mayday

A special chapter again. Somehow the wordless communication between the old man and Oliver beacons to me like a signal. As if Oliver has become closer to his real self. But there have not been many exchanges with other people so far, maybe that is why it stands out to me. Meeting Julien seems meaningful. So far Oliver has planned everything strategically to prevent any deviation from his route. Here he is reminded of his being lost on the plateau and somehow I get the feeling that for the first time in a long while he is handing the rein over to another person. There was that short memory of his walking with his husband (?) who wanted to return early but Oliver stuck to his plan and walked on alone. He has been learning that his body is more than just there for upkeeping his mind and that it needs more. And that you cannot control everything, particularly mountain paths. On day one of my first walking tour in the Italian Alps I arrived at our first stop, a refuge marked on the map, completely exhausted. The building had been partially destroyed by a huge boulder some time before. Feeling defeated and unable to walk on to the new one, one or two miles distant, we spent the coldest night of my life there. Maps are one thing. Nature is another. Can't wait for their interaction on the trail.

Beautiful and heart-rending. Thank you for sharing.

This is promising to become an awesome journey to himself for Oliver. Not an easy one in the beginning, of course. He had no idea what he was facing and he is only starting to understand it now. A great story, very well told! Thanks for sharing!

Great insights. Indeed.

I love this story. And this chapter is a special gift. We can see that he starting to find himself. To learn what counts, what is real. I wonder what his marriage was like. No mention of it. No regret, no grief. As if it never happened. Must have ended in meaninglessness. His memories are like glimpses into his soul. The growth Charles 26 mentions becomes poignant in the comparison of sleep in his bed and sleep in the refuges, where sleep becomes rest. A wonderfol chapter! The GRs in France are worth walking, indeed.

Troy's "killing Tyson" came out of the left field twofold for me: So far the ranch seemed more like an idyllic place to Morgan and now he realises how much drama and danger there was in that family because of one twin, and secondly, Troy did not really kill him, Tyson decided to kill in cold blood, and not for the first time. He ended up dead. It was him or Troy. Troy has a bad conscience, causing somebody else's death should not be taken lightly, just look at how evil and diabolical Tyson sounds when he brags with murdering the helpless older person, who raised him. To me, the contrast to Troy's views of what happened could not be starker. Tyson was a danger to all living beings around him. The ranch has been a safer and better place since he tried to kill his brother, who fought for his life and won. I certainly did not expect such a harrowing family story. We'll see how Morgan reacts. Hopefully soon.

You've hit it: Oklahoma's sons...

Best ending possible to a very gripping and moving story: Taggert has found a home, he has bound himself to those who deserve him. Zane has lost, more than the auction. And we got a glimpse of Randy's feelings. Thank you for sharing!

This writer is far too good at cliffhangers. I am now not surprised at Taggert getting together with Bert instead of James to strategize. After all, Bert is the owner of Nasser Ranch, not his son. Taggert will use his trust money to stop Zane, who won't handle disappointment well, as we know. Then I hope for Zane to have to watch his father's message with a huge audience. No idea if such a feat is possible at an auction. I can't wait for the next chapter. Yet I do not want to read the final one so soon.

My hope as well, but for that Taggert will have to overcome his fear of his father, which seems to be almost too much to ask at the moment. But I am sure they will come up with something. I would love it if James and Taggert came up with an idea as ingenuous as Bill's choice of land for his grandson, perhaps with input from Ash, who definitely is not dumb.

Spot on! Every one of your observations. On reading your comment I wondered how many times I would have had to read to gain your insights.

What a chapter! After the reveal of Bill's stratigically and superbly engineered trust I had to pause reading. Then again, when I saw Taggert's state of mind, his grief, his terror of being found, of facing his father again. Yes, Taggert is right, it was a setup. Carefully planned by a monster, helped by his utterly ruthless enablers, three of them. The vet, the manager and his son. Ash relieving Taggert's fear was like a present to me, too. I could feel his relief across thousands of miles and an ocean. And I was so glad it was Ash who relieved his fears. Branford - what an impressive man! How well he can read people! How humane, kind and respectful in his response to Taggert. There can be no bigger contrast between the two managers. Phew! This bears re-reading more than once.

Phew! What a ride to take us on! A really great story, which kept me on edge with every paragraph. Thank you for sharing with us!

I have read the last two chapters several times today. And another instance of irony has just struck me: it was his mother who made him go to VBS, which made Owen choose teaching. Beth must have spoken at home about him there. How else would Eric have learned about it. And only just now I realised that his parents were never intrested in how his day went, otherwise they might have learned something about their son...

Spot on! Kudos

She cannot understand him. How could she? I am sure the thought her son might be gay has never crossed her mind. And I guess by putting her hand on his arm, she stopped her husband from saying more and worse to Owen. At least she asked her son to stay in contact. That is more than I expected. Ryder's ma could not even do that...

That was both great and hard to read. Eric astounded me. S. Donelly didn't much and T. Donelly not at all. I am relieved that Owen has at least two relatives who stand by him.

Couldn't turn out any better! Great. Just great.

They are still standing together at the end. It may still happen...

Unless you are Owen's mother....

Great guesses all of them!

I had to read this again. And I found Margot being the maid of "honour" very fitting because she showed her true metal by outing herself to a whole community. Until that feat I found her role at the ceremony deliciously ironic. And it made me terribly sad and shocked to realize that Owen hasn't experienced more kindness from his family than Beth's four words and embrace. And this does not bode well for Owen.

Finally. And Beth's reaction is probably what we all felt, and so so true! I wonder what the parents' reactions will be and if they have an ounce of love for their son and daughter.

Wow! This becomes more and more complex. Tag's grandfather seemed to have been a man totally different from his son, who won't stop at nothing to get his way. And I love how tightly knit the people on Nasser are. Tag has ended up in the perfect place for himself. And he knows that. Great story! Thank you!

He won't be the only one. Jules will as well. And their lovers