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  And a woman that was stealing his heart away, beautiful, dry-land creature on two legs that she was.

  “That’s terrible, Dan. What’re we going to do about him?”

  “I don’t know, doll. We’ll figure something out. Right now it’s late. Let’s get home.”

  “Home? You mean your home? But I have to be at Mr. Barrett’s store tomorrow.”

  “Oh. Well, I guess we’d best get to the boarding house. Let’s see if we can do this without waking up the whole damn place!”

  * * *

  The next morning Sadie was up before the rest of the girls, even before she heard Miss Johnson’s cook preparing breakfast downstairs in the kitchen. She liked getting up at that hour, gathering clean underwear, her towel, washrag and soap, and having the bathtub at the end of the hall to herself.

  The clawfoot bathtub didn’t take so terribly long to fill, yet by the time she stepped into it she was more anxious than usual. She eased herself into the water, sighing contentedly. Cool water, she made a mental note to herself, great for soothing a sore bottom.

  For a while there she’d hoped Dan would forget that warning spanking. She imagined she would just fly under the radar or, if that wasn’t possible, she’d try to sweet-talk her way out of trouble. No such luck. Though getting turned over his knee last night wasn’t as painful as the first two spankings he’d administered, she wouldn’t be forgetting the wooden back of that bath brush anytime soon.

  That man had spanked her in the backseat of his car! Sadie slid down until the water reached her chin and she blew bubbles on the surface. Heck, he’d spanked her in front of Miss Johnson and every last resident in the boarding house. It seemed if Dan believed she needed getting hauled over his knee and paddling, her backside was vulnerable just about everywhere.

  No man had ever done that to her before. Oh, David had slapped her a few times. That wasn’t the same thing. Whereas David had always been angry when he’d raised a hand to her, Dan had always seemed in control of himself. He was manly and strong, a hundred times more so than David, but there was something intimate about the way he spanked him. Something that made it very…loving. Even comforting. Maybe getting her behind blistered did hurt like crazy, but at least she knew Dan cared about her, that she mattered to him.

  Sadie finished sudsing up her body with the washrag and soap and submerged herself in the water again. She’d already lathered up and rinsed her hair and could have stepped out right then. In a household with that many women, there was typically always someone else awaiting their turn to use the bathtub, although most of the girls bathed at night.

  But instead of hurrying out of the tub, she swallowed one big, deep breath. Then she submerged herself fully under the water and opened her eyes.

  Could she do it now? Could she breathe underwater? Her heart pounded, yet she didn’t dare open her mouth. She counted the seconds, her cheeks puffed out a little, the breath she’d taken in caught in her lungs.

  fourteen…fifteen…sixteen…

  This wasn’t going to work. She’d given him the necklace with the aquamarine back as soon as they’d emerged from their swim out to the deep water. Deeper than any water she’d ever been in, in fact. Between that experience and the incredible sex they’d shared beneath the pier, last night had been the most beautiful night of her life.

  thirty-two…thirty-three…thirty-four…

  Instantly, Sadie popped up through the water’s surface, exhaling and taking in fresh breaths.

  So the answer was no: She couldn’t breathe underwater. Not on her own. Not without that necklace.

  And not, for certain, without the help of a real, live merman.

  That was because she was a full-fledged human woman. She wasn’t a mermaid. Sadie surprised herself, feeling a deep disappointment at that realization just as she stepped from the tub and grabbed her towel to dry off.

  She wasn’t a mermaid, but how desperately she wished she was. Still, when Dan had taken her into the water, when he’d allowed her first to wear his necklace, which he always brought with him in case he encountered a drowning human who needed transporting to safety, he’d allowed her to experience what it would feel like to actually be a mermaid. Was there a way for that to happen? Was there some other kind of necklace that could transform her into a siren from the sea? Anything?

  The answer had been no. Dan had even seemed stunned by the question, and maybe more than a little amused. But his answer had a slight sad twinge to it: Living in two worlds, that’s not something I’d wish for someone else, Sadie. I wouldn’t wish it on you, especially.

