It’s well past ten when I get to her place. The porch light is on, and the door is slightly ajar. I let out a low grunt of disapproval. Even if she was expecting me, she shouldn’t have left the door open.
Against my better judgment, I decide that’s a discussion for another day. She called me for help, and I won’t risk making her regret it by picking a fight the second I get here.
I knock a few times, and when there’s no response, I stick my head through the doorway.
“Hello? Birdie, I’m here,” I holler, only to be met with continued silence.
I figure she’s probably preoccupied with the kittens, but I can’t ignore my protective instincts, so I slowly open the door and go inside to make sure she’s all right.
To my surprise, I find Nugget standing in the middle of the hallway, like she’s guarding the place. A chicken roaming around the house would be alarming anywhere else, but at Birdie’s, it’s par for the course.
Nugget goes still when she spots me, fixing me with a skeptical stare.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Birdie peeking her head out from the kitchen doorway, but I pretend not to notice.
Instead, I tip my hat at Nugget and say, “Evening, ma’am. I’m looking for your pretty owner. She’s got beautiful blue eyes and dimples for days. Any chance you know where I can find her?”
Nugget blinks and lets out a series of clucks before waddling toward the kitchen, where Birdie is now standing in the doorway, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh.
Birdie bends down and scoops Nugget up, cradling her in her arms.
“Did you bring me a visitor?” she coos, leaning in as if Nugget is answering. “He really said all those nice things about me? I’m flattered.” Birdie glances at me, eyes sparkling with amusement. “I think we should let him stay—what do you think?”
Nugget squawks softly and ruffles her wings, which I’m taking as her stamp of approval.
“So what’s the verdict?” I ask Birdie. “Do I get to stick around?”
She lets out a dramatic sigh. “I suppose since you’re here now, you might as well be useful.”
“Consider me at your service.”
I follow her into the kitchen, my eyes immediately landing on a crate in the corner, covered with a blanket.
“That the one you wanted me to fix?”
Birdie’s eyes widen and dart around the room. “Oh… uh… no. The kittens were getting sleepy, and I found a spare one in the storage closet that I forgot I had, so I put them in there.”
I tilt my head. “Oh? And where’s the crate you said needs fixing?”
She nods toward the kitchen table, where a smaller one sits. “Right there.”
Birdie sets Nugget down, and the chicken darts across the floor. When she reaches the large crate holding the kittens, she flaps her wings and launches herself onto the top, perching in the middle as if it’s a giant egg.
“Nugget is convinced the kittens are hers,” Birdie explains, reading my perplexed expression. “She got upset when Briar took three of them home, and now she’s guarding the others like a hawk.”
I inspect the crate on the table, flipping the latch open and shut a few times with ease. The hinge isn’t bent or loose, and the door swings smoothly. I even check the corners for weak spots, but everything looks solid.
“I’m not seeing anything wrong with this,” I tell Birdie. “Can you show me what was giving you trouble?” I step aside to give her space, but she doesn’t budge. “Birdie?” I ask again.
She lets out a nervous laugh, twisting her necklace between her fingers. “If you say it’s fine, I’m sure you’re right. I must have been too scatterbrained between prepping the kittens’ bottles and setting it up to open the latch properly. Sorry for making you come all the way out here for nothing.”
I move closer, and she lifts her chin to meet my eyes, her chest rising and falling with quick, shallow breaths. The low-cut tank top accentuates the curves of her breasts, and her pajamashorts showcase her sun-kissed legs. She’s all kinds of tempting, and my restraint is wearing thin.
“The crate never needed to be fixed, did it?”
A blush rises to her cheeks as she nibbles her lower lip. “Why would you think that?”
I close the last few steps between us, and Birdie lets out a soft gasp as I wrap my arm around her waist, drawing her against me.
