Good Guys Love Dogs by Inglath Cooper

iams asked, placing a
sympathetic hand on
    Colby's arm.
    She turned her gaze back to her
mother. “I've tried to
    talk to her, but she won't open up.
I keep tel ing myself it
    wil blow over.
    â€œMore than likely
it wil . You had a rebellious streak of
    your own, you know, Emma said with a
smile.
    â€œI remember,
Colby confessed. “I don't think it ever
    real y affected my relationship with
you or Daddy.
    â€œNo. Thankfully,
it didn't, she admitted. “But all
    children are different.
    Colby shook her head. “I'm
beginning to wonder if I'm
    doing something wrong, if maybe I'm
just not a very good
    mom.
    â€œNow you stop
that, dear, her mother admonished
    her. “You're a
wonderful mom. You know how proud your
    father and I are of you for the way
you've handled things.
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    INGLATH COOPER
    â€œThank you, Mama,
Colby said, somehow needing to
    hear the words today.
    She squeezed Colby's shoulder.
“You had to become
    responsible at a very young age, she
said, her voice
    softening. “And
you didn't take the easy way out. You
    made a life for yourself and that
child. I know there were
    times when you must have wondered
what it would be like
    not to have all that responsibility.
To be free to do as you
    wanted.
    Colby gave her mother a grateful
smile. “You know I'd
    never have done it without you and
Dad.
    â€œOh, yes, you
would have. I know you wel enough to
    be sure of that, she said with pride
in her voice. “Maybe
    Lena could spend the afternoon with
us. You go be good
    to yourself.
    Colby sent a glance at her daughter,
laughing now at
    something the pastor had said.
“I'm sure she'd like that.
    Her father and Lena waved goodbye to
the preacher and
    joined them across the lawn. “What
do you say I treat my
    three favorite ladies at Libbie's
for lunch? her father said.
    Lena's relaxed demeanor disappeared
behind the sul en
    facade she'd been wearing for the
past few weeks. As much
    as Colby would have liked to go, it
would be good for Lena
    to spend some time alone with her
grandparents. “You
    three go on. I've got some things to
do at home, Daddy.
    â€œYou sure, honey?
    She nodded and smiled her most
convincing smile.
    â€œAll right, then.
We'll bring the punkin' home later,
    he said, ruffling Lena's hair.
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    GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS
    â€œWe'l have her
there by dinner, her mother promised.
    â€œHave a good
time, honey. Colby waved as the three
    of them headed to her parents' car.
But Lena didn't answer.
    She merely tucked herself closer in
the curve of her

grandfather's arm while Colby
watched them drive away, a
    dul ache deep inside her.
    BACK AT THE HOUSE, Colby
straightened up, then
    put in a load of laundry. She rarely
went to the clinic on
    Sunday unless there were dogs or
cats in the hospital, since
    the part-time help came in to feed
the animals on the
    weekend.
    After turning on the washing
machine, she made her
    way into the kitchen and stared at
the items lining the
    pantry shelves. Macaroni. Tomato
soup. Black olives. Fat-
    free cookies.
    Critter sidled against the back of
her legs, letting out a
    soft meow.
    Colby looked down at her and sighed.
“I know. Kind
    of lonely around here, isn't it?
    Critter answered with another meow.
    She reached down and picked her up,
tucking the kitty
    under her chin. The cat purred like
a lawn mower. Petey and
    Lulu lay under the kitchen table,
looking across at her with
    sleepy eyes. “I
guess in a few years, it'l be just the four of
    us, huh?
    Petey groaned in protest and rolled
over on his back,
    his paws in the air.
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    INGLATH COOPER
    â€œI know how you
feel. She considered her own
    question for a moment. In the past,
she hadn't allowed
    herself to dwell on what things
would be like after Lena
    grew up and left home. She'd meant
it when she'd told
    Phoebe that she was happy with the
way things were. She
    had a full life. She didn't need a
man to make it complete.
    But would the