This is a great story, a quietly simmering romance between two hot men who each have their issues with who they really are. Reunited five years after they first met when Jerry was still in prison, Jerry and Parker in 'Old Scars' finally recognize that hiding no longer makes sense. Jerry, the ex-convict, may be faster to recognize and admit (at least to himself) what he really feels for Parker, but Parker is in exactly the same boat of deepening feelings and wanting more. How they each handle the situation and what ultimately brings them together made for great, and very emotional, reading.

Parker tells himself he likes living alone. He has his ranch, loves working with "difficult" horses and their owners, and supplements his earnings by boarding others. When Jerry turns up one day, totally unexpected, Parker can’t say he is shocked. He must have felt the connection when he did a six-week stint in the prison Jerry stayed at, but he did his best to forget. Now he is forced to confront not only the issue of having an ex-convict work for him (rejecting Jerry doesn’t even merit more than two seconds' thought), but he also has to face the fact he is very attracted to the virtual stranger.

Jerry admits that he is attracted to Parker, at least to himself. He's been thinking about him for five years, and now that he's out of prison, it is a natural next step to see if Parker has a job for him. Yes, he needs one as part of his parole agreement, but he also loves working with horses, and wants to see if they can at least become fuck buddies. Once he's there though, things change. Jerry has to "gentle" Parker, get him used to another human at the ranch, just like he gentles the horse he is given to work with. And once Jerry realizes how much he likes Parker, he wants more than just sex.

If you like stories about men who have mental and emotional scars to overcome, if you enjoy reading about cowboys and guys who work with horses, and if you're looking for a simmering, smoldering romance between men who are too shy, each in their own way, for their own good, then you will probably like this short story. ( )