Chapter 10

Black Rock Farm – 10 years later

Caden Sathie had needed to direct the taxi driver for the last part of his journey home. The car jerked along the gravel drive, and Caden had been almost surprised that his phone key-code still worked on the gate. He paid the taxi driver, took his little executive suitcase from the boot and watched the car drive off, thankful to get back to civilisation. Black Rock farm house hadn't changed and Caden was astounded to find that coming home after all these years actually felt like coming home. He hadn't realised he'd missed it so much. The boot room door opened to the left to the main doors and dogs exploded through it barking and yapping like a very effective doorbell.

"Well hey big brother," a young woman stood in the doorway, grinning at him, "Welcome back."

"I so cannot believe that you're eighteen," Caden abandoned his bag to hug his little sister and smiled, "Happy birthday little sis."

Apart from her obvious curves, Cory Sathie was the spitting image of her eldest brother. Long blonde hair fell in a thick plait down her spine, and she looked every inch the horse woman; well cut jeans, tall riding boots, checked shirt and short twisted scarf. She let go of him and looked her rebellious older brother. Caden had left Black Rock as soon as he could, away to London, fast paced life and civilisation with clubs. He'd finished art school, gotten a job with an advertising firm while still being cool enough to hang with ridiculously fantastical people with odd names and odder jobs. His hair was short, his clothes deeply fashionable and therefore totally impractical, and he looked truly like the black sheep of the family.

"So where is everyone?"

"Duh? Where do you think?" Cory rolled her eyes and signed for horse, "Come on." She leapt up onto the Gator, the little quad-style pick up that was used for getting about the farm in the hurry, usually with all sorts of stuff, "Or are your clothes to precious?"

Caden went to cuff his sister round the head, but she was too quick for him. Caden got onto the Gator with her and gripped the dash with white knuckles. Cory had been taught to drive by Cole and Clayton and she drove like they did. Like hell on earth.

The route to the stables took them past The Granary. Who would have known that Clayton would have turned out to be a fine architecture hiding under all that farm rough muscle? Unless you knew The Granary was a recent build, anyone would have thought it of equal age to the main house, with the same worn red bricks and black slate roof. Cole and Jared's house was an impressive long building and Caden couldn't wait to see what they'd done with the inside since his last visit.

Most of the Sathie clan was arranged at the stables when they arrived, joining the mess of dogs and people. Chase had turned twenty one to look like an Australian surfer, and Clayton looked just like their father, a bear of a man, taller than everyone except Cole. Jared stuck out like a sore thumb still. His brown hair short but smooth now, the spikes being just to adolescent to have lasted, his stubble turned into a well-shaped box and beard, and he was over a head shorter than everyone else. When Jared Parker had first come to live with them, learning sign language had become de rigeur at Black Rock, but Caden hadn't practiced in many years. He waved.

Carla Sathie hugged her middle child hard before letting him go.

"I'm so glad you're here. I love having the whole family home again."

"Where is he?" Caden asked, "Do I finally get to see him now?"

Jared made a scoffing noise and Cory, by far the quickest of them translated for him.

"It's your fault you never come to visit us."

'Sorry.' Caden moved his fist in circles over his heart.

"They are in the school son," William smiled at his rogue boy, "Go see for yourself."

Ten years looked good on Cole Sathie. His shoulders were broader, his hair longer, golden against his brown skin. His hot-blue eyes shone. Dune was the same, though he was no longer a young horse, his lovely coat touched faintly with white. Cole rode without a saddle, his feet gripped around the belly band his horse wore. He glittered in the sun. Sitting in front of him, moving with him as the horse rose and feel in trot was a small boy with brown skin and brown hair. The boy grinned, gripped the reins tightly as his father supported him on the back of the horse. Caden couldn't help but smile at his five year old nephew.

Boy, man and horse finished up an the little one was skipping from the school, running straight to Jared.

