Hard as Stone (Passion in Paradise: The Men of the McKinnnon Sisters) (10 page)

As Harmony’s heart
hammered in her chest, she slowly descended the stairs on feet that were loudly
protesting the three-inch heels that she’d shoved on them.  Twice, she’d nearly
turned around to change into a less-revealing and more mom-like outfit.  The
only thing that stopped her was the solemn promise she’d gained from both her
sisters and Aunt Orla: as long as she went out dressed like this, they would
stay locked inside her bedroom until she and Jake were safely out the door.

A deal was a deal,
after all.

Rubbing her
sweating hands against the smooth fabric stretched across her hips, she gnawed
her lower lip as Honor and Jake’s low voices grew closer.  Why hadn’t she
skipped that second helping of blueberry pie last night?  Tugging ineffectually
at the thin material that was plastered to her hips, she sighed.  There was no
help for it now, she told herself morosely as she took the final step. 

Meeting Jake’s eyes
as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she felt her heart jump into her. He
looked delicious.  No, he was beyond delicious, she decided quickly with a slow
blink of her eyes.

Jacob Stone was
YUMMY with extra emphasis placed on the YUM.  Completely freaking edible, her
libido sang joyously as her girly parts did a happy little dance beneath her
dress.

Dressed in a
fitted, collared black dress shirt that clung to his sides and his normal tight
fitting jeans, he stood with his legs braced slightly apart, a bouquet of
tulips clutched in one manly hand.  Tonight, he’d traded the motorcycle boots
for tan Justin boots, and he’d obviously shaved his handsome face, leaving only
a shadow of his whiskers behind.  Swallowing, she forced herself to smile and
offer a low, breathless “Hi, Jake,” in greeting.

She could feel his
warm gaze caress her as his eyes slowly slid over her face and down her body. 
Her heartbeat noticeably shifted into overdrive when his hooded eyes seemed to
stall over the low bodice covering her breasts before leisurely moving down her
legs.  Before she realized it, he’d moved to stand in front of her, and even
with her standing in heels a step above him, he towered over her.

Licking her lips
quickly as she felt his wide palms reach out and grip her hips, pulling her toward
him, she stumbled slightly. Bracing her hands against his solid chest, she
caught herself against him, enjoying the feel of his muscles jumping beneath
her fingertips.

“You look
beautiful.” His deep voice rumbled against her ear as he leaned forward and
brushed his lips against her cheek.  “Glad you decided to let me cook for you
tonight.  I’d really hate sharing this view with anybody else,” he murmured for
her ears alone.  “With you in that dress, I’d be beating the men back with a
stick and probably spend my night in Zeke’s lockup.”

“I seriously doubt
that.” Harmony laughed self-consciously even as she felt herself warm under the
glow of his flattery.  She wasn’t used to compliments like that.  She’d had exactly
one serious relationship, and it hadn’t exactly been filled with praise. 

“You shouldn’t,
darlin’.  You’re gorgeous,” Jacob replied, taking a small step back and pulling
her off the last step.  “These are for you,” he stated, passing her the
arrangement of long stemmed tulips.

“Jake, you didn’t
need to do that,” Harmony whispered, taking the flowers from him and running a
finger over the delicate petals.  She loved tulips.    Now how did he ever know
that?

“When a man gets
lucky enough to take a pretty woman like you out for the evening, then he damn
well should show up with flowers, Harmony.  If he doesn’t, you kick his ass to
the curb.”

Harmony swallowed
hard as she listened to his quietly offered advice and felt her stomach do a
little summersault.  She hadn’t been prepared for him to say all the right
things to her.  In her experience, men were mostly concerned with what
they
wanted out of life… whether it be for the length of a date or the length of a
marriage.  She’d supposed she’d just automatically assumed all males of the
species were all selfish creatures and liars by nature. 

It probably wasn’t
fair of her to cast all men with the same dye that had colored her relationship
with her ex-husband.  After all, in recent years, she had seen examples of several
men that had broken that mold she’d become all too familiar with.  Cain Turner
and Ezekiel Monroe, for example, had proven over and over again that they were
exceptions to the rule.  Each man had put her sisters’ needs above their own in
an effort to make them happier.  Experience, however, was a valuable teacher;
therefore, she still had a healthy distrust for the male population as a
whole.  Being married to and having a child with an abusive jackass would do
that to a girl.

