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proud to come looking for me unless she prodded you into it."
    "She knows very well I didn't approve of this business of recontacting you." Irritably, aware that her present state of tension was making it difficult to think clearly, Jamie downed some more of the cold beer and got to her feet. She walked toward the bow of the boat, absently noting the neatly arranged array of gear. Assorted nets, fishing knives and tackle were all carefully stowed. She glanced into the front cabin.
    "Jamie," Cade said, having risen silently to follow her. "Don't be afraid of me." He reached out to touch her hair. "I won't let you down."
    Jamie stepped out from under his touch, conscious of the shock of awareness that had gone through her.
    She had to stay in control, she reminded herself yet again. Idly she pretended to examine some coils of rope that were lying neatly on the deck. "Quite a change from Dreamer II , isn't it? Do you really own this boat, Cade?"
    "I own her," he replied softly. "I make my living with her. The Loophole is a charter boat. I take people deep-sea fishing."
    Jamie shook her head in mild wonder. "I would never have guessed this past summer that you made a living as a charter-boat captain. You certainly had me fooled. I believed, along with everyone else, that you were a successful, wealthy executive. Amazing. Absolutely amazing."
    Cade stepped closer, his expression suddenly dark and intense in the bright sunlight. "Are you shocked, Jamie? I told myself this summer that when you found out what I really did for a living, it wouldn't matter to you."
    "It doesn't," she assured him, swinging around to confront him fully. She managed a lightly defiant smile.
    "Makes no difference to me at all as long as you're still for hire."
    Long lashes briefly concealed the tawny gold eyes, but not before Jamie was certain she had seen a flash of grim astonishment in his gaze.
    "For hire?" Cade asked carefully. "What does that mean?"
    "It's very simple," Jamie said coolly, sitting back down and picking up her can of beer. "Miss Isabel has instructed me to hire you." '
    Cade looked momentarily blank. "Hire me to do what? Fulfill my responsibilities to you? She can't possibly believe she'd have to pay me to do that!"
    It was Jamie's turn to look blank. "What responsibilities? You don't owe me anything, Cade. We both know that. We shared a brief affair this past summer and now it's over. I'm here to talk business."
    He gave her a wary glance as he resumed his own seat. "Maybe you'd better start at the beginning.
    Where is Miss Isabel, by the way?"
    "We took your suggestion. I put her on a three-month cruise. She left two weeks ago."
    Cade nodded. "It will be good for her. How did she take the news about her brother's suicide?"
    Jamie had the distinct impression he was asking out of genuine concern, but she discounted the notion.
    Cade wasn't the type to become overly concerned about his victims.
    "About the way you'd expect. She was shattered at first."

    Cade shook his head. "I suppose that's not surprising. She adored him. I doubt that she would ever have believed him guilty of the tax-shelter fraud. You should have let me tell her about the suicide, Jamie. I know it must have been hard on you."
    "It was," she said simply. "But I think it was easier coming from me than from the man who had pulled the rug out from under her beloved brother."
    Cade's expression didn't change. He continued to look at her levelly. "You can forget the little barbs and taunts, honey. I don't feel guilty for what I did and nothing you say is going to make me feel responsible for Fitzgerald's death."
    "You just did what you had to do, hmm?" Jamie allowed nothing but cool sarcasm to show in her tone.
    She refused to let him see the fragility of her self-control. "Nothing like genuine machismo to fall back on when the ethical side of things gets complicated."
    "I think," Cade observed far too politely, "that we are straying from the subject. Let's go back to Miss