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matter of fact, I had.”
    “It’s the cane,” he decided, abruptly morose. “People tend to notice a man with a limp.”
    “If you think they noticed you when you had a limp, just wait until they get a load of you covered in bandages and bruises!” she teased gently.
    He muttered something in disgust. “You’ve just convinced me to spend the day in the cabin instead of on deck.”
    “Nonsense,” she scolded roundly. “I think you’re quite right. The sun will feel good, and I refuse to let you sulk down here in your cabin when going topside is bound to be therapeutic. Besides, with a shirt on, the only visible marks are going to be the bruises on your cheek and under your eye. They’ll give you a mysterious, dangerous look. Very appealing to the ladies. Just wait and see.”
    “I’m on board for business purposes,” he stated aloofly, “not to appeal to the ladies.”
    Sensing that she had somehow offended him, Tabitha impulsively reached across the table to touch his hand. “I’m sorry. I was only teasing you.” When he nodded a bit shortly, accepting her apology, she quickly withdrew her hand. His eyes went to where her fingers had rested on his skin, and then he picked up his fork and resumed eating the scrambled eggs.
    Tabitha smiled happily to herself. She really did like this man who was capable of being embarrassed at the thought of serving as a titillating source of interest to women. Such a pleasure to encounter a male whose ego wasn’t overly inflated! And she could empathize with him completely. She would have reacted exactly the same way if someone had intimated she might be capable of drawing the attention of the males on board.
    The day ahead stretched forth invitingly. With a strong sense of proprietary interest in the man she had rescued, Tabitha took charge of the day’s activities. Dev seemed quite content to let her establish the schedule, responding to her gentle bullying with satisfying gratitude. Dutifully he obeyed her injunction to avoid overdoing it in the sun and acceded to her choice of chicken with peanut sauce for lunch. She also made sure he consumed invigorating tea at the morning break and several scones which were served at three in the afternoon.
    In between these times she obtained a deck of cards and played gin rummy with her recuperating patient. And all the while the conversation flowed easily between them. Dev talked about his adventures as a travel agent, and she told him about the small pleasures of running a bookshop in a quaint Victorian fishing town.
    “We have something in common,” he observed at one point as she beat him for the third time at gin rummy. “Both of us know what it is to be struggling small-business people.”
    The thought of a similarity in their careers pleased Tabitha and her normally small, private smile widened into something approaching brilliance. Dev stared at her for a moment as if he’d lost track of his thoughts.
    Then he appeared to remember what he had been about to say.
    “Listen,” he went on earnestly, “just because I’m not up to having a swim, don’t let me keep you out of the pool. It’s getting quite warm out here, and I’m sure you want to cool off a little.”
    Tabitha’s eyes widened in dismay. “Oh no, I’m fine, really, I am. I’m enjoying the warmth.” Have this man see her in a bathing suit? Not a chance!
    Now why should she feel so awkward at the thought? she asked herself grimly. She’d been swimming before in the cruise ship’s pool, heedless of what poolside opinion might be. But she was accustomed to receiving only mild glances that quickly slid off and went on to more interesting targets. In her demure bathing suit, with its small skirt at the hips, she felt she achieved a certain anonymity amid the bevy of sleek maillots and bikinis. This afternoon, however, simply because they had spent so much time together and had gotten to know each other, Dev was bound to give her more than a brief,