* * *
On Saturday afternoon, Henry sat on an overturned bucket at the tiny kitchen table in the Johnson cottage. Caleb, Pearl, and Sadie also crowded around the table on makeshift seating.
“This house ain’t big enough for everybody,” Mrs. Johnson declared as she dished beans into bowls.
When Opal cried from Leroy’s room, Pearl jumped up. “I’d better feed her first.”
Before she left, Caleb grabbed her hand and kissed it.
She laughed. “I’m only going into the next room.”
The look of love passing between them tightened Henry’s chest. Despite what had happened, the mood at the table was light. Almost a week had passed. The authorities had not pursued Caleb and Pearl, and both plants were still standing, unscathed.
Hopefully, the mayor’s spawn was satisfied with the havoc he’d caused and moved on. Too bad he wasn’t as interested in building roads as his father. Henry missed the water like an ache in his soul. Because of the danger, though, he’d made sure to spend each day in his office to watch over Sadie and the plant.
“So things are going all right down there?” he asked Caleb.
“So far.” Caleb dipped his scrap of cornbread into his bowl of beans. “Carter checked up on things, though. Would you believe he brought his sister to spy on us?”
“Mary?” Pearl walked in and took her seat. “I thought she never left her house.”
“She visited Rose under the guise of friendship, but she asked a lot of questions.” Caleb put his arm around her. “Luckily, Rose suspected and didn’t say much except we’re living apart.”
“When can I go home?” Pearl asked.
“Let’s not rush it.” He kissed her. “I plan to spend the rest of the day here…and the night.”
Henry covered Sadie’s hand on the table. “I’ve got plans for you, too, lady.”
Instead of crackling with intelligence and sass, her eyes were heavy and dead today. And why did she avoid his gaze? She’d barely even kissed him when he’d arrived. Her mood was as black as her dress. His first instinct was to assume he’d screwed up again, but bailing his brother out of jail convinced him he did a few things right, too.
Pearl and Caleb’s misfortune must have hit her like a ton of bricks because their situations were so similar. They couldn’t let fear rule their lives, though. He’d make sure she understood that before he left this evening.
Mama laughed. “When my Charlie built this house, I’m sure he never guessed how much lovin’ was going to go on under the roof.”
“Well, let’s free up some room.” He stood. “Sadie, are you up to a boat ride? We have a lot to talk about.”
But he had no idea what to say because when it came to taking care of his new family, he still had no answers.
* * *
Sadie watched the water rush by as Henry drove his boat deep into the river, away from the prying eyes at Oyster Harbor. They hadn’t said much since they’d gotten into the boat. All the talking in the world wouldn’t make their problems go away.
They’d made love a few evenings last week, but they’d both been so silent and distracted, the act felt mechanical. At work, they’d been careful to keep things strictly business in case the Klan had planted spies there, too.
Yesterday, she’d entered his office to look for a document. What she’d found on his desk had almost stopped her heart—a recruitment packet from the US Navy.
He clearly needed to escape—Oyster Harbor, her, and the baby.
Finally, he cut the engine and dropped anchor.
“You look pretty grim.” He rubbed her shoulder. “Do you feel all right?”
“Well enough.” Physically, at least. It was too late in the day for morning sickness, and she used his tips to help prevent seasickness.
How strange. Emotional upsets usually affected her physically. Her future was so hopeless, she was too dead to feel anything. She gazed at her belly, remembering the life inside her. Even if she lost Henry, she had to stay strong for the child.
“Is it strange living with Pearl again?” he asked next.
She nodded. “It makes me realize how much I’ve changed in the past two years. Because of you.”
If only she could go back in time, before she’d fallen in love with Henry, because then he wouldn’t have the power to leave her and hurt her. They all left eventually, didn’t they? First Buck and now Henry. She could kick herself for being so surprised.
He led her to the back of the boat, where they sat side by side. “We need to plan our future before the baby arrives.”
“We might as well ask the Klan,” she said, staring at the water. “They plan our lives, not us.”
“Come on, Sadie.” He gripped her wrist. “We have to come up with something.”
Looks like you already did, sailor.
“We can’t marry,” she said.
“I’m glad you agree.”
