Neil Logan, recently graduated equine veterinarian, always felt he’d know when he found the man he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Unfortunately, though Neil cares deeply for him, his college roommate Jordan is not that man. Neil takes a summer position far from home, foolishly thinking time and distance will cool Jordan’s feelings for him, and they can both move on.<br><br>Neil’s job is on an island attractive to tourists. There, horses are the sole mode of transportation, and Rolf Gundersen is the head farrier. Neil is immediately attracted to the handsome, mature man, and starts to believe Rolf might be the one for him. Frustratingly, despite Neil’s best efforts, Rolf seems determined to avoid him.<br><br>When Neil discovers the reason for Rolf’s aloofness, he’s able to forge a relationship with the farrier. Can Rolf and Neil find happiness in their newfound love, or will Jordan continue to be a factor in Neil’s life, possibly undermining Neil’s efforts to win Rolf over?

Once Upon an Island

Rolf nodded, but made no indication he was moving from where he stood.


Neil nervously looked around, then took another step closer to Rolf. Now that Rolf stood before him, Neil found it hard to look him in the eye. “I’m sorry. I…uh…I should’ve told you about Jordan.”


“Ja,you should have,” Rolf said solemnly.


“He never meant to me what I meant to him,” Neil said, then regretted it as that was the situation Rolf had been in with Hans. The boy had never felt for Rolf what the big man had felt for him. It could have been the very thing Hans himself might have said to Rolf.


Suspecting it would make things worse if he tried to retract the statement, Neil went on. “I had this plan. I thought if Jordan and I were separated, he’d find someone else and move on, and I wouldn’t have to hurt him by telling him myself we weren’t on the same page. It was stupid.”


Chapter 42