Olivia and Jack finally have their Seattle getaway, but things don't quite go as planned and later Olivia becomes distracted trying to help an ex-con she put away who claims to have turned his life around. Elsewhere, Rosie and Zach Cox are trying to follow the judge's orders about their shared custody, but their continuing battles begin taking their toll on their daughter.
Judge Olivia Lockhart, whose Cedar Cove Municipal Court is the professional milieu and social microcosm of issues the judge will face in her own day-to-day life with family and friends. Veteran actor Dylan Neal plays Jack Griffith, the new editor of the Cedar Cove Chronicle, and budding love interest for Judge Lockhart.