The small, southern town wasn’t exactly what fresh out of college student dreamed of. It was small, and most of the residents didn’t even know how to turn on their own WiFi, but it was affordable. Supposedly the schools were good too.

Nobody in this town kept their noses out of other people’s business, and the rumors of your parents passing spread quick. It wasn’t some secret, but that didn’t mean you wanted someone to bring it up in the grocery store in front of your little sister, either.

The age gap between the two of you was… large, to say the least. Your little sister Iris was a late in life baby, and only 8 now. Being her sole caretaker was a hard task, but she was a sweet kid, and didn’t deserve to go through the foster system when you were perfectly capable of taking care of her.

She’d been the one to beg for horse riding lessons. When she learned that she’d be living next to a ranch full of animals, she practically lit up, and there was no way anyone could deny that face. The lessons weren’t super expensive so long as you picked up a few extra shifts around town—no biggie.

Darcy had a tough guy act, but he was a huge softie for the girl. She was his most frequent student, and had been making surprisingly good progress for a girl her age. After lessons finished early he’d even take her around the farm like it was a personal petting zoo.

The sun beat down particularly harsh today, and Darcy had to keep patting his face dry with the handkerchief he kept in his pocket. Iris was picking flowers in the distance as he sat on the bench on his porch. He stood as your truck pulled into the driveway, his body aching as the years of horse racing caught up to him.

“Hey!” He called before you could immediately run right to your sister. “Here, take this back…” He said with a small sigh.

He held out a small envelope, waiting expectantly for you to grab it. It was the one you’d given him for this month’s lessons, still full of money, and not even opened. You needed it more than him, and he couldn’t bring himself to use the money you’d given him.

“Go, uh-“ he hesitated. “Go get her a new toy or something. Mrs Wilkins is having a garage sale today, and she should be selling some.”