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I rise and shake my head at her. "Dinnae say things like that in front of Wallace. He's a sensitive laddie."
Rebecca bends over to stare directly into the rooster's eyes. "I apologize, Wallace. Didn't mean to insult you."
The rooster meanders away.
"Now, it's time for you to meet the lasses." I lead Rebecca to the coop. "I'm going to introduce you to the hens, but be advised that I let Malina MacTaggart choose the rooster's name."
"Is she one of your ex-lovers?"
"No. The lass is sixteen and the daughter of Iain and Rae MacTaggart. When she heard I was getting chickens, she begged me to let her name the rooster, but I couldn't let the poor laddie be called Clucky McCluckster."
"I can't picture you patting his head and saying 'good boy, Clucky McCluckster.' That's not your style."
"What a dead stupid name. Dinnae tell Malina I said that. She's a sweet lass, but her taste in animal names leaves much to be desired." I wave at each hen in turn. "Rebecca meet Agatha, Prudence, Ginger, and Henrietta."
"Let me guess. Ginger is called that because she has reddish feathers."
"Aye. The others are named after women I met at the MOD."
"Ones you screwed?"
I strap my arms over my chest. "No, not the women I screwed. One was a civilian driver, another was a pharmacy technician, and the third was an administrative officer."
"But you just admitted you slept with women at the MOD."
"No, I did not."
I realize my tone was irritated, but that's not like me. I might be slightly annoyed because she implied I shagged women I worked with. So, I tip my head back, shut my eyes, and take a few slow, deep breaths.
"Not made of Teflon after all, huh, Thane?"
Since I feel more myself now, I face her again. "I have never been made of Teflon. But I've cultivated a mindset that prevents me from lashing out. Dinnae like to get angry."
"Neither do I." She glances at the hens and winces. "Guess you better show me how to harvest eggs."
"You could try assuming it won't be an awful task."
I open up the coop and wait until Rebecca has come up beside me. Then I tell her to flip the lid up on the empty carton, and I gently push Henrietta away from her nest. She clucks softly, inspecting Rebecca's hand gently. The lass doesn't shy away. I set one egg in the carton.
"Your turn, gràidh. Let's move over to Agatha's favorite spot."
She hands me the carton and follows me to another part of the coop where one egg lies on the straw bed. The lass lifts it out and sets it in the carton. "Are they supposed to have more than one egg?"
"No. A hen can only produce one per day. That's why I mostly get my eggs from the store. The ones from my backyard are a special treat."
"You could get more chickens."
I shrug one shoulder. "Too much bother. I mostly have chickens to give Odin some company."
As if on command, the llama ambles up behind Rebecca and nuzzles her cheek.
She jumps, but this time, she does not yelp. The lass lays a hand on her chest. "Jeez, this guy knows how to sneak up on you."
"Aye. The noise you heard him make earlier was an alarm call. Anytime a new person appears in his world, he will alert me."
Odin nuzzles her cheek again.
She smiles and laughs, then rubs his forehead. "Good boy, Odin. You are beautiful. Look at all that thick, curly hair. Makes me a little jealous."
