Out of the Depths

Nearly out of his head from the knifing pain, he’d gritted his teeth and forced his eyes open. One of the Slighman brothers had taken over the oars and was steering toward shore. He’d thought then that everything would turn out all right.

How wrong he’d been. With every muscle nearly as knotted as it had been during the accident, Cody struggled to free his mind from the past. Perspiration dotted his forehead. He had the same intense reaction every time he was foolish enough to recall the events of that horrible day.

He had to get hold of himself before someone came back into the room and detected his temporary loss of self-control. Closing his eyes, he took a deep, settling breath and purposely visualized how he’d finally surrendered to his pain and had let the river carry him where it would.

Even now, he realized with chagrin, that terrible trip was far from over.

TWO

By the time Trudy Lynn reached the kitchen she was contrite enough to relate her whole conversation with Cody to her hosts. “And then I snapped at the poor guy and told him off. I always babble too much when I don’t know what to say. I feel terrible.”

“Don’t,” Becky said. “Sometimes the best way to show love is to disagree, especially when the other person is wrong. So, how did he take it?”

“I’m not sure. His mouth was still hanging open when I left him.”

“Good.”

“Good?”

Becky nodded sagely. “Sure. He’s a lot more likely to listen to sensible advice coming from someone like you.”

“He did say his family was getting on his nerves. I assumed he meant his father, but I suppose that could include you and Logan, too.”

“Probably. Right now, everything bothers Cody more than it normally would. He’s already gone through plenty.”

“What, exactly, is wrong with his leg? He said he won’t be able to go back to work. Is it that bad?”

“Could be. His knee was smashed. There’s a lot of scarring and stiffness. According to Dad, he’d have to regain a wide range of motion in order to be qualified to guide the kind of trip he loves. Might eventually have to undergo more surgery, too.”

“Oh, dear.” Thoughtful, Trudy Lynn glanced in the direction of the living room. “Now I feel even worse about the way I talked to him.”

Logan chimed in with a smile of encouragement. “Don’t worry. From what I’ve seen so far, Cody can take criticism as well as he can dish it out.”

“He certainly can dish it out.” Trudy Lynn gave Becky a pat of commiseration. “Like I said, it’s you I feel sorriest for. You’ll be stuck here with him.”

“Maybe. Logan had an idea. Until you told us how you stood up to my stubborn brother just now, I didn’t think it would work.”

Trudy Lynn took a step backward. “Whoa. I don’t like the sound of that. What kind of an idea?”

“A brilliant one.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Looking from Becky to Logan and back, she was struck by how in tune they seemed. Thoughts, expressions and actions meshed as perfectly as if they’d been married for decades instead of mere months.

“Tell you what,” Logan said with a smile, “I’ll go keep Cody occupied while you ladies discuss how we can all work together to help him through this.”

Watching him walk away, Trudy Lynn felt decidedly uneasy. Logan Malloy was not only her pastor, he was married to one of her dearest friends. It was going to be hard to deny either of them anything, even if she hated their idea. And they knew it.

Folding her arms across her chest, she raised an eyebrow at her hostess. “Okay. I can already hear the train whistles, so if you’re going to try to railroad me into doing something, let’s get it over with.”

“It’s just a thought,” Becky insisted. “We don’t expect you to commit yourself right away. All we ask is that you consider doing it.”

“Consider doing what?”

“Hiring Cody.”

Trudy Lynn’s glance darted in the direction of the living room. She lowered her voice. “To do what? He can’t even walk, can he?”

“Not without crutches. But we all know it’s bad for him to sit around and dwell on his problems. If he doesn’t get out and try to do something for himself soon, he may never regain his agility.”

“Okay. Bring him down to the river to visit and I’ll have Will entertain him with stories about the old days. That’ll be plenty distracting.”

“Thanks. I’m sure it will help. But I was thinking about a job.”

“I can’t hire him.” Trudy Lynn was adamant. “I can barely afford the staff I have—and they’re fully capable of doing any job I assign.”

“I understand. It’s all right.”

“No, it isn’t. Why don’t you beg or plead or yell at me or something?”

“I told you there was no pressure,” her friend said. “There isn’t. Logan and I will be glad to take care of Cody for as long as he needs us.”

