Page 8 of Mated in Flames

I laugh.

“A lot of people take the babies from the mother so that they can get the milk,” I explain. “Come on, I’ll show you how to actually do this. Grab that bucket and stool.”

We get a length of rope and secure the cow to the stall so she wouldn’t wander off. By how intently she’s eating, however, I doubt we’ll have any problem with that at all. I look underneath, at the udder.

“We need to be gentle and slow,” I tell Luciana, lowering my voice to a quiet, soothing tone. “The last thing we want is for her to kick us.”

Luciana, who was about to kneel next to me, freezes. She suddenly looks far warier about approaching the cow from behind.

“It’ll be okay,” I reassure. “Come on.”

Slowly, looking like she would rather be anywhere than here, Luciana sits down on the short, sturdy stool she found, the bucket at her feet.

“Milking a cow isn’t as easy as people make it look,” I say. “It looks like you gave her a wash this morning, so her udder is clean, which is good. Now, do you have any rubber gloves?”

“Uh…” Luciana looks around. “I think my father kept them on a shelf in here…”

After a moment, we find the shelf tucked away in the corner. The box of gloves is stashed with everything else that has been piled on there, and I hear Luciana mutter something under her breath about chaotically messy fathers.

“Put these on,” I say to her, taking a pair for myself. When we’re settled around, I wrap my hand lightly around a teat. “Alright, we have to strip it first.” Luciana goes faintly green and I roll my eyes at her. “Not what you’re thinking, city girl. We just need to give each teat a few tugs to let any dirty milk out first.”

Luciana leans forward slightly as I tug expertly on the teat and twisting my wrist, pinching the teat just enough for a small squirt of milk to splash on the barn floor. The cow shifts a little, likely at the odd sensation, but otherwise doesn’t seem to care.

“Suddenly, this seems a little gross,” Luciana says with a reluctant smile.

“Most farm work is,” I grin at her. “Better get used to that if you stay here.”

Luciana smiles slightly at that. I’m suddenly filled with the burning desire to ask her if she is going to stay. My concentration on the cow slips and I lean forward, my mouth opening.

Several things happen at once. I tug too hard on the teat, making milk spray out in a thin stream. My hand has moved as I did, and the teat is now pointing at me, and I jerk backwards at the unexpected sensation, accidentally grabbing the teat too tight. The cow moos deeply, and I know I’ve caused her some pain.

Luciana, startled, jumps to her feet and knocks the metal bucket over. This is enough for the poor cow, she kicks out, missing us both but getting the stool, which Luciana falls over with a yelp, reaching up to grab at me. But I’m still trying to wipe the milk off and, when Luciana’s hand catches my shirt and tugs, I lose my balance too.

We both go down in a flail of limbs and squawks, trying to move away from each other while, at the same time, getting ourselves more and more tangled. It’s stupid and childish, and I feel a zing of attraction shoot me as her lower body shifts against mine, unintentionally rubbing against me.

Feeling myself start to harden like an inexperienced adolescent boy, I panic and shove her away, finally freeing us from one another. We both scramble back and stare, panting.

Luciana is a mess. Hay and dirt are all through her hair and some of the milk that was on the ground made it to her shirt. My eyes are drawn to a smudge of dirt on her cheek, and I can’t help but think how attractive she is right now.

As for me, I doubt I look my best. In hindsight, I’m hoping this will probably all be very funny. Right now, however, a scowl is crossing Luciana’s face.

“What the hell was that?” she demands.

“Unfortunate,” I quip, the word spilling from my lips before my brain can tell me to stop.

It was definitely the wrong thing to say. Luciana stands and brushes herself off as much as she can, glaring.

“Thank you for your offer to help, but I think you need to go,” she says.

Well, this is definitely a record. I’ve never actually been kicked out of a woman’s house on the first day we met. I feel like a fool, especially since everything about that accident was my fault.

“Right,” I say. “I’ll see you around.”

I turn and I’m not surprised when I hear her mutter ‘I hope not’ as I leave. That could definitely have gone better.

So much for trying to help. All I’m left with now is a neighbour that doesn’t want to see me, and a pissed off brother who will probably lecture me the moment I walk through the door.

I sigh and walk away. I’ll try and apologise to Luciana another day. For now, I need to try and placate my brother and get over my embarrassment.

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