~~***~~
Harmony had been so stunned by her daughter’s decree that she’d accepted his invitation automatically when he’d offered to take her off Heaven’s hands for the night.
Yeah, that kid had earned herself a special place in his heart right beside the one that her mother had filled. He only hoped that when all was said and done, he could keep them there.
If tonight’s date went the way he hoped, he’d be one step closer to cementing himself in their lives.
~~***~~
“Stone!” a deep, male voice shouted from the gravel parking lot behind him. Pausing in his long strides, Jacob winced. He’d wondered how long he’d had before this confrontation occurred. He’d actually thought he’d have another good week, but it seemed the sand had finally drained from his hourglass.
Or, in other words, time was fuckin’ up.
Turning on the heel of his black-buckled motorcycle boot, Jacob pasted what he hoped looked like a benign smile across his lips. He probably looked more serial killer than social butterfly, but he was trying, dammit! He nodded toward the man walking toward him. “Sheriff. What can I do for you?”
Jacob watched as the other man’s gaze sized him up. He couldn’t blame the lawman’s barely concealed distrust. If he was the sheriff and a guy that looked the way he did wandered into his town out of the blue and set up camp, he’d get suspicious, too. At 6’4”, Jacob towered above most men. The Sheriff almost matched him in height, but that was where the similarities ended. Jacob possessed a lean, hard muscled stature, while the sheriff was a shade wider with thickly muscled arms. Jacob, with wild and unruly long black hair that he kept tied with a piece of leather at the nape of his neck most of the time and a fully-sleeved arm of colorful tattoos, understood that most people thought he was one half thug, one half redneck, and one hundred percent scary. The sheriff, on the other hand, maintained a trimmed, almost-military haircut and projected a good natured, good-ol’ boy personality that instinctively drew people to him.
The two men were as different as night and day, but Jacob still liked the other man and usually enjoyed his company. They’d shared a few drinks over the last couple of weeks, usually in the early evenings. He’d been at the bar watching Harmony work and chatting with her when time allowed, and Zeke had often stopped by on his way home from work to follow Honor home after she’d put in her day at the café. He’d witnessed more than one skirmish between the two since the youngest McKinnon sister had informed the sheriff on several occasions that she was perfectly capable of seeing herself home. It never seemed to faze the lawman or alter the course he set in the slightest. Given the fact that those McKinnon girls had proven more than once that they were a handful, Jacob could definitely respect the other man’s fortitude.
Yeah, he enjoyed the mostly-quiet Sheriff’s company just fine, but he’d never felt quite comfortable when people saw them sitting together at the bar or his booth at the back of the cafe. He wasn’t sure it was because of all the false pretenses behind his presence in Paradise or because Zeke made him wish that he’d gone a different route in law enforcement. The only thing he knew for sure was that he wasn’t used to self-doubt plaguing him. Either way, it wasn’t Zeke’s fault that Jacob felt like a whore attending a cotillion when he stood beside the other man.
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.”