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

“No, no, not really. We would just want to meet with the potential owner and make sure everything checked out. We’re very protective of our cats and dogs.”


“Wow. It seems like you sure set up a lot of roadblocks when the alternative is that these dogs, most of them, are going to be put down. Is that what you call ‘protective’?”


Ms. Warby Parker didn’t look so nice anymore. She stopped smiling. “Listen. We try our best. We care deeply about every animal that comes through our doors. That’s why we have the foster program—to extend the time some of these dogs have to be adopted. It doesn’t always work, and we sometimes have to face harsh realities. There just isn’t enough room for every stray dog or cat out there. I wish it wasn’t so, but life is life.” She tapped on her keyboard again, and Flynn wondered just what the hell she was doing.


She finally asked, “Do you want me to get in touch with her foster parent?”


Chapter 68