“Even if he never walks on his own again?” It was almost a whisper.

“Yes,” Becky said. “Even then. I may not have known him when we were children because of my kidnapping but he’s still my brother. I’m not going to give up on him.”

“Wow.” Trudy Lynn gazed at her friend through misty eyes and gave her a brief hug before she spoke from the heart. “I wish I had a sister like you.”

As soon as Becky had finished arranging a platter of roast beef and had filled serving bowls with the rest of the meal, she picked up the two largest dishes and gestured to Trudy with a nod of her head. “Grab those mashed potatoes and bring them along, will you? I’ll come back for the gravy in a sec.”

“No problem. This bowl isn’t that heavy. I can carry the gravy boat, too.”

“Okay. Just be careful, it’s…”

Trudy Lynn didn’t hear the rest of Becky’s comment because her voice had been muted when she’d passed through the archway to the dining room. Oh, well. At least they were through talking about Cody’s problems. That was a relief.

Following her hostess, Trudy was surprised and happy to note that the injured man was up and about. Logan hovered close behind him, obviously ready to assist if Cody had difficulty managing his crutches in the crowded room. Dan and Carol Sue another of the Malloy’s friends from church, had already taken their seats on the opposite side of the beautifully set table and seemed engrossed in a private conversation.

Cody approached laboriously. Pausing to let him pass, Trudy Lynn smiled for his benefit. She knew she had to continue to treat him as if he were just like everyone else. The hardest part was subduing the tender feelings that welled up every time she looked into his eyes and read the depth of his suffering.

Still carrying the food she’d brought from the kitchen, she stepped back to give him extra room to pass. On the opposite side of the table, Becky gasped.

Scowling, Trudy Lynn gave her friend a questioning glance and mouthed, “What?” Was she still too close? She thought she’d allowed Cody adequate space to get by, even with his crutches, so why was Becky acting nervous?

Drawing back, Trudy felt her heel hit the base of the wall. The only way to get completely out of Cody’s path now would be to duck back into the kitchen. Regrettably, she’d sidled away from the doorway while trying to accommodate him. There was no easy exit.

She pressed her back against the wall as he started to pass and raised both arms, meaning only to carefully lift the potatoes and gravy out of harm’s way.

Becky shouted, “Be careful!”

Startled, Cody faltered.

Trudy Lynn followed her friend’s line of sight. If the pitcher and saucer of the gravy server had been one unit, the way she’d assumed they were, she’d have had everything under control. Unfortunately, they were two separate pieces. And the gravy-filled section was starting to slide!

She had only an instant to make a correction. Cody was too close! She had to protect him, even if that meant absorbing the worst of the mishap herself.

Dropping her arm, she pushed the leading edge of the saucer forward and gave it a quick flip. That wasn’t enough to right the shallow pitcher but it did alter its trajectory and keep its contents from showering the injured man.

Everyone was shouting. Trudy couldn’t use both hands to halt the spill because she was still holding the bowl of mashed potatoes. Her only recourse was to press the small pitcher against her chest and wait for rescue. Thankfully, the discussion in the kitchen had delayed the meal long enough to cool and thicken the gravy.

Cody quickly tucked one crutch under his arm and reached for the potatoes. “Here. Give me that.”

“Gladly.”

“Are you all right?”

She answered without looking at him. Now that she had a free hand she was focused on wiping globs of gravy off her bodice and catching them without dripping on the carpet. The task was daunting as well as disgustingly messy. “I’ve been better,” she said wryly. “How about you?”

“Never touched me. I hope that dress isn’t a favorite.”

“Actually, it was.” His undertone of mirth caused her to pause and look up. Amazingly, the corners of his mouth were starting to twitch into a smile. “I thought it matched my eyes.”

“Only if they’re part brown,” Cody replied. He inclined his head to study her more closely. “They are kind of brown, with specks of green and maybe a little blue. The right one looks irritated. Did you burn it just now?”

Trudy Lynn made a face. Considering the state she was already in there was no use keeping up any pretense of poise or refinement. “No. The gravy wasn’t that hot. If you must know, I jabbed myself in the eye with a mascara brush when I was getting ready to come over here.”

“Are you always this accident-prone?”

“Not usually. I did want to be entertaining tonight, though. How am I doing?”

