Free The Single Dad's Redemption by Roxanne Rustand Page B

front door and slip inside, then turned to fetch more millefiori paperweights from the storeroom for her own front window display.
    She nearly ran into Connor, who stood in the storeroom doorway with a tool belt slung across his hips and a Schlage lock-set box in his hands.
    “I’ve got the back door done,” he said quietly.
    “I suppose you overheard our local busybody,” Keeley said with a sigh. “I’m really sorry about that.”
    “It’s no more than I expected. I’m just surprised she didn’t mention the ex-con part.”
    “Actually, I’m surprised, too. But maybe she didn’t quite dare. She seemed edgy, probably thinking you were going to appear. Deputy Todd sure didn’t hesitate to share that detail with my sister, Liza—who’s clear off in Minneapolis. The stinker.”
    “He called your sister ?”
    “We all grew up together, same schools since kindergarten. He had a crush on her in third grade, and I suppose he still thinks he’ll get brownie points from her if he tattles.” Keeley snorted. “A sad commentary on him, to say the least. He’s like Aspen Creek’s version of Barney Fife.”
    Connor shook his head as he headed for the front door. “I don’t care who knows the truth. I just don’t want it to hurt you or your business. For the short amount of time I’ll be here, there’s no way I want to cause collateral damage.”
    She knew he meant it and his concern warmed her heart. “When you get the front lock done, take the rest of the afternoon to use my laptop and the internet.”
    He gave her a startled glance. “I should do it after work. You sure aren’t paying me to sit at a desk.”
    She waved a hand dismissively. “Start now. The more prepared you are, the better chance you have. It might take a lot longer than you think just wading through Michigan’s custody laws. And be sure to print off anything you need.”
    He hesitated for a long moment then finally nodded. “Okay, but I’ll pay you back.”
    “No need. Oh—and be sure to call Liza at three sharp.”
    He looked up from unscrewing the old dead bolt and gave her a blank look. “Your sister?”
    “She’s an attorney. Not in family law, and she’s not in the right state, but maybe she can give you some advice.”
    He sighed heavily. “I know I need all the advice I can get, but I just don’t have the extra money. I’ll have to pay for a lawyer in Michigan.”
    “You don’t need to pay Liza a cent. She’s doing this for me...and believe me, she’s actually grateful for the opportunity.”
    “I...I just can’t take advantage of her like that. Or you,” he added wearily. “You’ve already done too much.”
    Keeley laughed. “I’m watching her little hooligans for a weekend in exchange for this, so don’t worry about taking plenty of time on the phone. Hours. If I survive that weekend, she’ll still owe me no matter how long you two talk.”

Chapter Eight
    C onnor had left prison with a bitter heart over the years he’d lost and the God who had forsaken him. With grim awareness, he’d accepted that his life would never be the same.
    So when he’d arrived in Aspen Creek with a nearly empty wallet and dimming hopes of reaching Detroit in time to find his son, he’d expected to be met with frank suspicion, not trust and acceptance.
    He’d never expected that anyone in an upscale vacation area like this one would consider hiring him—much less a pretty young woman who trusted him with her store, her clientele and her cash register...and who seemed determined to help him in whatever way she could.
    Though whether he’d encountered someone like her by chance or something more divine, he couldn’t guess. After so many years of silence in response to his prayers, he had fallen away. So why would God start caring about him now?
    Connor pushed away from the desk in the corner of the back room and sorted through the stack of papers he’d printed from numerous Montana and Michigan legal websites. He stapled