“I was afraid I’d get arrested for beating up minors.”

“Could have happened. But the possible consequences to you became a moot point. You saved that girl from a terrible fate, Kennedy, and at no small risk to yourself. You’ve become a man I’m proud to say is my brother. A little stupid, maybe. Getting your head stitched up by a retired jockey wasn’t the smartest choice you could have made.”

“I lived through it.”

“My sock will never be the same.”

Kennedy showed Wyatt his back as he bellied up to the counter to make sandwiches for himself. When he sat at the table with all three creations stacked on a paper towel, Wyatt asked, “Why the hell don’t you ever use a plate?”

Kennedy swallowed before replying. “Because I don’t want to wash it.”

“It takes two seconds to rinse a plate and stick it in the dishwasher.”

“That’s two seconds wasted that I could spend doing something else, like studying.”

Wyatt polished off his food, stuck his plate in the dishwasher, and headed for the door, where he stopped to don his Stetson. “Lie down for a while longer and sleep. Your body needs time to heal.”

“I may study lying down.” Kennedy lifted his brows. “And just so you know, Erin’s here. I looked out the window as I got up and saw her deputy truck parked by the main house.”

Wyatt froze with his hat not yet positioned on his head. “Great. We’re working on being friends, but it was never my aim to be bosom buddies.”

“Maybe she’s not here to see you.”

Wyatt stepped out the door, thinking, Fat chance of that. But as he crossed the dooryard, which sported more dirt than sprigs of grass because of constant foot traffic, he saw no sign of Erin. He guessed that her Honda still wasn’t fixed, and he was reminded that he needed to call the Timing Light to pay for the repairs with his credit card.

Hours sped by, and it was three o’clock before Wyatt had time to notice that he still hadn’t seen Erin. The county truck was still parked out front. He doubted she was still at the main house visiting with Vickie. So where the hell was she? If they were friends now, shouldn’t she at least find him and say hello? Curiosity got the better of him and he finally went looking for her, feeling more than a little miffed. Some friend she was. Was she avoiding him now? Had he said or done something the other night to piss her off?

Without willing his feet to move, Wyatt found himself walking first one direction and then another. Why, he didn’t know. Okay, he did know, but admitting to himself that he was searching for Erin De Laney stuck in his craw. She meant trouble for him with a capital T. But he kept walking anyway, and then he saw her out in one of the cow pastures with Slade. It looked as if they were mending a section of fence. He tipped his Stetson brim lower over his eyes so the slanting sun couldn’t blind him while he enjoyed the view.