Page 608 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“They raise roosters to fight?”

“Sure, not only do they raise them to fight, they also raise them to sell. Each one of those birds could bring anywhere from $1,200 to $2,500.”

Sydney wrinkled her nose. “Why would anyone do such a thing?”

“For money, of course. People bet on which one will kill the other first.”

She cringed. “How barbaric.”

Kendall eyed her with amusement. “Cock fighting has been around for thousands of years. Alexander the Great staged cock fights for his men the night before they went to battle.”

“Why?”

“To pump up his troops. Make them more courageous.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“It’s true.” He paused. “Do you eat chicken?”

She sensed a trap. “Well, yes. Of course.”

“Do you think those chickens just lay down and die so you can have chicken McNuggets anytime you want to?”

“That’s different.”

He shook his head. “Some people think that game chickens have it much better than their counterparts.”

She frowned. “How so?”

“Well, for one thing they’re housed in separate pens. Chickens raised for human consumption live in cramped quarters and are debeaked and pumped full of growth hormones. Then comes the slaughter house.”

She shuddered.

Kendall pointed to the huts. “These chickens each have their own patch of grass and are usually very well taken care of because of their high value.”

“Until they’re killed.”

His expression suggested that he would have liked to say more, but he didn’t want their date to end in an argument. “Haven’t you ever heard the guys at the sawmill talking about it? A lot of them go to cockfights.”

The men at the sawmill never told her anything. As a matter of fact, most of them stayed as far away from her as they could get, but she’d never admit that to Kendall. “Maybe I should go check it out sometime.”

“You’ve got to be kidding. You at a cockfight? I don’t think so.”

“Have you ever taken a girl with you?”

Kendall kicked at the dirt on the ground. “Yeah.” He avoided her eyes. “But she didn’t come from Dallas-Ft. Worth.”

The remark stung, and she clamped her jaw shut.

He got back on his bike. “Let’s ride some more.” Maybe he was wondering where their conversation had taken a wrong turn.

Sydney sat down behind him and reached for her helmet. Kendall placed his hand over hers. “Not yet.”She looked questioningly at him for a split second before his lips met hers. His kiss was deliberately tender, and she felt her anger melt away. He pulled away and searched her expression for a reaction.

“I’d like to see you again.”

She nodded.

“Tomorrow? Mama’s makin’ a big Sunday dinner. You’ll get to meet her and Emma.”

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