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

by Sarah O'Rourke

  Offering a mental sigh, Jacob resigned himself to the fact that he was simply an actor that would do anything he needed to do in order to perform his role convincingly. To fit in with the seedy underbelly of drug scum that he’d dealt with during his long career, he couldn’t exactly be seen wandering around the streets in three-piece suits. Besides, his standard uniform of boots, black jeans, tight black tee, and leather jacket worked for him. It was comfortable.

  He tried to relax his stance as the Sheriff approached, purposefully loosening his shoulders. Ezekiel Monroe was a keen observer of human nature, and appearing aggressive or defensive wouldn’t exactly aid Jake’s cause right now. He knew he’d never look harmless, but he hoped he could at least achieve relaxed.

  “You got a minute for a little chat?” the Sheriff asked as he came closer.

  “Sure. Can I buy you a beer?” Jacob jerked his head toward the door that led into the bar portion of the I Don’t Care Café.

  “Actually, for this conversation, I’d rather remain outside if you don’t mind. Plus, I still consider myself on duty,” Zeke replied, his tone revealing nothing as he glanced at the watch on his wrist. Jerking his head toward the duo of picnic tables at the corner of the building where the staff often sat for smoke breaks, the sheriff smiled thinly. “Mind if we sit though? It’s been a long day.”

  “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?”

  Chapter Two

  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.

  “Don’t fuck with me, Stone. I’d like to be your friend, but bein’ an enemy isn’t out of the realm of possibility.”

  As an olive branch, Zeke’s statement sucked, but the truth was, both men needed each other if they were gonna assure Harmony and Heaven’s safety. He didn’t know the young woman overly well yet, but what he knew, he definitely liked – especially the body. And the little girl… she was enough to put a smile on even the biggest asshole’s face. He didn’t want either of them harmed. Not in any way. And that meant he needed the sheriff on his side.

  “Look, being at odds with each other won’t solve the problem loomin’ on the horizon,” Jacob pointed out, forcing himself to adopt a calm tone that he didn’t quite feel.

  “Hard to say since I don’t have the first clue what exactly that problem is,” Zeke countered, reaching up to adjust the cowboy hat sitting on top of his head. “Why don’t you enlighten me?”

  His gaze scanned the determined man sitting beside him. Jacob Stone didn’t trust easily. It was actually his policy to trust no one; he even had those words tattooed on his body to remind him of the sentiment. It was hard, however, not to believe in the sheriff sitting beside him. One thing was certain; the other man’s feelings for Honor and her sisters were genuine. And that was enough of an incentive for Jacob to break his own golden rule and place his faith in another human being.

&nb
sp; “Alright,” Jacob agreed, “I’ll agree on the condition that this conversation remains completely confidential.”

  “I can’t promise that,” Zeke denied automatically. “If what you say endangers Honor or her sisters, then all bets are off.”

  “Jesus, Zeke, I’m already breaking protocol. Cut me some slack here,” Jacob growled impatiently. “Even if you ran and blabbed everything I tell you to the ladies, the only thing you’re gonna do is scare them to death. Telling them won’t change the way the DEA plays things out with the Fuentes cartel and it could very well get one of them killed.”

  “Talk, Stone,” Zeke demanded through gritted teeth. “We can talk about what I’m going to do after I know just what exactly the hell is goin’ on in my county.”

  “Bottom line? Drugs. That’s what’s going on,” Jacob replied emotionlessly.

  “Drugs?” Zeke repeated, narrowing his eyes at Jacob. “Every town has some level of illegal drug use, but our problem is primarily confined to the occasional pothead. We had a meth house a couple of years back, but I busted my ass to get that shit gone. For the most part, we’re a clean town.”

  “It is. For now,” Jacob stressed, waiting while his meaning sank in with the sheriff. “I hate to be the one to share this, man, but the cartel is moving into your backyard.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Zeke breathed. “Fuentes. Diego’s bringing his operation here?”

  “You catch on fast.” Jacob paused as a car pulled into the Suds-n-Soak next door. Waiting until the elderly couple had carried their laundry inside, he looked at Zeke. “It’s a done deal as far as Diego’s concerned. He wants to use Paradise as a distribution point for his drugs into Eastern Tennessee, and Fuentes always gets what he wants. He’s got a neat little plan for it, too.”