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

by Sarah O'Rourke

  Zeke snorted. “He tried to ingratiate himself with Harmony’s sisters and weasel his way into the heart of the McKinnon clan.”

  “And they just accepted him into the family with open arms?” Jacob asked, disbelief leaking from his tone. “These ladies are sweet, Zeke, but I didn’t think any of them were stupid!”

  “They weren’t stupid, Stone,” Zeke snapped, his eyes flashing as he looked at the other man. “But they did want their sister back in their lives. After losing their anchors, they wanted to find a way to keep Harmony close to them. It was clear to anybody that Harmony loved Tanner to distraction and wasn’t gonna give him up. So, in order to avoid losing Harmony, they accepted Tanner. At least, on the surface.” Noting the furious look on Jacob’s face, Zeke continued quickly. “Nobody threw the girls to the wolf baying at the door. Aunt Orla took charge of Faith, Patience and Honor after their folks died, and she kept a close watch on Tanner. Cain and Abel Turner kept their eyes on him, too. Hell, I fucking tailed him myself. We thought we were doing everything we could to protect Harmony and the girls,” he murmured, staring into space as his eyes clouded. “We didn’t do enough.”

  “So, what happened that finally tipped the scales and made Harmony see Tanner for the shit he is?”

  Jacob watched Zeke reach for his glass again and drain it in a single swallow. Whatever happened, it had been bad. A man only needed to take a look at the tortured sheriff to know that.

  “The night that those bastards grabbed Honor, it was Tanner that was supposed to pick her up. Unfortunately, he got sidetracked while he was fucking another woman. Because of him, Honor nearly died.”

  Jacob hissed. “Fucking hell,”

  “Yeah,” Zeke muttered tonelessly as he reached for the remainder of the whiskey in Jacob’s glass. Picking it up, he looked at the other man. “You mind?”

  Shaking his head, Jacob could only stare at Zeke.

  Zeke took a sip from the glass before speaking again. “Here’s the part where it gets worse for Harmony. You sure you wanna know the rest?”

  “Wanna know?” Jacob echoed. “No. I don’t wanna know, Zeke,” he said with a growl. “I need to know.”

  Taking a deep breath, Zeke nodded. “After we got Honor to the hospital and made sure that she would survive, Harmony left to confront Tanner. She was blaming herself for what happened to her sister, and she wanted her pound of flesh from Tanner. I can’t blame her. If I’d gotten my hands on the son of a bitch that night, I’d have killed him with my bare hands. At any rate, we were all so exhausted from the search and wrapped up in what was happening to Honor that none of us were thinking straight. Nobody noticed until hours after she left that Harmony hadn’t come back to the hospital. If I’d known what was going on between the two of them behind closed doors, Jacob, I swear to Christ I’d never have allowed her to leave that night.” Zeke choked, his face clenching as he got lost in the memory of that night.

  Jacob stiffened as he heard Zeke’s voice crack. “What the fuck did that bastard do to my Harmony?” he snarled, gripping the edge of the table in a white knuckled grip.

  “He beat the ever-loving shit out of her. Busted her face up, gave her a concussion and bruised three of her ribs. It’s a goddamned miracle that he didn’t kill her and an even bigger miracle that she didn’t lose the baby.”

  “She was pregnant?” Jacob asked through lips that barely moved. White-hot fury rolled through his body like a tidal wave as he waited for Zeke’s response, his legs clenching as fought the urge to run from the booth and protect Harmony right then.

  Zeke’s head dipped an affirmation. “Yeah. We didn’t know until Cain checked her over that night. She didn’t even know. Sad part was, that hadn’t been the first time he hit her.”

  “Tell me it was the last,” Jacob demanded, his voice a primal growl.

  Zeke nodded again. “Harmony isn’t stupid. She made some bad decisions, but she was a young girl in love with the only boy she’d ever really known. She grew up fast that night and cut him loose. The son of a bitch was relieved to be free when he found out she was carryin’ his kid. He didn’t want any part of being a daddy. The bastard didn’t waste any time signing the divorce papers and the termination of parental rights that Abel served him. He burned rubber leaving this town before the ink was even dry. Of course, that could have been because I had a gun aimed at him,” he explained, shrugging negligently as he dropped the glass back to the table. “Either way, that was the last time we saw the prick.”

