Sadie's Surrender (4 page)

When Mayor Carter and his disgusting son, Jonathan, approached the podium on the dais, the familiar ache of heartburn bloomed in Henry’s stomach. Why had he come? If the others discovered he’d kissed a colored woman, they’d probably nail him to one of their burning crosses. When Caleb still lived in town, he hadn’t gotten past the initiation, but for the sake of Rockfield’s, Henry lived a double life.

He dug his fingertips against his palm while the mayor reviewed their mission. Tuning out the words, he thought instead about Sadie’s womanly figure and her powerful eyes—so intelligent and emotional at the same time. The woman exuded strong passion in everything she did. Dan Short sat a couple seats ahead of him. Picturing him plastered with oysters made him want to laugh aloud.

Seeing her lust for books brought a different kind of desire to mind. Was she reading them at this moment? How he’d love to stand behind her and clasp her shoulders. Watch her breasts rise and fall as she breathed. Pull the book away. Caress her. Capture her mouth until she surrendered again.

The mayor discussed his road-building project next. Good. Maybe it would steer everyone’s minds away from racial tensions.

“These roads will bring more white power to Oyster Harbor because we can afford cars and they can’t.”

No such luck.

Jon smirked as he unfolded a paper. “It’s time to go over our list of current concerns.”

The weighman raised his hand.
Oh, crap.

“Yes, Dan,” Jon said. “Please share the concern you spoke to me about.”

The skinny man stood, turning to glare at Henry. “One of the colored women at work threw a bucket of oysters in my face. Instead of being arrested or fired, she only got a week’s furlough.”

“Hmph,” the proprietor of the Sapphire Crab, the town’s best restaurant, exclaimed. “Sounds like a vacation instead of a punishment.”

In seconds, every pair of eyes in the place nailed Henry to the wall.

“Maybe Rockfield is sweet on her,” Short added.

Jon grinned like a hungry shark. “Maybe we have a colored lover in our midst.”

Words of hate flew around the room, echoing against the walls. Despite the cool temperature, sweat dripped down Henry’s torso, plastering his shirt to his body. Why couldn’t the floor open and swallow him up? Although he’d predicted it would probably arrive eventually, he’d dreaded the day that would destroy his charade. He wasn’t proud to admit attraction to a woman had brought him to this point.

Last year, Sadie’s brother, Leroy, had been jailed because the town was convinced he’d raped the mayor’s daughter, Mary, in Baltimore. Instead of making a stand, Henry had worn his wretched white robe. He hated himself for it.

He squared his shoulders, hoping no one noticed the cold shivers coursing through him. Although he wanted to tell everyone Sadie had an aging mother to care for, it wouldn’t help. He had a role to play and wasn’t about to lose Rockfield’s after fighting for it so long. Caleb and his unborn child needed him.

“What do you have to say for yourself?” Jon asked Henry.

“Sadie is an experienced shucker who usually knows her place,” he said slowly. “Because her mother depends on her, the lack of a week’s pay was the best way to punish her.”

Assorted grunts filled the room.

“If she misbehaves again, I’ll deal with her more severely.” He swallowed hard. “I run Rockfield’s. Not the colored folks.”

“That’s well and good,” Jon said. “But I’ve found once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker. Her brother is little better than a wild animal. He threatened to attack me last year.”

“Wasn’t that because you tried to kiss his future wife?”

To attend the town’s art school, pale-skinned Rose had masqueraded as a white woman. Henry’s heart hammered. Taunting the Klan’s second in command was not his favorite pastime, but he had to do anything he could to keep the man’s evil power in check.

“No need to go into that.” Jonathan’s pale face flushed red. “Motion for everyone to keep an eye on Sadie Johnson even when she’s not at work?”

“Passed,” someone said.

During the rest of the meeting, Henry’s pulse slowly returned to normal. He hoped she stayed safely in Crab Creek for the rest of the week. The next time he saw her, he planned to warn her, for her sake and his own.

Were the men right? Was she a born troublemaker? If so, why did he want her so much? She had the power to ruin everything he fought for. Thank goodness her mother would be there Sunday to chaperone them.

After Sadie taught him the contents of those business books, he had to keep her at a safe distance.

