It had been so long since anyone had even noticed her as a real person, much less offered her a lifeline. Since rumors had started about her, the only attention she got was the kind no woman would want. Some of the guys felt free to whisper suggestions about what they’d like to do with her. It was never a date. Their plan was usually to meet in the bathroom or a car outside. Even though she never agreed to their plans, somehow stories circled and boys who thought they were men lied about what they’d done with her.

“That’s my place.” Ketch pointed to what looked like a warehouse at the end of the street. The last building in town.

Her eyes widened. “No way. You don’t live there. It’s a warehouse.”

All she saw was a big building and a poorly lit sign that said RANDALL BROTHERS’ CONSTRUCTION AND ROOFING.

He laughed as if she’d made a joke. “It’s more than that. I live in the apartment in the back. The upstairs corner was just a storage room for years, but I plumbed it, built a few walls, and moved in. I guess you could say the overhaul was my interview for a job.” Ketch’s words were slightly slurred, but he kept on going. “I work for the Randall brothers most days, and at night, I’m their watchdog. Renting me this place cheap costs less than feeding dogs.”

She helped him navigate first the winding street and then the small trail to the back of the second-floor apartment stairway. “I’ll say good night here. Thanks again for helping me back at the bar.”

“Anytime, Tuesday. To tell the truth, you’ve been the only one worth talking to tonight.”

To her shock, he leaned down and kissed her cheek, then started up the steps. One, two, three. She let out a little cry as he fell backward like a tree that had tried to stand against the wind.

Tuesday jumped out of the way, then panicked as he hit the dirt. He lay stone-still on the ground. It was far too dark to see if he was alive or dead.

Then, like a whisper in the darkness she heard him begin to chuckle. First a small sound, then growing like rolling thunder.

Slowly he sat up. “I guess I’ll try that again. Trying to kill myself by falling over isn’t funny anymore.”

She steadied him as he stood. “I’ll help this time. Walking you home isn’t as easy a job as I thought it would be.”

With both hands on the railing, he leaned forward as he climbed. She followed with her palms on his lower back.

Finally, they made it to the landing. When he couldn’t get the key into the lock, she took it and opened his door, then stepped inside and felt for the switch.