Maybe he should. Was running the company worth more than a human being? He extended his arm to help steady her, but she managed to catch herself first.
“You may go,” he told the supervisor.
The man didn’t look as if he wanted to leave them alone, but Henry faked one of Caleb’s commanding stares. After the man left, Henry invited Sadie to sit in the guest chair.
Her shoulders trembled—with fear or rage? He forced himself not to stare at her full breasts, which heaved up and down harder than a stormy sea. Why couldn’t he hold her? Calm her down, at least? Tell her everything would be fine?
Today wasn’t the first day he wished he hadn’t been born a Rockfield, but he’d never felt it so intensely before.
“Are you all right?” he asked. “Did he hurt you?”
Surprise flashed in her intense brown eyes as she shook her head. She must not have expected him to care. If she only knew how much he did. And he had no idea why. Plenty of other women worked here. What was it about this particular one?
Most people wouldn’t even call her pretty, like Caleb’s slender, long-haired wife. The other female employees here wouldn’t throw oysters on the weighman, either. If he had to be attracted to a woman—and he sure didn’t have time for one—why couldn’t he pick a gentle one who played by the rules? And one from the same race.
He sat in his chair, keeping the desk safely between them.
“Please don’t send me to jail.” Her voice quavered as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Mama’s old and frail, and I’ve got to take care of her.”
“I’m not going to call the police.” At least he’d decided that much. “But why did you do such a thing?”
“I don’t know.” She stared down at her lap. “Something snapped in me, I guess. He didn’t approve of my oysters and wrote a zero in the tally book.”
“A zero?” Electricity jolted down his spine. The weighman ought to be fired or arrested, not her.
“Why would he do that? Surely, you know how to shuck an oyster by now. You’ve been doing it for years.”
“My oysters were sloppy today,” she admitted with a loud sniff. “I-I was upset.”
He held his palms up. “About?”
“Just punish me and get it over with.” Her voice was so low, he barely heard it. “I’m sure you have better things to do than hear about my life.”
“Tell me, anyway.”
She looked up, piercing him with her steady gaze. “Why do you care?”
Why did he? Was the attraction merely physical? Simply because he ached to unpeel that threadbare cotton dress from her generous curves and lose himself in her deep-brown skin? To take the pins out of her hair and slide his fingers through it? To catch her full bottom lip between his teeth and taste her?
Rockfield Heavenly Oysters.
He forced himself to read the label on the empty blue can sitting on one of the cabinets. It reminded him of his mission, which did not include undressing the staff.
He cleared his throat. “Because everyone deserves a fair trial.”
“You’re an unusual man, Mr. Rockfield.”
The desire in her eyes echoed his own, shooting so much blood below his waist, he almost fainted.
“Since you insist on knowing, I’m tired of shucking oysters. I want a better life for me and Mama.”
“I understand.”
He’d shucked enough oysters to know how miserable the task was, even for a short period of time. Doing it all day long, day after day, year after year must be hell. Maybe he should just shut down the whole damn plant, but people needed the jobs. Honest work was better than a life of beggary or crime, wasn’t it?
“I wanted to go to business school. Work in a nice, clean office like you.”
“Cleaner than this, I hope,” he said, pointing to the messy papers on his desk.
The heat collecting in his groin hovered there when a small smile flashed across her face.
“So I went to Baltimore yesterday, in my Sunday best.” She pursed her lips. “And had doors slammed in my face.”
He wasn’t surprised, given the way things were, but he admired her for being brave enough to try.
“I have a good mind,” she insisted in a strong, clear voice that sent ripples over his flesh. “I could do well in school and one of those office jobs.”
“I bet you could. You must be very frustrated.”
Without knowing why, he stood and approached her chair. He’d simply meant to say he was sorry, but she deserved more than patronizing words.
She needed help. Someone who gave a damn.
Darn her husband for leaving her for another woman. If he was still around, she’d be his problem, not Henry’s. Why had he asked her to show him a porthole into her wretched life? The less he knew about it, the easier it would be to ignore.
Too late for that. For better or worse, he was involved in Sadie Johnson’s life. Her struggles. Her problems. His.
