Well done story with a difficult theme, namely coming to terms with finding love too soon after losing a loved and cherished partner. The beginning of the story is extremely emotional as we see Evan coming to terms with his loss and grief. It certainly made me cry. I loved that Gray was willing to wait until Evan was ready. Yeah, *sigh* lovely! Definitely better than I anticipated...don't know why I thought that! ;) ( )

More than a love story this is the story of a man who is grieving for the loss of his love story and the fear of trying again.

I think the author decided to give a reason more to Evan to not have a long mourning period: when his partner of the past 8 years Bill died of a stroke, it was sudden but not unexpected. Bill had cancer and so both him than Evan were already planning Evan’s life after their forced separation. Only that Evan didn’t think it would be so soon, and so, when Bill dies, Evan is taken aback, he hurts and he seems to not find a reason to go on. Then Bill’s nephew, Gray comes to visit. Evan and Gray have never met before, and Gray didn’t know his uncle was gay and Evan didn’t know Gray is gay too. So when Evan is really down, and thanks to a drunken stupor maybe, Gray consoles Evan with more than a brotherly hug, a kiss, but nothing more. But a kiss is enough to make Evan feel guilty, and in a way, to ask Gray time to mourn.

Gray leaves Evan in Connecticut while he goes back in Montana. From this moment on, the story is more on Evan’s side, how he is coping with the loss, and it’s almost an old fashioned correspondence relationship, instead of letter what links Evan and Gray are phone calls, and by the phone calls the reader starts to understand that the mourning period is near to the end.

It’s not strange that Evan doesn’t jump into the new relationship as soon as possible, from his memories of the past with Bill, also that relationship didn’t start easily, and it was Evan that, despite the age difference, Bill 15 years older, was the one to be “kindly” convinced, like a skittish horse. Evan is not a strong man, he is not even the extravagant artist, he is very introspective and easily to be hurt. I think that he found in Bill a safe shelter, maybe being the man older it gave to the young Evan the safety he was searching. Now Evan is older himself, but he still needs someone who can protect him from the big bad world. And Gray, with that friendly and easy attitude, with the shoulder always ready for a good crying, even if it’s a figurative shoulder on the other hand of the phone, is the right man for Evan. And when the mourning period will end, both men well know where Evan will search his next nest. After all, a cowboy knows how to deal with skittish horses.

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/977701.html