Spring Equinox

Chapter Ten

XXX

“So when does it start?” Vinca asked, as he watched Cole. He felt slightly out of sorts, and Rainie had gone with a friend and the friend’s mother to watch the dog show.

“In about forty minutes,” Cole stated glancing over from where he was brushing Dragon’s Fire. The horse had been in the parade; Cole had ridden him while Vinca and Rainie had watched from the sidelines.

“Why do people do this again?” Vinca frowned; the idea of climbing onto a bull was something he couldn’t wrap his mind around.

“’Cause its fun,” Cole laughed before the man looked up, his eyes widening as he saw someone step up beside Vinca.

“Hello, Cole,” the man said, bringing Vinca’s attention to him. The boy’s forehead drew together as he looked over the extremely good-looking blond. He turned his attention to Cole to see the man was still staring at the blond.

“Kelly,” Cole finally blinked, his eyes dropping down before they came back up. “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, you look good,” the man grinned as he leaned against the railing.

“Huh,” Cole shook his head; he glanced at Vinca before holding up the brush as he turned to head into the barn. Vinca looked over at the man beside him, seeing Kelly’s eyes were on him.

“Aren’t you a cute little thing,” Kelly grinned at him. Vinca tilted his head slightly as he watched the man; he was trying to see what Cole had seen in him. He leaned against the railing, seeing Kelly look back out over the corral. The man suddenly took a step back. “That horse…”

“Hey, boy,” Vinca shifted slightly as Dragon’s Fire nudged him, the horse nuzzling. Reaching up, he let his arm curve under the animal’s head.

“He likes you,” Kelly observed.

“He’s a good horse,” Vinca shrugged moving to lay his head against the horse’s.

“Vinca!” Rainie yelled barreling towards him; the little girl threw herself into his arms, laughter bubbling up from her. “You should have seen the dogs; it was so cool!”

“I’ll bet it was,” Vinca grinned, seeing Rainie reach up to scratch Dragon’s Fire forehead since she could reaching while he held her.

“Thanks for letting her come with,” the mother said as she waved. Vinca waved back before he turned to see Kelly was staring at Rainie.

“Where’s Pa?” Rainie finally asked looking around.

“He’s in the barn; he’ll be right back,” Vinca glanced behind him, seeing Cole was in the doorway talking to a man. He turned back to Kelly, wishing the man would go away.

“Who’s that?” Rainie asked as the man stared at her.

“Kelly, he’s an old friend of your father’s,” Vinca watched as the little girl frowned slightly; she wrapped her arm around his neck and buried her face down by his shoulder. The girl was suddenly acting shy as she looked at the blond.

“This is my and Pa’s Vinca,” Rainie suddenly stated.

“I’ll bet,” the blond glared slightly at the little girl, and Vinca shifted. He saw Cole was speaking to Joe and Mary; he set the girl down with a smile.

“Go tell Mary about the dogs,” he pointed toward the woman, watching as Rainie took off towards her. Once Rainie had reached Mary, he turned back to Kelly. “See what you’re missing?”

“I’m not missing anything,” the man shook his head.

“You gave up a great man because he wouldn’t give up his sister’s child,” Vinca looked back at them, seeing Cole had scooped Rainie up, the man kept looking at them worriedly. “She’s a joy, smart as a whip and sweet as honey.”

“Where the hell did he find you?” Kelly shook his head, keeping his distance from the boy since Dragon’s Fire was still close. The horse kept nuzzling Vinca’s side and back.

“The barn, Dragon’s Fire’s stall,” Vinca stated honestly; he saw the man’s eyes widen.

“Vinca,” Cole came up beside them still carrying his daughter. “We should go if you still want to watch the Rodeo.”

“I do,” Vinca reached for Rainie as the girl tilted towards him. He nodded to Kelly and started towards the area where the rodeo was taking place. He saw Randy, Joe, and Mary heading towards them, but knew that Cole had stopped to speak with Kelly.

XXXXX

“You okay?” Vinca asked Cole as soon as they were seated.

“Fine,” Cole grunted; he didn’t look at the boy.