“Go on, Henry. Say it.” She gripped the seat. “When do you set sail?”
He frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I saw the US Navy package on your desk.”
“So that’s what’s bothering you.” A small grin flashed across his face. “I’m surprised you didn’t hit me over the head with it.”
“I’m going to be a mother soon, which is going to take a lot of patience.” She stroked her belly. “I’m trying to control my temper better.”
“That’s wonderful.” His lids lowered. “I’ve had that folder for years, Sadie. I only went through my old papers to try to figure things out.”
“What’s there to figure out?” She flung her hand in the air. “If you joined, you’d have your fill of water day and night, free as the breeze. That’s what you really want, isn’t it?”
“I used to.” He gripped her shoulders with such intensity, she gasped. “What I want now is you and our child. Please believe me.”
Tears sprang to her eyes because she could see he meant it. Or at least part of him did. Was part of him enough?
“But you love the water,” she insisted.
“I do need to honor that somehow, but I can’t use it to run away anymore.”
“Can we even live together?” she asked.
“I’m sure willing to try it.” His dark-blue eyes lit with hope. “I think we should move away, though, to someplace safer.”
“Move?” She jumped up, making the boat lurch. “Move where?”
“Another state. Preferably north of the Mason-Dixon line.” He grinned as he gazed at the water. “As long as there’s water around, I’ll feel at home.”
Sadie’s fingers tingled with shock. “But our family is here. I can’t leave Mama to fend for herself.”
“Then we’ll take her with us.” He shrugged. “If she doesn’t want to go, she could always live with Leroy and Rose.”
Who was this stranger sitting in front of her? He must be out of his head to think she’d leave her home.
“What about Rockfield’s?” she asked.
“Caleb and I discussed it. We agreed family is more important than the company.”
“Where would we find work in some other state?” Her heart beat harder and harder as panic welled up inside her. “I can’t get a very good job the color I am.”
The thought of scrubbing floors after managing a business made her want to jump overboard.
“I could support you.”
She crossed her arms. “How are you going to support yourself, me, Mama, and the baby if you’re not running a company?”
“We’ll have to face each day as it comes.” He clenched his nails into his palm. “As you know, I’m not too smart.”
“You’re smart enough at sea.” She sat again, farther away than she had before, and pursed her lips. “I grew up here. I can’t leave, especially into that kind of uncertainty.”
Henry sighed. “Okay, we’ll stay here. What if we added on to the Johnson cottage or even built a second cottage nearby? I could keep my residence in town for appearances.”
Relief washed through her. “I like that idea much better.”
“Even though the Klan could take everything away anytime they chose?”
“Yes.”
He looped his arm around her. “Well, I’m glad that’s settled.”
Her pulse returned to normal, but she didn’t like the shadows lurking in his eyes.
“Are you sure you’re happy with our plan?” she asked.
“Whatever you want is fine with me, Sadie. You know what’s best for our child.”
The boat slid into the trough of a wave, and her heart went with it. Longing was written all over his face as he stared at the water. She knew him. He’d rather spend his life on a boat somewhere. A woman and child of a different color would tie him with dangerous bonds. He’d only agreed with her plan because he felt obligated to fulfill his duty. Just as he’d tried to marry Natalie.
When his forelock danced, begging for her touch, a sharp ache filled her chest. She needed this man more than oxygen, but not if he only saw her as a duty. If he wasn’t happy, the rest of them couldn’t be, either.
“Sadie, look!” He pointed to the water beside the stern. “There’s a fish swimming near the boat. I’m going to get the net.”
She grabbed his arm. “No, Henry. Let it be free.”
* * *
The next evening, Pearl sat on Sadie’s bed, rocking Opal in her arms.
Sadie paced the length of the small room. “I just want to run away so Henry can live on the water and be free.”
“What will that accomplish?” Pearl asked.
“You did it.”
Sadie still couldn’t believe her delicate cousin had hitchhiked in St. Mary’s County. She’d decided to leave Caleb for his own good after the Klan had burned the Oyster Island plant.
“I was a fool for doing something so dangerous.” Pearl placed sleepy Opal beside her on the bed. “Caleb tracked me down. Besides, I wasn’t carrying a baby then.”
