Chapter 7
Ronan
Nowhere Hen
Thankfully Ronan had bought the huge Sunday edition of the Boston Globe the previous weekend, which gave him enough paper to place under Hen Solo’s cage.
Everly was in love with the black and white bird, but Ten was keeping his distance.
His husband wasn’t as sold on the idea of Hen Solo spending the night in the house as Cope and Jude were with Fricassee.
Ronan walked down the stairs with Ten after putting Ezzie to bed.
Their son had put up quite a fight, not wanting to be separated from the chicken.
Walking into the kitchen ahead of his husband, Ronan saw Hen Solo out of her cage, sitting in Everly’s lap.
He stopped short and turned back to Tennyson.
“Wait,” Ten said. “Why are you blocking me from going into the kitchen? Oh, shit, Hen Solo’s out of the cage.”
“A little bit,” Ronan conceded, wondering how the hell he was going to get the bird back into the cage and how cold it would be to sleep in the Mustang overnight.
“A little bit? Either she’s in or out.” Ten shoved Ronan away from the door and walked into the kitchen.
“Hi, Daddy! Isn’t she beautiful?” Everly was all smiles. Hen Solo offered a few clucks of her own.
“Ten, it’s just one night.” Ronan knelt down on the kitchen floor and started snapping pictures of Everly and her new best friend.
“I understand that, Ronan, but chickens are messy and they smell. I realize you grew up in the city, but I know what it’s like to have backyard chickens.”
“You do?” Everly asked, looking up from the bird. “Did you have your own chickens?”
“I did,” Ten said. “It was part of our middle and high school curriculum to be members of the 4H Club, and Future Farmers of America. We had to hand raise chickens. A lot of my classmates didn’t know what to do with their birds at the end of the semester, so they came to live with us.”
“You got all the castaways? I bet Kaye loved that!” Ronan could only imagine his mother-in-law’s reaction to a yard full of future pot pies.
“Actually, she did love it. All the eggs the hens produced were donated to the church. In addition to the chickens, we also had a vegetable garden, which had been another of my 4H projects. We kept the garden going year after year and most of the fruits and veggies were all donated to the church, who put together a food pantry for those in need.”
“How come you never mentioned this before?” Ronan asked. They’d been together for over seven years. How had this topic never come up in conversation?
“We’d never faced the prospect of becoming foster parents to a hen in need.” Ten snorted and started to laugh.
“What’s gonna happen to Hen Solo and the other girls after the photo shoot?” Everly asked.
Ten’s eyes widened. Ronan didn’t need his husband’s psychic gifts to know he was worried that the chicken would be theirs forever. “She’ll go back to live at the farm with her chicken girl squad.”
“Was she in a cage there?” Everly asked, looking sad.
“No, honey, she lived in the barn with all the other chickens. There’s a large outside coop area for the birds to get exercise and sun, but they all go into the barn at night to keep them safe and to roost and lay eggs.”
“Is Hen Solo gonna lay an egg?” Everly asked, excitedly.
Jesus, was she? Ronan should have asked Manny when they were still at the barn.
“I don’t know.” Ronan felt panicked. How the hell did one help a hen through the birthing process?
It wasn’t like they did Lamaze breathing.
“Can you use your gift to find out?” Could Everly talk to chickens?
If so, would she understand the chicken’s answer?
Everly burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Ronan asked, having a feeling his pint-sized psychic was reading him.
“You wondering if I can speak to chickens.” Everly brushed her fingers against the hen’s feathers. “I don’t think she’s gonna lay an egg.”
“She’s not,” Ten agreed. “Why don’t you go put Hen Solo back in her cage and go upstairs and get ready for bed. Daddy will be up in a minute to read to you.”
Everly sighed, obviously not wanting to be parted from Hen Solo. “She doesn’t want to go back in the cage, Daddy. Can’t she sleep in my room like Dixie and Luna?”
“Sorry, honey, but the chicken has to sleep in her cage. She’ll be okay for one night.” Ronan put his phone into his back pocket and approached Everly and the bird. He reached down to grab her.
Hen Solo let out an ear-splitting shriek and took off running like a football player sprinting for the end zone.
She bobbed her way through the kitchen, evading Ronan and Ten’s attempts to corral her.
Ronan couldn’t help but think how hilarious the chicken chase would be with the theme song to Benny Hill playing in the background.
She ran under the table and darted around chair legs, and headed for the sliding glass door, looking to fly the coop. Ronan diverted her just before Hen Solo crashed into the glass. She looked no worse for wear, while Ronan huffed and puffed, quickly losing steam.
Everly laughed so hard she tumbled back onto the kitchen floor, while Hen Solo made a mad dash toward her. Giving a flap of her wings, the chicken flew over the kitchen table and landed beside Everly.
“Holy shit! Chickens can fly?” Ronan panted.
“Yeah, Daddy, they’re birds. Come on, honey, back into your cage.” Everly led the bird back inside and locked the door behind her. “See, piece of cake.” She blew the bird a kiss. “I’ll go get ready for my bath.”
When Everly was gone, Ten turned back to Ronan. “This is ridiculous. You know that, right?”
Ronan nodded. “That’s what all three of us thought until Cisco said all of the proceeds from the calendar go to local food banks. After hearing that bit of news, we couldn’t say no. At least it’s only a hen and not a pig or a cow. I mean, they’re super cute, but not housebroken.”
“I’ve got a bit of bad news for you.” Ten wore a gleeful look.
“What’s that?” Ronan asked, hoping to hell Ten wasn’t going to make him sleep on the kitchen floor beside the cage.
“Everly doesn’t have school tomorrow. It’s one of those teacher development days and Mom’s going on a bus trip with the senior center to Foxwoods to spend the day gambling at the slot machines.”
“Wait! What? Kaye’s going to a casino?” Ronan shook his head. “There’s no way she would be caught dead in a den of iniquity.” It was a world gone mad.
“Ronan, she’s going to Connecticut, not Sodom and Gomorrah.” Ten brushed a kiss to his husband’s cheek.
“I’ll be up in a minute. I’m just gonna make sure Hen Solo has everything she’ll need for the night.”
“If you make it fast, we can turn our bedroom into our own den of iniquity.” Ten waggled his eyebrows.
“Has the lost dong of the Aztecs gone missing again?” Ronan snickered, feeling himself starting to get hard.
Ten winked and headed upstairs.
Ronan grabbed the chicken’s water bottle and filled it up before he added a little more food and treats to her dish.
He couldn’t help but wonder how things were going with Jude and Fitz.
Neither one of them had texted or called from the Hawthorne Hotel, so hopefully all was well, but he wouldn’t count his chickens before they hatched.