Mint Juleps and Justice Read Online Free PDF Page B

routine between his new business, spending time on Kasey Phillips’s property, and starting to renew friendships and family ties. Mornings on the farm had given him a reason to look forward to waking up. First of all it was quiet. No one asking a million questions, and no crowds. And there was a lot to do. Staying busy appealed to him and taking care of the goats had turned out to be a fun chore. Even though the local 4-H'ers showed up to do it on most days, he’d taken a liking to coming over to check on the property as part of his morning routine. Riding the Polaris along the fence line to check things out while he drank a tall mug of coffee from Mac’s Bakery was a nice way to start each day.
    He’d even kept up the small garden in the backyard, something he couldn’t do in his place on Main Street. It was still early in the season, but he’d already harvested some broccoli from Kasey’s well-established plants. At least her attention to the plants was yielding him the luxury of fresh veggies even if she wasn’t around to enjoy them. If nothing else grew, he was enjoying having his hands in the dirt. Being busy had been good medicine as he continued to transition back to civilian life. There was no doubt in his mind that he was spending more time here than Kasey had ever expected him to, but the extra workload had brought a balance to his life that he hadn’t realized was missing. For the first time in a very long time he was feeling more like his old self.
    After securing the barn and locking up the place, he headed back to town. He pulled around to the back of the old bank building that housed the Buckham and Baxter law offices, where he’d rented out the second apartment on the second floor. Carolanne Baxter had lived there until her house was built in the new neighborhood over by the artisan center, the same place where he was having his house built.
    Mike punched the code into the back door and collected his mail from the partitioned mail slots just inside the huge doors. He flipped through the stack of envelopes as he headed upstairs. As Mike opened the door, Hunter pranced from foot to foot in his kennel. One ear still tended to flop when he got excited, but he was a pretty dog. Mike dropped the mail on the desk and opened the kennel. Hunter raced out and circled the office, then sat in front of Mike waiting for attention. Mike nuzzled the dog and grabbed the leash.
    It had taken a few weeks for Hunter to get the hang of the steps, but now he trotted down them at a safe and steady pace, not breaking into a jog until Mike gave him the signal when they hit the jogging path in the park.
    Training Hunter healed Mike a little every day. He could feel it, and he couldn’t wait until they could move into the house and Hunter could run the yard on his own free will.
    Garrett Malloy had broken ground on the house of Mike’s dreams months ago but it would still be a while before he and his German shepherd puppy could move in. Until the house was finished, the apartment in town was perfectly suited as his office and living space.
    Mike had been at the right place at the right time that day he’d run into Connor. Carolanne had just moved out and Connor Buckham hadn’t even decided what he was going to do with her apartment, or his now that they were living in her house together. When Mike told him he was looking for an office space that could double as an apartment until the house was done, Connor had liked the idea of renting to him.
    It had turned out to be a good fit, since the two lawyers had already thrown some work his way. He’d remodeled the space to include an office in the front portion and then a separate door to the living quarters that he could later turn into storage or a second office.
    After a good run in the park, and time for Hunter to explore, they headed back to the apartment. Mike fed Hunter and poured a glass of tea for himself.
    He walked to the window. The view from up here gave him a clear