* * *

After dinner Sunday night, Sadie squirmed in her seat while Mama cleared dishes from the rickety plank table.

“I’ll clean everything up later, Mama,” she insisted. “You look tired. Why don’t you go on to bed?”

“Bed?” the older woman exclaimed. “Why, the sun has barely set.”

She drummed her fingers on the table. “Mr. Rockfield is a busy man. We have to go over these books now.”

Mama flung the dish towel over the nearest cabinet knob. “All right. I know when I ain’t wanted.”

“Thank you for dinner,” Henry said. “It was delicious.”

But Sadie had hardly tasted her favorite meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Sitting next to him at Sunday dinner, she couldn’t help pretending he courted her. She loved his quiet but deep voice and the manly way his strong hands—dusted with chestnut hairs—gripped the fork.

She didn’t even mind the fact his shirt looked rumpled, as if he’d slept in it, or that his shirttail hung out in the back. The only thing bothering her was the tension in his jaw. He obviously regretted their kiss. Hadn’t she predicted his loss of interest? Here at sunrise, gone at sunset, like the tide. So why did the realization still punch her in the ribs?

And if she was so damn smart, why was she so stupid about men?

Get it through your head, Sadie Johnson. No man, black or white, will ever want you.
Hadn’t her mother always said so?

Mama finally left the room and closed her bedroom door. When Sadie lit an oil lamp, its glow reflected on the low ceiling. She wished for brighter light and a bigger space so their meeting wouldn’t be so cozy. Then she pulled the books from a nearby shelf and dumped them on the cleared kitchen table.

The sooner the man and his books were out of her house, the better.

Henry raised his eyebrows. “I take it you couldn’t make much sense of them, either.”

For the past week, she’d read them all day and practically all night until her eyes turned red and raw. She’d scribbled so many notes, she’d run out of paper and had to write the rest on her bedroom wall. Hopefully, the memory of the kiss would fade from her mind eventually, but the knowledge would last forever.

“They made sense.” She stacked them and shoved them toward him. “I’m sure they did to you, too. Thanks for letting me borrow them.”

“If you want me to pay you for the week, you must explain them to me. Didn’t we agree on that?” He picked up the accounting text on top. “Let’s start with this one.”

“Please don’t patronize me, Mr. Rockfield. I’ll take the money because I need it.” She drummed her fingers on the book cover. “But there’s no point in wasting your time while I pretend to teach you things you already know.”

“I
don’t
already know.” Pain and confusion stole the peace from his blue eyes while they stared at each other for endless seconds.

She lifted her hand and let it hover in midair. “Are you saying you don’t know how to read?”

How in the world did he run a company? White children attended better schools.

“I can read, but it’s tedious.” He opened the cover and read the first paragraph, slower than she would, but he got the words right. “I’m not sure what I just read.”

She flipped some pages and pointed to one showing an accounting ledger sample of inventory. “What about the figures?”

When he bent his head to study the page, a forelock of unkempt hair tumbled over his brow. Sadie stopped herself from brushing it back.

He traced a finger down the columns. “It’s easier for simpler things like oyster counts. Especially if I write them myself.”

His brow puckered with confusion, and he even rubbed his eyes.

“You’d rather be on a boat, wouldn’t you?” She couldn’t resist laying her fingers on his thick forearm.

The heat from his skin penetrated the blue fabric of his shirt. He glanced at her hand as if unsure whether he wanted it there or not. Couldn’t he feel the sparks arcing between them?

“Yes. I can read the sea a lot better.”

“Do you need glasses?” she asked, letting go of him.

“No, my eyes have been checked. I’m just not cut out for books.” He shrugged. “So, you see, I really do need your help.”

A handsome white man—the head of a company, no less—needed her. Even though he didn’t desire her anymore as a woman, it was nice to be wanted some kind of way.

“Then we’d better get started.” She pointed to the stack of books. “Which one would you like to tackle first?”

His blue eyes sobered even more in the lamplight. “Before we begin, I should warn you about something.”

“Don’t say another word.” She raised her hand. “What happened between us in your office can never happen again.”

“I’m glad you agree, but that’s not all.” His shoulders dropped. “You were mentioned at last week’s Klan meeting.”