  So maybe there was a way for that to happen. Yet Dan, her protective, sweet Dan, wanted to discourage her from even thinking about it.

  Slipping on her robe, she then pulled the chain attached to the plug in the bathtub, and the water immediately began running down the drain. She had just enough time to change for work, do her hair and put on her face before going down for some breakfast.

  I guess I gotta trust you while I’m out at sea. And you gotta trust me.

  Such simple words, yet they left an impact on her. With the exception that she would have added one correction: He needed to trust her always, not just when he was out at sea. The same, naturally, applied to her.

  Though trusting someone else was something that didn’t come easily to her. Sadie guessed that the same held true for Dan, too. They were two people who’d spent a lot of their lives having their trust broken by others. Little by little, she could feel herself wanting to trust this man. She’d never known anyone like Dan McCallister, and for all the time she’d spent being furious with him, it awed her that her feelings had changed so much.

  “Good morning, Ms. Francis,” someone called behind her.

  Sadie turned to see Miss Johnson behind her, her lower jaw dropping. Funny, how the matronly woman didn’t look any different…on the outside. She had worn that shapeless, dull brown dress before, with its wide shoulders and thin belt secured at the cinched waist. Those were the same, ugly sensible shoes that she always wore; her hair was up in a bun, her standard, unchanging hairstyle.

  But I bet her hair comes down from that tight bun sometimes. I bet she looks different with some or all of her breasts exposed. Scales all over the lower half of her body. Her legs become a large fishtail. Bet she’s not the same lady.

  If anything, Sadie knew she would never look at Anita Johnson ever the same way again.

  “I’m sorry if I disturbed you or the other girls, Miss Johnson,” she apologized. “I just wanted to take a bath before I went to work to—”

  “You smell like the ocean, Miss Francis!”

  Startled, Sadie gave a little jump. “Um—well, uh—still?”

  “Yes, still! The fragrance of the ocean lingers, Miss Francis.” Miss Johnson’s brow was furrowed with concern. “And I’ll have to have a talk with Dan McCallister. Keeping you out at all hours. It’s not proper. The other girls will talk, you know.”

  “Yes. Yes, I know. Well—I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t have to be sorry, young lady.” The older woman shrugged. “Anyway, that’s not what I came up to tell you. You have a visitor waiting for you downstairs.”

  “A visitor? This early? Who?”

  “She says her name is Linda Fortenberry. She says she won’t keep you, she just wants a few minutes of your time.”

  “Oh. All right. I’ll just get dressed and be down in a jiffy.”

  “Very well.” Nodding, Miss Johnson actually gave her a smile. “So…what did you think?”

  She knew! Maybe smelling like the Atlantic was a dead giveaway. Sadie also smiled. “It was—it was amazing.”

  “I know. Oh, but you must never tell anyone. You couldn’t tell anyone. That has to be a secret that remains in your heart.”

  One thing had to be said for the woman: Miss Johnson wasn’t the willy-nilly sort. She wasn’t afraid; she was sharing a confidence. There was a softness in her eyes and her smile that Sadie couldn’t
remember seeing before.

  And were those aquamarine stones in her earrings?

  Sadie answered with calm. “Of course. Well, I’ll see you at breakfast, Miss Johnson.”

  “Good!” Cheerfully, the older woman turned and bounded down the stairs.

  Sadie had been so angry with Linda Fortenberry that she hadn’t spoken to her since that first day she’d arrived in town. The two had been friends since Sadie had walked into her new school and the chubby, shy girl who sat in the back by herself had befriended her.

  Now she regretted how shabbily she’d treated her old friend. Hurrying, she dressed in her sailor dress, dabbed on some makeup and swept her hair back with a hairband. Then she hurried downstairs.

  “Your guest is outside on the porch, Miss Francis,” Miss Johnson’s housekeeper informed her, passing her in the hallway.

  “Thank you, Cora.” Taking a deep breath first, Sadie stepped out onto the porch.

  Linda was looking out at Miss Johnson’s rosebushes. Just beyond that, the local milkman was stacking empty bottles into the back of his truck. She turned and faced Sadie hesitantly.

