“I need to speak with you about Erin.”

Slade gave him a sharp look and then returned his attention to the leather. “I’m listening.”

Wyatt told him of his concerns. Slade seemed to be mulling it over, and Wyatt half expected him to lose his temper. Complaining to one’s boss about a dearly loved relative in his employ wasn’t the smartest move Wyatt had ever made.

Finally, Slade said, “You’re the foreman. If Erin is taking foolish risks, she’s a liability. You need to get her straightened out or let her go. Just because she’s my niece doesn’t make her so special she can’t be fired.”

“I’d prefer not to let her go,” Wyatt said. “I just can’t get her to listen to me.”

Slade nodded. “Vickie has mentioned that, too. She thinks Erin has been emotionally messed up by her father. That she can’t accept being bested by a man. That’s crazy thinking.”

Wyatt ran a hand over his face. “I’ll try talking to her one more time, boss.”

“Just remember this,” Slade said. “I keep no hired hand on the payroll who foolishly puts himself at risk of physical injury. I understand that people will do some dangerous stuff in emergency situations, and I do let that slide, but a person who screws up several times a day is out the door. It doesn’t matter to me if the transgressor is a stranger or a relative. This ranch is a business, and I treat it as such. That’s been my policy for years, and I’m not going to change it for Erin. I’ll still love her. She’ll still be welcome to stay with us at the main house until she gets back on her feet. But I won’t keep her on the payroll if she puts this ranch at risk. For one, if she gets badly hurt, my insurance rates will shoot through the ceiling. For another, I wouldn’t put it past her father to sue me.”

“I had her sign a waiver, just like everyone else.”

“Might not matter to him. Talk with Erin. Lay down the law to her. Handle it however you would with any other employee.”

* * *

Wyatt was deep in thought as he left the horse barn and ran into Kennedy, who barreled through the doorway as if his tail were on fire.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you, even in here. Tex told me Slade is in the tack room, so I was going to see if he knew where you were.”

“Well, you’ve found me. Is something wrong?”

“Jen’s dad just called. They finally got her blood pressure back up to normal, and yesterday they were able to do surgery on her arm. I guess they had to bolt her wrist back together.”

“Ouch,” Wyatt said. “I’m glad to hear she’s doing better, though.”

“Yeah, me, too,” Kennedy agreed. “I’d really like to go see her, Wyatt. Her dad says she’s been asking for me.”

Things were ramping up on the ranch. Two of the cows had dropped their calves that morning, and Wyatt fully expected more to follow. In his years of working with cattle, he’d come to believe that one cow giving birth somehow got all the other cows in the mood for birthing. He knew it made no sense and wasn’t a proven fact, but it sure seemed that way to him. It wasn’t a good time for Kennedy to leave him shorthanded.