what she was about to say. “I’m sorry
about last night. I shouldn’t have dumped beer all over your nice
suit.”
    “ You’re right, you shouldn’t
have.”
    “ Oh, and are you saying you
didn’t deserve it, Mr. Smuggy McSmugass. Strolling into my pub,
thinking you’d charm me into signing some paper selling my
inheritance.”
    The corners of his mouth twitched. “No,
I didn’t deserve it. You don’t invite someone to stay in your pub
only to douse them with a beer for no reason. I’m no threat to you,
Ms. O’Banyon. I’m here to offer you a way out of a very sticky and,
I might add, dangerous situation.”
    “ Oh, please. What danger
could I possibly be in from you, other than getting plowed down on
the sidewalk?” She turned her arm slightly and winced.
    “ It’s not me you should
worry about. Those men who loaned your father money are not to be
trifled with. They don’t want the pub, they just want their money.
They know the place is insured. If you don’t pay them soon, you’re
liable to find your precious pub in ashes. I’m just trying to save
a nice piece of real estate from ruin.”
    She stared at him. From his serious
expression, he wasn’t kidding. A trickle of fear crawled up her
spine, but she shook it off. She’d known the men her father had
“borrowed” from, but she didn’t think they were any threat. Aaron
was probably using a scare tactic. Something she didn’t
respect.
    “ I mean, do you have two
hundred large just lying around you can hand over to these guys
when they come calling?”
    “ First of all, it’s none of
your damn business what I have lying around. Second, I know