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

Kind of like a drug dealer. Flynn pictured one of those cheesy tabloid-style paperback book covers in his head. Love Dealer.With the tagline: “He was Mr. Feel Good. But instead of dope, he dealt love…”


Flynn shook his head to clear it of the image. He started up the walk toward Mac, who looked very good indeed in faded, torn jeans and an olive-green T-shirt that seemed to intensify not only the red of his hair and beard, but also brought out the shimmering emerald of his eyes. Flynn caught and held Mac’s gaze for long seconds, knowing he was sending a more eloquent message than words could ever achieve.


Mac smiled and was the one to look away first.


“Dog park. Let this puppy roam free.”


“My car’s right this way.” Flynn turned to start back toward the car, wishing he could take Mac’s hand. And then an idea popped into his head, one he immediately judged as trying to make this outing more like a date, but so what?


Chapter 38