The air vibrated with more electricity than a summer storm on the water. As if she sensed it, she stood and faced him. Before he knew it, he’d clasped her face with both hands and lowered his mouth to hers. He’d meant to give comfort but found it instead in the softness of her parted lips. She yielded to him so fully, he could hardly believe she was the same woman who’d thrown oysters in the weighman’s face.
Her cheeks, sticky with dried tears, warmed beneath his fingertips. A low groan ripped from his throat. He knew better than to lean against her body. If he did, he wouldn’t stop until he was inside her. With his heart thudding, he pulled away from her.
“Why did you do that?” she asked.
“Because you needed it.”
He staggered into the desk, knocking Caleb’s business books to the floor. Before he could pick them up, she grabbed them and studied the covers. Apparently, she couldn’t look him in the eye right now, either.
What the hell had he just done? Was he out of his head? If he wasn’t careful, he’d lose the company and end up in jail himself.
“Business books,” she exclaimed, opening one.
She flipped through the pages of the first one with reverence, as if it were the Bible instead of an accounting text.
“Oh, I could learn this. I know I could.”
Henry peered over her shoulder. “You mean that stuff makes sense to you?”
“Yes.” The corner of her mouth twisted and she shot him an annoyed look. “I told you I wasn’t stupid, didn’t I?”
“You’re probably smarter than I am,” he agreed. “Caleb wants me to learn them backward and forward, but I’m afraid I can’t make much sense of them.”
“What a shame.” She closed the volume. When she stroked the cover, he wished his skin lay under her fingers instead.
He cocked his head. “Maybe I should let you borrow the whole stack so you can read them and explain them to me.”
Her eyes widened and lit with joy. “Would you?”
He’d meant it as a joke, by why not? He had nothing to lose and relished the fact he had the power to turn her tears into smiles.
“Now, about your punishment.”
“Go ahead and fire me.” She gripped his arm. “I don’t think I can’t bring myself to shuck another oyster.”
Before he could answer, she set the books on the desk and covered her face. “No, I’ve got to take care of Mama. Please don’t fire me.”
“Well, I have to think of something or I’ll be in more trouble than you are.”
“How about a week’s furlough? It would give me time to read the books.” She twisted her lips. “Since I can’t get into business school, anyway, I don’t suppose losing a week’s pay will kill us.”
“You are smart,” he said. “I like your idea, but I am going to pay you, secretly.”
She squared her shoulders. “I don’t need your money.”
“Yes, you do, and studying those texts for me is honest work. In fact, I’m going to pay you double.”
When a knock sounded on the door, his entire body twitched. Thank God his employees knocked and hadn’t walked in a minute ago when his mouth was on Sadie’s.
Murdock poked his head in and glared at her. “Have you decided on her punishment?”
“Yes,” Henry replied. “She’s getting a one-week furlough.”
The man’s face soured even more. “Awfully lenient for what she did, if you ask me.”
“I don’t recall asking your opinion.” Henry gave him another stern look. “I can’t afford to lose an experienced shucker.”
When they were alone again, Henry placed the books in a canvas sack and handed it to her.
“Wait in the lunchroom until it’s time for your mother to go home. I’ll see you in one week’s time.”
She gripped the bag against her belly. “Yes, sir.”
“Be prepared to stay after hours so we can…discuss the books.”
Her gaze slipped away from his. He was Caleb’s brother, and she was Pearl’s cousin. She surely knew what the couple had done in this building when Caleb gave Pearl cleaning work after hours. But that had occurred when his brother was the most powerful man in town. Before the Klan arrived.
Henry would have to be stronger.
What kind of fool was he? Given the way he felt around her, meeting here would be too risky. They needed a chaperone and to find a place far away from the prying eyes of the Klan.
“On second thought, could I visit you at your home Sunday afternoon? Your mother will be there, then, won’t she?”
“Yes. You can join us for dinner.”
After she walked out, he sank into his chair. His encounter with Sadie left him weaker and more confident at the same time. The thought of seeing her again sent volts of excitement coursing through his body. He hoped the week, especially Wednesday’s Klan meeting, passed quickly.