  “Fuck!” Jacob cursed succinctly, anger permeating the thick air around him as he reached for the glass of whiskey that Zeke had stolen from him a few minutes ago. He drained it in a single gulp. Hell, he’d envisioned a lot of scenarios concerning Tanner’s relationship with Harmony, but this hadn’t been one of them. And none of that had been in the dossier he’d received from the DEA.

  “Yeah, that about sums it up,” Zeke remarked, watching Jacob closely. “I think you can see now why I’m gonna have a problem with any plan that involves dragging Harmony back into a nightmare she woke up from a long time ago. Let it be over for her, Stone.”

  “You think it’s up to me?” Jacob barked, his hand flattening against the polished wood of the table. “It’s not. All any of us can do is stand between her and those bastards, Zeke, because the DEA is not gonna back off this operation. There’s too much at stake.”

  “Don’t pretend with me,” Zeke denied, his shoulders stiffening as he leaned forward. “You came here for revenge, Stone. I might not be a genius, but even I can do the math on that one. You think Harmony won’t figure that out, too? You think she won’t assume exactly what I did… that you were gonna use her as a pawn in this little chess match you’ve got goin’ on with the cartel? Look, I’m sorrier than hell about your sister, but…”

  “Leave my sister out of this,” Jacob retorted as he glared at the sheriff.

  “I’m just sayin’ it like it is,” Zeke returned evenly, unwilling to let the other man off the hook.

  “Things have changed,” Jacob declared flatly. “Harmony is mine, and I’ll protect what’s mine.”

  Zeke offered Jacob a long, measured look, silently assessing him. “Those are words we take real serious around here, Stone. You make that kind of claim on a woman in this town, you sure as shit better mean it and be ready to stand behind your word.”

  “I never say anything I don’t mean. Better yet, I’ll always back up what I say. If Fuentes and Suarez want to fuck with Harmony and Heaven, they’ll go through me first, and not many people have ever done that.” It wasn’t boasting; it was just the simple truth. Jacob would move heaven and earth to keep both his girls safe. He hadn’t realized how far he’d go before, but he did now.

  “You gonna share this claim you’re making with Harmony?” Zeke raised an eyebrow.

  “Harmony will know where I stand tonight,” Jacob answered tersely, his hands clenching as he watched Zeke smirk at him.

  “I bet. You gonna tell her who you really are?” the Sheriff fired back.

  “When I’m ready, I’ll tell Harmony everything. Not before.”

  Zeke rolled his eyes as he let out a disgusted snort. “Great, another idiot in my midst. You know, Faith’s husband, Cain, tried this strong, silent bullshit, and he almost lost her before he ever got a ring on her finger. Faith forgave him, but not before she made him crawl over broken glass to earn it. With her past, I don’t know if Harmony will be that generous, Stone. I was really hoping that you weren’t gonna be this much of a dumbass. Tell the woman the fucking truth!”

  “I’m not lying about anything; I’m just not ready to bare my soul yet. You let me worry about how much to tell Harmony and when. All I’m askin’ of you is to keep your mouth shut for now. When the time is right, I’ll share my story with her and my reasons for every choice I’ve made. For now, I’d rather just concentrate on getting to know her and building her trust.” Fuck, Jacob had never wooed a woman before, but it looked like he’d be taki
ng a crash course in it now. Whatever, she was worth it.

  “Let me get this straight. You say you wanna build the trust between you two. You realize that when she finds out you’ve been keeping this shit from her… shit that could affect both her wellbeing, her child’s safety, and her sisters’ lives… that trust will be blown to hell and back, right? You ever seen a McKinnon lose her mind? It ain’t pretty, man.”

  “My hope is she’ll realize that everything I did was for her and her family’s own good,” Jacob muttered back at the Sheriff.

  “Yeah, Cain said that same thing not very long ago... the whole, ‘It’s for your own good’ line. It worked out fantastically. Good luck with it. They’re famous last fuckin’ words, moron,” Zeke grumbled under his breath.

