Mabe's Burden Read Online Free Page A

his hands on my bar. Did Da at least leave it
to me in his will?”
    Gavin rooted through the satchel
pulling out another envelope. “Here’s the will. He left the pub to
all three of you girls, you owning the biggest piece. I’ll read the
whole thing when your sisters get here.”
    This revelation took all the breath
from her body. She collapsed in the chair. Not only had her father
gambled away a huge chunk of the equity in their formerly debt-free
bar, but he hadn’t even had the balls to leave the business to the
one girl who’d stuck by him all this time. The one daughter who’d
put up with his abusive drunkenness while the other two had tucked
tail and ran. She bet her sisters would give any benefit of the
sale of the business to some shark of a commercial real estate
broker who would probably turn the property into some seedy antique
mall. The tears she’d fought back earlier won, sliding down her
cheeks.
    Frustrated, she grabbed a napkin,
scrubbed at her face. “How do you know they’ll even
come?”
    He placed a hand on her arm. “They’ll
come, Mabe. I know they will. When they do, you three can start to
put the pieces of your family back together again.”
    “ There’s way too much water
under the bridge to put us back together. I’m sure neither of my
sisters will be interested in hanging around this tiny town after
they’ve seen so much of the world. I was the only stupid
one.”
    “ You are anything but
stupid. Listen, I’ve put Shaw off till after the wake. Will you at
least talk to him after? We’ll have time to inform your sisters of
what’s going on, and together you all can make a decision about
what you want to do. He has a great reputation. I’m sure he’ll give
you a fair market price.”
    Mabe slammed her fist down
on the table, causing all the dishes to jump. Gavin jumped, too.
She leaned forward, glaring into the man’s green eyes. “I will not
sell my pub. Do I make myself perfectly clear? I don’t know how
yet, but I’ll find a way to pay off Da’s debt and keep Shenanigans.
No one, I mean no one is going to cheat me out of the damn bar I’ve slaved half my
life in.”
    Gavin swallowed hard. He stuffed the
envelopes back into his leather case and rose. “Obviously, I’ve
upset you. I’m truly sorry. You really should at least hear out the
man’s proposal though. I’m not sure you’re going to have much
choice.” He walked to the back door. He opened it, looked over his
shoulder. “Those men your father borrowed money from aren’t nice
men, Mabe. They want their money, and they want it soon. I’d give
that some serious thought.”
    “ Go home, Gavin. Just go
home.”
    The door clicked shut behind him. She
covered her face with her hands and cried.

Chapter Four
     
     
    The phone rang, startling Mabe out of
her crying jag. Grabbing a napkin, she reached for the cordless
phone on the table.
    “ Hello?”
    “ Mabe?” a tentative woman’s
voice asked. “Is that you? It’s me Meg.”
    She jumped to her feet. “Is it really
you? I was getting so worried you hadn’t gotten my
message.”
    “ I got it. I’m sorry about
Da. Are you okay?”
    “ It was all so sudden. One
day he was here and then poof, gone the next. Are you coming
home?”
    “ I’m already here. I’m
sitting out in the driveway.”
    She dashed to the front door, dropping
the phone on the table. She flung it open. A brown Ford Explorer
was parked at the edge of her driveway. She thought she spotted two
people in the truck. She ran to the driver’s side.
    Meg was just climbing out of the
vehicle when Mabe reached her. She grabbed her sister in a fierce
bear hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve missed you so
much.”
    Meg returned her sister’s hug,
squeezing her tight. “I’m sorry I never came home sooner, but I
just couldn’t with Da. He wouldn’t have understood.”
    Mabe pushed her back but kept her hands
on her shoulders. She studied her sister’s cropped hair, blue