Mabe's Burden by Kelly Abell

sell my bar to that thief, that…slimy shark?”
    He put his large hands on her
shoulders. “No. What I’m saying is I see why the place is
attractive to a real estate broker. He’s probably looking to sell
it to a larger chain, make some big bucks on the deal. It’d be a
smart move on his part. It doesn’t make him a shark or a snake,
just a good businessman. Face it, darlin’, your da’s reputation
preceded him in these parts. It wouldn’t be hard to know the place
was in trouble and it’s been left to three women who have lives of
their own. I’m sure this guy thought it’d be easy to sweep in like
a knight on a horse and relieve you of your burden. But I guess you
just knocked him right out of his saddle onto his ass in front of
the entire town.”
    Mabe sighed, not sure whether to be
embarrassed or pleased. “It just made me so mad. He thought he
could just charm the panties off of me and then hand me a pen.” She
clenched both fists at her side.
    “ I guess you showed him
different, huh?” He paused at her front porch.
    Emma danced impatiently at the front
door. “Let’s go get some ice cream. Hurry before Mom comes home.
She’ll tell me I can’t have seconds.”
    They both laughed at the anxious young
girl. Jake wrapped Mabe in a big hug. “This will be the talk of the
town for days. How you took out the big bad real estate broker with
a Guinness.”
    Her face flushed, but she grinned. He
always found a way to make her feel better. “Want to come
in?”
    “ Nah, I’ll head back down to
Shenanigans. Help your sisters close up. They may want to come on
up here and check on you.”
    She hugged her friend. “Thanks so much.
Oh, by the way, when do you plan to give Mara another ride in your
truck?”
    He shook his head. “I’m sure that won’t
happen anytime soon. Your sister isn’t very fond of me. Sometimes a
woman should take a moment...remember where she came
from.”
    She smiled. She didn’t miss the brief
spark in his eyes. “Maybe you’re just the man to remind
her.”
    Jake laughed. He backed down the
sidewalk. “Yeah, okay. See you tomorrow.”
    She chuckled following Emma to the
kitchen. She removed carton of peanut butter cup ice cream from the
freezer. “Grab the scoop. I’ll get the bowls.”
    The child eagerly complied, handing the
utensil to Mabe, who promptly dug into the frozen treat. When the
two bowls were piled high, she suggested, “Let’s eat it on the
front porch. It’s a nice evening. What do you think?”
    Emma looked doubtful. “What if Mom sees
me eating this much? She’ll be mad.”
    “ Then we’ll just have to eat
half of it before she gets home, won’t we?”
    “ Yeah.” The little girl
grinned. “Let’s go.”
    “ Be careful you don’t get a
brain freeze,” she called to her niece who dashed out the front
door.
    A half hour later, she spotted her
sisters entering the gate. Meg joined Mabe and Emma on the swing,
while Mara chose one of the white Adirondack chairs.
    “ Wow, I never realized how
many people knew our father,” Mara commented, slipping off her
heels and rubbing one foot. “So many stories, some I knew, some I’d
never heard before.”
    “ He had a mean streak a mile
wide when it came to us, but it seems he may have done quite a bit
of good in this town. One woman told me how he gave her enough
money to pay her rent one month after she’d been laid off by the
county. She was a single mother of four kids.”
    Mabe smiled, pushing the swing with one
foot. Emma’s head lolled against her mother, the empty bowl tilting
in her lap. Mabe removed it, placing it on the small wicker table
by the swing. “He had his moments. I’ll never forget the day he
hired Jake.”
    Mara stared at her. “I’m sure there’s a
story there.”
    “ Mara,” Meg chastised. “He’s
been a lifesaver to Mabe. Don’t be too critical.”
    Mara rolled her eyes. “The man’s a
Neanderthal. What’s the story?”
    “ He showed up one day with