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.
