Andrew Todd

Devon was in his studio finishing a painting of TJ when he heard the doorbell. He knew Sarge and Ace were still out in the barns, so he put down his brush and grabbed a rag to wipe his hands and ran through the house to the door. He opened the door and grinned when he saw TJ standing there. “Hey, Ba…” He stopped when he saw a woman he assumed was Mrs. Oliver standing beside TJ. “Buddy, how ya doin’?” he said, trying to deepen his voice. TJ started laughing at Devon’s attempt to sound butch. “

Second Chances By Andrew Todd Chapter 11 Mattie and Jesse were settling into their third period biology class. They were lab partners and shared a bench in the back of the room. “Hey, Matt, Spin shown up yet?” Jesse asked with a grin. Mattie rolled his eyes. “Not that I know of. He was supposed to be here by the middle of second period, but so far I haven’t heard from him. You know him--he’s probably taking his time and milking this for as much as he can get.” “He wouldn’t skip, would

Second Chances By Andrew Todd Chapter 10 “Jesse’s father?!” CJ exclaimed. “His father signed away his parental rights.” Danny nodded as he continued reading the papers. “He’s asking the court to order a DNA test to establish paternity and then to reinstate his parental rights,” Danny explained as he read. “Oh, SHIT!!” “What?” Danny looked up his eyes wide. “Jesse’s father...” “What about him?” “It’s Trevor Van Edsel.” CJ thought for a moment. “You mean the guy the kids met at the co

Second Chances By Andrew Todd Chapter 9 The remainder of their stay in Spain went very quickly for the boys. Soon they were back on the private jet for the return trip to America. Mr. Alvarez’s lawyers had worked quickly to have custody of Diego placed with CJ and Danny and made sure all the paperwork was in order for him to accompany them back to the States. Ace and Devon had taken Diego under their wings and he was quickly acclimating himself to being amongst so many friends after hav

Second Chances By Andrew Todd Chapter 8 Ace, Jesse and Diego were waiting in front of the main house to meet their arriving friends. When the black SUV stopped Zak, Dusty, Spin, Devon, CJ, Danny and Josh spilled out. “Hey, guys!!” Ace grinned. “Welcome to Rancho Del Cielo.” He gestured to Diego. “This is Diego, his dad’s the new owner and he’s been our guide for the last few days.” Diego stepped forward. “My father sends his regrets that he is unable to greet you in person--he had a las

Everyone asks me that and the truth is...I don't know...I've never named a specific location. I always think of it as some 'generic' Midwest rural area...kind of like one of those fictional soap opera towns that have all four seasons, but no real location.

Everyone asks me that and the truth is...I don't know...I've never named a specific location. I always think of it as some 'generic' Midwest rural area...kind of like one of those fictional soap opera towns that have all four seasons, but no real location.

Riding Lesson III: Second Chances By Andrew Todd Chapter 7 The boys all piled out of the two SUVs. Most of them stopped and stared at the private jet that sat on the tarmac. Mr. Alvarez had arranged their transportation to Spain, not wanting the boys to have to deal with a commercial airline. “Come on,” CJ hollered to the boys. “These guys will take care of the luggage.” He gestured to the luggage handlers swarming the cars. “Let’s get on board.” The boys all climbed the stairs into the

The first six chapters of 'Second Chances' were originally written as the last six of 'Lessons Learned'. After I finished them I thought they worked better thematically as the beginning of a new book. I liked the theme and title 'Second Chances', but I had actually given the ranch that name before I decided on it for the book.

Second Chances By Andrew Todd Chapter 6 Zak sat nervously on Angel waiting to enter the ring. He had survived the equitation class with Apollo, coming in third out of twenty entrants, but he was much more nervous about the showjumping course he was about to attempt. He had been running jumps with Spin for almost eight months and training with Danny since September, but he was still nervous to finally be in a real competition. What was making him most nervous was having to watch his friends

I honestly don't know how many more books I have in me, I don't even know how long this one will end up being (I know it's at least 14 chapters, cuz I'm writing it at this moment). Everytime I think I have said all I have to say, I come up with something else.

