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

“I’ll grab your bag anytime, bud,” Flynn said with a Groucho Marx wag of his eyebrows. He lifted the handle of the duffel and started pulling it. “C’mon, let’s get out of here.”


It was morning, and Flynn was the only one awake in Mac’s attic bedroom. Next to him, Mac lay curled up on his side, his red hair lightly brushing Flynn’s bare shoulder. His mouth was open, and he snored loudly, which made Flynn snicker softly to himself.


The snores were part of a symphony. At the foot of the bed, both dogs—Barley and Luz—stretched out, leaving no room for human legs. They were also, the pair of them, snoring, Luz’s high-pitched, almost like a sneeze, and Barley’s a baritone that matched Mac’s in vibrato and volume.


Flynn closed his eyes, reveling in all the body heat, the snores, the sunshine, and the warm, mossy breeze blowing in through the window.


Chapter 70