“Which is exactly why you’re the perfect person to turn that horse around. After watching her with you, I think she knows you understand how she feels.”

Erin hadn’t intended to draw a parallel between herself and the horse, and it startled her for a moment to realize that her uncle had. Only when she really thought about it, she guessed anyone who knew the real Erin De Laney would see the similarities. Until this moment, she’d never considered her father to be abusive, but suddenly, as if a light bulb came on in her brain, she realized he had been in both emotional and physical ways. Being unable to lift her own body weight had not been a crime. It had been a limitation she hadn’t yet overcome, and her father had punished her in a cruel way for failing to measure up to his expectations.

Erin had finally mastered chin-ups, just as she’d learned to do everything else her dad had expected of her. And deep within her, she burned with anger now because she’d never been rewarded for any of those accomplishments with another kitten.

After saying goodnight to her uncle, Erin returned to the paddock where Violet stood watching her. The horse made the rumbling sounds again, which made Erin smile. “So you’re talking to me. I don’t know if I can make those same sounds back to you, sweet girl.”

But Erin tried, and Violet reciprocated by grunting more enthusiastically. After hopping over the fence, Erin moved in on the horse, confident now that the mare had “hooked on” with her, as Wyatt called it. Erin no longer needed to sit motionless under the tree in order to touch the mare on her neck and shoulder. Violet still didn’t want her head touched, but Erin planned to keep working with her on that. Someday Violet would be the best horse on the ranch.

* * *

The following morning, Erin still didn’t unpack her car, but opening the trunk to dig around for clothing was starting to feel foolish. Looking at it rationally, Erin knew she’d spent several “last days” on the ranch now, and each one had ended only to become another last day the next morning.

After grabbing a quick shower, Erin filched one of Vickie’s cinnamon rolls and ate it as she walked across the ranch common to find Wyatt and ask him what her assignment was for the day. Domino became her canine escort, regal in his carriage as he pranced along in front of her. He led Erin to the office, a small enclosure within the horse barn where Wyatt did paperwork.

When she stepped into the office, he sat with his head bent over paperwork. Erin stood there for a moment, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence, but when he didn’t, she realized she had sneaked up on him again. She leaned forward to place her hand on the desk blotter, and he jumped.

“Damn it, Erin. You did it again.”