Hard as Stone(8)
“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?”