"Papa! Papa!" he signed even as he ran, Jared sweeping him up into his arms as the boy planted kissed over his neck. "Did you see me? I rode on Dune!"

Jared signed back with one hand, supporting his son as Cole removed the horse's tack, letting dune roll off his exercise in the sand.

'I did! You did so well.'

"Who's that?" the boy pointed at Caden, looking much posher than anyone who ever came to Black Rock.

"That's your other uncle," Cole voice was loud and hearty, "River this is Uncle Caden."

"Da!" the little boy scrambled from one father to the other and Cole managed to wrap both son and husband firmly in his arms.

"Rivar!" Caden was shocked to hear the word originating from Jared, 'Don't be rude. Say hello.'

"Hello Uncle Caden." River blushed and hid his face in his father's long hair.

"He's still shy sometimes," Cole explained, "Oh Cory couldn't you get him to go and change into something more appropriate? I was going to throw him into the hay loft."

"You spoke?" Caden framed the question at Jared, frowning.

"Leearning," came the reply, not quite right but perfectly understandable, "Maakes lif easer."

Caden grinned at the man who had married into his family. It was good to be home.

Cole handed his son back to his husband, it still felt great to say that even after six years, and went about the regular duties of being Head Groom and Stable Master of your own business. He brushed the sand off Dune and turned the horse out into the nearest paddock, setting the tack away safely. Jared had always thought that they would have serious problems adopting, but Cole knew better. A ten year relationship, a happy marriage, their own house and land, with Jared doing well as a freelance editor and Cole with his own business employing three staff they had been well set up. When they call had come through about a small boy of Mediterranean descent with hearing loss in one ear Cole had known that his son had arrived. River Sathie was perfect. After six months with them he had almost completely come out of his shell, happy and vibrant and excited by everything.

About a month after they'd applied to be parents Jared had finally given in to him and gone back to speech therapy and started to learn to talk. He'd become more vocal in the years they'd been together, both in the bedroom and out of it, sometimes because it made them happy, sometimes because the physical size and distance of the farm required it. Now Cole stood and watched his husband and son, his family, chatting in the afternoon sunlight. The deep timbre of Jared's voice pleased him, made his heart thrum in a most distracting manner. When Jared broke his conversation to look across at him, Cole felt his heart jump and jam like a rusted machine. Just like always.

His son. Jared stood there smiling like the sun shone from him cradling the little brown boy who was his son. River smiled and waggled his fingers at his 'Da' which was how Cole had managed to become affectionately known. His whole family was here, and Cole felt that he had never been so happy in his whole life. His life was perfect. Sure, running the stables sometimes gave him a headache and managing staff and customers was sometimes such a pain in the backside that he wondered why he did it at all. And then Jared smiled at him and Cole never had to wonder why he did anything. He would do anything to make Jared smile at him. it was worth all the gold and sunlight in the world.

He draped an arm around his love and set River onto his shoulders, so that he could be 'the tallest' again and laughing, he lead the way to their house.

The Granary was a long low building and Cole had spent nearly a year building it with the help of two actual house builders and his brother. Clayton was the best kind of architect, the kind who got his hands dirty, and his enthusiasm and dedication to the project had made him popular with those rich enough to be designing their own family homes. The Granary had been Clayton's first project, but Cole thought it was still his best one. River ran ahead of them, letting himself in at the heavy wooden door and Cole spent a few minutes tidying up the assortment of family shoes and boots in the back room before following his loved ones inside the house proper.

The kitchen was the biggest room in the house, with big double doors which looked out over the stables and a fireplace at the far end of the room which served as a longue with a couple of sofa's and many pillows and blankets. The first few nights River had come to live with them all three of them had slept in the main room, sort of like an extended sleepover. Cole hugged his lover as he came in, an arm circling Jared's narrow waist as he stood at the Aga. It had taken Jared a while to learn to cook, it wasn't something he was naturally good at, but standing there with the old waffle iron, borrowed from the main house and never returned, he looked at peace.