The Truth About Cats & Dogs by Lori Foster, Kristine Rolofson, Caroline Burnes

hadn’t worked. She’d stopped being so jumpy, but she remained a long way from trusting.
    Still, to Buck, they felt like a family—and he wanted to protect that. He wanted Sadie and Tish to be happy. But tomorrow, Riley and Regina would return home. They’d take Butch, and that would be one more thing for Tish to adjust to.
    The September nights were unseasonably cool, making it necessary to wear a jacket or flannel when sitting outside. But neither Buck nor Sadie wanted to give up the time outdoors with the dogs. Buck had created a removable, adjustable fence that covered about ten square feet. Each day they set it up differently so the dogs could explore new areas.
    The fence worked out great, except that with more freedom, Tish found more bugs. At least half the time she went outside, she caught a spider or a grasshopper or a night crawler, which she always presented to Sadie.
    Thankfully, she hadn’t located any more cicadas.Butch was a more discriminating Chihuahua and didn’t care for bugs. He even seemed a little creeped out when Tish caught them, but he always ended up helping her, as if it were a game.
    The little dogs had become inseparable friends, and Tish seemed happiest when she was with Butch.
    Now Sadie sat curled next to Buck on her small back porch. Without looking at him, she wondered aloud, “Maybe I should bring in another dog, just so Tish won’t be lonely when Butch has to leave tomorrow.”
    Buck swallowed. He hated that idea. “Oh sure, that’s fine for Tish. Maybe she’ll even forget about him. But what about Butch? Think how lonely he’ll be.” He glanced at the dogs, and had the perfect opportunity to prove his point. “Look at the little guy. He’s snuggled up against Tish as if she’s his better half.”
    Sadie sighed. “I know. Maybe…that is, if you wanted to…”
    Buck waited, almost holding his breath. “What?”
    â€œYou could bring him over every so often to visit.”
    He scowled at her. Her suggestion was far from what he’d hoped to hear. “I could do that.” He stared at her, trying to read her thoughts. “Or I could take Tish to see him. The wives have everyone over at least once a week.”
    â€œThe wives? That’s what you call them?”
    â€œThat’s what they are.” Sadie had already been to one of those gatherings last weekend to meet Clair and Rosie. The dogs had played while the people hadconversed. Sadie had seemed to like them, and Buck knew they liked her. Things were moving along in that regard. “We, meaning the guys, had kinda figured the wives would put an end to us hanging out together. But we were wrong. We still hang out, we just usually do it with the wives there. Not that they mind if we take off to fish or play cards late one night or something.”
    Sadie stared at him, arrested by this outpouring of confidences. “I’m sure they’re very understanding. Why wouldn’t they be?”
    Buck felt like an idiot. “All I’m saying is that Regina wouldn’t mind if we brought Tish with us, and even when Rosie’s the one doing the cooking, or Clair, they like Butch, so I know they’d love Tish, too.”
    They’d better, because Tish was going to damn well be part of his family. As he’d told Sadie early on, he understood they were a package deal. The little dog had been through enough without being left behind.
    Buck was waiting for Sadie’s reaction when Harris and Clair rounded the corner of the building. “There you are,” Harris said, as if he hadn’t just interrupted Buck’s attempts to settle the future.
    â€œWe knocked at Buck’s,” Clair explained, “but when we didn’t get an answer, we decided to check out here.”
    Butch raced to greet them, and Harris knelt down close to the low fence. Tish cowered back into the farthest corner of her