Tipping Point by Rain Stickland Page B

to bring home a dozen goats in it. I’ll bring it over, and then cook up whatever you say needs to be made while you finish what you’re doing. I’m closing up in an hour, so I can be there in about two.”
    “That sounds wonderful! Let me know when you need me to come down and open the gate. A bit of a walk will feel good by then, and clear my head. I’m pretty filthy right now, though, and I probably smell a lot like chicken shit and sweat.”
    “Who could resist?” Mac started to laugh.
    “You’ve sure got strange tastes, cowboy, but that works out well for me. You didn’t run away from the ferrets, so I’m sure you’ll do okay. I need to get back to work. See you soon.”
    “Later, honey.” Mac heaved a sigh of relief. Her night wasn’t going to be quite the hell she’d envisioned. In fact, it might turn out to be pretty damn good. If she finished the nesting boxes in time, she could shower before he arrived.
    She got back to work with a new energy, and after ninety minutes she was done. The rooster boxes were filled with hay and placed inside their sections. Mac attached more hardware cloth to the roof and attached it to hooks on the dividing walls to keep the roosters in their pens. It was a temporary fix, but she wasn’t ready to deal with fertilized eggs yet.
    There were ten nesting boxes in the main structure she’d built, and it would be slid through the gate once she had someone outside to make sure no chickens got out.
    Cam and Kirk came to help, while Leigh remained on the futon, reading her book. Mac wasn’t happy about the attitude she was catching glimpses of, but there was still a possibility it would work itself out once things were settled.
    Kirk helped her carry the nesting unit into the enclosure, while Cameron ran herd on the two that made an escape attempt. She was laughing when Mac and Kirk finished.
    “Having fun?” Mackenzie wanted to know.
    “They’re just so ridiculous, aren’t they? They have no clue what they’re doing.” Mac just shrugged, too tired to see the humour.
    She grabbed the ramp she’d made for the chickens to get to the second level, and put it in place. Then she packed each of the cubbies with hay to make them comfortable.
    “Neil will be here soon with a trailer I can use to get the goats, and he offered to cook up that chicken we’ve got in the fridge. While he’s doing that I’ll get the mushrooms going so we’ll have the spores ready in a day or two.”
    “Kirk said you knew the cop today.”
    “Old friend. You knew him a long time ago. You might remember him if you saw him. Really, really tall guy. Chuck Forrest.” They all headed back to the house.
    “I’m not sure. The name doesn’t sound familiar. I don’t really remember your old friends.”
    “Doesn’t matter. He was a good friend, though, and I trust him. He’ll make sure the situation is handled. The only thing we have to worry about now, is if there’s a breakdown in law and order. Neil also talked to Gerry’s dad, who said he’d have a word with him.”
    “What about my dad? He refused when I asked him to come the first time, but maybe if you talked to him he’d change his mind. I don’t know if he’s got his own car, though. He has the cab, but I’m not sure if it’s his or belongs to the cab company.”
    “I can try, but you know how stubborn he is. Easy-going, maybe, but stubborn as hell. Or maybe it’s just that he’s too easy-going to want to go anywhere. Give me his number. I’ll try to talk some sense into him. It’s a much better life for him here than in town, but with his allergies he might disagree.”
    “Thanks mom. I’ll send you his number and let him know you’ll be getting in touch.”
    With that, Mackenzie went straight to the shower. She wasn’t a two-shower-a-day kind of person, but she was disgusting right now. She pulled the phone out of her pocket and dumped her clothes straight into the washing machine as she pulled them off. Tomorrow