“Cole, talk to me,” Vinca glanced over to see Rainie was sitting on Randy’s lap, the little girl pointing towards the other side where bulls were kept.

“He’s an ass, hasn’t changed a bit,” Cole looked over, his eyes meeting Vinca’s.

“Does he want to come back to you?” Vinca chewed his bottom lip; he couldn’t help but see how gorgeous the man was.

“Wouldn’t matter; I don’t want him back, and no, he wanted to introduce me to his partner,” Cole shrugged reaching up to tug the boy’s lip out from between his teeth.

“Oh, good,” Vinca grinned as he leaned into Cole’s shoulder. He looked out as the bull riding started, surprised to find out that Kelly was one of the riders. He glanced over to watch Cole as the event started, seeing the man’s jaw was clinched tight.

Once the rodeo was finished, which Vinca still didn’t understand, he couldn’t figure out why anyone would want to strap himself to the back of a bucking animal just to see how long he could hang on. They walked, moving to walk the midway before going to have the dinner that Vinca had packed.

“Play this one, Pa!” Rainie cried out, a smile on her face as she bounced. Vinca had to laugh; the girl always seemed to have so much energy. He watched as Cole shot down the little metal animals, each one making a ping sound as it fell. The man won a stuffed giraffe for Rainie.

Vinca followed behind, surprised when Cole won him a stuffed animal, too. He smiled as he held it, letting one arm wrap around Rainie’s shoulders. By the time they were done, they had several stuffed animals and a half-dozen goldfish. Cole assured the boy that the fish would be fine until they could find a tank for them.

They ate the cold chicken that Vinca brought, sitting in the back of Cole’s pickup truck on a blanket. Joe, Mary, and Randy joined them, while others stopped by just to say hi. Vinca found that the man had a lot of friends, which made the boy happy. The thought of Cole out on the ranch all alone made him sad. He looked over, a smile on his face as he leaned into Cole.

“Happy?” the man asked him softly as they watched the sun.

“I am,” Vinca grinned.

“I’m glad,” Cole wrapped his arm around the boy, looking down at his daughter that was leaning against his leg. He was content, the fair was good, and Dragon’s Fire was being good. “How about that Ferris Wheel ride now?”

“Yeah!” Rainie laughed. She waited as Vinca cleaned up their meal; the boy kept looking at Cole as the man also waited. When he was done, he made his way with them back towards the rides. He kept looking up as they stood in line; he glanced back at the others.

“You’re not afraid of heights are you?” Randy asked raising an eyebrow at him.

“I um… I don’t think so,” Vinca shrugged slightly as they got up to the front of the line. It was decided that Randy and Rainie would ride with them while Joe and Mary would take the next one. Vinca sat close to Cole as the man running the ride closed the door.

“You’re okay,” Cole wrapped an arm around Vinca’s shoulders as he smiled across at his daughter. He saw that Rainie was bouncing while sitting next to Randy. He felt Vinca stiffen as the ride started to move. “You okay?”

“Fine,” Vinca muttered softly as he buried his head in Cole’s shoulder.

“Come on, baby,” Cole whispered seeing the boy look at him. He didn’t call Vinca anything other than his name except during sex. He saw Vinca grin slightly before the boy looked over at the other two across from them. Both were grinning, and Randy shook his head.

“You guys look cute together,” Randy stated grinning bigger when Vinca laughed lightly. Shaking his head, Vinca looked around a gasp coming from him as he realized how high up they were. He could also see the lights, and it was like looking down on a glittery gem.

XXXXX

Vinca lay with his head on Cole’s chest, while Rainie lay between them. They stared up at the sky, watching as fireworks exploded in the sky. Dragon’s Fire was put away, the horse trailer already attached to Cole’s truck. Vinca shifted slightly, rolling into Cole a bit more. He had to adjust Rainie, the little girl lying on them both. The fireworks continued lighting up the sky, making the people around them ooh and aah.

