Hard as Stone (Passion in Paradise: The Men of the McKinnnon Sisters) (4 page)

“Sounds good,”
Jacob agreed with a shrug, following the other man toward the split-log
benches.  Perching his ass on the table, he waited for Ezekiel to continue. 
When a couple of seconds passed in silence while the other man settled beside
him, clasping his hand between his knees, he grew uneasy.  “Any particular
reason you wanted to chat this afternoon, Sheriff?”

“I’ve told you to call
me Zeke more than once.  Everybody else does,” the Sheriff suggested mildly.

“Alright, Zeke. 
What is it that I can do for you?” Jacob asked again, offering the man beside
him a sidelong glance.

“Tell me, how have
you been enjoying your stay in our fair town, Stone?” Zeke deflected, ignoring
Jacob’s question.

 Jacob blinked and
turned his head toward Ezekiel.  Taking his time, he answered slowly.  “It’s a
nice little place that y’all have got here.  Peaceful.  Untouched.  I guess you
could say that I’m enjoying it quite a bit.”

“Peaceful and
untouched,” Zeke echoed.  “I like that.  It fits.  And you’re right.  This town
is all that.  I aim to keep it that way, too.  If rumor holds true, you’ve enjoyed
it so much here that you put a bid in on the old Simmons homestead out on
County Line Road.  Is that right?”

Jacob smiled easily,
if a bit warily.  “I’d forgotten that secrets don’t stay secret long in a small
town.”

“They do not,” Zeke
agreed, finally turning narrowed eyes toward Jacob.  “Don’t you think it’s time
that you and I cut past all the bullshit?  Level with me, Stone.  Why are you
here?”

“Not sure what
you’re getting at, Zeke,” Jacob growled roughly, hackles rising.  Hell, he knew
he didn’t exactly look like he’d enjoy peace and solitude, but his money was
green just like everybody else’s.  He hadn’t made any trouble in this town. 
And while Zeke and he might not qualify as friends, he’d at least considered
the other man a good acquaintance.  The new attitude was expected in a way, but
still as surprise.   “I’m getting the feeling all of a sudden that you don’t
exactly see me as a welcome addition to Paradise, Sheriff.  Seems a little
strange since the whole town, or at least everybody I’ve met, has been real
friendly.  Is it me, my tattoos, or my Harley that you’ve developed an aversion
to?”

“None of the
above,” Zeke replied evenly.  “But your interest in the McKinnon women is beginning
to cause me a bit of concern.  You’ve been here,” he noted, nodding at the
restaurant that the McKinnon family owned and operated, “every day since you
rode into town weeks ago.  Often, you show up twice a day.  Breakfast and
dinner.”

“Don’t know why my
eating habits are cause for the personal concern of local law enforcement, but
this
is
the only place to get a decent meal that doesn’t come in a paper
bag in this town.”

“True enough.” 
Zeke nodded as he tilted back his worn cowboy hat.  “But you aren’t just here
to eat, are you, Stone?  You’re here to watch.  Specifically, you’ve been watching
Harmony McKinnon.  Care to share why that is?”

“She’s a pretty
lady.”  Jacob lifted his chin defiantly.  Local gossip said that it was Honor
McKinnon that the town sheriff had a fondness for, not Harmony.  All the
evidence Jacob had seen over the last several weeks had supported that
assertion, so he had to wonder what the
fuck
was going on.  The idea
that another man – especially the well-thought-of sheriff - might be interested
in the hot, single mother that Jacob had grown attached to instantly made his
blood heat and his temperature begin climbing into the stratosphere.  “But – no
disrespect intended here - I’m not real sure why that’s any of your business. 
Harmony is an attractive, available woman.  Any man, myself included, is gonna
enjoy looking at her.” 

“I’m well aware of
Harmony’s beauty.  It’s a trait she shares with all her sisters, and believe me
when I say, Harmony is my business. 
All
the McKinnon girls are.  I
consider them family.  Hell, the entire town considers them family, blood
related or not.  Stick around long enough and you’ll learn that rather quickly. 
But at the moment, my relationship with them isn’t in question.  Yours is.  I’d
like to know just why it is that Harmony and all the McKinnon ladies have suddenly
landed on the Drug Enforcement Agency’s radar,
Special Agent in Charge Jacob
Stone
.”  Zeke’s eyes flashed warningly as they bored into Jacob’s.  “Better
yet, why don’t you go ahead and explain to me why local law enforcement wasn’t
informed of a DEA operation goin’ on in Paradise’s backyard?”