  “Can I trust you to keep your mouth shut or not, Zeke?” Jacob asked impatiently, ignoring the warnings. “You’ve got my word that I’ll keep Harmony and Heaven safe.”

  Zeke pressed his lips together as he glared at Jacob. “I won’t say anything,” he finally said. “But, I won’t lie either. If she comes to me and wants to know the score, I will not lie to that woman.”

  “Fair enough,” Jacob declared with a short nod, recognizing the truce was the best he was going to get. “Are we done here? I’ve got a beautiful woman waiting for an unforgettable first date.”

  The sheriff held up one hand, stalling the other man’s departure. “Just one more thing. I need to bring Cain and Abel Turner into the loop, Jacob.”

  “What?” Jacob snapped, eyes narrowing as he shook his head. “Are you crazy? We need to keep this shit tight, Zeke. And by that, I mean…”

  “I don’t care what you mean,” Zeke cut him off, leaning forward in the booth to get nose to nose with the other man. “You just dropped the bomb on me that not one, but two threats are headed toward a McKinnon sister. Now, you ain’t from around here, but I can tell you that any threat headed for one of them threatens all of them, asshole. They’re a package deal. And by that I mean that every one of them would die for the other three. If one is in danger, then they all are because none of those ladies are gonna allow their sister to face danger alone. Cain and Abel Turner are both my friends. Cain’s married to Faith for fuck’s sake, and Abel has been keeping an eye out for Patience since the girl was in pigtails. They’re honorable men that are both more than capable of keeping their mouths shut and doing their part to protect those women. They’ve each got a vested interest in this. They won’t compromise whatever plan is in motion, but they’ll damn sure do their best to make sure the rest of the girls are safe, too. I’m telling them,” he declared resolutely.

  “Jesus, man,” Jacob groaned, running a tired hand down his face, the Sheriff’s tone brooking no argument. He didn’t have time for this bullshit. The more people that knew about the operation in play, the higher the risk that the whole operation could go sideways. These motherfuckers were slippery bastards, and this was the closest the DEA had ever gotten to finally dealing a crippling blow to the cartel. Not to mention, Harmony was waiting for him. Finally, he had a chance to get all areas of his life into sync, and this was happening.

  “It isn’t a request; it’s a deal breaker. We’re not negotiating terms. You want my silence? This is my price.” The sheriff’s voice was unwavering as he stared at Jacob.

  Meeting the sheriff’s blazing eyes, Jacob knew that the other man wouldn’t be intimidated by threats of charges from interfering with a federal investigation. Zeke’s hard gaze said he wouldn’t be swayed at all because this was about folks he considered his family. The one thing Jake had learned about these people that lived in this tiny corner of America was that family trumped everything else. Always.

  There were no exceptions.

  If he was ever going to get to see Harmony tonight, he was gonna have to agree to the stubborn pain in the ass’s demands.

  “Fine,” Jacob clipped out, regretting the words as soon as he said them. “But you make sure they know that this is a sticky situation. Runnin’ their mouths to the wrong person could mean somebody’s life. The agency has a man on the inside. Think about that.”

  “My boys know how to keep their mouth shut.”

  “Alright, then. I’ll let you know if I get any more information. Appreciate it if you’d do the same,” Jacob replied in a low voice as he threw a twenty on the table between them to cover their drinks.

  “I can do that,” Zeke agreed with a short nod.

  Jacob rose from his seat, his tight, worn jeans stretching with the movement. “Then I think we’re done here.”

  “Listen, Stone,” Zeke said quickly as he shifted his hat back into place. “One last thing. With everything I shared with you, I think you know that I’ve put a certain level of trust in you. I wanna offer you one last piece of advice…go slow with her. She’s been through a lot.”

  The noise of the bar seemed to increase in that moment, and Jacob took a step closer. “I hear you, man,” he acknowledged, “but slow isn’t really in my wheelhouse. What I can promise you is that I’ll take care with her. I didn’t come to Paradise expecting to find a woman that would mean anything to me. I sure as fuck didn’t plan on finding the one that could mean everything to me. Now that I have, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her.”

  “See that you do, Agent Stone. You see that you do.”

