open door was no longer cool. Now her jacket was too hot. Cerise took off her coat, and held it in front of her, careful not to let it touch anything. It was dry clean only, and she didn’t want to have to take it in. Another person came out to talk to them. He showed them the cow, telling all the kids about her, but Cerise wasn’t listening, she was too busy watching him. He had a face that was made for smiling, a few lines around his mouth, but they were mostly buried by his light stubble.
Suddenly, one of the other volunteers nudged her elbow. The man was pointing at her. She looked confused, and he waved her up. She draped her coat over one of the fences, and she walked up, around the kids standing, giggling. She stood next to the cow, and looked out at the kids. Denzel was smiling, his mouth open wide, his hands in front of his mouth. She looked at him puzzled. What had she agreed to do?
“Have you ever milked a cow before?”
Her eyes opened wide, that’s what he was asking her to do? The other volunteers and teachers started to snicker. She looked at the cow, and the udders. She would have to touch that?
“No, I can’t say that I have.”
“Well, then this will be your lucky day.”
He picked up a small stool, and set it down next to the cow. He patted it, waiting for her to sit down. She lowered herself onto the stool, and he leaned over her. She could feel the warmth from his body, he held her hands and guided them to the cows udders. A small cat scampered around her feet.
“Put your hands here, and move them like this,” he said quietly.
She watched their hands moving together. His hands were rough and calloused, but they held hers gently. They were white and pale, from wearing gloves. From the wrist to the elbow, they were tanned. His arms were probably pale again under his shirt. His hands were almost as light as hers were dark. She jumped slightly in surprise when the milk started coming out of the udders, and into the bucket. She looked up at him, as he smiled back at her, his green eyes laughing. They were the loveliest eyes she had ever seen. She took a deep breath, he smelled like soap and sweat and warm hay. It made her think of a summer day. After a few strokes, he let her go, and stepped away from her. She stood up, blushing and moved back to where she had been standing. He finished talking, but she wasn’t really sure what he said, and a few minutes later, the group started walking again.
The rest of the trip passed in a daze. Even though Cerise kept a sharp eye on her group, her mind kept wandering. She kept feeling the pressure of his hand on hers, his hands guiding hers. She wondered what it would feel like to hold his hand, to feel him touch her face, or her body. She walked Denzel home from school that day, and stayed with him until his mother got home. He spent the entire evening talking about the farm, and the animals. After his mother put him to bed, she leaned against the counter where Cerise was sitting.
“You touched a cow?” She asked in disbelief. “Why on earth did you touch a cow?”
“Because he chose me as his volunteer,” she answered. And because she couldn’t say no to such a good looking man, but she didn’t want to add that part for her sister. She stood up to leave, picking up her purse and started looking around for her coat.
“Did you see my coat?”
Her sister shook her head, walking into the front hall looking in the closet. “Did you have one today? I never saw one when I got home.”
Cerise stood, thinking back during the day. She’d had the coat when she was at the school, and she’d had it on the morning bus trip. She had it when the first started the tours of the barns, and then she remembered. She’d put it down when she went to milk the cow, and then got distracted by that farmer.