Once the fireworks were done, Cole picked his daughter up and carried her to the truck. Cole got the girl in, Rainie groggily sat up and scooted across to put her seatbelt on. Vinca slid in besides her, watching as Cole walked around the truck, folding the blanket. The trip home was quiet, Vinca yawning as he leaned against the window.

“We’re home,” Cole shook Vinca’s knee, seeing the boy rub his eyes with the heel of his hand.

“Okay,” Vinca shook Rainie, seeing the little girl mutter. Getting out of the truck, he reached in to grab Rainie and pulled the little girl into his arms.

“Here, take the keys; I have to put Dragon away,” Cole handed the boy the keys, seeing Vinca nod as he headed towards the house.

Vinca got the house unlocked, and moving in, he headed upstairs to Rainie’s room. He got the little girl undressed and into her pajamas before tucking her under the covers. Heading back outside, Vinca got the things from the truck so Cole wouldn’t have to. He walked over to the barn, seeing Cole was checking on the horses.

“I got the stuff,” Vinca said moving further into the barn.

“All right,” Cole glanced over his shoulder to glance at Vinca.

“I got Rainie all tucked in, too,” he smiled before turning and heading back towards the house. He carried the stuff into the kitchen, placing it on the table. He unpacked the picnic basket, moving to put dishes in the sink while what was left of the food was put away.

“Leave it,” Cole said from the doorway. “Come to bed.”

“I should do it; it’ll only take a second,” Vinca tossed a glance over his shoulder.

“Baby,” Cole’s voice dropped low; he smiled as he saw Vinca shudder slightly.

“Cole, I have to finish these,” Vinca kept his eyes on the dishes that needed to be done. He could hear Cole move, the man getting closer.

“Want to taste you,” Cole brought his face to Vinca’s neck, licking the boy’s skin. Vinca shivered, tilting his head slightly to give Cole better access. Forgetting the dishes, Vinca turned to wrap his arms around Cole’s neck. As the man pulled him close, he pulled up to wrap his legs around Cole’s waist as they left the kitchen.

XXXXX

Vinca glanced at the horses before he turned back to look at Cole. He had spent the morning helping Cole in the barn. He liked helping, liked learning to work with the horses, that and setting up the tank that now housed the fish from the fair. He turned to hurry after Cole, the man having seen cars heading into the drive. He needed to get a few things out of the house.

“Hello, Gus,” Vinca said as he walked by the men; he took another dozen steps before he stopped to turn around, his eyes wide.

“Vinca?” Cole looked between the boy and large older man standing in front of a black car. When Cole went to move, one of the big goons standing with Gus moved towards him a gun suddenly pointed at his side.

“No,” Vinca’s eyes were wide as he looked around. “Leave him alone, Marcus.”

“Vin,” Gus brought the boy’s eyes back to him.

“Why are you here?” Vinca felt tears slide from his eyes. Memories were coming back, bits and pieces of his former life. People that he missed… Dom’s kids.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Gus grinned taking a step closer to the boy. “I really didn’t think you’d get this far, but you disappeared from everything.”

“Don’t hurt Cole,” Vinca shook his head as he took a step back.

“Cole?” Gus looked over at the rancher, an evil grin coming to his face. “You’ve been fucking the boy?”

Cole went to open his mouth, but Gus interrupted him.

“Doesn’t matter,” Gus shrugged before looking back at Vinca. “I’m glad I found you; it’s going to make Ronaldo happy to know the boy, who killed his son, is dead.”

“NO!” Cole took a step, only to be restrained by Marcus. He looked over when another black car pulled into the driveway, pulling to a stop next to Gus’s.

“Ah, Ronaldo,” Gus said, although the man didn’t look thrilled to see him.

“I heard you had found Dominic’s killer,” the man looked over, his eyes landing on Vinca. “Vinca.”

“Ronaldo,” Vinca dropped his eyes from the man.

“Just tell me why?” Ronaldo took a step closer to the boy. Vinca looked up, his eyes clouding as he shook his head.

“I didn’t, I couldn’t…” Vinca sniffed, tears slipping down his face.

