Blurb
Hot
tempered, Mabe O'Banyon will do whatever it takes to keep
the family's Irish pub, Shenanigans, out of the mob's dirty hands.
She quickly learns, though, their attorney and the bank will offer no
help. So, she calls in the reinforcements--Mara and Meg. She hasn't
seen her two sisters for years, but her desperate message brings them
running.
Commercial
real estate developer, Aaron Shaw has a secret. He arrives in
Monticello, FL, expecting to purchase a quaint Irish pub and move on
to his next conquest. But the transaction doesn't take place as
planned--in fact, it doesn't take place at all. The hardheaded
owner--a stunning redhead with curves that don't quit--isn't
selling.
With
time running out and the mob on their heels, Aaron wants
nothing more than to save the woman he's fallen for from impending
danger. Mabe is torn between a man she loves but can't trust and
the need to hold on to her family's pub. Their choices lead them down
a path neither could have guessed.
Excerpt
- When Mabe meets Aaron Shaw for the first time
The
door to the pub swung open for a tall, ebony haired man wearing an
expensive tan suit. Mabe straightened. Riveted, she stared at his
strikingly angular face. His chin, grooved by a slight dimple, struck
her as sexy.
His
gaze roamed the bar, settling on her. Warmth radiated through her
entire body. Never had she felt such an intense attraction to a man.
Who
the hell is he?
She didn’t recall ever seeing him in the pub. Her nerves tingled.
Resembling a panther, he wove his way through the crowd. Slightly
ashamed of her attraction to a strange man at her father’s wake,
she turned her back, resuming her position behind the bar. She spoke
to several patrons, mentally noting their drink orders on her way.
“No
one could pull a pint like your da,” an old grizzled man at the end
of the mahogany counter stated. “Smooth like silk he was.”
Mabe
smiled. “He was, Angus. We’ll miss him.” She handed a frothy
mug to the man. “Here you go. Enjoy that.”
“I
will,” Angus declared, raising his glass to her. “To many years.”
She
picked up a glass of Coke, clinked it against Angus’s mug. “And
to you.”
“I’ll
have one of those if you don’t mind,” a deep voice spoke from
behind her.
Turning,
ready with a flirty response on her tongue, she came face to face
with her handsome stranger. His eyes matched the deep rich mahogany
of the bar. His smile, while slightly crooked, seemed genuine and
swept the words right out of her brain.
“Uh…sure.
Name your poison.”
“Guinness?”
Mabe
nodded, pulled the beer, scraping the foam from the top. “I’ve
never seen you here before. What’s your name, and how did you know
my dad?”
His
gaze caught hers, sympathy reflected in his eyes. She tried to look
away, but she couldn’t. The man was a god.
“I’m
sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks.
He will be missed for sure.”
“I
just realized…this is his wake, isn’t it? A private party?”
She
nodded. “It is.”
The
man smiled gently. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid I’m intruding. I
should go.”
She
set the beer in front of him. “Nah, we’re all friends here. It is
a private party, but stay if you’d like.” She gestured. “Those
are my sisters Meg and Mara. We own the place now.”
“It’ll
be hard to run it without your father, won’t it?”
Mabe
sighed, leaning on her elbows. “It won’t be the same, for sure,
but we’ll do okay. It’ll take some work….” She glanced
lovingly around the pub with all its Irish paraphernalia adorning he
walls. “Da, loved this place. I grew up here. It’s our place.
We’ll make it work.”
She
shivered, feeling his intense stare. Her skin burned under the laser
scan of his eyes. Her pulse jumped. If the room were empty except for
the two of them, he’d be in some serious trouble. He took a sip of
the Guinness, still staring at her over the mug.
She
licked her lips then broke the gaze. She swiped at the glossy
mahogany top with a rag. “What brings you to town?”
“Business,”
was his response.
“Ooh,
cryptic, are we?” She flirted.
“Suits
me for now.”
A
man at the end of the counter signaled for her. She held up a finger
then approached her guest. She served a few more beers, all the while
being extremely aware of his gaze. His allure was more powerful than
any she’d ever experienced. Monticello wasn’t full of dashing men
in expensive suits, but it had its fair share of good lookers. Lord
knew she’d flirted with some from time to time, even dated a few,
but none of them stirred in her what this man did.
No
longer needed, she returned to him, eyeing his empty mug. “Another?”
He
nodded, offered her a smile.
Her
knees weakened. She steadied herself by grasping the smooth wood.
What
the hell is wrong with me?
She pulled his beer, but before she handed it to him she asked, “What
did you say your name was?”
He
chuckled. “I didn’t.”
She
set the mug down in front of him. “Oh, come on. You’re not going
to waltz into my pub during my daddy’s wake and not tell me who you
are. It’s not polite.”
One
dark eyebrow rose. “Not polite, huh?”
“Not
at all,” she declared, leaning on the bar, offering him her most
dazzling smile.
“Okay
then…if you insist.
“I
do.”
He
held out his hand. Mabe reached out, taking his warm palm in hers.
The air between them practically crackled with tension. “Aaron
Shaw.”
Her
previously heated blood froze. In one swift moment, all the allure
she’d experienced earlier evaporated. This
is the shark trying to buy my pub. The nerve of this man, waltzing in
here, flirting with me, when all the while he’s casing the joint
for a future purchase.
She grabbed his beer unceremoniously dumping it on his head. The dark
brew dripped from his hair all over his tan suit.
“What
the hell?” he shouted, jumping off the stool.
“Get
out of my pub,” she yelled at him.
Buy
Links
http://www.amazon.com/Mabes-Burden-Saving-Shenanigans-Kelly-ebook/dp/B00H1UXFWC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1386069369&sr=1-1&keywords=Mabe%27s+Burden
Smashwords
Buy Link
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/383851
Bio
I can't remember a
time when I didn't want to write. From the time I was learned
enough to string sentences together I liked writing stories. In
high school I was the literary editor of our school magazine Sketches
and had a series of short stories that I'd written even then.
I'm published with two wonderful publishers, World Castle and
Solstice Publishing, and on my own as an Indie.
I live in
Florida with my two adult children and my husband of 30+ years.
I have a wonderful dog named Snickers that can even open her own
Christmas presents! (don't believe me? Look below) When
I'm not working full time in the insurance industry, I write. I
believe any writer should write because they love the craft. The
rest will come in time. I hope you enjoy reading my stories as
much as I've enjoyed writing them
My
links
website
www.kellyabellbooks.com
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelly-Abell/83527376788?ref=hl
Twitter
www.twitter.com/kellyabellbooks
