Chapter 7 Nobody Here But Us Chickens
Nobody Here But Us Chickens
A few days later, Mara wasn’t sure she’d ever been this content as an adult. Baking for an appreciative crowd was fun. Playing with recipes was even better.
Sharing a kitchen with the sexy Seth was the best yet.
Because they didn’t have actual guests yet, they didn’t need a schedule. She couldn’t break the habit of waking early and setting dough to rise.
The farm was full of early risers, but she still beat them all by at least an hour. She’d learned which steps creaked, and how to set the security system.
Walking up the farm road in the early morning was magical. Soft mists easing up from the grass, the barest hint of dawn brushing the horizon, and sleepy songbirds calling out their greetings. Nothing like her rabid dash for the bus back in New York.
Her morning songs played on her phone while she mixed up the filling for a sea-salt caramel apple cheesecake. She’d never tried one before, but she was betting it would be a hit. Maybe even a staple for the inn.
Along with the morning baking, she wanted to offer breads, rolls, or biscuits, and dessert options for the guests. Cheesecake would be an easy fit.
She’d included some hazelnuts with the crust, and she wondered how that would go.
She’d considered adding some spices there as well, but she’d start with this as a basic recipe, and change only one variable at a time.
There were tons of options she could play with, changing up the recipe every week.
The alarm beeped to warn her that someone was entering the inn. Probably Seth, although everyone at the farm had the code. She hadn’t seen Gray and Amber yet, so it was still early.
Sure enough, Seth walked in before she could turn off the music. In deference to the early hour, it wasn’t loud, but she knew Seth preferred to work in silence. He hadn’t complained, but he’d said he’d preferred silence on their way to Phail, and she tried to respect his wishes.
Once guests arrived, their schedules would likely be different. However Seth appeared to prefer prepping early in the day as well.
The hitch in his step wasn’t visible in the mornings. She wondered if he split his prepping and cooking times to give his leg a break.
She was curious, but hadn’t asked either him or Ford about it. Her brother had once said something about Seth being injured overseas, but no details. She wouldn’t ask him to betray a confidence. It was none of her business. “Good morning.”
He nodded at her, and his eyes roamed the kitchen, taking in every detail. The dishes she hadn’t yet cleaned, and the pans waiting for their filling.
Another nod, and then he headed to the fridge to survey the options.
Leaving her free to admire his physique and his focused intensity.
She was pathetic. The man hadn’t shown interest in her. Sharing a kitchen was potentially awkward. She didn’t need to make things worse by acting on her attraction. Enjoying the view would have to be enough.
The song changed to “Nobody Here But Us Chickens,” a song that never failed to make her smile. The jazzy big-band sound always had her feet dancing. She’d turn the music off after it was done. It was all about compromise.
“What do you think about getting some chickens?”
Mara nearly dropped the pot of sea-salt caramel she was blending into the cheesecake mixture. “Chickens?”
Seth closed the fridge and brought an armful of vegetables to the prep sink. He nodded. “Fresh eggs would be a bonus.”
She nodded. “They would, but I don’t know anything about live chickens. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one.”
Seth’s mouth quirked in a smirk. It shouldn’t be sexy, but it was. “Are you afraid of them?”
“No. Well, I doubt it. I’ve survived New York pigeons. How bad can chickens be?”
That earned her a full-on laugh. “I’ve never raised them, but I don’t think they require much care.”
“They’re probably something like Ford and Jolie’s ducks. They’d need a coop.”
Seth nodded as he washed veggies. “And to be fed. The eggs would need to be collected.”
“I’m a city girl, but I’m willing to look into it as long as we’re sharing the load there.”
“Good. Ford’ll build us a coop if we decide, but we need to see if it’s something we both want to add to our schedules.”
“Okay, after I get these in the oven and clean up, I’ll pull up some info on my phone.”
Another nod.
They worked together without talking as she put some of her tools in the dishwasher and filled a sink for the rest.
By the time she’d put everything away and she’d scoured the counter and island, she grabbed her phone and realized the music continued to play.
Seth hadn’t complained, but she still felt guilty. She paused the playlist and sat on a stool at the island.
Raising chickens. Something she’d have never thought she’d be typing in her browser.
A quick scan showed she needed to narrow her search. Not only by climate, but also by the type of chickens. “How much do you know about chicken breeds?”
His chopping hands stilled, and he looked up. “Not a damn thing.”
She grinned. “Yeah, I don’t have a clue either.”
A quick search for the best chickens for baking and cooking had her adding the word eggs to the search. Then she simplified to the best chicken eggs.
Much better. While she wasn’t a vegetarian and not particularly squeamish, she didn’t want to know which chickens were best for cooking. Nope. She preferred to think of her meat as coming from the grocery store.
The answers made her grin. “Wyandottes, Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds, Brahmas, ISA Browns, Leghorns, and Australorps.”
Seth looked up. “What?”
“This article says the best chicken eggs come from those breeds.”
“Huh.”
She grinned at him, and he smiled back. “Looks like we need to do some research. You want to pull up a stool when you’re done with that?”
He shrugged. “I don’t mind listening if you want to read about what you learn. Save some time. I want to get a turkey in the oven and try a few varieties of apple and cranberry dressings.”
Her stomach rumbled even while she shoved away the thought of the turkey being an actual bird that could romp around with their chickens.
Nope. Poultry came straight from the grocery store, no actual birds involved.
She grabbed a few of the apple scones she’d made earlier. She plated a few for Seth, then went back to her stool. “Okay, let’s see what we can learn about backyard chicken ranching.”
Seth enjoyed listening to Mara read about chicken breeds and random facts about chickens.
He hadn’t a clue that there were more chickens than people in the country. Or that they saw all colors and could recognize faces.