“Pretty good, actually.”

The humor in Cody’s voice reflected his smile and warmed her heart. “Glad to hear it.” Her gaze briefly passed over the others and returned to him. “I’m sorry I made such a mess. If everyone will please excuse me, I think I’ll go see if I can salvage my dignity—and my dress.”

Her hostess had dashed to the kitchen for a handful of paper towels and was thrusting them at her. “Here. Blot.”

Trudy Lynn shook her head. “It’s too late for that. Just stand back so I can make a run for it before I start dripping on your floor.”

“I’m not worried about the carpet,” Becky said. “I’m worried about you. Want me to come help you get cleaned up?”

“No. Stay with your guests. And please don’t wait dinner for me. The way my clothes feel right now I’ll probably give up and go home anyway.”

“And miss my sister’s infamous cooking?” Cody asked, still smiling. “They tell me she’s been working on this meal all day.”

“I know. I can’t apologize enough for being such a klutz.” Starting to turn away she paused and stared directly at Cody. Careful to deliver her remarks with a straight face she added, “Even if my dress was okay I probably wouldn’t stay to eat. I don’t much care for roast beef and mashed potatoes without lots of gravy.”

She could hear him chuckling softly as she hurried from the room. Good. At least one positive thing had come out of the worst social disaster of her life.

Reaching the guest bathroom on the ground floor, Trudy Lynn heard a ruckus behind her. Poor Becky. It sounded as if there was more trouble brewing.

She was turning the knob to open the closed bathroom door when Cody’s strong, deep voice rose above the clamor.

“No!” he shouted. “Don’t open that door!”

What a strange thing to shout, Trudy Lynn mused. She knew Cody couldn’t be yelling at her. All the guests and their hosts were accounted for in the other room, so she certainly wouldn’t be intruding on anyone. The sooner she got her dress rinsed out and could assess the damage, the happier she’d be.

An odd clumping sound echoed in the hallway. Ignoring it, she stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. Her eyes widened. Her breath caught. She wasn’t alone.

An animal as big and furry as a black bear was napping on the floor. Before she could decide what to do, the creature opened its warm brown eyes, saw her, yawned and began to pant.

“You’re a dog?” Trudy whispered. Her voice rose as she realized she was right. “You’re a dog. What a relief!”

The animal apparently took her words as an invitation. It leaped to its feet with a lot more agility than she’d imagined anything that size could possess and in one lumbering, tail-wagging stride was crowding against her, clearly begging for attention.

Deciding to assert authority before the situation got out of control, she said, “Good boy. Settle down,” and tried to push the overly affectionate canine away.

Using her hands was a mistake. The dog took one whiff of the traces of gravy on her fingers and proceeded to lick them with a pink tongue as wide as her palm.

Trudy giggled. “Hey, that tickles.”

To her delight, the dog cocked its head and looked up at her as if it were in on the joke. Its nostrils twitched, sniffing the air. “Oh, no. Not the dress,” she said firmly. “If you want any more gravy you’ll have to wait till I bring you some in a dish.”

The impromptu training session was going quite well until Cody banged on the door.

“What?” Trudy Lynn called.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course.”

“Stand back. I’m coming in.”

The sound of his voice had already excited the dog so much it was spinning in circles. When he burst through the door, it raised on its hind legs and put its broad front feet on Trudy Lynn’s shoulders, bringing their faces nose-to-nose.

She twisted away. “Phew! Dog breath. Down boy.”

“Sailor. Stop that.” Cody gave the dog’s collar a tug. It landed on all four feet with a soft thump.

Once again, Trudy Lynn held out her hands to her new canine buddy and let him lick her fingers. “He wasn’t hurting anything. We were getting along fine till you showed up and distracted him.”

“Nonsense. Sailor only listens to me. I took him to obedience school, but he’s been a lot harder to manage since I got hurt.”

“I’m not surprised. You’ve probably been acting overly cautious and he’s sensing an opening to become the alpha dog. He’ll gladly be the boss if you let him.”

“You’re crazy. He knows I’m still in charge.” Cody tried to grab the dog’s collar again and was almost pulled off balance for his trouble. “Go on. Get out of here,” he told her gruffly. “I can handle this.”

