Read Online Justice for Laine (Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Book 4) by Susan Stoker - Free Book Online Page A

that when the guesthouse square footage was added in, it would easily top six thousand in living space.
    It had been on the market for a couple of years, and the daughter was desperate to sell it. The woman had contacted her, wanting to switch to a different realty company, to see if that would breathe new life into the listing and hopefully to sell it.
    Laine leaned into her car and grabbed her ever-present boots, remembering how she’d worn them the first time she’d been out to Wes’s ranch. The memory made her smile as she tugged off her sandals and put on the socks and boots. She wanted to walk around the entire grounds to get a feel for it personally. She’d found the best way to represent a property someone wanted to sell was to find out all about it . . . pros and cons. If she was upfront with a potential buyer, or another realtor, it went a long way toward fostering trust that she wasn’t trying to gouge someone or pull the wool over their eyes.
    Appropriate footwear on, Laine headed out. She knew she probably looked silly, but no one would see her in her skirt, lacy top, and comfortable old boots. She normally wouldn’t wear a skirt while touring a property, but she’d had lunch with new clients earlier, and had wanted to look professional.
    She slowly circled the house, looking at the foundation, seeing if she noticed signs of termites or other critters, and even checked the wood in places to see if it had rotted away in the heat of the sun and the harsh Texas weather conditions.
    As she rounded the side of the house, pleased so far with what she’d seen, Laine stopped dead in her tracks. Sitting in front of the large porch was the ugliest dog she’d ever seen. No, ugly wasn’t fair . . . pathetic was a better description.
    It had been a long time since the dog had seen any kind of gentle care. Her fur was filthy. It looked like some sort of pit bull mix. She was obviously female, as her teats hung low, as if she had puppies somewhere who relied on their mother for nourishment. As Laine took a step toward her, the dog’s tail tucked between her legs and she backed up.
    “Oh, you poor thing. I’m not gonna hurt you. Do you have babies somewhere? I don’t blame you for being wary of me. Come here, baby.” Laine knelt down in the dirt and held out her hand, trying to coax the dog to her.
    When it was obvious the dog wasn’t going to come near her, Laine said out loud, more to herself than the dog, “You look hungry. I bet I have something in my car that you’d like.”
    She stood up and the dog made a break for the barn at her sudden movement, keeping well out of her way.
    Laine’s heart broke. She wanted to hold the dog and reassure her that she’d never hurt her, but the dog wasn’t going to let her get anywhere close.
    The house forgotten for a moment, Laine opened her passenger-side door to see what she could scrounge up from her purse. Thankful that she always carried some sort of snack, Laine triumphantly pulled out a granola bar. Luckily, it had no chocolate in it, so the dog could safely eat it. It was some sort of protein thing, which tasted like shit, but Laine didn’t think the dog would care. She peeled off the wrapper and dropped it onto her purse to throw away later before she shut the door.
    Looking over at the barn, Laine saw the dog peering at her from the broken door. She walked slowly toward the barn, stopping when she was halfway there, figuring any farther would be pushing her luck. She broke the granola bar into pieces and placed them on the ground, knowing the poor dog wouldn’t care about a little dirt on the snack.
    “There ya go. See? It’s just food. I’m sure you’re hungry. You look hungry to me. I know it tastes horrible, but you need the fuel. Think of your puppies. They need you to stay healthy, I’m sure.” She stepped back slowly, not taking her eyes off the dog. “Go on, it’s safe. Promise. I’ll stay out of your way while you check it out. It’s all