CHAPTER ONE

 

The sun beat down on the small cemetery, giving the illusion of a summer day. Although the sunshine was warm, the wind was still blowing strong on this day in May. Standing on the outskirts of the cemetery a lone woman watched her daughter as the young woman lingered by the graveside. News of the death of Darlyn MacKinstry had come as a shock to her sister and niece. Even more shocking was that Darlyn had left everything to her niece.

A city girl born and raised, the last thing Rachel Collier knew anything about was operating a chicken farm. Standing in the warm sunshine looking at her aunt’s grave, she wondered what Darlyn could have been thinking. Rachel was a schoolteacher; she had never wanted to be anything else. What did she know about chickens? On the other hand, maybe this was what she needed in her life right now. Maybe she should give it a try. After all, what did she have to go back to in Mobile? Last year she had become engaged to a very socially prominent lawyer in town. Even though Jason Sims was one of Mobile’s most sought after catches, she knew in her heart that she had made the right decision to break the engagement. After a year of social events and upper society galas, Rachel had decided she needed more out of her life. She wanted more than what Jason’s money could offer—she just wasn’t sure what that something was yet. Her friends and family couldn’t understand why she would want to give up a chance to live with financial security, not to mention the fact that Jason was easy to look at.

Turning from the graveside, Rachel walked slowly toward her mother. Sherry Collier was still an attractive woman at the age of forty-three. Standing in the sunshine, her hair picked up golden highlights. At four foot ten she was a good four inches shorter than her daughter. Rachel was often told that she looked like her mother, but she had never seen it herself until now.

Reaching Sherry’s side, Rachel linked arms with her. “Let’s go, Mama.”

“Yes, let’s go home,” Sherry replied.

“No, Mama, I want to go to Darlyn’s house.” Mentally correcting herself, she thought, my house now.

The sun was setting as they drove along Highway 31, and the ride to MacKinstry Farm was brief and silent. Neither Sherry or Rachel spoke on the way. As Rachel slowly drove down the dirt lane leading to the farmhouse, she took in the beauty of the land around her. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. Small rolling hills and neighboring pastures of green dotted with cattle surrounded her farm. She could understand why Darlyn loved living here. The MacKinstry Farm was located in Owassa, Alabama, about 100 miles northeast of Mobile.

Rachel pulled the car into the circular drive and stopped in front of the farmhouse. Stepping out of the car, the women were suddenly hit by the stench associated with raising chickens.

“How Darlyn could live here I’ll never know,” said Sherry. “Sure, the house is nice, but this smell is awful.”

“She always said it smelled like roses to her,” Rachel said, laughing at the memory.

Turning to go into the house, both women were startled when they saw a man step off the front porch and walk toward them. He was a bear of a man, towering over both Sherry and Rachel. Looking at him Rachel guessed him to be in his early fifties. A fine head of hair just going silver at the temples gave him a dignified appearance.

“How you ladies doing today? Let me introduce myself. I’m your neighbor down the road about two miles or so. My name is Oscar Newcume. Just wanted to stop and pay my respects. Yes sir, Ms. Darlyn was a fine lady. We’re gonna miss her.”

Not wanting to appear rude, Rachel stepped forward and started to shake Mr. Newcume’s hand. “Hello, Mr. Newcume, I’m Rachel Collier and this is my mother, Sherry Collier.”

“Now you’re just trying to fool an ol’ man! This can’t be your mother—she looks more like your sister to me!”

Laughing, Sherry stepped up to shake Mr. Newcume’s hand. “Why thank you, Mr. Newcume. Now I understand why Darlyn liked it here so much. Tell me, are all the men here so charming?”

Irritated with her mother’s obvious flirting, Rachel asked, “What can we do for you, Mr. Newcume?”

“Well, I just came by to pay my respects; that’s all, Ms. Rachel. Your aunt was a very popular lady around here, and I’m sure you’re gonna be getting a lot of visitors. Just wanted to let you know I’ll be glad to help you ladies with anything you need…anything at all.”

“That’s very kind of you Mr. Newcume; if we need anything we’ll let you know. For now I think I need to get Mama inside and settled down. This has been very hard on her. You will excuse us, won’t you?” Taking Sherry by the arm Rachel almost dragged her to the front steps.

“Does this mean you ladies will be staying in Owassa for a while?”

