Stories

A young man finds love twice

Somesh was resigned, if not content, to live and die in the same place as his mother, working for meagre wages and whatever scraps of food he could squirrel away for himself. But after a fateful game of dice, he found himself whisked away to parts unknown.

Boone and Coy have built a damn good life in Larkspur, and feel on top of the world at being able to share such blessings with each other. The Old West has its challenges for men made like them, but everything is falling into place on their little piece of the frontier... until an unexpected visitor shows up out of the blue. Suddenly, their world is turned upside down as they struggle to help the troubled man.

One summer well before the Bolshevik revolution, when Russia was a noble country, young Alexei, as was the custom of the time, left the city with his family, for the countryside.

It was a time of discovery, excitement, longing, and also sadness. A time in which he made new acquaintances and fought battles with himself, as the child he still was struggled free from many constraints into a world of dangerous possibilities.

Life in the Old West was harsh. The work was hard, but the men were harder, and death.... well... it came easy. Boone had no one until he met Coy, a handsome cowboy with a good heart. Their friendship was quickly formed, and meant everything to him, but after five years of being at each other's side, it was time to move on. Coy didn't need him anymore, and Boone wanted someone made like he was. Finally accepting that was never going to be Coy, and tired of being rootless, he sets out to find a home... land that was his, and a place he could belong. Coy? Left on his own, what path will he take?

This story starts in June of 2003. The invasion of Iraq is over, George Bush has landed on the aircraft carrier and proclaimed "Mission Accomplished", and the insurgency has yet to begin. Some may think America is at the height of its power.

Meanwhile, in the CAP world:

JJ and Will, both in doomed relationships that seem to be working. Will they unravel, and if they do, who is behind it?

Jimmy thought there would be plenty of time to decided who would ring his bell. He felt no compulsion to date, male or female, he was happy. Until the new student became a friend just before graduation.

George Granger has been home for six months on parole, anxiously awaiting news that he has been exchanged, hoping that once he is, he can once again return to active duty in the Royal Navy. Now, in May, 1799, his wish is granted.

Control. Discipline. Be Strong. Be Good. My mantra. I can do it. I have done it for years now. I need to do it, it's my job. But damn if those two intriguing lords have me faltering, willing to disobey my Master to help them.

Nick is growing up in 1970's Tulsa. His early adventures have been reckless. When he meets Joseph, all that changes. This is a sweet and tender love story about real people with real problems.