I don't know...a lot of times I use him for 'comic relief' and I've been spinning so many plates in this book that I never seem to 'need' him...I'm sure he'll be around...

Second Chances By Andrew Todd Chapter 5 Dylan was finally allowed to return to school the week following Cody’s arrest. Neither his doctor nor his parents were thrilled by the fact that he had snuck out of the house, but seeing what being a part of Cody’s capture did for his spirits allayed his parents’ fears and anger. The Saturday morning following his arrest, Cody’s picture and story were on the front page of the state’s biggest newspaper. Since Dylan was underage, his name did not ap

Second Chances By Andrew Todd Chapter 4 “Cody?” Jesse asked. “Are you sure, Dylan? It’s a pretty blurry picture.” He looked closely at the picture of the boy he knew as Jamie. He was standing behind Erik, almost hiding. His head was turned so you could only see his profile. If he hadn’t known it was ‘Jamie’, he wasn’t sure he would have recognized him. He didn’t want to doubt Dylan, but he had been very sick and it had been a long time since he had last seen Cody. Dylan nodded emphatically.

Actually, this is one that I know first hand, having contracted it about two years ago. Everything that 'happened' to Dylan is drawn from my experiences...this mis-diagnosis, anti-biotics (not for meningitis, but for the fever when the Dr. thought it wasn't menigitis, the hospital stay and time out of work/school). The first thing my doctor told me when I was correctly dignosed was that recovery wise it is similar to mono...takes a while to get back to 100%...I was out of work seven weeks and wasn't 100% for several more months.

Second Chances By Andrew Todd Chapter 3 Devon ran to his room to grab a jacket and started for the front door. “Was that Ace?” Sarge asked as he came out of the living room. “Yes. He’s pissed at me,” Devon answered. “Can I ask why?” “It’s kinda complicated,” Devon sighed. “I met this great guy at school, we really hit it off and I think I’m falling in love with him.” “Well, considering that’s all stuff that Ace has been wishing for you, I’m sure there is a ‘but’ in there somewhere.”

Second Chances By Andrew Todd Chapter 2 “What do you mean he’s in the hospital?” Zak asked Ace. “When we got to his house, he was pretty out of it. His mom said he had passed out in the bathroom a few minutes earlier and his fever was really high. His mom wanted to take him to the ER, but he was so out of it, he had a hard time standing or walking. I carried him to his mom’s car and Jesse and I followed her to the ER. They’ve been running tests on him for a while. It looks pretty bad,” A

This book is dedicated to Nick, Mike, Jacob, Alex and all of my little gay brothers who are reading these stories. I hope you all know you are loved and that we are all entitled to our second chances. Second Chances By Andrew Todd Chapter 1 New Year’s Day was a quiet affair around the ranch. CJ had decided they would be closed and the guys could do what they wanted to do. Of course, most of them opted for riding either in the ring or on the trail. Zak and Dusty were just coming out o

RIDING LESSONS Cast of Characters As ‘Riding Lessons’ has grown from my original plan of a ‘simple’ summer romance to this multi-book story, I thought that I would post a list of characters who appear in the first two books. The ages listed are the ages of the characters at the start of 'Second Chances'. Zachary (‘Zak’) Myers: 16 years old, blond hair, blue eyes (First Appearance: ‘Riding Lessons’ Ch. 1) Dusty’s boyfriend, Danny’s half-brother, has a Great Dane puppy, Loki, Friesian Stall

It's a new year for the boys of the Triple J Ranch. Filled with new challenges, new friends and maybe new romances.

Three Hearts By Andrew Todd Chapter 7 The late morning light streamed into the bedroom. Brice was the first to stir. He had his arms wrapped around Justin’s muscular torso, while Cody’s arms held Brice from behind. Brice could feel Cody’s morning erection nestled in between his ass cheeks. He thought back to last night. They had started slowly, just exploring each others’ bodies. As the night went on, they all became lost in their passions until all three had been penetrated in every

Thanks. I'm a New Englander transplanted to Florida, but spent a great deal of time in Southern Maine, especially York, Wells and Ogunquit. I loved being able to include those places in the story.