Finally, he had some hope for saving the company, but if he let this powerful attraction go too far, he’d surely lose it.
* * *
Sadie dragged the rowboat into the yard of her family cottage as the sun set. The sight of the turquoise clapboard building comforted her after her harrowing day. She sure wished they still had a man living here to do these rough chores, though.
Speaking of men…
Had Henry Rockfield really kissed her? The memory of it sent delicious shivers through her body. Looking into his placid, dark-blue eyes was like staring at the bay. Feeling his gentle fingers on her cheeks almost made her cry all over again. His concern for her life puzzled her even more. He had a bunch of female shuckers and most of the ones her age were a lot prettier.
If she didn’t know better, she’d say he was sweet on her.
Well, she was definitely sweet on him. He surely realized it when she’d opened her mouth against his. The taste of him reminded her of the sea. Being dragged into his office like a sack of flour had been the most humiliating experience of her life. She’d expected him to yell at her or worse, not engulf her with passion.
She barely noticed the rough rope scratching her hands or the chill in the damp breeze. Had she dreamed the whole afternoon? Maybe she should throw oysters at people more often.
“Are you going to tell me what happened at the plant, or do I have to choke it out of you?” Wilma demanded as she helped tie up the boat. “You ain’t said a word all the way home.”
Mama had probably assumed she’d felt seasick, but it hadn’t hit her as hard this time. Imagining Henry’s strong arms around her had made the rocking tide more sensuous than sickly.
“The weighman gave me a big, fat zero for my oysters, so I threw them at him.”
Wilma clapped a hand over her heart. “Lord have mercy. You’re going to turn us into homeless beggars.”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Mama.” Sadie shrugged and grabbed the sack of Henry’s business books. “I just got furloughed for a week.”
“A whole week!” The older woman snorted. “I hope losing so much money will teach you a lesson about controlling that bad temper of yours.”
She opened the front door and lit a lamp. “Don’t tell anyone, but Mr. Rockfield promised to pay me double.”
“Double!” Mama rubbed her hands together. “I never would’ve believed it, but it looks as if you hooked him like your cousin hooked his brother.”
“Hold on.” Sadie slid the books from the sack to the kitchen table. “He’s paying me to study these business texts for him.”
And she would because she wanted to learn everything she could get her hands on. Such a powerful man had probably memorized them three times over. He just used them as an excuse to pay her. She’d never met anyone so generous, especially a white man.
“Well, you’d better study them real good because your brains are about the only thing you’ve got going for you.” She poured two glasses of water. “You ain’t much to look at, and I’ve got more charm in my bunions than you have in your whole body.”
Sadie pulled some chipped soup bowls from the cupboard. Although true, the words still smacked her in the forehead harder than an oar. Mama didn’t mean to be cruel. She’d lived with so much hard reality her entire life, it came out in everything she said.
If only Sadie could marry again and move out. Spend her days with a soft-spoken man like Henry instead of Mama’s relentless barbed tongue. She and Buck had lived close enough to take care of her while still leading their own lives. Every day, she wished she was still married to him. But, today, she pictured Henry in his place.
Fool. That man wouldn’t marry you in a million years, Sadie Johnson.
Mama spoke in her head, too, which was just as bad as hearing her talk out loud.
“He’s coming over Sunday so I can explain what I learned.” Sadie concentrated on setting the table to keep her temper in check. “Maybe you’d better cook. I’m probably not much good at that, either.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll be the best meal he ever ate. We need all the help we can get.”
“Thank you. I’m glad that’s settled,” Sadie said sweetly. She even remembered to smile the way Pearl taught her.
What had attracted Henry to her today? A spring tide? But she knew better than to expect it to last. She’d never look like Pearl. Her mother had enough of her failures to harp on without adding his loss of interest to the list.
Sadie didn’t need to tell her about the kiss.
Chapter Three
On Wednesday evening, Henry settled into a chair in the mayor’s high-ceilinged living room where the original initiation had been held. He always chose the back to be as inconspicuous as possible. Thank God they didn’t have to wear white robes to the meetings anymore. His made him itch inside and out. He kept it buried in his closet, out of sight.