Chapter 145: Declan

Declan was rough chopping some potatoes and carrots for dinner when the landline rang. Picking the phone up from the cradle, he tucked it under his cheek.

"Hello?" he said, moving back to the cutting board.

"Dec, you would not believe what just popped up on Facebook!" Iris squealed in his ear.

He grinned into the phone. Whatever was making Iris this happy was A+ in his book. "They finally found Bigfoot," he guessed, tongue in cheek.

She paused for a moment, decided he was kidding, and plowed on as if he hadn't said anything. "Piglets! Mr. Harther got an early crop of them, and his granddaughter took pictures and put them up on Facebook. Oh Declan, you should see them. They are adorable! I already called and asked how much they are, and they're not expensive at all. He said that for you, he'd - "

"No!"

The sound came out harsh and rough and rude but he hadn't been able to stop himself.

There was silence, dead silence, on the line.