Fortune's Fool Series by Mary Pagones

"The horse does all the work."Fighting words for professional horseman Simon O' Shaughnessy! When a personal trainer insults Simon's beloved equestrian sport of eventing, Simon can't resist challenging the fitness guru to a running race--on his own two feet. But is Simon as fit and full of running out of the saddle as he is mounted on horseback?

“I love all horses, all breeds, all temperaments, but the one quality I can’t stand in a horse or a human is cowardice,” says horse trainer Simon O’ Shaughnessy. But where does that leave his boyfriend, Eric Vandermark? A failed actor who once dreamed of making a career on the stage, Eric has resigned himself to a settled, if somewhat dull existence, teaching history at an all-boys Catholic school. Eric’s life is very different from that of his boyfriend Simon... more“I love all horses, all breeds, all temperaments, but the one quality I can’t stand in a horse or a human is cowardice,” says horse trainer Simon O’ Shaughnessy. But where does that leave his boyfriend, Eric Vandermark? A failed actor who once dreamed of making a career on the stage, Eric has resigned himself to a settled, if somewhat dull existence, teaching history at an all-boys Catholic school. Eric’s life is very different from that of his boyfriend Simon. Simon’s days are filled with rambunctious horses (and sometimes even more rambunctious horse owners). When Eric’s authority over his students challenged by a tough-as-nails running coach at his school, he realizes he has to find the courage within himself to meet new challenges, though no one else believes he’s capable of showing this kind of fearlessness, including and perhaps especially Simon. less