Embarrassed by her daughter’s sudden loss of manners, Sherry answered before Rachel could speak. “We’ve made no immediate plans Mr. Newcume, but we will be here long enough to finalize the estate. I’m sure we’ll see you again.”

“Good, good, I’ll be looking forward to it. Well, I must be getting back to my place. You ladies need anything you let Ol’ Oscar know, okay?”

Sherry waved goodbye as she stood on the front porch watching Oscar drive away. Voicing her irritation toward her mother, Rachel said, “What were you thinking? Why did you encourage him?”

Sherry’s face showed how tired and upset both she and Rachel were, but she was not one to mildly stand by and let her daughter chastise her. “I thought he was very friendly and not bad looking. If I’m going to be stuck in the country, at least I can have someone close to my age to talk to. What’s got into you anyway? Ever since you broke up with Jason you’ve turned into a prude!”

“Excuse me ladies....”

Jumping, both Rachel and Sherry turned to see who this was. Standing at the side of the house was Ollie Hinton. He had been Darlyn’s hired help in the chicken house for several years. It was Ollie who’d found Darlyn’s body as he was coming to work in the early hours of the morning. Trying to block that image from her mind Rachel focused on what Ollie was saying. “I’m sorry to disturb you. I was needing to know if you still wanted me to come in tomorrow morning.”

“Of course we do Ollie. Without you there is no one to run the farm. I’m depending on you to show me the ropes.”

“So, you mean you’re gonna stay, like you told Mr. Newcume?”

Not wanting to draw attention to the fact that Ollie had been eavesdropping Rachel replied, “Yes. Oh, by the way, how early do you get here?”

“About 4’clock; we always start early. Ms. Darlyn said, ‘The hens rule and we have to be ready when they are’.” Laughing at the memory, he shook his head and smiled. “That Ms. Darlyn sure was a funny lady. But I expect you know that, huh.”

Still obviously frustrated with Rachel, Sherry interrupted, saying, “We’ll both see you in the morning Ollie.” Her tone of voice and facial expression was one she used when she was displeased with someone.

Seeing the look on Ms. Sherry’s face, Ollie stopped smiling. “Okay, see you in the morning. Bye.”

Ashamed of the way Sherry was speaking to Ollie, Rachel smiled her sweetest and said bye. Ollie had been a friend of the family long before he came to work for Darlyn and Rachel couldn’t let him leave with hurt feelings.

Opening the front door, Rachel paused to look at her new home. The old farmhouse had been remodeled many times over the last fifty years. Every time Rachel came to visit Darlyn she never knew what she would find. Originally the overseers’ house for a large plantation, the old house sat on the top of a hill surrounded by pecan and crepe myrtle trees. With each new owner the house was added onto, making it a hodge-podge of architecture with old country charm. A wrap-around porch graced the lower floor. Bay front windows were to the right of the front door where Darlyn’s office was located.

The foyer had been stripped down to the old hardwood floors and polished to a beautiful shine. To the left of the foyer was a large parlor. With floor length windows and a twelve-foot ceiling, the room was bright and sunny. Darlyn had redecorated again, but this time Rachel liked what she saw. A comfortable looking couch and love seat faced each other on an old braided rug. A coffee table made of oak sat between the two, making the room very inviting. Antiques were everywhere. Between the two front windows was a roll top desk and chair. The original stone fireplace was on the far wall facing the seating arrangement. Family pictures were proudly arranged on the mantle. In the back far corner was an old Baldwin piano. It had been Darlyn and Sherry’s when they were little girls. Darlyn played like an angel, but Sherry, even after years of lessons, still could not read a note. Remembering the fun they had last Christmas in this very room with Darlyn playing Christmas carols and Sherry singing was too much for Rachel. Tears stung her eyes; she still couldn’t believe Darlyn was gone.

Seeing the tears forming in Rachel’s eyes Sherry went to her and embraced her. “Why don’t you go on up and get settled in? I’ll lock up down here. We’re going to need to try to sleep if we’re getting up at 4 A.M.”

Knowing that her mother had never gotten out of bed before eight in her life, Rachel looked at her with surprise.

“Don’t look at me like that young lady; I can get up with the chickens if I have to!”

With a ‘we’ll see’ expression, Rachel kissed her mother good night and headed up the staircase.

