Inside the barn, Carmen filled two buckets with warm water and heaved them out of the sink. Taking mincing steps so that the water wouldn't slosh out of the buckets, she worked her way toward the barn door. Some day she was going to pipe water into the barn.
The dairy door swung open with a blast of cold air and Alex paused in the doorway. He glanced at the buckets and shut the door. Striding across to her side, he reached for them.
"Let me get those."
Carmen continued at a snail's pace across the floor. "I can carry them. I'm used to it."
The smile on his lips charmed, but the dark eyes mocked her. "How do you get used to carrying something half your size?"
She hesitated, trying to think of a good comeback. The pause allowed him time to commandeer the buckets. Looking up into his face, it occurred to her that he was considerably shorter than Josh, and yet he didn't seem short. She forced a smile.
"Thanks, but I've been doing this for a long time now. Just because I'm small doesn't mean I'm inefficient."
His expression became guarded. "Nor did I think so. I merely wanted to help. Now, where do I put these?"
Maybe she was being over-sensitive. She pointed down the row of stalls.
"One of them goes in the Toggenburg's stall and the other one goes in the Lamancha's." Behind her, she heard Katie enter the barn. At least she wouldn't have to explain every move to Katie.
Alex glanced down the line of stalls and quirked a brow at Carmen. "Which one is the Toggenburg?"
"The brown one with the white stripes on its face and white belly. The one I was working with when you arrived." Some vet he'd make.
He nodded and started for the last stall. "And the LaMancha?"
"The one with no ears - right next to the Toggenburg." Two occupied stalls and he couldn't figure out where to put the water. What was he going to do when the barn was teeming with goats? She checked the first stall to see if more hay was needed and called instructions without looking in his direction.
"Be sure to put the bucket in the corner so it won't get knocked over."
No hay needed here. She stepped away from the stall and her gaze was instantly drawn to Alex. His broad shoulders swayed gracefully with the swing of his stride. Something about the way he moved was captivating. He stopped at the last stall and deftly lifted the bucket over the gate, placing it on the floor with ease.