UNTOUCHED (Midwest Alphas) (Book 1) Read Free Page A

want to eventually.”
    I put my hair up into a loose ponytail. “Now what?” I ask.
    “Follow me.” He pulls open the front door and I follow him outside.
    One minute outside and I’m already begging for a glass of water. It’s just one more reason to make me feel homesick. Chicago isn’t nearly as humid as this place is. I take deep, long breaths as we make our way across the driveway towards the barn.
    “I let you sleep in this morning,” he says. “But tomorrow, you wake up at five with me.”
    I smack a mosquito off my arm. “You wake up at five ?”
    “Sometimes four,” he smirks. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it after a week or two.”
    “Yeah, right…” I flinch and slap another mosquito off my neck.
    Charlie grips the barn door and slides it open. “We have three cows here: Doris, Betty, and Gloria. We let ‘em roam the fields during the day, but at night, they’re kept in the barn.”
    “Okay…” I take a step into the barn. The air is thick and muggy. It feels like I’m breathing gelatin and it smells like a damp sewer. “Jeez—” I cough.
    “You’ll get used to that.” Charlie points over my head. “Grab that bucket. Remember exactly where you took it from, because you’ll be expected to put it right back where you found it. Same goes for every piece of my equipment you use.”
    I look up and see the metal bucket hanging on the wall. As I walk over, I notice Tobias’ motorbike parked nearby. I get a better look at the helmet. It’s pitch black with a small, pink sticker on the back. I lean forward to see it’s a little cartoon cat.
    “I’m sure I already know the answer to this one, but have you ever milked a cow?”
    I spin back around with the bucket in hand. “No…” I answer.
    He grins back at me. “Perfect. Bring that over here.”
    I follow behind him, dragging my feet through the muddy hay on the ground as I go. The barn is quite larger than it appears on the outside. My eyes roam about and I take in all the little details like the bright fluorescent lights set up in the ceiling and the hay bales stacked up near the walls. I spot a wooden ladder leading upward and look up to see a loft above my head.
    Three cows sit along the opposite wall, each one in their own section with a food trough and water bin, separated by makeshift wooden fences. I chuckle silently, thinking that these animals have it better than I do. I check out the far corner and see a tall punching bag hanging from the ceiling, obviously old and heavily used.
    “Sit down on that stool there next to Doris,” Charlie says.
    I walk around him and bend over to cross under the wood plank to enter the cow’s section. I hesitate before sitting down on the rickety old stool. The cow pushes in closer to me, nearly knocking me off it. I put a hand against it to push her away, an act I immediately regret. I pull my hand back to find it covered in dirt and grime. “Ugh…” I mutter.
    “Put the bucket down beneath her,” he chuckles.
    “I think I got it…” I spit as I toss it down.
    He leans against the wooden sectional between the cows. “All right then… go on,” he gestures.
    I crack my knuckles, stalling for time, trying to picture all the movies and television shows I’ve seen this in. You just grab the dangling thing and pull, right? Seems simple enough. I reach out and feel the smooth teat in my hand.
    “Get in there—”
    I shoot another glance at him and duck further beneath the cow. “Nothing personal, Betty…” I mutter.
    “That’s Doris.”
    “Yeah, yeah.” I start from the top of the teat and pull down. To my surprise, a spurt of milk shoots out into the bucket below.
    “There you go. Good job,” Charlie says.
    “How do I know when to stop?” I ask.
    “She’ll tell ya.”
    I roll my eyes. “Okay…” I continue milking her, feeling his hard gaze on me as I go.
    “You’re not allowed to leave the house without supervision. Understand?” Charlie asks. “It’s