“Why?” A cold chill rolled through her from the unexpected news. She touched her mouth, where he’d kissed her. “How did they find out?”

“They didn’t,” he replied. “But they’re not happy I gave you such a lenient punishment for throwing those oysters.”

“Oh, that’s not good.”

“They’re going to watch you for a while, at work and off work. Be aware of it every time you set foot in Oyster Harbor.” He grabbed her wrist. “Please behave yourself, Sadie, for you, your mother, and me.”

She rested her other hand over her pounding heart. “I’ll try. Are you in trouble as well?”

“No, but they’re going to watch me more closely, too.” He released her and stared at his hands. “Exactly what I don’t need.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Rockfield. I never intended to cause you any trouble.”

“Make it up to me.” The way he said it and looked into her eyes erased the bad news with good.

He still wanted her!

“Not that way,” he said, pushing a book between them on the table.

Disappointment ricocheted through her. Did she never learn? But his salty-musky scent was strong, as if he’d just disembarked from a rough sailing trip. She’d also noticed it when he’d kissed her last week.

He did want her… Even if they couldn’t do anything about it, she would hold the knowledge close.

Hours passed while she taught him what she’d learned from the books. He related each topic to the oyster business, which helped her learn, too. Between topics, they stood and stretched several times and she poured them water to drink. She and Mama couldn’t afford much else, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Spending so much time alone with Henry was more intimate than their brief kiss at the office. It felt as if they’d sat together at this table for years. She’d never been this comfortable with Buck. Finally, she closed the last text and rubbed her eyelids.

“You learned a lot in a week.” His blue eyes were clear and calm again. “I’m not sure I’ll remember it all.”

“Didn’t I tell you about the test?” she asked.

He chuckled, a low rumble that sent heat to her belly and lower.

“No test, please. I didn’t do well on them in school.”

“Mr. Rockfield—”

“Call me Henry, when we’re alone together.” He indicated the books. “I’d say you’ve earned it.”

She didn’t even bother suppressing the smile that sprang to her lips. The lamp burned lower. It would go out soon if she didn’t attend to it. Rain pattered overhead, lulling her to dreamland. She hoped the roof wouldn’t spring a leak and ruin the mood. Luckily, Pearl’s prior suitor, Jimmy, had helped fix up the house a couple of years ago when he’d wooed her.

Who ever thought her family home could look so romantic with the right man sitting beside her?

“Henry…who else knows about your learning difficulties?”

“Even Caleb doesn’t know the extent of it. No one at the plant must find out.”

No one except her. The fact he trusted her so much warmed her body from fingers to toes. But why did he? It wasn’t as if the man wasn’t smart in other ways. Something existed between them. An indescribable bond, which grew stronger every time they were together.

“It’s getting late,” she said.

After glancing toward Mama’s bedroom door and back at her, he whispered, “You’re beautiful in the lamplight.”

A soft gasp spilled from her throat, until she analyzed the words. She’d worn a plain white blouse and dark-blue skirt because they didn’t have as many patched holes as most of her other clothes. Hardly glamorous. Of course he’d shower her with compliments. She’d just helped him by playing teacher.

“That’s because it’s almost gone out and you can’t see,” she replied.

“Let’s get something straight.” He gripped her elbow. “I may lie to people in Oyster Harbor to keep the peace, but everything I’ll ever say to you is the truth.”

He thinks I’m beautiful.

She scraped her chair back and stood. Because if they kept gazing at each other that way, they’d end up in each other’s arms.

He stood, too. “What are we going to do about this?”

“About what?” They both continued to whisper in case her mother wasn’t asleep.

“What’s between us.”

She looked away. “There’s nothing between us.”

“Then what do you call this?” He planted a slow, soft kiss at the base of her ear.

“Don’t, Mr. Rockfield. Don’t break my heart.”

He clasped her chin, turning her to look at him. “It’s Henry, remember?”

A shudder coursed through her body because fighting the urge to throw herself into his arms took every ounce of power she had. With his book-learning difficulties and the Klan breathing down his neck, the last thing he needed was more problems.

“You can’t be Henry to me, and I can’t be Sadie to you. Not with the Klan watching both of us.”