Relative Connections

These nine stories look at the bonds that occur when circumstances, bloodlines and social situations toss us together.

• What happens when a baby is thrown over a cliff to be rescued by a lonely bachelor?
• What does a farm girl running away from her overbearing family find when she meets a friendly, but scarred stranger on the bus?
• How can a scraggly lost dog show a man what to do about losing his job and his girlfriend?

From the pets we adopt to the people who become our lovers and friends,...