“What’s up?” She studied Erin’s expression. “First, you look worn out. But you also look happier and more relaxed than I’ve seen you in a while.”

“I am happy and relaxed.” Erin took a sip of her coffee and came away with a white mustache, which she squeegeed away with a sideways sweep of her tongue. “Yum. Just what the doctor ordered.” She sighed, slumped on the chair, and spread her denim-clad legs in an unladylike manner. “I switched shifts with Serena to give her Sunday off. Kind of unexpected, so I had free time and went out to see Uncle Slade right after I grabbed lunch. He was fixing a section of fence, and I got to help.”

Julie sensed something afoot. “And?”

Erin’s blue eyes sparkled. “I had the best time. Working out in the field with him was incredible, Julie. I honestly think I could skip college and just do that for a living.”

“You want to become a fence fixer?”

“No, ranching. I think I might love being a rancher.”

A career in fence repair had sounded bad, but in Julie’s estimation, ranching was even worse. “How long has it been since you had a counseling session with Jonas? He’d be a better sounding board.”

Erin wrinkled her nose. “Are you hearing me? I see Jonas because I’m unhappy! Today I’m not unhappy. I’m actually excited for the first time in more years than I want to count. I loved being out there, Jules! It’s like a different world, maybe my world. The elusive something I’ve been searching for practically all my life and could never find because I looked in all the wrong places.”

Julie’s heart squeezed. She’d known Erin for a year now, and she’d never seen her face glow with such enthusiasm. “You honestly think you’ve missed your calling to be a rancher?”

Erin leaned forward over her mug. “There are no rules out there. I don’t need to worry about how I walk or how I talk or how I’m dressed. It’s like—hell, I don’t know—like I’ve been lost all my life, searching for home, and it was right under my nose the whole time. I feel as if I belong there.”

Julie didn’t wish to burst Erin’s bubble, but she was in business for herself and had some experience. “I’m not dissing the idea, Erin. Please don’t think that. But it isn’t that simple. You can’t just decide you want to be a rancher and become one. You need a piece of land. And buildings—the horse and cow kinds. And fences. Do you know how much that would cost?”

“My mom turned her back on her heritage,” Erin retorted. “And by doing that, she denied me mine. I’m a Wilder. I have as much right to a share of that ranch as my cousin Brody does! And that was how it felt today, like I’d gone home. It was so fricking liberating to be out there, pitting my strength against the earth. You just don’t get it.”