Hard as Stone (Passion in Paradise: The Men of the McKinnnon Sisters) by Sarah O'Rourke Read Free Book Online Page B

or a backward glance
as she walked away.
    Glancing at the
waitress, Zeke smirked.  “Yeah, you’ve made a real friend there,” he chuckled as
Sherri shot a glare in their direction.
    “Don’t give a
shit.  Sherri doesn’t matter to me and Harmony does,” Jacob dismissed him
unapologetically.  “I’m surprised that Patience didn’t fire the woman last week
when she insulted that customer by sitting in the woman’s husband’s lap.  Now,
can we move past the horny waitress and focus on what’s important?  Tell me
about what happened, Zeke,” Jacob demanded, reaching for his glass and lifting
it to his lips. 
    Zeke slowly took a
long sip from his own glass before fixing his pale gray eyes on Jacob. 
“Harmony and Tanner dated all through her high school years.  Nobody liked him,
but everybody loved Harmony, and Tanner was smart enough to see it.  Even if
people couldn’t stand him, they’d tolerate being around him for her.  I’ve
never been quite sure what she saw in the guy, but not even her parents’
dislike of him was even to sway her from being with him.  God, her daddy hated that boy.  I couldn’t blame him.  Everybody, except Harmony, could see he was
using her.  He sure as hell wasn’t in love with her – not with the way he
fucked around behind her back.  Of course, at the time, Harmony didn’t have a
clue.  She thought the boy was as wrapped up in her as she was in him.”
    “Sounds like a good
actor,” Jacob mused aloud as a muscle flexed in his jaw.
    “Only for Harmony.”
    “I don’t get it.” 
Jacob tapped his fingers against the table.  “A woman that looks and acts like
Harmony…why the fuck would anybody step out on that?”
    “Harmony was a
means to an end for Tanner, Jacob.  Personally, I think Tanner stayed with her
because he had dollar signs in his eyes.  See, Harmony’s parents were
well-off.  Their farm was profitable, and their restaurant and bar were
successful even back then.  I think the man always figured that he’d inherit a
share of that when her parents passed away.  Nobody ever expected that to
happen as soon as it did, though.”
    “Wait?  She didn’t
inherit?  I thought she owned a share in this place.”  Jacob lifted a curious
eyebrow as he waited for Zeke to respond.
    “She does now. 
Back when her parents first died, no.”  Seeing Jacob’s mouth open again, Zeke
held up a hand.  “Just listen,” he ordered.  “When Harmony married Tanner right
out of high school, it infuriated her daddy.  They ran off to Gatlinburg after
graduation before anybody even realized where they were going.  When they came
back three days later, married, Harmony’s father marched right into his
attorney’s office and had his will changed.  There was no way he was gonna
leave it where Tanner could get his hands on what he and his wife had worked so
hard to get.”
    “Why didn’t Tanner
divorce her then?” Jacob asked, confused.  “If he knew he wasn’t gonna get what
he wanted out of the marriage, why not cut her loose and move onto greener
pastures?”
    “Because he didn’t
know.  Hell, nobody knew – even Harmony’s sisters – what their father
had done until after her parents were killed in a drunk-driving accident.  When
the will got read, Tanner was furious.  He blustered all over town that he was
gonna contest it, but Harmony was heartbroken.  There she was… she’d been on
the outs with her folks over this man, and suddenly, they’re gone.  The money
was the farthest thing from her mind.  She didn’t care about any of it, and without
her initiative, Tanner couldn’t do anything about contesting it anyway.  Oh,
they fought about it, but Harmony stood her ground.  She already felt guilty
for disappointing her parents; there was no way she was gonna make a stink
about the will.  Tanner was determined, however, and it wasn’t until Abel
Turner explained in no uncertain terms that there wasn’t jackshit he could