* * * * *

Standing at the counter in the cozy old kitchen, Rachel poured herself a cup of coffee. She could not remember the last time she was up at three o’clock in the morning. Turning to look out the window above the sink, she wondered if she should go wake her mother. Mr. Newcume had been right when he said they would be getting a lot of visitors. Rachel had barely made it to the top of the stairs last night when there was a knock at the front door. Friends of Darlyn’s had poured into the house carrying platters and trays of food. Rachel and Sherry greeted each guest with as much enthusiasm as they could given the circumstances. Finally, around eleven o’clock, Roxanne Hinton ushered the last of the guests out the door. Roxanne was Ollie’s older sister and had been Darlyn’s best friend for over forty years. They had been inseparable since the first grade. After helping to clean up and put away the leftover food, Roxanne left them, saying she would see them tomorrow.

Yawning, Rachel wondered again if she should wake Sherry. At that moment, Sherry stumbled into the kitchen. Blurry eyed, she nudged Rachel out of the way so she could reach a coffee cup. Too short to reach the cups on the second shelf, Sherry looked at Rachel with a silent plea for assistance. This was a routine they had followed since Rachel was thirteen. Secretly Sherry was pleased that Rachel was taller than she was. She had always hated being short and petite. Sherry was a very independent woman and did not like feeling inadequate in any way. Rachel had realized that fact about her mother many years ago, but still could not help herself from teasing Sherry when they were alone. “I’ll get it, Shorty,” she would say. This time Rachel let it go without making any comment. She just nudged Sherry back, got a cup down and filled it with coffee. Finishing her coffee first, Rachel sighed and said she would meet Sherry at the chicken coops.

The early morning hours cast long and dark shadows around her. As she made her way down the lane behind the farmhouse to the main chicken coop Rachel was glad she had remembered to bring one of the flashlights she’d found on the back porch. It had been many years since she had last made this trip. When Rachel was in high school she would spend her summers helping Aunt Darlyn and Uncle Mack work the chicken farm. Thinking back to those happier times brought Rachel to tears once again. Darlyn and Mack had been high school sweethearts. Marrying right after graduation, they had settled into the farmhouse with Grandpa Joe. Shortly after that Grandpa Joe died, leaving the farmhouse to Darlyn. Sherry was living in Mobile with Grandmother Barbara. Rachel had never known Grandpa Joe but she had heard all about him from her mother, Aunt Darlyn, and of course Grandmother Barbara over the years.

Hearing a noise to her left Rachel came back to the present. Shining her light to see what the noise was, she came face to face with a kitten caught in some briars on the side of the lane. Wiping the tears off that had been streaming down her face, Rachel bent down to help the little gray fur ball. Frightened and meowing at the top of its lungs, the kitten struggled harder to escape the briars. Rachel spoke softly to the kitten as she untangled it. “Don’t be scared, little kitty, I’ll help.” Finally pulling it free from the last of the thorns, Rachel hugged the kitten to her chest and continued whispering to it. “Why, we’re both just being weepy wusses this morning, aren’t we?” Taking the kitten with her she started down the lane to the chicken houses.

The magnitude of her inheritance started settling on Rachel’s mind and she mentally went over everything she could remember about the farm. MacKinstry Farm was not a chicken farm in the sense that chickens were raised to be sold to market. Oh, they made it there eventually; however, the real purpose of the chicken coops was egg harvesting. Ten years ago Darlyn and Mack had built four additional houses, making a total of six. Each house was 400 feet long and held 8,000 hens and 800 roosters at a time. Three silos sat between the houses. They contained enough feed to supply two houses each. In front of all of them was the main house, where the eggs were cleaned and refrigerated. Stepping inside, Rachel was overcome with a smell of ammonia so strong that it burned her eyes and nose. Still holding the kitten close she looked around. Straight in front of her were the cleaning stations for the eggs that came from the middle two coops. To her right was a bathroom, complete with a walk in shower and a large mop sink. To her left was an old black leather couch that Rachel recognized. It had been Uncle Mack’s favorite piece of furniture in the parlor. She suspected Aunt Darlyn couldn’t part with it and had put it here to rest on.