At any rate,
Jacob’s kindness was doing strange things to her equilibrium and she wasn’t quite
sure what to do about it. 

“I don’t think I
like those shadows in your eyes, Harmony,” Jacob noted, his voice pulling her
back into the moment with him.  “The flowers were meant to make you smile,” he
chided gently.

“I’m sorry,” she
apologized quickly, embarrassed that she’d allowed her thoughts to drift to her
asshole of an ex-husband when she had a perfectly nice guy standing in front of
her.  “I’ll just put these in some water and say goodnight to Heaven then we
can go.”

“Whenever you’re
ready, Harmony.  There’s no rush,” he assured her with a hushed calmness, his
dark eyes flashing with understanding as they stared at her.

Staring into his
compassionate gaze, she briefly wondered just how much he knew about her. 
Living in the small town of Paradise her whole life, she realized that she
probably had very few secrets left.  He’d probably heard all about her disaster
of a marriage to Heaven’s father.  Oh sweet Lord, she thought wildly, please
don’t let him know it all!  Shooting him another smile, she hurried into the
kitchen, feeling him follow a few steps behind her.

She moved toward
the tall cabinet above the sink as soon as they entered the kitchen, pausing
only to grin at her daughter coloring at the kitchen table.  “That’s looking
good, sweetie,” she praised her little girl as she pulled down a heavy glass
vase and filled it with water.  “Who’s that pretty picture going to be for?”

“This one is for
Uncie Zeke,” Heaven announced as her little eyes narrowed on the page and she
carefully colored between the lines.  “He’s bringin’ me popcorn for my new movie
night, Momma.  Auntie Honor said so, but she weren’t happy ‘bout it.  She called
my Uncie Zeke a mule-headed bad word that I can’t say cuz you it was a word
little ladies aren’t allowed to use.”

“What movie?”
Harmony asked over her shoulder, her eyes catching on the pink teddy bear
sitting beside Heaven at the table and Jake leaning against the door frame. 
She ignored the part of Heaven’s conversation about her Uncle Zeke.  Honor and
Zeke would still be arguing about something when Gabriel blew his horn.  That
wasn’t exactly news hot of the press.  But where had Heaven gotten a new movie?

“Mistah Jake bringed
me ‘Frozen’, Momma!  See!!” she beamed, grabbing the DVD off the table and
holding it above her head.  “He also gotted me Mistah Paws,” she announced,
picking up her new bear and holding it against her chest.  Looking toward Jake,
she tilted her head.  “Dat’s what I named him,” she informed him seriously.

“Sounds like a good
name to me,” Jake replied with a wide grin.

Harmony looked from
Heaven to Jake and back again.  “You brought her presents?” she whispered,
biting her lip as her eyes filled with surprised tears.  This sweet side of him
was really going to throw her for a loop if he didn’t stop soon.

“Pretty girls
deserve gifts,” Jake returned with an easy shrug as if it was no big deal that
he’d taken the time to include her daughter in tonight’s plans.  “Since I’ve
gotten lucky enough to spend time with
two
lovely ladies, I decided that
I should come prepared.  Did I do good, Princess?”

“You did good,
Mistah Jake,” Heaven said with a giggle.  “You gotted Momma purty flowers and
me a teddy and a movie.  Momma,” the little girl announced, “We is gonna keep
him, ‘kay?”

Harmony choked on a
surprised laugh as Jake beat her to a response.

“I’d be much
obliged if you would keep me, Heaven.  I’ve been lookin’ for somewhere to
belong,” Jacob answered her daughter with a wink.

Clearing her
throat, Harmony slipped the blooms into the water and moved to set the flowers
in the center of the kitchen table.  “Okay, baby, give Momma a kiss goodnight. 
I’ll be home later, but Aunt Honor and Aunt Patience are going to tuck you in
tonight, okay?”

“Uh huh!  Auntie
Patience pr’mised me three stories!” Heaven exclaimed with excitement.

“Well, you make her
read every one.  Tell her I said that she’s not supposed to skip pages,”
Harmony said, ruffling her daughter’s hair as she pressed a kiss to her warm
forehead.  “I love you, Heaven,” she whispered.

