Bryson Merritt may have started life as a broken baby in a basket, but he got lucky with an extraordinary set of circumstances that brought him his adoptive parents. Rich, supportive, and kind, they've given Bryson everything he's ever needed in order to deal with his ongoing recovery issues. If only they could give him some luck when it comes to picking out the right kind of guy.<br><br>When Bryson meets Duke at a horse auction, all he can think about is getting Duke's sweaty hands all over his body. Until he meets Beau -- the beautiful dark horse in Duke's care, who shares Bryson's mobility and pain issues -- and realises exactly where Beau's final destination is. Enraged by what he sees as an unfair, undeserving, and cruel punishment, Bryson decides to buy Beau, problems or not, experience or no, and walks away without looking back.<br><br>However, once again forces have gathered to help Bryson out, and Bryson finds himself working alongside Duke for the sake of Beau. Bryson's attraction is rekindled, but now Duke isn't interested at all. Worse still, it looks like a possible relationship with Duke isn't the only thing that is going to end in tragedy.

Still Standing

He scooped the package out of the trash and unwrapped the wrinkled paper. Out rolled a wooden horse, obviously hand-carved, approximately ten centimetres long. It was rough, not quite smooth, yet oddly artistic because of that. The features were all there, the shape was right, but the simplicity and nakedness of the wood gave it the kind of heart and soul that realism too often failed to capture. It reminded Bryson of cave art, unique and irreplaceable, immediately offering a sense of melancholy because viewing it alone would never tell the whole story behind it, and the story was the whole point. It wasn’t black, but to Bryson, it was definitely Beau.


Chapter 22