Thom Baron has been struggling with social anxiety his entire life. He's taken the medications, gone to the therapists, followed the programs, and concluded his best life is a solitary one. When he comes across a dog in obvious need at his local market, it rekindles the desire to have some company around. It may come with a dishevelled coat, a notched ear, and a refusal to respond to anything but its given name "Ugly," but it could still be a friend.<br><br>However, Thom's new fur buddy has no such need to keep to itself and immediately befriends the man Thom has secretly coveted since he moved in -- Justin, Thom's gorgeous, bright-eyed neighbour. No matter how Thom tries to evade the man, the dog keeps drawing them back into each other's lives, and it doesn't take Thom long to recognize it's simply pursuing the demands of Thom's own heart. With the dog giving him the courage to try, Thom reaches out to return the love being offered.<br><br>Until a stranger shows up insisting the dog is his and demanding its immediate return ... a loss Thom knows will take all of his efforts and newfound confidence with it.

But by the Grace of Dog

As if he could tell Thom was thinking about him, Dog looked up and huffed. It was either dog-speak for, “you’re welcome,” or “rare burgers are fine with me.”


Thom ruffled Dog’s head and looked back at Justin. “Have I had him checked for what?”


“I don’t know.” Justin closed the lid to the barbecue and sat. He held out his hand to Dog, who instantly jumped up to grab a free pat on the head. “Anything. Everything?”


“Oh.” Thom bit the inside of his cheek. “I guess I should do that, right?”


“I would say so, yes. If nothing else, you’ll want to get shots and tags and get some flea and tick goop. It might even be worth having the doc check that weird bark of his.”


Chapter 14