Vern helped with the construction of the ranch quarters, fixed anything that needed repairing around the house, and with the Ranney brothers’ tutoring was learning quickly how to care for the sheep that Joe had already purchased. Things were clicking right along when Mike announced it was time for him to move on again. The adjacent land had been acquired for a reasonable price and the loan had a very low rate of interest, thanks to the local bank president.
Mike had finished loading his motorcycle down with what he had learned he could get by with on the road. Doc was standing by the motorcycle as Mike climbed on.
“Wish you’d stay on, Mike,” Doc said and continued, “at least for another month or so. We have some new candidates coming next month and more to be screened.”
“That’s not my end of it, Doc. You and Joe can take care of that. I put the word out with my contacts and they have supplied the first candidates. More will come along as the word spreads and I wouldn’t be any help in picking the right ones. I was just lucky with Jimmy.”
“Call it luck if you want, but I know better,” Doc answered.
“I know, Doc, you always figure it that way. Me, I’m not so sure, but it’s time I was gone. East is where I belong now.”
“You’re certain of that?”
“No more than usual. I just feel something is out there and I won’t know what until I get there. Maybe I’ll just have a nice cool spring ride, wouldn’t be the first. I’ll be back, Doc. I’m like a bad penny, I keep turning up,” he ended with a smile, gave Doc the familiar thumbs up, and punched the starter button on his motorcycle. When it roared to life he spun the handlebars around and headed down the driveway to the hard road. East, he thought.
The End
To find other titles by Robert James Allison, visit his website at:
www.robertjamesallison.com
Robert James Allison is an attorney who practiced law in Central Illinois for over 25 years. He has since retired from the private practice of law and moved to Louisville, KY. In the 1970s he served in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman and later was a Captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corp, Army National Guard. Robert draws on his life experiences in his writing and melds his experiences with his characters to give them a realism that draws the reader into their lives.
Full-length novels by Robert James Allison:
The First Suitor - a romantic suspense
Failed Succession (The First Suitor sequel) - a political thriller
Legal Nightmare - a legal thriller
Scholarly Pursuit - a romantic action adventure
Matters of Faith-a mystery
Fairway Fatality-a murder mystery
The Preacher-a murder mystery
Solitaire’s War (book one) -an espionage adventure
The Path to the Outside (book two) -an espionage adventure
In Search of Evil (book three) - an espionage adventure
Short stories:
A Story for Eloise - inspirational
The Vern Stephens Operation - inspirational
Small Town Doctor - inspirational
Jimmy's Zoo Page 6