“Oh really?” Forgetting her stained dress and disheveled appearance, Trudy Lynn faced him, hands fisted on her hips. “And who’s going to handle you when you wind up in a heap on the floor or break your leg all over again? It won’t be your dog’s fault if that happens. It’ll be yours.”

Sailor had left his arguing companions and was cavorting around the cramped room like a hamster in an exercise wheel. A very large hamster. In a very small wheel.

“Sailor. Get over here,” Cody demanded.

The dog looked at him as if to say, You’ve got to be kidding. I’m having too much fun.

Trudy Lynn stepped forward and calmly said, “Sailor?” She pointed to the floor at her feet. “Come here.” As soon as he obeyed she added, “Good boy. Sit.”

“Beginner’s luck,” Cody muttered.

“Maybe.” She nodded toward the door. “You go first. I’ve decided to wash in the upstairs bathroom, instead.”

“Good decision.”

As soon as they were both safely in the hall and the dog was isolated in the bathroom again, Trudy apologized. “I didn’t mean to usurp your authority. I just wanted to show you how being firm will work with a big lummox like that. He’s a Newfoundland, isn’t he? I love him. I saw one like that win Best-in-Show at Westminster a few years ago.”

“Yes. I’d heard they were an easy breed to train. Too bad Sailor’s not as intelligent as he’s supposed to be.”

“Oh, I don’t know. He’s smart enough to have you buffaloed.”

“I told you. It’s different since I’ve been on these stupid crutches.”

“I imagine a lot of things are,” Trudy Lynn said. “And since I know you don’t want to hear my opinion about making adjustments to change, I’ll save my breath.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Are you about ready to eat?”

She glanced at her dress and grimaced. “I refuse to come to the table looking like this. Folks in Serenity may be relaxed and casual, but this outfit is way over the top. Give your sister my regrets, will you?”

“Nope.”

“What?”

“You heard me. I’m trying your training method. No.”

“That’s for dogs, not people.”

“Whatever works. Becky can loan you some clean clothes if you want. She’s already warned us we’ll sit there and wait for you till we starve, if necessary.”

“It would serve her right if I came to the table just like this,” Trudy Lynn said with disgust.

“That’s okay by me,” Cody drawled, raising an eyebrow and looking her up and down before breaking out in a quirky smile. “I think you should consider changing, though. Sailor’s losing his winter coat. I don’t mind gravy stains, but that black dog hair all over your skirt is probably a bit much, even for laid-back folks like Becky and Logan.”

In the end, Trudy Lynn gave in and accepted an oversize shirt and slacks from her friend’s closet. Hurrying to the table, she was relieved to see that the others had already begun to fill their plates.

Becky quickly explained. “Dad has to get going soon, so we finally started without you. I’m sorry.”

“Not a problem,” Trudy Lynn replied, smiling across the table at the older man. “Why don’t you stay over and leave in the morning when you’re not so tired? I know it’s a long drive.” She shot a quick wink at the woman seated beside him. “Besides, I’m sure Carol Sue would like to get to know you better. She’s a widow, you know.”

“Can’t. Cody’s going to need the extra bed,” Dan said pleasantly. “I suppose I could get a room at a motel.”

“Absolutely not.” Becky was adamant. “If you want to stay over we’ll make a place for you here. Somehow.”

“Or, I could put him up,” Trudy Lynn offered. She took a spoonful of mashed potatoes, then set the bowl down. “I almost always have a few empty cabins, Dan. If you stayed overnight at my campground, maybe you could help us by listening for the vandal who’s been wrecking my canoes.”

The platter of meat came her way and she grasped it firmly. Fork raised to choose a slice, she suddenly froze in midmotion. Her gaze met Becky’s, then darted to Cody and lingered.

He noticed immediately and scowled. “What?”

“Just thinking,” Trudy Lynn said.

“About what? Have I missed something?”

“No. I was just wondering. I do have some available cabins, like I said, and I could use help. Would you be interested in spending some time at my campground?”

Cody cast a disgusted look at the crutches he’d propped against the wall. “Doing what?”

Her growing enthusiasm made Trudy Lynn grin in spite of his dour expression. This was the answer to everyone’s prayers, including her own. “Watching. I can use an extra pair of eyes. That’s all you’d have to do. In exchange, I’d give you free room and board.”

