Page 12 of Dead Clucked
“We loved it!” Everly gushed. “I gave Hen Solo lots of cuddles, until Daddy tried to grab her. He learned the hard way that chickens can fly.”
“They sure can. Let’s go on over to the sunflower field where Jim Donaldson, the photographer, is waiting for you guys.” Manny led the way with Everly by his side.
Jude couldn’t help but think the kids belonged in a place like this where they, as well as the chickens, could run free.
“Wow, Daddy! Look at the sunflowers!” Aurora ran ahead of Fitzgibbon, toward the field of bright flowers. Everly and Wolf were hot on her heels.
Jude watched as the photographer started snapping candid shots of the kids with the sunflowers. Everly got the kids to leap into the air while more shots were snapped. “Hey, we should do that too. How funny would those pictures be of the three of us?”
“Sounds good to me,” Ronan agreed. He set Hen Solo’s cage down and released the bird, who quickly ran to Everly, who squealed with delight.
Jude did the same for Fricassee and Hennifer Lopez. The hens ran toward the kids, who posed for smiling pictures with the chickens.
“Am I the only one who thinks the kids would be better in the calendar shoot than we would?” Fitz asked, as he snapped pictures of Aurora with his phone. “Aurora and Hennifer are already best friends.
Fitz joined his daughter and the bird, laying on his left side with his head cupped in his hand. Aurora sat with her back against Fitz, cooing to the chicken. The photographer snapped away, all the while giving Aurora and Fitz instructions on how to pose.
Ronan and Everly were up next. He posed with Everly sitting on one shoulder and Hen Solo sitting on the other. For the last few pictures Ronan sat on the grass with his long legs out in front of him. Everly sat on his lap in the same position with the hen on her knees.
“That’s my favorite shot,” Jude said.
“Mine too,” Ronan agreed.
“Daddy!” Wolf waved Jude toward him. “It’s our turn. We gotta do something cool!”
Jude had never posed for professional pictures before. At both of his wedding ceremonies, friends and family had taken picturesof him and Cope. This was his first chance to be a cover model and he was perfectly content to let Wolf have the spotlight.
As Jude approached Wolf and Fric, the chicken took off with Wolf chasing behind her. He burst out laughing as the photographer spun around, clicking his shutter when Wolf and the bird zipped past.
“Daddy!” Wolf shouted, when Fricassee turned the tables and started chasing Wolf.
Jude dashed off after them, not because he thought Wolf was in danger, but because his son was having so much fun. He fell in behind Fricassee with his hands in his pockets, showing off his biceps to their fullest advantage, laughing along with Wolf. These might not be the beefcake pictures Jude had dreamed of when Cisco first introduced the idea of posing for the calendar, but he had to admit, pictures of him with his son were worth so much more.
When Jude tired out, Aurora and Everly joined Wolf. Three happy kids being chased by three happy hens. Life didn’t get much better than this.
EPILOGUE
Fitzgibbon
Three Wise Hens
One month later…
Fitzgibbon hadn’t given much thought to the chicken calendar since the day the kids had stolen the show at the farm. It hadn’t been all that important that he showed off his body to a bunch of strangers. That was more in line with what Ronan and Jude wanted, but all the same, he was a little curious as to how the pictures turned out and which ones would be used in the calendar.
Fitz, Ronan, and Jude were sitting in the living room listening to the football pre-game show. He’d spent most of the morning putting together a beef stew to serve with freshly baked bread. Ten had given him tips on how to make it the way Aurora liked it. He had to admit, it hadn’t been very hard to prepare the meal. Thankfully, the crockpot was doing all the hard work.
Jace, Ten, and Cope were in the kitchen with the kids, baking cookies for dessert. Fitz was about to go check on everyone and give the stew a stir when the doorbell rang.
“Who the hell could that be ringing the bell on a Sunday?” Ronan asked. “Everyone we know is here.”
“Maybe it’s Cisco and Luca dropping in?” Fitz asked, getting out of his seat. “We’ve only been asking them to join us for the last two months.” Opening the door, Fitz saw a stranger dressed in a UPS uniform on his doorstep rather than his friends.
“Special delivery for Kevin Fitzgibbon. Sign here.” The delivery man handed Fitz the device, taking it back after he’d scrawled his name in his usual chicken scratch. “Here you go.”
Fitz took the square package and headed back into the living room.
“What the hell is that?” Ronan asked. “Looks like record albums.”