“Love you, too,
Momma.” Heaven giggled.  “I give Mistah Jake night night hug and kiss, too?”
she asked innocently.

“I’d love a night
night hug and kiss,” Jake said smoothly, pushing away from the door before
Harmony could open her mouth to speak.

Harmony took a step
back and watched as Jake crouched in front of her daughter, drawing her little
body into the curve of his arm as Heaven popped a loud kiss against his cheek. 

“That was the best
kiss I’ve gotten all year, Princess,” he informed the happy little girl as he
stood.

“Wait ‘til you get
one of Momma’s kisses, Mistah Jake.  Her kisses are the bestest ever cuz they
got magic in ‘em!” Heaven informed him with a little laugh before she ran
toward the door.

Watching as the
little girl disappeared out of the room, Jake chuckled before turning glittering
eyes on a blushing Harmony.  “Now, Momma’s magical kisses are
definitely
something I’m looking forward to sampling.”

Ninety minutes
later, Harmony swallowed the last bite of one of the most delicious meals she’d
ever eaten.  Wiping her mouth with her napkin, she smiled across the candlelit
table at her companion.  “That was delicious, Jake.  Are you sure you’re not
really an undercover chef?”

“Nope… grilled
steaks and baked potatoes are pretty much the extent of my culinary genius. 
You’ve now tasted the best meal I can provide,” he returned with a grin as he
topped off her glass of wine.

“It was amazing,”
Harmony praised truthfully, flashing him another slightly surprised look when Jake
rose from his seat and circled the small table to pull her chair out for her. 
These seemingly small gentlemanly courtesies he kept plying her with were
disconcerting.  First, he’d brought her flowers and her child gifts, then he’d held
open the truck door for her when he’d walked her to his truck. He’d refused her
multiple offers to help him with supper, and he’d seated her at the
exquisitely-set table before he’d taken his own chair.  Now, he was pulling out
her chair for her, taking her hand and guiding her toward the comfortable couch
in the three-room hunting cabin he’d rented while he visited Paradise.  She
couldn’t deny that it felt nice to have someone wait on her, but it definitely
wasn’t something she was accustomed to experiencing.  And something told her
that Jake knew that, too.

Being with him for
the last hour-and-a-half had been astonishingly relaxing.  They’d exchanged
small talk during the short ride here, discussing everything from the
warmer-than-average weather to Heaven’s role in the following week’s Christmas
program at the church.  They’d chatted about insignificant topics, but neither
of them had run out of things to say to each other.  Then, there had also been
companionable silences that yawned between them where it felt like they’d had a
whole conversation just by simply sharing a look.  So, when Jake tugged her
down beside him on the sofa, curling into the curve of his arm and taking the
seat beside him felt as natural as breathing.

Looking around the
small, neat structure, Harmony sighed.  Decorated mostly in dark earthy tones
that fit a man like Jake well, the room held all the basics amenities a man
could ask to have.  A comfortable long suede couch and matching chair in a toffee
brown, a nice pine dining room table that would seat four, and a huge plasma
television set inside a primitively designed wooden entertainment center made
the interior feel rustic, but with a slightly modern feel to it.  Thick braided
rugs in a burnt orange hue littered the floor, adding to the ambience.  Even
the tiny kitchen held newer-looking stainless steel appliances.  The bathroom
that she’d visited earlier was adorably old-fashioned.  Containing a toilet and
pedestal sink, the real draw, however, was the deep claw-foot tub taking up one
wall.   She assumed the closed door on the opposite side of the room led into a
bedroom, though she knew she wouldn’t be asking for a tour of it. 

“I always wondered
what these cabins looked like on the inside.  Old Man Hobbs had them built back
when I was in grade school, but I never had a reason to visit one until now.  Back
then, he was doing his part to try and boost the tourism trade in Paradise and
thought offering luxury hunting cabins was the way to do it.  Most of the time,
they sat up here on this mountain empty until they put the interstate exit in a
few years back.  Now, somebody is always renting from him.  This really turned
out beautifully. Thank you for inviting me over,” she remarked softly, more to
make conversation with him than anything else.