Hearing the anger
and frustration threaded through Zeke’s voice, Jacob could admit that the man
had a reason to be irritated.  The DEA didn’t make it a common practice to
brief locals into clandestine operations unless there was no other choice. 
When they had included locals in operations in the past, things had tended to
go sideways fast.  More often than not, when they had included the local cops,
usually they’d found at least one of the officers was corrupt and those dishonest
individuals had nearly compromised the entire mission and the safety of
everyone involved.  For that reason, among others, he hadn’t exactly been the
forthcoming type since he’d arrived in town.  Plus, if Zeke wanted to get technical
about it, this wasn’t
his
operation at all. 

“I see you’ve been
checking into me,” Jacob murmured, staring across the parking lot at the
restaurant as a young couple walked inside, laughing animatedly.

“I tried to give
you time to come to me on your own.  I figured I owed a fellow law enforcement
officer that much respect.  When you didn’t and it became clear to me that you
weren’t going to do so, I decided it was time to take the bull by the horns and
make some inquiries of my own.  So, I’m gonna ask again and do it real slow so
you understand my question.  What the
hell
is the DEA doin’ in my town,
Agent Stone?  And how does it concern the McKinnon ladies?”

“Well, if you did
that checking thoroughly, you already know that I’m on vacation from the DEA
right now and so near my twenty-year retirement that I’m staring it in the
face.  Hence, my offer on the Simmons place, Sheriff.”

“You expect me to
believe that out of all the towns in the world, you just happened onto our
little corner of the Earth just as the DEA sets up a covert task force in my
county?  Do I seem dull witted to you, Stone?” Zeke snorted, pressing his lips
together as he glared at Jacob.  “I greatly suspect this little visit of yours
coincides with the operation to take down Diego Fuentes stronghold on the I-75
corridor for a whole lot of reasons.  I also think that since Fuentes is
directly responsible for your sister Vanessa’s death nearly a quarter of
century ago, that this case is mighty personal to you.”

Jacob stiffened and
met the Sheriff’s eyes with a glare of his own.  “You are
awfully
well
informed, Law Man.  I’m surprised.  You dug deep.  Few people even know about
Nessa.  We didn’t even share the same last name.  We had different fathers.”

“My town matters to
me, Stone.  The McKinnon girls matter to me even more than that.  I’ve seen you
watching…assessing.  You were a guy that showed up in my jurisdiction, out of
the blue, no job, no connections to the area that I could find, and you started
taking an interest in the girls, but most especially Harmony.  You told those
that asked that you were here to enjoy the scenery and maybe scout locations
for a future business you’re thinking of opening.  You didn’t exactly look like
the tourist type, so I found it a mite unbelievable that this was as simple as
a pleasurable vacation for you.  And the only business that you looked to me
like you were capable of doing was in a cage match.  At that point, I made it
my business to find out all I could about you and called in some favors.  Full
disclosure - I can also tell you the rank you were when you were honorably
discharged from the Army at 22, what your service record says about you, your
shoe size
and
the last time you got laid, Stone.  It’s been a long, dry
spell for you, hasn’t it?”

Jacob raised an
eyebrow.  “You’re awfully territorial where it concerns the McKinnons.  Especially
since it seems you went to great lengths to find out all you could about me.”

“Harmony, Faith and
Patience are important to me,” Zeke offered truthfully, no deceit in his eyes
and no apology in his tone.

“And Honor?  Where
does she rank on your scale of importance?” Jacob queried, more to goad the
other man than anything else.  He watched warily as the other man’s face
hardened and his eyes became stormy.  Anyone that had been in Paradise more
than a day knew that Zeke’s feelings ran deep for the youngest McKinnon sister. 
He couldn’t fault the man for it.  All the women were beyond desirable.  Petite
and full of life, any kind of real man instinctively wanted to protect them.

Faith was off the
market, married to Cain Turner, a local doctor and former soldier.  They’d been
married just a few weeks ago and were due back from their honeymoon at any
time.  Patience was too stubborn to allow any man to wrap her in cotton and
keep her safe, though Jake suspected that Paradise attorney, Abel Turner, would
give his left nut to try.  That left Harmony (the eldest) and Honor (the
youngest).    So, he could understand Zeke’s worry where Honor was concerned.  In
truth, it would be easy to get wrapped up in Honor if he wasn’t already tied up
in thoughts of Harmony and her daughter.