A small sleeping child currently occupied the couch. Although Rachel had never seen Ollie’s little girl, she knew this must be Molly. Long dark hair spilled over her tanned face. Rachel decided she must favor her mother instead of her daddy, because Ollie was fair skinned with sandy colored hair. Rachel didn’t wonder why Molly was here; she had learned from the many letters that Darlyn wrote that Molly’s mother, Trina, had run off not long after Molly was born. Ollie said she had gone back to the reservation. Trina was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian, who Ollie had met when he was in the army stationed in Oklahoma. Not wanting to disturb Molly, Rachel placed the kitten at the opposite end of the couch and wrapped it in part of the covers. Snuggling in the old afghan, the kitten curled into a ball and went to sleep. Turning around, Rachel was startled to see Ollie standing there.

At five foot ten inches Ollie was not an intimidating fellow. His serious expressions led people to believe he was older than his twenty-seven years. Because of the age difference between Ollie and Roxanne, Rachel subconsciously thought of him as Roxanne’s son instead of her brother. He was a simple man with little to say, always letting other people initiate conversations. This time, however, he spoke first.

“What you got there Ms. Rachel?’ he asked while peeking around her.

“I found a kitten in the briars up the lane, and thought I would keep it—you know, as a pet.” She had always wanted a pet, but Sherry and Grandmother Barbara would never let her have one.

“Well, okay. I just came out here to check on Molly. She sometimes wakes up and starts wandering around. Ms. Darlyn never minded me bringing her here until time to take her to the church daycare.” Nervously he fidgeted with his baseball cap, waiting for her reply.

“It’s no problem, Ollie. You ready to get started? I do remember we have to collect the eggs before we start cleaning them.”

Looking at Rachel’s feet, Ollie told her she might need to swap her tennis shoes for an old pair of rubber galoshes by the bathroom. Darlyn had kept extra pairs in case she had visitors who wanted a tour of the coops. Rachel was swapping her shoes when Sherry waltzed into the chicken house. Mumbling about the early hours, she too swapped her shoes out and followed Rachel into the chicken coop.

Both ladies stood just inside the doorway and got acclimated to their surroundings. The inside of the chicken coop was noisy, smelly and warm. The floor was made of concrete so it could be hosed out during the molting season. Sawdust was spread on the concrete to help absorb the chicken poop. A conveyer belt ran the length of the coop and separated into two sections leading out of a plastic covered flap to the cleaning stations in the main room. Rows of wooden nests were on either side of the conveyer belt. The rows were spaced far enough apart so the chickens could walk around on the floor. This area had to be well ventilated or the ammonia from the chicken poop would be intolerable. Large fans located at intervals down the length of the building pulled the smell out. Chickens were everywhere. Some walked the floor while others flew to the lighting rafters to roost. Following Ollie’s lead, they started to work.

After several hours Ollie told the ladies he needed to check on Molly and take her to the daycare. Sweating and smelling like chicken poop, both Rachel and Sherry decided to also take a break. As the trio neared the door to the main room Molly burst in. Her dark brown eyes were shining large and bright with mischief.

Holding the little gray kitten close she yelled, “Look what I found!”

Before Ollie could reach his daughter, the kitten, squirming to escape, jumped out of Molly’s grasp and started to run. Rachel and Molly both made a dash for the kitten. Chickens were clucking and running in every direction to get away from the kitten, Molly and Rachel. It was such a funny sight Sherry and Ollie could not contain their laughter. A large white hen flew straight into Rachel’s head, causing her to lose her footing. Slipping, she reached out to grab something to break her fall, only to knock Molly down with her. This made Ollie and Sherry laugh that much louder.

Rachel and Molly sat on the floor covered from head to toe in sawdust and chicken poop. Bewildered, Molly looked around, then started to cry. Anger overtook Rachel when she realized her mother and Ollie were laughing at her.

“You think this is funny, huh? Well here!” Taking a large handful of sawdust and poop she flung it at Sherry. With tears of laughter in her eyes, Sherry managed to dodge it.

While Ollie picked up Molly and started toward the door, Sherry gave Rachel a hand off the floor. Turning he spoke to them, “If you don’t mind I’ll put Molly in the shower here and you can go back to the house to get cleaned up. After she’s had her shower I’ll take her on to the daycare. It should be open by now.”

Scooping the kitten up as it started rubbing her leg, Rachel replied, “Sure, Ollie you go ahead. After I get cleaned up, Mama and I will start cleaning the eggs we collected.”

“Okay, Ms. Rachel, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“There’s no hurry,” Sherry said over her shoulder as she pushed Rachel out the door and into a warm sunny morning.