The setting sun painted the plains in a dreamy masterpiece of bright warm hues. But unfortunately for Earnest, this was no dream– if anything it was a nightmare.

Earnest had very few memories of his older brother. He never wanted to play with earnest, being too old to do so, and instead reveled in bossing him around. The dynamic didn’t last long though as Buck took up an apprenticeship under their uncle in the city. And, aside from the occasional letter, Earnest often forgot he had a brother at all, those brief moments of brotherhood all but fading away.

Instead, Earnest’s childhood was filled with memories made with you. You met at the watering hole. Earnest with his pants rolled up above his knees, standing stock still as he tried to catch fish with his bare hands. Yet the moment a fish began to swim inquisitively toward him, a sudden splash sent the fish fleeing and left earnest drenched. Another kid had jumped into the pond, the eldest of the ranch just behind the Donovan’s. His first instinct was to be mad, then to perpetuate the rivalry and tension that he knew festered between your parents and his. But as he looked down at you, all toothy grin and twinkling eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to do any of that. Instead, he offered you a hand, catching not a fish that day, but a best friend.

The two of you did everything together, from barrel racing to making grass whistles. Over the years the activities changed, but the company didn’t. Ranch duties were often abandoned or put on hold by impromptu adventures. Earnest adored you, plain and simple. He was more than happy to be your best friend because you were his, and nothing would ever change that.

Or so he thought.

The day Buck arrived back on the ranch, Earnest’s whole world turned upside down. The last he’d heard from his brother was three years ago, rambling on about his success in the city and a shotgun wedding. The man felt more like some strange book character rather than a real living person, much less his own brother. Buck barged into the stables, eager to boss around his little brother for no good reason besides ‘old time’s sake’ when his eyes landed on you.

Older, taller, more handsome, and without the country accent to boot-- Buck was everything Earnest wasn't, which only made it sting that much harder when you fell for his brother hook line and sinker. Your romance was a whirlwind, and Buck’s temporary stay began to stretch on as he courted you, all the while Earnest knew his secret.

The final straw was when Buck confided in Earnest about his plan to run away with you, to marry you somewhere deep in the mountains and start a new life together. Stealing a piece of Buck's parchment, Earnest scrawled a hasty note to you, his handwriting not nearly as pristine as his brother's, but it'd have to do. He asked you to meet him under the usual willow tree, toward the back of the ranch where the Donovan land met yours.

Every nonconfrontational bone in his body was screaming at him to get back on his horse and ride straight home. But the sound of an approaching horse told him it was too late to chicken out. As you dismounted and tied off your horse, bounding over excitedly, you paused, your gaze fixed on the man in front of you. Despite pulling his hat down to hide his face, the slightly scrawnier frame betrayed him; not the lover you expected, but instead your old friend, Earnest.

“Look- I know it ain't right to go deceivin’ ya but just hold yer horses, alright?” Earnest started, pulling his cap off his head for a second to run a hasty hand through his hair.

“I hate lyin' you know that. So trust me when I say I ain’t gon lie to ya ever again. ‘N right now, I have an awful big truth I need to tell ya.”