Three Hearts By Andrew Todd Chapter 6 The boys pulled into the cottage in York Beach, Maine at about 12:30 Sunday afternoon. David had chosen a cottage for them that was just off the main road that went along ‘Long Sands’, a three-and-a-half mile stretch of beach. York had two beaches; the second, nicknamed ‘Short Sands,’ was a small half-mile stretch near the center of town. The cottage was literally a two-minute walk to the beach. It was a large white two-story structure. The cottage

Hey All-- I've been receiving a lot of mail asking about the next chapter of 'Three Hearts' or Book 3 of 'Riding Lessons', so I thought I would take a moment to offer my apologies and explanation for their tardiness. I, like so many people, have suffered from Severe Depression Disorder for most of my life. In early May, I hit rock bottom (before anyone jumps to any conclusions...I DID NOT try to hurt myself). I have a wonderful and supportive family and I have an agreement with them that when i reach a point where I just can't handle it, I let someone know. For most of the month my one salvation was the ranch where I have been riding for the last two years. They are a rescue, taking in abused and abandoned horses. I spend almost everyday there...riding, playing with horses, just hanging out...along the way, I decided that after two years of riding every horse there, I wanted to start a full-lease, for those who don't hang out at the barn, a 'full-lease' means that the horse is exclusively yours. I asked about leasing the horse that I was currently riding, a beautiful 8 year-old chestnut quarter horse. I was denied because this horse is so well-trained that they use him for lessons and to take beginners on trail rides. The owner of the ranch, a lovely lady, was determined to match me up with a horse (she has been trying to get me to adopt for a year), but I wasn't looking for A horse, I was looking for THE horse, MY horse. At the same time, a new volunteer came to the ranch. Since it's a rescue, anyone who works there is a volunteer. He was a very nice young man who had been riding and training since his early teens. He started working with a 4 year-old paint gelding that had been at the ranch since he was a baby. The paint had been saddle broken over a year ago, but had never been properly trained. I rode him once last year and swore never again...he bit, bucked, balked and was an absolute brat. Watching my new friend work with him over the course of a week, I saw what real horsemanship is. He was kind and gentle, but firm. He taught the paint voice cues and how to respond properly to them. On Memorial Day, we went on a trail ride, the first time this horse had been on a trail in over a year and he was amazing, never shying or balking once. We even went for an unplanned swim. Pulled off the saddles and boots and took the horses into the lake with out clothes on and swam with them for an hour. The ranch owner was still trying to match me up with a horse. At the same time, we learned that my new friend, who is a dancer by profession, was leaving in mid-July for a new job and would be gone a minimum of nine months. At that point, we both had the same light bulb go off. So as of mid-July, I am leasing the paint and right now I am working with my new friend at learning how to continue the training he has started. He has also been giving me lessons to smooth out my rough edges. He's the first person at the ranch who knows about 'real' western riding as most of the people there are English riders who think western riding is just a different saddle. So right now about every free moment I have is being spent at the ranch and working on this new project. In the course of a month, I have gone from one of the lowest moments of my life to being that happiest and most at peace that I have been in years. Unfortunately, the price of this happiness has been a lack of time to devote to writing. Since we are on a time crunch, this project has to be my priority right now. Hopefully, once things settle into a more 'normal' (is there such a thing) pattern, I'll be able to devote more time to my writing again. Thank you for your patience and understanding and your continued support. Andrew

Three Hearts By Andrew Todd Chapter 5 Brice stood in the doorway grinning at Cody and Justin who had retreated to opposite sides of the king-sized bed. “B-Brice, it’s not what it looks like,” Cody stumbled as he blushed bright red. Brice laughed and nodded. “Yes, it is,” he laughed. “It’s exactly what it looks like and it’s ok.” Cody and Justin both looked at him quizzically. Brice walked towards the bed. Seeing that the others had stripped to their skivvies, he pulled his jersey over