She showered and put on a pair of clean sweatpants and a T-shirt to sleep in. Then she lay in bed with her face pressed into her pillow and started to cry. For so many years, she’d never allowed herself to shed tears. It was weak, according to her dad. Only lately she couldn’t seem to govern her emotions. She felt like a confused, frustrated, and heartbroken child again, wishing she could make her parents love her and not knowing how.

* * *

Erin awakened to the bluish light of predawn and swung out of bed to stand at the window and look at the ranch. At this hour, the green fields appeared almost black, and mist wreathed the trees on the mountains, creating what looked like a magical world of lakes and islands. She remembered how peaceful and centered she’d felt after working on fences with Uncle Slade. She’d lost that sense of belonging now and knew she would feel edgy the moment she left the house. Wyatt was right. She truly had turned this job into a race and a constant test of her abilities. She was an emotional mess, and talking with Jonas last night hadn’t helped her determine how she could get her head on straight. The need within her to measure up was compulsive, and she couldn’t seem to slap a lid on it.

Even worse, her presence here was causing problems for Uncle Slade. Oh, he’d meant it when he said she was welcome in his home. She didn’t doubt for a second that he loved her. But that didn’t mean she fit seamlessly into the pattern of his life. For his sake, she needed to leave. She should just pack up her personal things, get them into her car, and then say goodbye to her aunt and uncle in such a way that they wouldn’t feel terrible as she drove away.

It wasn’t an easy decision for Erin to make. She had no idea how she was going to pay her bills, and she was frightened. But no matter how she looked at it, she was causing trouble for the people she loved. Uncle Slade and Vickie were still newlyweds, and this should be the happiest time of their life. By coming here to work, she was ruining that for them. Last night, Uncle Slade must have been sitting in the darkened living room, waiting for her to get home. That meant he hadn’t been in the master suite, watching television with his wife. He hadn’t been doing anything with her at all.

And Erin knew she was the reason for that. She’d already left one job. Doing it again shouldn’t be so hard.

Chapter Fourteen

After doing his early-morning check on the horses, Wyatt saw Erin loading stuff into the back of her car as he left the barn. His heart felt as if it took a nosedive to the toes of his boots. He hadn’t handled his talk with her well yesterday. He’d tried to be a good foreman, being cut-and-dried about his complaints, but in doing that, he’d forgotten the most important thing: to also be her friend.