Out of the Depths by Valerie Hansen Page A

on.”
    “Yes, ma’am.” He positioned the crutches against the seat, parallel to his leg, and slammed the door. “Sorry I snapped at you.”
    “No problem. Sorry I was too nice. I’ll do my best to be much meaner in the future.”
    “Thanks.”
    “You’re welcome.” She glanced at him as she drove out of the campground. “That’s a nice jacket. You clean up pretty decent for a Californian.”
    “I was born in Illinois, remember?”
    “I wouldn’t tell that to too many folks till they get to know you better. I’m okay with it but some people think, once a Yankee, always a Yankee .”
    “I’ll keep that in mind.”
    “I doubt it.” She laughed. “You tend to do things your way most of the time, no matter what.”
    Cody stared at her. “ I tend to? What about you?”
    “I can’t help it if my way’s the best way.”
    “Not always,” he said firmly.
    “Oh, yeah? Name one time when it wasn’t.”
    His voice rumbled with emotion as he answered, “The time you charged an armed man and risked your life for a stupid canoe.”
    Remembering, she shivered in spite of herself.
     
    The parking lot surrounding Serenity Chapel was already crowded when they arrived. Trudy Lynn considered stopping near the front doors so Cody wouldn’t have to walk so far, then decided against it. She wasn’t being mean, as she’d jokingly threatened, she was merely making him exercise. His mention of their misadventure while guarding the canoes had reminded her of how well he’d managed to get around when he’d been forced to. She didn’t think for a minute that he was faking his disability and pain. But she did suspect he might be subconsciously punishing himself for the outcome of the original accident. If that were the case, it helped explain his refusal to continue physical therapy.
    She found an empty space and parked. To Cody’s credit, he didn’t comment on how far they were from the entrance. By the time she’d gathered up her Bible and her purse, he was out of the truck, waiting.
    “You’ve been here before, right?” she asked, leading the way.
    “You know I have. This is where we first met.”
    “That’s right. You were visiting Becky.”
    “Yes. You and Carol Sue sat in the pew behind my poor sister and me, giggling and whispering during the service.”
    “We did not!”
    “Maybe not the whole time. But you two were sure enjoying yourselves.”
    “Why not? Church is a happy place,” Trudy Lynn said.
    “For you, maybe. Sometimes, I sit there feeling so much like an outsider I want to make a break for the door long before the sermon is over.”
    “Try to avoid making that kind of an exit this morning, will you? Becky and Logan would be embarrassed.”
    “Speaking of which, isn’t that Logan standing inside, shaking hands?”
    “Sure is. Go grab a pew for us. I’ll join you in a few minutes. I need to pop into my Sunday school class first and explain why I wasn’t there this morning so they won’t worry.”
    Before Cody had time to ask if she’d missed the class on his account, Trudy Lynn had dashed off down the hall.
    He approached Logan. “Good morning. Where’s Becky?”
    “Home,” Logan said. “I think she’s got a touch of the flu. We didn’t give you our germs the other night, did we?”
    “Nope. I’m healthy as a horse.” He paused for a wry chuckle. “Of course, if I were a horse, they’d have shot me by now.”
    “How is your leg?”
    “Sore.” Cody shrugged. “But I didn’t come here todiscuss my troubles. I need to have a private chat with you about my landlady.”
    “Trudy Lynn? Why? More vandalism?”
    “I wish it were that simple,” Cody said. “What else do you know about her cousin, Jim?”
    “Nothing more than what I’ve already told you. That’s public record so I wasn’t violating a trust. Is Jim causing problems?”
    “You have no idea.” Cody lowered his voice and spoke aside. “I’m not going into any detail till you and I are alone, but it