A chicken coop that has been empty for at least a decade.
My mind flashes briefly to Ryder, the hours we spent together last night and the family safe word we joked about being “rooster.”
Did Ryder steal Reed’s neighbor’s rooster?
I stare at him as he pecks around fresh feed on the ground at his feet.
Did Ryder steal Reed’s neighbor’s rooster, decide to make me an accomplice—or worse, pin the whole thing on me, and then… feed the thing?
The rooster’s attention turns to me, his head cocking to the side as he takes a few hesitant steps toward me.
“Hi, Rooster.”
When he’s sufficiently sized me up, he returns to pecking at the feed on the ground.
And seeing that the rooster seems comfortable and safe, I head back in the direction I came from, wondering what the hell I’m supposed to do with this thing. I dial Ryder as I walk, hoping he might have some sort of explanation for me.
And of course, he doesn’t pick up.
I let out a long breath, wondering ifRyderknows what he’s doing with the damn rooster. They’re not solitary animals, and unless he plans on moving here and getting him some hens to hang out with, he needs to find a better home than my unkempt chicken coop for Roo.
And yes, that’s going to be his name. Roo.
When I call Ryder and he doesn’t pick upagain, I dial my next best option.
“Hi Evie,” Izzy says when she picks up the phone, her voice groggy with the early morning.
“Does your brother need a rooster?”
She’s quiet for a moment.
“Is this a joke I’m not getting because you’re calling me at the ass crack of dawn?”
I stomp up the stairs into my house, shutting the door behind me. “No. I think Ryder left a rooster in my chicken coop. I’m fairly certain it’s stolen and he’s pinning a rooster heist on me. And Roo needs friends, you know? So I’m hoping to cover up any wrongdoing by passing off stolen goods to someone who’s known for having chickens.”
She shuffles around, presumably getting out of bed.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Your brother. Could he use a rooster? Free of charge.”
“But you just said it’s stolen.”
I head to the kitchen and pour myself a cup of coffee. “I don’t know if it’s stolen. I’m just assuming it is and Ryder isn’t picking up his phone, but regardless I’m not sure he understands that roosters need friends.”
“So are you, like, stealing already stolen goods and trying to pass them off to my brother?”
I blow on my coffee. “Look, can you just send him over? Let him decide if he wants to deal in stolen goods. If he doesn’t, I at least need a pretty fast lesson on how to keep a rooster alive and happy until I figure out where the hell he came from and what the fuck he’s doing in my chicken coop.”
She grumbles something under her breath. “Yeah, okay. I’ll let him know. But I’m telling him it’s a stolen rooster andthat you’ll buy him a bottle of whiskey or something if he helps you.”
“Sure, sure. Whatever he wants. Help me.”
“Weird shit going on at that farm.”
“Don’t I know it.”
She lets out a long breath. “Hey, I was going to come over and paint some sunflowers later. Can I bring you anything for the gift shop?”