“You tryin’ to piss
me off?” Zeke growled in response, the muscle in his jaw flexing ominously.

“Just getting the
lay of the land, Sheriff,” Jacob answered, lifting his hands in front of him as
he drawled out the man’s title.

“The lay of the
land,” Zeke echoed, speaking through clenched teeth.  “You ain’t stupid or
slow, Stone.  You’ve been in Paradise for weeks now.  You know that Honor is a
damn bit more than important to me.  She’s everything, you son of a bitch. 
Because of that, her sisters matter to me.  Each and every one of them.    And
havin’ you watchin’ her and her sisters is makin’ me more’n a little nervous,”
Zeke replied honestly.  “Those girls…especially Honor… have been through hell. 
They don’t need a drifting DEA agent complicating their lives.  Harmony has a
child for God’s sake.  Now, I hear that you’re taking Harmony on a
date
? 
Harmony hasn’t dated since long before Heaven was born!”

“As you already
know, I’m well aware of Heaven’s existence,” Jacob said softly, silently
acknowledging that their local town Sheriff had it in a bad way for little
Honor McKinnon if he was willing to go head to head with him for the sake of
the woman’s sister.  “I mean Harmony and her daughter no harm, Zeke.  Just the
opposite, in fact.”  Taking a deep breath, he decided to take a chance and set
the other man straight on a couple of things.  “First of all, you’ve got a few
of your facts wrong.”

“Do tell,” Zeke
invited silkily, the only sign of his aggravation the jerking muscle in his clenched
jaw.

“Well, for
starters, I’m not the Special Agent in Charge here.  I’m not an official part
of the ongoing operation that you’ve evidently uncovered.  I’m a guy making use
of his time while on vacation.”

“But you aren’t
denying there
is
an operation underway
or
that you have a
personal interest in it,” Zeke clarified sharply.

“No, I’m not.  As
you already know, there is a game in play, but I’m not in Paradise in any
official capacity, Zeke.  I’m here on my own time on my own dime,” Jacob
explained calmly.

“That doesn’t
change the fact that you’re tied personally to this case.  I suspect that you
think the McKinnons are tied to it, too, in some capacity.  Is that why you’re
using Harmony?” Zeke spat, his eyes blazing furiously.

“I don’t think it,
Sheriff.  I
know
it.  And I am not using Harmony.  I won’t deny that
might have been my original intention when I arrived in town, but I can assure
you that my plans have changed dramatically.”

“In that case, you
need to start from the beginning and tell me everything.  Otherwise, I’m gonna
ask you to move on down the road while I do what I have to do to keep Harmony
and the rest of the women safe,” Zeke returned, his words more order than
request.  “I won’t knowingly allow any of those girls be put in harm’s way. 
Not by you, not by the DEA, and certainly not by some unknown factor that I
haven’t yet identified.”

“I haven’t broken
any laws.  I put a bid in on a house and piece of land, Zeke.  I’m makin’ plans
for the future and I’m not goin’
anywhere
,” Jacob replied, his voice so
hard that it made steel look like sheet metal. 

“You put those
women in danger by not telling me what they’re up against, and you’ll find
people in this town might not be so nice and cooperative.  Honor and Harmony
still live together in their family’s farmhouse, and Patience lives here above
the diner in an apartment.  They’re women living alone, and you can be damn
sure no one wants them hurt.  That warm welcome you’ve been feeling will go
cold fast and dry up overnight.  I can guarantee that.  It’d be a damn shame if
that bid got refused, wouldn’t it?”

Jacob did not like
being threatened even if those threats were veiled in a thin shroud of southern
civility.  “I’ve spent my life workin’, Sheriff.  Mostly lived in shitholes
situated real close to the filth I put behind bars.  It was a convenient way to
live.  Not gonna live that way after I put in my twenty.  I have a Harley and a
Dodge Hemi truck, both fully paid off.  Since I’ve lived on the frugal side of
life, I have money to burn.  Simmons might decide my money’s not good enough,
but I
guarantee
somebody will like my shade of green.  Paradise might be
a nice place to live, but you can find greed alive and well anywhere.  Even here. 
So, I’ll say it again.  I ain’t going anywhere.”  He’d be damned if he’d be
bullied out of somewhere he wanted to be, and he
definitely
wanted to be
in Paradise.