Page 35 of Take My Love

He’s explained some of the process to me where some goats will be in a dry period and some are still nursing their babies so they share the milk. But honestly, a lot of the production details go above my head.

“That gonna be a problem for ya, city boy?”

Posey’s voice behind me has the hair on the back of my neck standing up.

I turn around to her smug face. “Of course not. I can handle it.”

Amaya stands next to her, grinning wide.

“Good, ’cause it’ll build a better connection between you and the goat and will make it easier when you switch to a machine.”

“Makes sense,” I agree. “But I didn’t realize I’d have an audience.”

“I couldn’t miss yourfirsttime,” Posey muses, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall.

“And I’m here for moral support,” Amaya chimes in.

Those two are as transparent as glass.

“Go wash up.” Emily nods toward the sink.

She’s one of the workers and only a few years younger than Posey, but she’s been more tolerable about me being new and learning about the job.

Once my hands are clean, I go over to where Emily sits on a stool next to the stand.

“Robin’s a feisty one and is usually good during milkin’, but you’ll still wanna watch her legs in case she kicks.”

“Kicks?”

“Yeah, especially if you’re takin’ a while. And you’ll need to watch the bucket so she doesn’t get her hoof in it and spill everythin’. You can use your forearm as a barrier if you need to.”

“Got it.”

“First thing you’ll do is clean the udder and teats. This helps prevent contamination.”

She takes a wipe and shows me what to do. “Don’t be too gentle with the teats or it’ll feel ticklish and then she’ll most definitely kick you.”

I wince. “Noted.”

“You’re gonna wanna get closer and watch my hands.” She glances up at me, and I step toward her to get a better look.

“You wrap your thumb and fingers right above the teat to trap the milk and then squeeze. Don’t pull down. You’ll loosen your grip slightly to let the milk come down before squeezin’ it again.” She shows me, making it look effortless.

I notice the way her thumb doesn’t move, only herfingers on the back. “The first few squirts you’ll do in this small jar to make sure she doesn’t have mastitis and look for blood in the milk,” she explains, quickly examining it before putting the stainless steel bucket underneath the udder.

“In the event it does look weird, you’d empty her out and toss the milk. Then, let Ian know so he can examine her.”

I nod.

“You can do both at the same time or rotate to give your hand a rest in between.” She shows me both options. “Or if you prefer, you can do one hand at a time. Either way, it should only take three to five minutes per goat. You’ll know she’s done when there’s only a few drops left and the teat will be soft and limp.”

The worst combo.

As I continue watching her, more milk comes out. Her hands work so fast, I’m not sure how they don’t get tired after continuous movement.

“Ready to try?”

“Um…” I glance over my shoulder at Posey. She gives me a little finger wave with a good-luck-asshole grin. Swallowing hard, I look at Emily. “Yep, I’m ready.”