Julie took a bracing sip of her coffee and plucked a napkin from the holder to blot her upper lip. “I do get it. I’m just saying that you must have a ranch in order to be a rancher, and as it stands, you don’t. Are you honestly thinking about talking your mom into reinstating herself as half owner of the Wilder Ranch? Are you prepared to mess up your uncle’s life after he’s worked that place all alone for half a century? And what about Brody? He’s got three boys who stand to inherit the place from him. What happens if you take half of the pie away from him?”

Erin slumped lower on the chair, but her posture was no longer relaxed. “You’re right. I can’t do that to Uncle Slade or Brody, and I sure don’t have the money to buy my own place.”

Julie felt awful for playing devil’s advocate. “There’s a bright spot. You’ll always be welcome out there. No matter what you decide to do professionally, you can go home whenever you want.”

Erin closed her eyes. Then she shoved up the bill of her cap and sat up straight. “I don’t really need to own a place. People still go into ranching. Look at Wyatt, Tex, and Kennedy. They have no financial interest in the Wilder Ranch, but they still work there for fairly good wages, plus room and board.”

“I suppose you could join them. I’m sure your uncle would give you a job. But do you really want to go into a new profession riding on his sense of familial obligation?”

Erin slumped again. “No, of course not. I’m such a rookie that he’d have to teach me everything from the ground up, and I’m sure there’s a lot to learn. But there are other ranches that need hired hands. Maybe right around Mystic Creek. I could apply for jobs on my own merit and possibly land a position.”

“Yes, you could do that,” Julie conceded. “But I think you’d be wise to consider all the angles first. Maybe spend more time actually working on a ranch. Visit your uncle a lot. Get out there and grub around. This could be a life-altering decision, and you should be certain it’s really right for you.”

“I truly think it may be what I was meant to do,” Erin said softly.

Studying her friend’s dirt-smudged face, Julie felt concerned. She thought about just keeping her mouth shut, but she and Erin had bypassed the need to be cautious in their relationship. “It seems to me that your discontentment with your job must be weighing heavily on your mind for you to come up with this idea. Hiring on as a ranch hand? It came out of the blue.”

Erin smiled and shook her head. “Come on, Julie. Not looking at my options and following my heart is what landed me in this mess. I understand your concern, though. I haven’t been out at the ranch enough yet to say for sure, but I think I might really enjoy the lifestyle. It would upset my parents, of course, but when I leave law enforcement, they’ll be furious no matter what.”