A Question of Love by Gwen Kirkwood

fitting jeans and a white open necked shirt which showed off the tanned column of his throat down to the first fuzz of dark hairs on his chest. She glanced up and blushed when she found his eyes on her and an amused smile curving the corners of his mouth. He quirked an eyebrow.
    ` Takes some getting used to.’
    ` Wh-what does?’
    ` Seeing the efficient and immaculate Miss Kershaw as a blushing maiden in skin tight jeans and…’
    ` They’re not skin tight! They’re…’
    ` Oh I’m not complaining,’ he grinned, `I just can’t take my eyes off them, especially the worn patches on your thighs and around here.’ He patted her derrière, then jumped out of reach, grinning as she swiped out with the dishcloth.
    ` You’d better watch your step or I shall be taking the next train back,’ she warned, but her eyes were sparkling. He had no need to talk about her jeans being tight when his own left so little room for expansion.
    They spent a companionable morning looking round the animals, particularly Mr K’s specials which were either rare or more uncommon breeds.
    ` This is almost like a farmstead on its own,’ Euan reflected as they entered a square shaped yard with stone buildings all the way round.
    ` It was the old original farmstead. The two areas can be separated for working with the beef cattle by the long iron gates at the top side of the house. They’re not so docile as the dairy cows. The stables and the big cubicle shed where the cows sleep, the dairy and milking parlour were all built shortly before your uncle bought Ashburn. That’s a long time ago now and the parlour was never meant for milking a hundred and twenty Jersey cows.’ She turned to look at him and her eyes were thoughtful.
    ` Come on Roseanne, out with it. Were you going to tell me my uncle has not moved with the times? I’ve already guessed that as far as the factory is concerned.’
    ` I was not going to criticise. The farm still makes a profit, but it could make more. I was thinking about the workers. Jock is well over sixty and Mr Lennox is heading that way so there will be changes whether we like it or not. There are so many modern aids now in farming as well as in other industries, but most of them need people who understand them, as well as being good stockmen. Did you know there are robots to do the milking now? The cows come to the stalls when they want to be fed their cake and get milked. Each one has a number so it gets the correct allocation of cake controlled by a computer which can be set according to the yield of milk the cow gives.’
    ` Are you pulling my leg?’ He stopped walking and took hold of her shoulders, frowning at her upturned face.
    `Of course not! I’m serious. Honestly. Robots aren’t common yet but you ought to know about such things. I thought they were more in your line of work when they’re operated by computers. You have to train the cows to come in to them of course but I'm told they learn very quickly.’
    He looked at her, still sceptical. `For a start I should think it's impossible to train cows like that to come and get themselves milked.’
    ` Of course it isn’t,’ Roseanne argued. `When the cows were milked in byres they all had their own stalls and they never forgot which was theirs. If you watch the herd now you will see there’s always a leader cow and an order of precedence amongst them, and most of them have a preference for which side they like to stand in the milking parlour to have the milking machine put on.’
    ` Honestly?’ He looked at her suspiciously. `You’re not – you’re not trying to “roast” me, are you? Because if you are, Roseanne Fairfax I shall…’
    ` Truthfully,’ Roseanne said hurriedly. `I’m telling you the facts. This is too important to me to risk sending you up a gum tree.’
    ` So you admit you might tease me about something of less importance?’
    ` I might.’ She chuckled and her green eyes danced. She sobered. `Robots are still very expensive. I