  “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.” She stepped closer to her guest. “I tried to hurry, Linda.”

  “That’s all right. I’m coming here uninvited and all.”

  The crack in Linda’s voice tugged at Sadie’s heart. “You don’t ever need an invitation to come see me. Look, I know I’ve been so terrible to you, not taking your calls and all that. I’m so sorry, Linda. Please forgive me.”

  Linda came to her without reservation, accepting a hug from her. “Oh, I’m the one who should apologize. I should have told you where that money was coming from, but Mr. McCallister said you wouldn’t accept it if you knew where it came from.”

  “And that would’ve been true.” Laughing, Sadie hugged her again. “Can we forget it ever happened?”

  “That’d be swell, Sadie. And now that I know everything’s okay between us, Pop and I would love to have you over for supper.”

  Sadie noticed the man out of the corner of her eye. He’d been partially hidden by the milk delivery truck, but now that the driver had moved the vehicle she saw him. Standing there across the street, right beneath the lamp post. He wore dark glasses and his hat pulled down, partially obscuring his face. She’d thought it was odd that he was wearing a long dark overcoat over his clothes on such a warm summer day. What’s more, he was staring directly at Sadie and her friend.

  But she dismissed it as her imagination and turned her attention back to Linda.

  “I’d love to join you. Name the time.”

  “Tomorrow night. Seven. Is that too short notice?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Great! Oh—and bring a friend if you’d like.”

  “Uh…a gentleman friend? Would that be all right?”

  “Sure!”

  “I’ll see if he can make it.”

  Linda laughed. “All right. See you tomorrow night, buddy.”

  Sadie gave her a playful salute. “See ya, pal!”

  The stranger across the street had turned to the side, looking as if he were leafing through a small black notebook. Sadie cast a glance in his direction before heading back to the door. Instinctively, with her hand on the doorknob, she looked back over her shoulder to see the man. For a moment, her blood ran cold, and it felt like her shoes were glued to the floor.

  Even from that distance, she could hear the man giving a low whistle. It was the same little tune that David would nonchalantly use whenever he was on his way up the walkway to Sadie’s home to see her.

  But David was in prison. Unless…

  She couldn’t get back inside with the door shut behind herself fast enough. Opal, one of the other girls, was on her way to the dining room for breakfast when she passed Sadie in the foyer.

  “Goodness! You look like you’ve just seen a ghost!” Opal exclaimed.

  “No. Something a lot worse.”

  Without another word, she headed into the sitting room. The phone, used by all the girls to make their calls, was available.

  Hopefully she could catch Dan before he left the office on an assignment.

  Chapter Six

  Dan had barely gotten through the door when his normally calm, now totally upset, secretary greeted him.

  “I’m so glad you’re here, Dan,” Ruby said with a shake of her head. “I tried to tell him he had to sit out here and wait, but he just strolled right into your office like he owned the place!”

  Glancing at his office, the door slightly ajar, he asked, “Who?”

  “That reporter from the Tribune, Mr. Gage. He wouldn’t listen to me, just waltzed right in, smug as could be. And it so happened you were a little late in coming in this morning and Martin hasn’t gotten here yet—”

  “Martin? Why’s Martin coming in? Isn’t he supposed to be resting up for another week?”

  “He wouldn’t hear of it, Dan. Not with what’s going on.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “You haven’t heard?” Ruby handed him that morning’s copy of The Tribune. “It’s terrible. Oh, and your girl called this morning, too. She’s very upset.”

  Your girl. Dan didn’t have to ask Ruby to clarify who she meant by that. Word sure traveled fast in that town. He didn’t have time to do more than read the headline, but that was enough to clue him into what was happening: ESCAPE FROM ATTICA.

  “Morning, ole buddy!” Ed Gage boomed with a smirk. He was seated in Dan’s chair with his feet up on the desk, his legs folded at the ankles, his hands folded behind his head. “I see you’ve heard the news. Or maybe you knew even before we got wind of it. You’re a bad boy, keeping stuff like that from me.”