  And on that last warning, Jacob spun on the heel of his motorcycle boot and headed for the door. There was nothing more he could add to what he’d already said that would make a believer out of Ezekiel Monroe, and he had far better things to do with his time than waste his breath.

  Besides, he’d always believed actions spoke louder than words anyway.

  Chapter Four

  “This is hopeless,” Harmony McKinnon growled as she struggled to pull the form-fitting violet sweater over her head. “Why can’t I just wear jeans and a tee shirt?” she asked her sister, Faith, over her shoulder as she unsnapped the black skirt and wriggled the tight material over her hips. “I’ll take comfort over style any day of the week.” This was the third skirt she’d tried that had fit like a second skin, and she decided then and there that she seriously needed to skip tomorrow’s pie selection. “Jake already knows what I look like.”

  Rolling her eyes, Faith ignored the snort from their other sister, Patience, and kept flipping through the hangers in Harmony’s closet. “It’s your first date in over seven years. You’re dressing up,” she decreed, pulling out a wine colored low cut silk shirt and scrutinizing it. Holding it up for Patience to see, she tilted her head. “Well?” she asked as she shoved her blonde hair over her shoulder.

  “Too red. That color will make her look like a high-class hooker – which, if you wanna like a hooker would be the way to go…but still, doesn’t she have anything in a teal in there?” Patience asked, looking over Faith’s shoulder into the closet. “Blue will make her eyes pop.”

  “Our sister is NOT going out dressed like a whore! Honor would tackle her to the ground before she cleared the door. But, I do agree with you about the blue,” Faith muttered as she resumed digging in the closet again.

  “Oh, for crying out loud!” Harmony barely stifled a groan. Clad in a pink bra with little embroidered flowers sewn into the fabric and a pair of matching panties, she flopped back on the bed and watched as her two siblings continued to rummage through her limited wardrobe. She’d been modeling outfits for her discerning sisters for the past half-hour and even she could agree that her choices were somewhat sparse. As a working single mother, she really had two choices from which to pick… her normal work uniform of blue jeans and colorful tees or her mom uniform of yoga pants and colorful tees. “Why am I even doing this? I should just call him and cancel,” she muttered more to herself than to her siblings.

  They must have heard the self-doubt in her voice because both women turned to look at her with narrowed eyes that promised retribution if she mentioned canceling again.

  “You are NOT backing out on this date,” Fa
ith denied, pointing a finger at Harmony just like their mother had done when they were younger. “You need to do this, Harm. It’s not healthy to keep avoiding relationships like you do.”

  “Faith’s right. You need to get laid, sis,” Patience added with a decisive nod as she crossed her arms over her chest.

  Faith huffed, shoving her sister’s shoulder. “I didn’t say that!”

  “Well, I did say that,” Patience returned with a wicked grin. “Have you seen the ass on that man? You could bounce a quarter off him and make yourself fifty cents! Seriously, Harmony, that is one Grade A piece of man meat that you’ve got interested in you. I’m betting he’s packing some serious heat below the belt.” Her sister shivered for effect and winked at Harmony.

  Faith glared at Patience before ordering sternly, “Ignore Patience’s raging hormones.” Her eyes glazed over slightly as she added, “I just think you need to get back out there, Harmony. You’re never going to meet ‘The One’ if you’re hiding in this house with Heaven and Honor. Jake is a nice guy…”

  Oh, goody… her sister was going to blather on about the elusive ‘One’. Harmony sighed as she listened with half an ear as her sis continued to go on and on about all of Jake’s wonderful qualities. She couldn’t deny that she agreed with most of what Faith said. After spending the last several weeks chatting with the mountain of a man, even she couldn’t argue that she was definitely attracted to him.

  Sure, he had that whole bad boy, dominating alpha male vibe about him that a woman instinctively gravitated toward because it made her feel safe and sexy, but there was something more, too. It was some unnamed quality that drew her to him when normally she shied away from men…especially the handsome ones. She just couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was that made her feel so comfortable with him. Even though a blind woman could see that he had an invisible danger sign hanging above his head, he made her want to take a risk.

  And that exact point was exactly how she fell into the trap that her precocious daughter had laid for her last week and accepted a date with him. Faith’s droning words interrupted her drifting thoughts, and Harmony found herself jerked back to the present.