“My son thought you were everything; you were his best friend, you were his best man at his wedding,” Ronaldo shook his head. “You were there when his son was born, when his daughter came along; you helped Bianca with her last pregnancy.”

“He was jealous because Dom gave him up to be with her!” Gus taunted, a laugh escaping him. “We all know that he had hoped that Dom would choose him over her.”

“I didn’t… please… I didn’t,” Vinca whimpered out, his eyes shooting around the people.

“I know who killed, Dom and I even know why,” Ronaldo nodded to Caius, the man moving towards Gus.

“What the hell!” Gus hissed out as Caius took a hold of him.

“You killed Dom after you tried to bash Vinca’s head in,” Ronaldo sighed as he shook his head. “When my people got close after a year, you took Vinca and beat him, hoping to dispose of him and thus making us believe he killed Dominic in some lover’s quarrel.”

“He should have died the first time!” Gus screamed as Caius restrained him. “Who knew he had such a hard fucking head.”

“Get him out of here,” Ronaldo said, watching as they got Gus into one car. He turned back to Vinca as the car pulled away. “The children miss you; Bianca misses you, as does your mom.”

“I um…” Vinca’s eyes were wide; he moved towards Cole, but saw the man’s small shake of his head.

“Vinca we’ve spent the last few months searching for you; we’ve been frantic,” Ronaldo moved, opening his arms for the boy. Vinca let out a sob before he moved to throw himself into the man’s arms. “It’s okay; I told your mother I’d find you. It’s okay.”

“I couldn’t remember,” Vinca whispered against the man’s chest.

“He was beaten pretty bad, nearly hypothermic,” Cole offered crossing his arms over his chest. Just when he thought he’d get to keep Vinca that the boy would be able to make a life with him, the boy’s family shows up and wants him back.

“Do you remember now?” Ronaldo asked moving back to cup the boy’s head and tilt it up for him to see.

“It’s hazy; I can’t remember the night Dom died,” Vinca felt fresh tears slip over his cheeks.

“It’ll come back; now, let’s get going. Crina is looking forward to having her son home,” the man turned, frowning when Vinca pulled away. “Oh yes, Mr. Danner, thank you for taking such good care of Vinca.”

“I can’t go,” Vinca looked at Cole, watching the man.

“Vinca, go,” Cole took a deep breath, knowing he’d have to let the boy go. He didn’t want to; he wanted to pull Vinca into the house and tell Ronaldo to get the hell off his property, but Vinca had family. “You need to go home to your family.”

“But… Rainie,” Vinca tried seeing Cole pulling away.

“She’ll understand; it’s best to go before she returns from her friends,” Cole turned back towards the barn. He needed to be away, he couldn’t watch as the boy left.

“Cole, I don’t…” Vinca started again. Turning back, Cole took the boy’s arm and led him into the house. He pulled Vinca up the stairs and into the spare bedroom where the boy’s clothing was. He moved to pull suitcase from the closet and proceeded to put the boy’s clothing into it. “Cole.”

“I will let you go,” Cole moved to cup the boy’s head. “You have a family that is looking for you, people that love you and have felt the loss of you being gone, and you have a lover to mourn. I will let you go. Understand?”

Vinca nodded, seeing how much Cole was hurting inside. “I don’t want to go.”

“You don’t belong here Vinca; you belong with them,” Cole shifted to drop a kiss to the boy’s mouth. Turning, he left the room; Vinca jumped when he heard the door slam. Grabbing the suitcase, he followed, his heart tearing in two. As much as he wanted to go home, he now thought of this ranch as his home.

Walking out, he saw Cole riding away on Dragon’s Fire. Letting the tears slip free, he walked towards Ronaldo and the black car, letting Marcus take his bag. He looked over the pasture that Cole disappeared into, a sigh coming from him. Vinca glanced at Ronaldo as the man wrapped arms around him.

“The pain will fade in time,” the man muttered before getting Vinca into the car. The boy looked out, staring out the windows until the ranch and house were no longer in view. He felt loss, pain, and confusion. He knew he should be glad that he was remembering, but at the same time, he felt as if he was losing something very special.