Mara shuddered at that. “Glad we’re researching chickens to be used for their eggs. I can’t imagine having a chicken know me, trust me, and then tossing him in a pan to roast.”
Seth chuckled. Chaos Machine had a soft heart, which didn’t surprise him. Her choice in music showed she was an optimist.
He didn’t know if he’d ever worked in a kitchen with an optimist before. For the most part, chefs were competitive pragmatists—perfectionists who didn’t tolerate nonsense.
Crying over tossing a chicken in the oven would have gotten her fired.
To his surprise, he liked it. Liked her way more than he’d expected. He was a straight guy, so he liked the way she looked. The way she moved and smelled. The soft smiles and killer eyes didn’t hurt a damn thing.
But he liked more than that.
Hell, he was even getting used to her music and her chatter. She was rarely still or quiet. She hummed or sang along to music or songs playing in her head.
Her hands constantly moved as she worked, and even while she was talking about chickens, they punctuated her feelings.
It would be easier when the guests arrived. Their schedules would differ. He’d be able to contain his attraction when they spent less time together.
He ignored the whisper in the back of his mind that reminded him he’d been coming in early to work every day. During what were typically baker’s hours, he’d arrived to do his prep. Nothing he couldn’t do after she’d finished up her daily baking.
He was a sucker, and she’d drawn him into her orbit.
“The mama chickens talk to their eggs. That’s so sweet. Wait. No. No, it’s not. I can’t use an egg that a mama’s become attached to.”
Seth laughed. “If we don’t get a rooster, we won’t have fertilized eggs. You’ll be fine.”
Mara scrunched her nose. “Okay. You’re right. I knew that. That’ll make it easier.”
After she swiped on her phone for a bit, she spoke again. “We’re going to need a permit to have the chickens. And a coop with netting over the top so they don’t get attacked by owls or hawks.”
“I’ll see if Ford has time to help us out.”
She nodded but kept scrolling. “Some people use guardian animals to keep predators away.”
“What animals?”
She scrolled. “Some use roosters or geese. Or guinea fowl. Even donkeys.”
Her eyes lit up at that one, but he shook his head. “I’m not taking care of a donkey.”
She sighed but didn’t protest, eyes still on the screen. “Llamas?”
“No.”
She smirked. “And outdoor dogs. Maybe a Great Pyrenees like Fox. Do you think he’d like a friend?”
Seth shrugged. He had no idea.
“They also mention the dog breeds Kangal and Anatolian Shepherds. I don’t know what those are. Do you?”
He shook his head, and she went back to scrolling, nodding and shaking her head as she read.
A few minutes later, she nodded again. “It sounds like our best bet would be Kangals. They sleep mostly during the day and patrol at night when most predators are active. They like to live outside even in the winter, and they’re great with kids. ”
“What are the downsides?”
A cute little frown popped up on her face. His Chaos Machine preferred the positives.
“They’re huge, up to a hundred and fifty pounds. That’ll make them expensive. And they’re happiest when they work in pairs.”
Which meant more money again. But if it meant fresh eggs, he didn’t mind paying. The farm was an excellent place for dogs. The ones already on the farm were friendly, but they had their own patterns established. Seth didn’t want to mess with that.
“Oh, wait.” Mara’s tone alerted him that bad news was ahead. “Kangals aren’t recommended for new pet owners. They’re smart but very independent. They don’t follow instructions at all if they don’t think it’s a good idea. I’ll keep looking.”
Seth didn’t want to add an animal that was much work. The whole idea of chickens was to make life easier, not more challenging.
Gray and Amber entered the kitchen with Boomer at their side. The German Shepherd was a trained protection dog and had helped save Amber from a thug. Too bad he wouldn’t want to spend his days guarding chickens.
Mara rubbed down the shepherd, making jealousy bounce around in Seth’s blood. He was an ass.
Mara smiled at Amber and Gray. “I have apple scones up for grabs.”
Gray moved to the coffeepot. “I’ll put on fresh coffee and tea if anyone wants.”
Amber nodded. “Chamomile for me, please.”
Gray smiled softly at his wife. “Got it.”
Amber sat with Mara while Seth prepped the turkey for the oven.
Mara held up her phone to show the others. “We’re thinking of adding some chickens to the farm for fresh eggs. Do you think anyone would object?”
Amber smiled. “I don’t see why anyone would, especially when we’d be getting fresh eggs out of it.”
Gray brought over mugs for the women and set a fresh coffee at Seth’s elbow. “Do chicken coops have an odor to them? Should we keep it closer to the property line? That would give them some room to run.”
Seth nodded. “Mara’s looking up coops and maybe a guardian animal. Although we might skip that if we build good screening on the coop.”
Amber ruffled Boomer’s head. “Fox roams the property at night, but I don’t think he’d want to stick close to the chickens. He likes his freedom.”
Gray sipped his coffee. “You should talk to Kimi. She’s our local veterinarian.”
Amber laughed. “And so much more. She and Garrett run a petting farm along with an equine and canine therapy center. She’s always taking in strays.”
Gray nodded. “It’s between here and Phail. A couple of properties away from Levi’s hops. She’d have great advice for you. She’s got chickens of her own.”
Amber smiled. “Sounds like you two need to take another road trip.”
Seth caught Mara’s gaze when she looked up. “Once the turkey’s in, I’ll have a couple of hours free. That work for you?”
She nodded with a smile.
Seth mentally kicked his ass while he finished the prep. He was supposed to be staying away from his buddy’s little sister. The last thing he should do was take another solo trip with her. Never mind picking out animals they’d take care of together.
He was an idiot.
But he still hurried through his tasks so that he could spend more time with her.