Julie got back into a comfortable reclining position. “I’m nervous about it.” She waved her hand as if to clear the air. “And I didn’t come over here to talk about my issues. We need to stay focused on yours. The way I see it, Erin, you’ve come a long way since you moved to Mystic Creek. You’ve broken so many bad habits that were drilled into you by your dad. I truly believe it’s the deputy uniform that’s preventing the single guys in town from asking you out.”

“Okay, I have to confess. I’ve looked into returning to college, and I found out that Crystal Falls University offers a degree in speech pathology.”

“Oh, Erin, that’s fabulous!”

Erin shook her head. “I’m pretty sure I can stay with Uncle Slade and Aunt Vickie while I do my coursework. Brody and Marissa’s new home on the ranch is almost turnkey now, and they’ll be moving into it soon, leaving Uncle Slade and Vickie with plenty of spare rooms in the main house. Only there would be so many hoops for me to jump through. I already have my bachelor’s degree, but I’ll need my master’s as well in communication disorders and sciences, and then I’ll probably have to do an internship and other stuff to get my license to practice. And once I do, I may have to travel in order to work unless I luck out and find a position in a clinic, which most likely wouldn’t be in Mystic Creek. And I’ve come to love it here. I really don’t know how I feel about living somewhere else. Maybe, if I had a partner I adored, and he needed to live elsewhere. But to take off and try to put down roots in a strange place all by myself, and leave everyone here that I love? It all just seems overwhelming.”

“I don’t like the thought of you leaving here, either,” Julie admitted. “But I also want you to be happy, and you aren’t in your present profession.”

Erin released a weary sigh. “I know, and thanks for understanding how I feel. A whole lot of people will think I’m nuts for wanting to leave the job I have now. I just feel—I don’t know how to explain it, Julie—trapped, I guess. So I know I need to make a change.”

Julie got tears in her eyes. “It’s hard for me to think of you leaving. No more girls nights. No more having you walk into my shop several times a day to get coffee you never have time to drink.”

Erin reached over to touch her friend’s hand. “No matter what I decide to do, nothing is going to happen quickly. I’ll get my parents paid back over the coming winter. Then, and only then, will I feel free to pursue an education in another field. Then I’ll be doing coursework for at least two years at the university in Crystal Falls and living in Mystic Creek during that time. I’ll be so tight on money that I’ll be visiting the Morning Grind every day to eat your stale pastry.”