All three have been dumped: the pit bull was shoved from a car; May's husband of 50 years announced that he had another family and left; 13-year-old Harley's mother Vernie abandoned him at an isolated picnic area at the request of her latest pickup. In refusing his mother's boyfriend's offer of a bus ticket back to L.A., Harley not only makes a bid for independence but rejects Vernie's dishonesty and sleazy lifestyle. He befriends the dog (calling him ``Ish,'' for Ishmael), though he has little idea of his needs. In a parallel that shapes the story, May takes responsibility for the boy—temporarily, she imagines, since she's en route to the Texas home of her childhood in hopes of solitude. However, her tenant, Bill, hasn't moved out, and a lifetime's worth of his junk cram the place. Also, Singer—an angelic teenager who turns up wherever she's needed— is helping Bill after his recent fall. That these people create a new family (with which one hopes the powers that be won't interfere) may be predictable, but it's also deeply satisfying. Sebestyen (Words by Heart, 1979) is a splendid storyteller whose characters hurt one another and make painful mistakes but ultimately learn to work together—while also endearing themselves (and offering some fine insights) to each other and the reader. A heartwarming page- turner. (Fiction. 10+)