On a bright autumn day, Flynn Marlowe lost his best friend, a beagle named Barley, while out on a hike in Seattle’s Discovery Park. On a cold winter day, Mac Bowersox found his best friend, a lost, scared, and emaciated beagle, on the streets of Seattle. Two men. One dog. When Flynn and Mac meet by chance in a park the next summer, there’s a problem -- who does Barley really belong to? Flynn wants him back, but he can see that Mac rescued him and loves him just as much as he does. Mac wants to keep the dog, and he can imagine how heartbreaking losing him would be -- but that's just what Flynn experienced. A “shared custody” compromise might be just the way to work things out. But will the arrangement be successful? Mac and Flynn are willing to try it ... and along the way, they just might fall in love.

Lost and Found

They crossed the road toward their cars. Clara said, “Can we just walk to the restaurant? It’s such a beautiful day.”


“You know it’s a bit of a hike from here?”


“Which is exactly why I wanted to walk.”


Clara started away from him, and Flynn watched her. Although his desires went in the opposite direction from hers, he couldn’t help but be struck by her beauty. He felt this image of her, in a slightly yellowed white lace dress and sandals, tendrils of black hair blowing behind her as she headed toward Green Lake Road, would stay with him for a long time.


It crossed his mind that the image would stay with him because he so wanted something important to happen that morning.


It couldn’t, could it? That would be too easy. The real stuff—the important stuff—only happened after lots of effort and hard work. Right? His parents had endlessly reminded him of that fact growing up.


Chapter 11