Disclaimer: Nope they still won't give me any cowboys.
Past Echoes
Chapter 1
Of Love and Fish Tales
"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin."
― Mother Teresa
Vin gripped the cliff side hard with one hand and held tightly to the metal box with the other. Trying to find better purchase with his feet he hissed as the throbbing in his foot intensified. Through the haze he heard someone call his name. He looked, with pain filled blue eyes, up at Buck.
"Vin you need to let it go and grab my hand," Buck instructed urgently reaching down his arm.
Vin looked down at the box then looked back up at his brother again. He wondered to himself how it had all gone so wrong. How had a simple retrieval of a box turn into such a mess? He wished he could turn back time and never returned to this place; they should have stayed home at the ranch. It was all his fault. His new family's trouble had only started just a couple days before...
"Dad let me name it," Vin explained quietly without taking his eyes away from the passing dark landscape.
"Why'd you name it the Painted Hills?" Chris asked from the driver's seat.
"There was Indian drawings," The boy drawled shyly, "and at sunset it looked like God was up in heaven finger painting the hills."
"Sounds pretty," Chris smiled through the rearview mirror at the blond boy, before glancing over at the sleeping brunet in the passenger seat.
The truck fell into a sleepy silence as they traveled closer to their destination. This wasn't Chris' first choice for their first family road trip together; to drive through the night to a neighboring state to spend the first week of summer vacation with his boys to lay some ghosts to rest. "We should get there just before noon. Do you think you can find the spot you camped?" This trip was for Vin, the choice lied with him about how he wanted to do this. The local LEOs would be on standby just in case. The federal agents who had handled Vin's father's case had assured Chris that the man Joe would have hightailed it out of the country. They had wanted to retrieve the information from the hills but Vin wasn't responding well at that point. Chris didn't want to push Vin on the subject; instead he let the boy process everything in his own time. The information had kept thus long it could wait till Vin was ready. Vin had come to Chris one night a few weeks before school let out for the summer. Vin said he could find it but he needed to be there to do so. Chris protested at first; the lurking Joe always in the back of his mind no matter how many reassurances he got from the feds. Vin quietly listened before pleading to go back and clear his dad's name. Chris could not deny him that. Two weeks of planning, packing and coordinating and they were off to the Painted Hills.
Vin was quiet for so long that Chris figured he fell asleep, but eventually he answered, "I remember where to find it"
Chris' estimate proved correct. They pulled into the small summer community of Sage Valley Mountain just before lunchtime. Parking next to the Sage Valley Café Chris and the boys stepped out, stretching out aches of the long travel. Ordering lunch they sat in the hunting themed restaurant. As they sat in a booth waiting to place their orders, the boys' heads were in constant motion.
"Look at that bear Vin," Buck pointed towards the large full body grizzly bear mount.
Vin's eyes grew wide in amazement before they turned pleadingly towards Chris.
Chris took a long moment to contemplate teasingly then gave them permission, "Go look at it but only look. It's not ours so leave it alone. And if you're not back to order; I'm getting you both salad," he laughed at their stricken looks as they hurried to the bear with an occasional glance back.
Chris watched for a moment before the waitress arrived. He expected to hear the boys run up any moment, but was surprised when loud singing filled the café. Turning away from the smiling waitress he saw the boys looking up at a deer head mount; a moving singing deer head.
"It looks and sounds just like you," Vin gasped out between laughs, "Even gots your name Bucky."
Buck shook his head before grabbing Vin in a headlock. Their loud shenanigans continued attracting the attention of the other dinners. Most laughed but a few looked disgusted. Chris stood up and let out a piercing whistle. The café fell silent and it seemed to gain a couple more deer as the boys stood still, like they were caught in the headlights of a car. The mechanical mount had fallen silent and the restaurant went back eating with the occasional chuckle heard. Chris eyed the boys a second before retaking his seat. They shuffled over with lowered heads.
"It was that stupid deer's fault," Buck grumbled.
"Bucky," Vin whispered the deer's name helpfully.
"I'm sorry boys. Bucky is motion sensored. How about an ice cream cone on the house?" The waitress apologized with a small smile. Both boys' heads lifted and hopeful eyes once again hit Chris.
"Thank Brooke," Chris ordered the boys after subtly read her tag, "and behave."
They quickly gave their orders, no one asked for salad, and settled into wait. They fell into a slightly awkward silence, as the atmosphere darkened as their reason for being in Sage Valley came again to their minds. Buck looked back towards the mounts and started chuckling. Both the blondes' heads lifted in suspicion.
"Remember when Adam met Mr. Fish?" Buck asked between chuckles.
Vin observed with amazement as a smile broke over Chris' face. Then Chris was laughing along with Buck; Vin watched silently.
"I don't think Sarah ever found all those goldfish," Chris added as Brooke brought their plates. Buck thanked their waitress with a big flirtatious smile. The young woman smiled back telling him what a nice boy he was; leaving behind a slightly crestfallen Buck. They settled into eating with an occasional laugh mostly at Buck's expense; who soon joined in goodnaturedly. Once finished they headed to the campgrounds with the promised ice cream in hand. Chris left the boys by the truck in the parking lot to eat their cones and went to talk to the forest rangers in the small wood station building.
"Buck whose Mr. Fish?" Vin asked quietly looking into the trees.
Buck looked over before mentally kicking himself for leaving Vin out. Vowing to do better he answered, "Mr. Fish was one of those singing fish. Chris had gotten it from his grandpa when he was little. One day we found it in the attic. Adam loved it." He paused to laugh again before continuing, "Well Adam thought all fish could sing, so he tried to make a goldfish choir."
"He didn't?" Vin gasped before giggling.
"Yep he did. We came into the room to find an empty tank. The goldfish choir scattered all over," Both boys dissolved into laughter.
When Chris returned the boys were in high spirits. The truck was unloaded with the supplies split between their backpacks. With one last reassurance Chris clasped both boys' shoulders. They started up the trail with Vin leading the way. Walking the path that Vin and his dad had hiked up almost two years previous.