“I can get the same deal right here,” he argued.

“Okay. What about Sailor? I have a river and woods for him to explore that are far from dangerous traffic. And you’ll get a rustic cabin he can’t possibly hurt, even if he sheds a truckload of hair. It’s perfect. How can you turn down an offer like that? Your poor dog can’t spend weeks shut up in a bathroom.”

“I know.” Cody was pensive. “What’s the terrain like?”

“Flat, mostly. My basic operation is down by the Spring River on an old floodplain. You’ll have to climb to get to the camp store, but if you need groceries or anything, I’ll be glad to bring them to you.”

“It might work.” He looked to his sister. “I know you had your heart set on having me stay here. At least you did until you found out I was bringing my dog. Would you be too upset if Sailor and I spent a little time roughing it?”

“Well, I suppose it would be okay, if that’s what you want. A city lot with no fence isn’t a good place for a dog. I’d hate to have to chain him up to keep him safe.”

Trudy could tell her friend was having a terrible time suppressing a satisfied grin. No wonder. Becky and Logan were getting everything they’d asked for, with one notable exception.

“There is a small catch,” Trudy Lynn said seriously. “I can’t pay you anything. I’m sorry.”

“When I worked, it wasn’t because I had to, it was because I loved my job,” Cody replied. “I have some investments that provide income. If you have Internet access I can tap into once a week, I’ll have everything I need.”

“I do! My cousin Jim uses it all the time. He keeps the camp books for me.” She smiled and arched an eyebrow. “I hate math. Give me a sunny afternoon, a picnic lunch, a cool river for swimming or canoeing and I’m as happy as can be.”

It wasn’t until Cody clenched his jaw and looked away that she realized how her innocent banter must have hurt him. Granted, her stretch of the Spring River wasn’t a thrilling rapids but the comparison was there just the same. She’d have to remember to watch what she said, at least for a while. There was healing for Cody Keringhoven in the peaceful beauty of her campground. She could sense it. That was the most important thing.

And if he actually managed to help identify the vandal who’d been plaguing her lately? Trudy Lynn bowed her head and let her hair swing against her cheeks to hide her insightful smile. If that did happen, she might consider his success a very surprising answer to prayer, but she wasn’t going to hold her breath waiting for it.

THREE

Getting Sailor into the back of her truck hadn’t been nearly as difficult as Trudy Lynn had imagined it would be. Loading his master into the front seat, however, had turned out to be a real trial. Cody’s behavior had been far too stoic to suit her. There was no way to tell if she’d accidentally caused him pain in spite of her monumental efforts to be careful, and that upset her greatly.

“You don’t have to pretend you’re invincible when you’re around me,” she told him after they were underway. “I’m not your sister or your father. If your leg hurts, I expect you to say so. I want to know what you’re thinking.”

“No, you don’t. You may think you do, but you don’t.”

“Try me.”

“Not in a million years, lady.”

“I’m only trying to help. Why do you insist on being so difficult?”

“I’m not hard to get along with. All I want is to be left alone. I thought you’d figured that out. Isn’t that why you offered me a free cabin? To get my sister off the hook and give me some privacy.”

“That was part of the reason.”

He huffed. “You don’t think I bought that crazy story about vandalism, do you?”

“It’s not a crazy story. It’s true. I’ve had six new canoes ruined already.” She absently kneaded the back of her neck as they drove farther from the heart of Serenity. “I get a headache every time I start to think about it.”

“Headaches? Hah!”

The irony and contempt coloring his otherwise simple exclamation made Trudy Lynn stare. Cody was shaking his head and peering out the window as if he could see something terrible hidden in the darkness. Something invisible to her.

She was about to ask him if the bumpy road was bothering his leg when he shivered, then said quietly, “If you think a few wrecked canoes can give you a headache, you ought to try killing somebody, like I did, and see how much it hurts.”

Trudy Lynn didn’t know how to respond to his startling confession so she said nothing. Chances were, Cody was referring to an accidental death. She wasn’t going to press him about it. Not yet. There would be plenty of time to assess the root cause of his depression after they became friends. And they would be friends, she decided. Even if she had to beat him over the head with tough love and kill him with kindness!