  Dan didn’t even try to hide his dislike for the man. With one swoop of his leg, he kicked Gage’s feet clear off his desk.

  “Now get your ass out of my chair,” he ordered, menacing without having to raise his voice.

  Gage glared back at him, then laughed—but he moved. “Look, McCallister, I’m willing to be reasonable. You tell me what you got and I’ll return the favor. You know O’Keefe’s not back here because he got homesick. He’s got a score to settle with that Francis girl, his old sweetheart.”

  He lifted his head. “She said that? Has she been to see you?”

  “Not since O’Keefe and three of his guys broke out, no. She did come to see me at my request.” The reporter flashed a cagey smile. “But that was on another matter.”

  “Yeah. I know about that.” Smirking, Dan added, “She’s got nothin’ else to say to you.”

  “Really? That a fact?” Though he was still smiling, Dan could tell the reporter was rattled. “You’re a tough guy. For a man who’s half fish.”

  “Yeah, and you’re pretty smart. For a man who’s all asshole.” He narrowed his eyes at Gage. “I don’t like reporters.”

  “And I don’t like detectives. Or feds. Or any stripe of stinkin’ cop. But let’s be gentlemen, all right? Let’s put our differences aside. Give me whatever you got on David O’Keefe.”

  “I’ve got nothin’. I just heard about his escape when I came through the door and my secretary jammed this newspaper in my hand. You know more than I do.” He rested his hands on top of the chair but was too wired to sit. “Besides, the FBI’s probably all over this right now.”

  “There’s a manhunt. And a reward for O’Keefe’s capture. Your girl heard nothing? No call, nothing?”

  “Gage, this just happened!”

  “This just happened as far as we’re concerned. Did she know about it before? That’s my question. And is it her he’s coming after…or is that thug after you? You’re the one who got him put away. It was her testimony, sure, but you actually put the cuffs on him.”

  There was a knock at the door, though the person behind it didn’t wait for a response before flinging it open. Martin Clark stalked in, looking healthier and more rested than he’d been the last time Dan had seen him. That respite had d
one him good, and that old spark was back in his eye, to boot.

  “You’ve probably heard by now, but O’Keefe and his boys are back in town,” he announced. “And Sadie Francis is none too happy about the news. She’s outside talking to Ruby. Poor little thing’s shaking like a leaf.”

  “Sadie’s here? Good.” Gage pulled a pencil and small pad from his jacket’s inner pocket. “See you later, McCallister. Sorry, but if you can’t help me, then you’re useless to me. And I’ve got a story to write.”

  Careful not to hurt Martin, who was still on the mend, Dan nudged past him and quickly grabbed handfuls of the reporter’s suit jacket. Roughly, he spun him around and shoved him against the wall so hard, the file cabinet’s drawers shook in place.

  “Hey, hey! Who the hell do you think you’re manhandling?” Gage sputtered.

  “Dan…” Martin cautioned behind him, yet didn’t move to stop his partner.

  “You’re gonna listen to me, Gage.” Dan lowered his voice, his grip tight on the reporter’s lapels. “I’ll give you your story. You give me some time here. You talk to me. You don’t talk to Sadie. I don’t want you mentioning her name in the paper.”

  “Look, McCallister, whether you like it or not, she’s part of the story. O’Keefe’s here because of you or her, but she has to be part of the reason—”

  “I know. That means she’s already in enough danger. I’m not afraid of O’Keefe. But I am afraid of what he could do to her.” Sighing, Dan looked over at Martin. “Give us a minute, will you, buddy?”

  “Dan, I really don’t think—”

  “We’ll be fine. I promise I won’t rearrange his face for him. Just give us a minute.”

  Martin seemed reluctant, but he respected Dan’s wishes, partially closing the door behind himself. That was when Dan released the reporter. Furious, Gage shrugged his jacket back into place and adjusted his tie, glaring back at him.

  Knowing he’d gotten the best of him, Dan grinned. “Look, that other story you wanted…well, you know that if you pursue that, you’d be risking your reputation as a newspaper man.”