Season of Redemption

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Kellie found her tongue. “Right. Okay, put me to work, Dorrie.”

“Ryan’s your guy for directions.” Dorrie stepped down from the short ladder and whipped off her gloves to wipe her forehead. “I do what he tells me.”

Kellie’s startled gaze locked back on Ryan.

“Might as well take a break. I’ve got to get more rolls of insulation from the trailer.” Ryan tucked his gloves into the back pocket of his jeans.

Dorrie nodded and gathered her daughters close. “Come on girls, I’ve got a job for you two.”

Kellie looked around. This was the last room to be insulated. A couple of men were working on laying the floor in the dining room. And a couple of women prepped the kitchen for the dinner that would be brought in by more volunteers. Not exactly a big group. More guilt washed through her.

Ryan stepped toward her. “So, you’re Aunt Kellie. I never put the two together. I didn’t think you had any family here.”

“Just Dorrie and the girls.” Kellie had moved here because of them. And because she could complete her master’s at the regional location of Western Michigan University in Traverse City.

“Talk about a small world.”

Way too small. “What are you doing here?”

“Help me get the insulation?” He nodded toward the door.

She gestured for him to lead the way. They walked in silence through the front door outside into the crisp autumn evening. A huge builder’s trailer sat parked on the grass beside the driveway.

Ryan lifted the trailer door and jumped up to grab some kind of metal cart. “This is where I’m putting in my community service hours.”

“Ah.” Now it made sense that he didn’t want to announce that in front of the other volunteers. “Does Dorrie know?”

He leaned against the wall of the trailer. “Yeah. I figured she should because of her kids. She also happens to go to my brother’s church.”

“How long have you been doing this?”

He shrugged. “A couple weeks. The builder that oversees the project signs off on my hours for the court.”

But Dorrie made it sound like he was somehow in charge. Did he have experience in construction, too? “I thought you worked for a research center that grew cherries.”

“And some other fruits, yeah. So?”

“You looked like you knew what you’re doing in there.”

He smiled. “It’s not rocket science. I finished up my own home project this summer. I know my way around the basics.”

“Oh.” Like he knew engines. Ryan Marsh was a pretty handy guy.

Clearly, Dorrie needed his expertise, and Kellie couldn’t argue with Ryan’s choice of community service. But something swished deep inside her gut like an unpleasant stirring of her defenses. Would Dorrie depend on Ryan for more than his construction help?

Kellie wouldn’t blame her if she did. The woman shouldered so much on her own, and Kellie knew Hannah’s accident had taken a heavy toll. Still, Kellie didn’t like where her brain had gone. She didn’t like the thought of Dorrie and Ryan together. But Kellie had no claim on Ryan. She couldn’t have.