Keeley heard the sound of footsteps then the squeal of a freezer door being pulled open. “Um, everything all right?”
“I just gave the wild bunch orange Popsicles. That ought to keep them busy for two minutes. By the way, I got a phone call from your old boyfriend Todd yesterday. I’m sure our brother got a call, too.”
Keeley’s heart sank. “He was never a boyfriend and you know it. He had absolutely no business calling you.”
“That’s what I thought. Still, I’ve been meaning to email you. What’s this about some murderer working in your store? That just can’t be true.” There was a long pause. “Can it?”
“Connor was exonerated—I hope Todd told you that. But, well...he is the reason I’m calling you.”
Liza gasped. “Keeley!”
“He’s a really nice guy and he needs your help.” She quickly explained Connor’s background and why she’d hired him. “The thing is, he’ll soon be on his way to Michigan to see his son, and he’s worried about the boy’s welfare. He’s hoping to regain at least partial custody.”
“That won’t be easy.” Liza fell silent for a moment. “You do know I’m a tax attorney, not an expert in family law.”
“Of course I do. But would you have any advice for him? I know he’s really short of money right now, after being incarcerated for so long. I don’t know how much legal representation he can afford.”
“Honestly, I’m swamped right now and he needs a different kind of lawyer. I don’t know what help I can give him.”
“Please—can you do a little research? Or talk to someone who would know? I’ll...” Keeley took a deep breath. “I’ll come up to Minneapolis and help you with the twins for a whole weekend.”
“Whoa. Really?”
“Promise. It has to be around the end of August, though. There’s a bit of a lull in tourism then, before the fall and holiday seasons start.”
“Deal. Have him call me this afternoon sometime after three, okay? With a lot of prayer, the girls might be sleeping then. And, Keel? You really do think you’re doing the right thing, having this guy working at the store? Do you honestly trust him?”
“I saw the newspaper clipping about his release. Better than that, Lorraine at the sheriff’s office verified his story.” Keeley smiled to herself, imagining her younger sister in warrior mode, ready to protect anyone in the family at a moment’s notice. “And, yes, I think he’s a good man. And I like him. A lot.”
Liz fell silent for a moment. “Oh, sweetie. You like him. As in, getting involved?”
“Honestly, I wish I could. But don’t worry. He’s only focused on his son and how soon he can fight for custody—and after that, I think he’ll be heading for Texas or Montana. End of story.” Keeley gave a short, deprecating laugh. “Anyway, you know my track record. Relationships never last and I’ve almost given up. They just aren’t worth the heartbreak.”
* * *
The bells over the front door of the shop jangled and Millie Ferguson held the front door open as she peered warily into the store. She stepped inside when she saw Keeley at the front counter.
Keeley set aside the stack of invoices in front of her and smiled. “How are you today, Millie?”
Millie craned her wattled neck, searching out the corners of the store before coming all the way in. “Is that...that cowboy working here?”
Keeley rolled her eyes. “As of yesterday morning, yes. He’ll be here for just a few weeks. Can I help you?”
Millie leaned across the counter and lowered her voice. “Do you think that’s a good idea, dear? I mean, what do you know about a stranger like that?”
“Enough. Is there something worrying you?”
“Well, I...I...” She lifted her chin, determination glinting in her faded blue eyes. “I was down at the coffee shop this morning, and Deputy Hansmann was there having breakfast. I overheard him telling another deputy that this new employee of yours is a troublemaker. I just wanted to make sure you knew about it. You can’t trust anyone these days. Especially some stranger who just waltzes into town all sneaky-like, ready to take advantage of some gullib—uh...innocent woman.”
A sneaky waltzer? The words conjured up a strange image and Keeley bit back a laugh. The woman could say more without taking a breath than anyone she’d ever met, but she didn’t always make sense.
“I checked out Connor thoroughly and I believe he’s a good, honest man. There may be a little gossip in town, but I’m just thankful that you’d never be a part of that, right?”
Flustered now, the older woman bobbed her head and backed away from the counter. “Oh, no. Of course not.”
Keeley nodded her approval. “I’m so glad people like you still have class. So, are you all set for the Antique Walk next weekend?”
“Um...yes. I hope so.”
“I’m sure you’ll draw a lot of business. You’ve done a wonderful job with your window display—very colorful.” Keeley smiled. “Looking at all of those beautiful yarns makes me wish I knew how to knit.”
“Thank you.” Millie darted another uneasy glance around the shop, her brow furrowed, as if expecting to see Hannibal Lecter ready to pounce. “I— Well, I’d better be on my way.”
Millie hurried out the door and crossed Main diagonally toward her own store. Keeley watched her unlock the 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
Connor 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 them into sets and tapped the pages into a neat pile.
The time on the internet had been invaluable and nothing he could have taken care of out at the park. That Keeley had trusted him with her computer was yet another favor that he was thankful for. How could he ever repay her for all she’d done?
“Can I interrupt?” Keeley appeared at the doorway with a mug of coffee and a plate of frosted sugar cookies. “You probably need a boost after wading through all of that information.”
He eyed the pastel cookies and inhaled the light, lemony scent. “I feel guilty spending this time for my own purposes and being plied with food, to boot. You’ll be taking these hours off my paycheck, I hope.”
She waved away his concern. “Not an issue. You were here, and that let me run over to check on Dad twice without needing to lock up. That’s value enough for me. Did you discover anything good?”
“I wasn’t sure if Marsha had a right to take Joshua from Montana to Michigan without notifying me. There have been varied legal opinions on this, but apparently, as the sole custodial parent, she did have that right. Especially if she were to claim that the move was in his best interests.”
“And do you think it was?”
