Ben took half a step back. “Did it justhissat me?”
“Yep. That’s Charlene. She’s got a flair for the dramatic.”
“Do chickens usually have teeth in their eyes?”
“Theydo not,and please don’t speak evil into the universe.”
I handed him a rake, a bucket, and an old feed scoop. “Just scrape out the old bedding, toss it into the compost bin, and try not to let Charlene draw blood.”
“What is considered bedding?” Ben took the tools slowly, like I’d just handed him the instructions for defusing a bomb. “And what will you be doing?”
I held up a small sack of cracked corn like a bribe. “I’ll be the distraction.”
Ben exhaled. “Pray for me.”
“Always,” I said cheerfully.
It went downhill quickly.
Charlene staged a revolt in under three minutes, leaping from the top roost and dive-bombing Ben’s shoulder like a winged menace sent straight from poultry purgatory.
He grunted, not a full scream, but definitely an undignified shout, and stumbled into a water bucket, which promptly tipped over and soaked the hem of his jeans.
“Oh no,” I gasped, covering my mouth. “You okay?”
He stared at me, wild-eyed. “Did that one justgrowl?”
“That’s Gertrude. She’s menopausal.”
Ben shook his head. “I can’t believe you life-cycled them.”
“You’re talking to a woman who chats with a zebra named Macy. This surprises you?”
Suddenly, there was a sharpcluckand the soft thud of something wet hitting flesh.
Ben went very still.
“Did I just get hit with an egg?”
I peered around the coop door. “Technically, it’s not afreshegg. That one’s been in the corner for a week. I meant to grab it yesterday.”
Ben looked down at the globby yolk sliding down the front of his shirt.
“I hate everything.”
“Okay, but your arms still look amazing holding that rake,” I offered.
He gave me a deadpan glare. “I am covered in straw, water, and expired breakfast.”
I grinned. “But in amanlyway.”
And then, like some twisted cherry on top, a chicken squawked, flapped its wings with the force of a small tornado, and flew directly into Ben’s face.
That was when Sienna chose to appear.
She paused at the fence, sunglasses perched on her head, holding a basket of fresh linens, and a look of ‘Oh, this is rich’ glee.
“Wow,” she said, blinking. “Is this a date? Have you two made up?”
