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“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 Ly
“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 Ly
“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 Ly
Becky quickly explained. “Dad has to get going soon, so we finally started without you. I’m sorry.”
“Not a problem,” Trudy Ly
“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 Ly
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 Ly
“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 Ly
“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 Ly
“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 su
It wasn’t until Cody clenched his jaw and looked away that she realized how her i
And if he actually managed to help identify the vandal who’d been plaguing her lately? Trudy Ly
THREE
Getting Sailor into the back of her truck hadn’t been nearly as difficult as Trudy Ly
“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 Ly
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.”