He shrugged. “She—or her lawyer—could claim that her move to a more urban setting in Detroit meant better schools than a small town in Montana, and closer proximity to good medical and dental care. That wasn’t her intent, because I hear she was really just following a new boyfriend, but a lawyer could give it a good spin.”
“What about your visitation rights? Can she prevent you from seeing him?”
“She has both legal and physical custody, which I didn’t contest when I thought I’d be locked away for life. I want to pursue shared custody again. But no matter what, I still have a right to see Josh—unless a court terminates my parental rights altogether.”
“She wouldn’t try to have that done, would she?”
“I doubt she has the money, but I wouldn’t put it past her to try.” He took a long swallow of coffee. “That would involve proving abuse, which she could never prove. Or having me deemed unfit—and prison time might cover that one.”
“Oh, Connor. That’s awful. Even though you were exonerated?”
“It shouldn’t, but that’s a question I’ll have for your sister.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Guess I’d better make that call.”
“Use the desk phone so you won’t use up your cell minutes. Liza is number three on the speed-dial keypad. While you two talk, I’m going back up front to work on my window display.”
Connor rubbed the back of his neck as he studied the list of questions he’d compiled for Keeley’s sister. Doubt gnawed at his stomach.
Marsha could be kind and loving on a good day, but she could also be manipulative and difficult, and had often complained about the constraints of parenthood. Would she fight him on this?
Given her attitude during their last phone conversation, that answer was a definite yes—but whether it was out of spite, revenge or true love for Joshua, he couldn’t say.
Liza answered on the second ring. “So, this is Keeley’s cowboy? I see from the caller ID you’re at the store.”
“Right.”
“You do know that I’m a tax lawyer and not in family law, correct? I can only provide my opinion, but you need the right kind of counsel when you actually do proceed.”
“Understood.”
“And since your ex is in Michigan, you should have an attorney who works there. Laws vary from state to state, as do the interpretations of those laws...and all that can shift in a given year. So you need someone who is sharp and who keeps up to date.”
“Figured that, too.”
She gave a short, humorless laugh. “From what I’ve heard plus that Texas accent, you must be one of those laconic loner types. Tell me, cowboy, is my sister safe with you there? Did you tell her the whole truth about your past?”
“Yes, ma’am. And she checked it out at the sheriff’s office. Someone named Lorraine looked it all up.”
“Lorraine, okay. If you’d told me Todd did the research, I’d have my doubts. So, fire away. What do you want to know?”
“What are the chances that I can get custody?”
“I just talked to a friend who practices family law here in Minneapolis and gave her the basics. First of all—even though you were exonerated—five years in prison is still a strike against you.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“Second, the boy has been with his mother for five years, so the courts would hesitate to take him away from her. Unless there’s documented abuse or neglect, your chances for full custody are slim.”
“Partial custody?”
“You’d have a better chance of that.”
Liza fell silent for a moment. “If you do get shared custody, record every time she doesn’t show up or is late...and any negative statements she makes. If she’s lackadaisical, maybe you can get full custody. And if she’s wrapped up in her social life, she might even be glad to give it to you.”
Connor looked down at his list of questions. “Would a mediator help?”
“Just a minute—my house phone is ringing. I’m going to put you on hold.”
Connor leaned back in his chair and surveyed the cluttered bulletin board above the desk. Invoices. Cryptic reminders on colorful Post-it notes. To-do lists.
But the photos—those were the best part. He leaned closer to study them. There were several dozen, at least. Grade-school photos of four kids spanning several years. With front teeth. Without. Shy smiles, goofy smiles. Keeley’s nieces and nephews?
And then there were the family photos of various family groups by a tree at Christmas. Easter, with the little ones proudly holding colorful baskets. Summer photos at a lake. Keeley had to be the family photographer, because she was in so few of them, but there was one that caught his eye and he gently lifted off the thumbtack to see it better.
Keeley, her blond hair gleaming in the bright sun, with her father and another man and woman beside her—her siblings, maybe—surrounded by kids and dogs.
All of them seemed so happy, so relaxed, that his breath caught.
Once again he wondered what his life would have been like if he’d found someone like Keeley, with a good heart and a kind soul, instead of falling for a buckle bunny with tight jeans
and an “I’m yours if you want me” glance.
He’d been lonely then, on the road month after month following the rodeo circuit, and in Marsha’s bold gaze he’d imagined a connection, a relationship far deeper than just an evening in a raucous honky-tonk bar.
She was one of the many mistakes he’d made—except that she’d given him a beautiful son, and that he could never regret.
Liza came back on the line. “Sorry about that. From what I found on the internet, I think a mediator in Michigan only deals with existing custody arrangements—scheduling problems and such. But you’d better double-check to make sure.”
“Do you think there’s any chance of finding pro bono services that could help with this?”
“I doubt it. A custody battle can be long, hard and costly, and an attorney’s time alone can easily reach ten or twelve grand.”
Connor sat back in his chair, speechless.
“You might find an attorney who will let you make payments, though,” she added gently. “I’m sure most parents struggle with these costs. Good luck, and God bless.”
Long after she disconnected, Connor stared at the family images on the wall, his heart aching for the photos he longed to have with Joshua at his side. Confirmation. High-school graduation. Vacations and adventures and Christmas mornings.
But ten or twelve grand?
The amount was so far beyond his reach that it might as well be a million. Yet there was no way that he was going to give up. His son deserved a better life, with a father who loved him with all his heart.
And whatever it took, Connor was going to make it happen.
Chapter Nine
Stepping into the warm glow of Beth’s Bookstore early on Monday mornings, with its soft classical music and wonderful scents of books, bakery goods and coffee, invariably made Keeley feel deeply content. Today, with fog and light drizzle, the cozy atmosphere inside was as comforting as a warm hug.
She hoped she felt as good when she finished this morning’s mission.
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