You keep it for your kids.”

Jeff followed her up the gravel path with his hands shoved deep in his denim jacket pockets, looking down at his work boots while he scratched his collarbone.

“I wouldn’t have taken that check for the subdivision house down payment if I’d known,” Jeff said, his slow speech stumbling over the sentence.

“I thought it was just extra money left over from the farm machinery sale.”

Nate looked at his sister and brother standing on the lower step, his ears still glowing red in the porch light.