“You’re impossible sometimes.”

“Ditto right back at you. I hope you’ll think about what I’ve said, though.”

She pushed the pizza box toward him. “Eat the rest of your pizza. I prefer healthier fare.”

“Meaning that you’re still dieting.”

“Nobody on Slade’s ranch watches what they eat.” She met his gaze. “I don’t always like what you have to say, Jonas, but I do always think about it, and most of the time, I try to follow your advice.”

“I know,” he said, his voice pitched low. “And I’ll be here whenever you need to talk. But if you lose that job, let me know. I could really use a good cleaning lady.”

Erin rolled her eyes. “You’re such an a-hole sometimes. If I meet any cleaning men, I’ll steer them your way.”

As she stepped out onto the landing, Jonas fired a parting shot at her. “Men are probably better cleaners than women!”

* * *

When Erin got back to the ranch, she was hungry. Not with regular hunger, but sharp pains in her stomach that made her feel weak and nauseated. If she went to the bunkhouse to find something to eat, she’d encounter Wyatt, and she was still too angry with him to be civil. She guessed she’d just have to go to bed hungry, because she didn’t wish to see her uncle yet either. She decided to slip in the front door and hurry upstairs to her room as fast as her sore legs would carry her.

Only when Erin slipped into the main house, wonderful smells drifted to her from the kitchen. Vickie had been baking, and Erin’s nose told her that chocolate chip cookies were the treat of the day. She stood on the entryway rug and listened. She heard no one stirring downstairs and determined that Vickie and Slade were probably in their new master suite, watching something on television. She crept from the entryway and made it to the kitchen without making a sound. Then she flipped on a light. She nearly moaned when she spotted at least four dozen of her favorite cookies laid out on sheets of waxed paper.

Erin was about to load up her pockets when her uncle entered the room and startled her by saying, “I’m glad you didn’t run straight upstairs. I need to talk to you.”

She turned to face him. “About what?”

“I know you’re pissed at me.”

Erin shook her head. “No. I’m not angry, only hurt. I guess I thought blood was thicker than water.”

“Blood is thicker than water, honey. It’s just that life can interfere with those bonds sometimes. Let me remind you that while performing your job as a deputy, you didn’t hesitate to place me under arrest, slap handcuffs on me as you read me my rights, and stuff me into a cop car.”

Erin flinched, feeling as if he’d slapped her. “Having to arrest you was part of what led me to realize I was working in the wrong field.”