Sadie sat on the bed, too. “I’d rather be alone than see Henry miserable.”
“It’s his child as well,” Pearl pointed out. “Children need their fathers. He probably won’t be happy unless he does his duty.”
She knew how important duty was to him, but she didn’t look forward to watching his love for her die, day by day. Pearl was right. She had to do it for the baby’s sake. Henry had once said there were more important things than her vanity. It didn’t matter anymore whether or not she was beautiful, or loved.
Gazing at Opal, sound asleep, she decided her child was the only thing that mattered now.
* * *
A week later, Sadie wandered out of church with everyone else. She’d barely heard the sermon and had no appetite for the Sunday meal. The only meaning in her life now lay in her belly. Pearl had smiled throughout the service, clearly excited by her plans to move back to Pearl Point the next week. Truly happy for her, Sadie managed to smile, too.
Pearl shaded her eyes as she looked toward the inlet. “Here it comes!”
“Here what comes?” Sadie snapped. “All I see is some boat.”
She followed Pearl toward it. Shouldn’t her cousin be worried? What if it was the Klan? But when they crested the bank, she spotted Henry and Caleb on board.
“Why didn’t they go directly to the house?” she asked.
With Opal in one arm, Pearl gripped her hand and pulled her along.
Sadie stepped onto the boat. “What’s going on?”
The craft was bigger than Henry’s. Would it even fit down Crab Creek during low tide?
“Do you like it?” Pearl asked.
“I don’t know.” Sadie frowned. “It looks like a houseboat.”
Before she’d fallen for him, she’d hated boats. He emerged from one of the rooms, dressed in a navy-blue suit. When he pulled her close to kiss her, she fought the urge to melt into him. He smelled like the sun, sea, and happiness. His eyes were as deep and blue as the sky around them. The trapped expression was gone.
She stroked his sleeve. “You must have been to church. I’ve never seen you so dressed up.”
“As a matter of fact, I dressed up for you.”
“For me?” Feeling a strange sense of excitement bubbling around her, Sadie looked around.
Caleb waved from the front of the boat as he steered them into the open waters of the Patuxent River. Mama was aboard, too. So were Leroy and Rose.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
Instead of answering, Henry took her hand and led her to one of the enclosed rooms. He grinned even harder than Pearl had. Something was definitely going on. The inside was fully furnished. Curtains even adorned the windows.
“This
is
a houseboat,” she said. “Where in the world did it come from?”
“I bought it. Rose and Leroy helped me fix it up.” He gripped her shoulders and gazed into her eyes. “Please tell me you’re not seasick.”
“After that nor’easter, this is nothing.”
“Good. Welcome home, Sadie.”
She planted her palms against his chest. Her head spun but not because of the sea.
“Do you mean—”
“We can live here on the water.” He pointed out the window. “Away from the Klan and hate and prejudice. Yet close enough to visit your family.”
She put her hand over her mouth. He’d found a way they could both be happy. The boat was big and flat, so it didn’t rock as much as his smaller one. She pictured their child skipping across the deck, playing with Opal.
“Oh, Henry,” she cried, wiping her eyes. “I-it’s perfect.”
His smile was so wide, it engulfed his face. “I must have finally done something right.”
“You do a lot of things right.”
He drew her back outside where the others watched them. “We can’t legally marry, but we can sure have a wedding. Our family is here. We’re dressed up. How about right now?”
She ran her hands through his wild hair. “Yes! Yes!”
Everyone clapped, and Caleb stopped the boat to join them.
Leroy stepped forward. “I’m no preacher, but I’ll do my best.”
Sadie plucked the tan fabric of her church dress. “I should be wearing white or a spring color.”
Before Henry, she’d never given much thought to clothes. As long as she was covered, she didn’t care. She and Mama couldn’t afford much more than rags. Now that she had a little money and felt beautiful, though, she couldn’t wait to sew a pretty dress or two.
Rose handed her a bouquet of red tulips and joined the others. After Sadie and Henry finished saying their vows, she tossed flower petals all over the deck from the basket she carried.
Caleb squeezed Pearl close. “Maybe we’ll get one of these boats, too.”
“My legs are getting tired,” Mama grumbled. “Are you two going to kiss or not?”