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 didn’t get a lot of time to figure on any of it, though. A flurry of activity behind him drew his attention back to Beau, who was lowering himself to the ground. With more than a little effort, he shuffled around until he was propped on his side with his legs folded. As Bryson hurried into the stall, Beau shifted his weight, stretched out his neck, and dropped his head on the ground as well. There was a thick layer of straw, with a good-sized extra pile in the corner to lean against, and all of that rested on top of rubber mats. But even with all that cushioning, Bryson worried about Beau’s comfort. If nothing else, getting up and down with bad knees wasn’t any fun at all. He tried to remember if he’d ever seen a horse lie down. Were they supposed to? Didn’t they stand all the time, even when they slept, like cows did? Or, did they? Hadn’t he heard that was an old wives’ tale?


Chapter 40