“I’m sorry. Your pizza is going to get cold,” she told him. A box bearing the Straw Hat logo sat on the blotter in front of him. “José’s pizzas are expensive.”

“They’re also worth the money. Don’t worry about that. Just let the pressure off so we can talk. If it gets cold, I’ve got a microwave.”

Erin eventually calmed down and collected her composure. “I’m sorry. I try never to cry.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t do that. Is that another gift from your father, trying never to cry?”

“That isn’t what I’m here to talk about! My uncle told the foreman to fire me. That’s why I’m here.”

“Okay. That’s bad news.”

“It’s total bullshit. I’ve been outperforming every man on the ranch. Working even when I felt so tired I was about to drop.”

“Just relax for a moment, Erin. Have some beer. Enjoy my paintings. Try breathing in and out, slowly.”

Erin took two gulps of beer and then stared at a framed canvas over his sofa that depicted a fawn, peeking out through pine boughs. It made her think of Wyatt, who seemed to love wildlife, and that only brought fresh tears to her eyes. Then, through the blur, she saw another oil of a mountain stream lined with clusters of aspen. That made her think of the log down by the creek, where she and Wyatt always seemed to end up having unpleasant conversations.

She leaned back in the chair and faced her therapist. “Can you fix me, Jonas?”

He smiled slightly. “No. I’m sorry. But you’re not here to be fixed. You’re here to figure out how to fix yourself. Even after all that fixing, you’ll never be perfect. None of us are, so that isn’t our aim. The goal here is for you to be happy with yourself.”

She took a deep breath and released it. “I don’t know where to start. My life is such a mess right now. I turned in my badge. Just up and quit a really good job. I didn’t even give Sheriff Adams notice. That’ll look bad if he’s ever called upon to give me a reference. Quitting without warning makes me look flighty.”

“I heard that Sheriff Adams offered you vacation time to think it over and said your job would still be waiting for you when you came back.”

“It’s amazing how efficient the gossip network is in this town. Sheriff Adams did make that offer. But the whole time he was assuring me I could have the job back, I felt claustrophobic. I don’t want to go back. I’m done, Jonas. I’m not cut out for the work.”

While Jonas ate pizza, Erin ranted about her position at the ranch and how hard she had tried to do a stellar job. While chewing industriously, Jonas occasionally nodded and smiled, but sometimes he also frowned at something she’d said. Erin was accustomed to his low-key manner.

He left half of the pizza for her, settled back with his beer, and asked, “Why did you turn in your badge?”