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

chastised
himself. He re-entered the kitchen and made his way up to his room.
He started the shower, so the water could warm up. He hadn’t meant
to approach her so bluntly. Their lawyer, Gavin McCain, had told
him she would be difficult to deal with, but he hadn’t mentioned
anything about how drop dead gorgeous she was. She’d thrown him off
his game. Had she been some ugly old spinster he’d already have her
eating out of his hand. But the fact she looked like a model put a
serious hitch in his stride. He’d never been comfortable around
beautiful women, and she was killer hot. Her flaming hair, combined
with pearlescent skin and laser green eyes sent all the blood from
his brain straight to his groin, rendering him unable to compose a
single coherent thought. Damn
it.
    It bothered him she’d called him a
liar. He was many things but not a liar. When he’d learned from
Gavin how in debt those women were and who they owed, it stirred
his knight-in-shining-armor instinct. He didn’t really need another
pub or sports bar. He owned two near Florida State University
campus already. But when the elderly lawyer had told him about her
situation, he thought he could help. Obviously, neither Mabe nor
her sisters were having any part of anything he wanted to give. If
they would at least hear him out, there might be a way to make
everyone happy. If they didn’t listen to him, something terrible
would happen to their inheritance for sure. It was entirely
possible one of those women could get hurt in the
process.
    He stripped off his clothes,
turning to view his backside in the mirror. A large bruise spread
across his right butt cheek. He winced. He’d hit the ground a lot
harder than he’d admitted, but his rear end didn’t look anything
like her arm. Certain it was broken, he decided he would stop by
later to see if he could talk her into allowing him to take her to
the hospital. He’d really like to take her to dinner. She’d
fascinated him from the first time he’d seen her the night before
in the pub. Her sisters were beautiful, too, but she had that
spark—that fire —shining in her eyes.
    He had no doubt she’d figure out a way
to save Shenanigans. He just hoped he could be a part of it. In his
twenty-eight years, he’d never met a woman like her. He’d never
been short on bedroom companions, but for the first time, Mabe
stirred something in him he hadn’t seen coming. He wanted more of
her, and pub or no pub, he was determined to have his
way.

Chapter Eight
     
    Mabe entered the kitchen and went
straight to the fridge. Her arm had grown stiff on her walk home,
increasing her fear it might actually be fractured. One handed, she
snapped open a dishtowel and reached into the icebox, pulling out a
handful of cubes.
    “ What are you…? Oh, my God.
What happened to you?” Meg exclaimed, walking into the kitchen.
“Sit down. I’ll get that.” She bustled her sister into a chair then
finished the ice pack. “Did you get hit by a bus or
what?”
    Mabe winced while Meg poked her arm.
“Stop it! Ow!”
    “ Honey, I think it’s broken.
What did you do?”
    “ If you’ll quit firing
twenty questions at me, I’ll tell you. Where’s Mara?”
    “ In her bedroom,
why?”
    “ Go get her. I need to talk
to you both.”
    “ Not until you—”
    She shot out her other arm, pointed at
the doorway. “Go!”
    Meg gave her an indignant stare. She
turned on her heel, yelling for Mara. Their older sister tromped
down the stairs then strolled into the kitchen
    “ Oh, my God, what
happened?”
    Mabe rolled her eyes. “Sit down, both
of you.” She proceeded to tell them of her early morning collision
with Aaron Shaw. She also shared with them the information he’d
imparted to her about their father’s debts.
    Meg’s mouth dropped open. Mara peered
at Mabe’s elbow.
    “ Ow,” she commented. “I
think it’s broken.”
    “ It felt like I hit a Mack
Truck. He is more solid than a stone wall. We literally bounced