Chapter 25
The sight of Birch Tree Farm warmed my heart.
‘Oh, it’s good to be home again,’ I said as I drove through the gate later that day and looked at my beloved birch trees.
They were on their way to full autumn bloom – swaying in the gentle breeze, the crisp sunshine shining down on them, making the green leaves turning yellow look more like glistening gold instead.
They scattered across the drive as we made our way to the farmhouse.
Dylan had left his laptop and phone alone for the journey back, looking out of the window at the countryside and listening to the radio, and he seemed in almost as good a mood as me to be back home again.
The car was piled high with things we had picked up and I felt more optimistic than I had all week for what I could do now.
Up at the farmhouse, the door was thrown open when I started to park my car outside. Maple ran out barking followed slowly by my dad, who waved and smiled and looked just as pleased as my dog that we were there.
‘That was a long weekend without you,’ I cried when I got out and Maple jumped up at me, trying to lick me with her tail wagging, making me laugh. I knelt down and buried my face in her fur as Dylan greeted my dad.
‘Adam, it’s good to see you. How were things while we were away?’ he asked, shaking hands with my dad.
‘Boring. I can’t wait to hear about what you both got up to.’
I coughed as I stood up, causing both men to turn to look at me.
‘Fur ball,’ I muttered.
Dylan raised his eyebrow but didn’t say anything. ‘We have a lot to unload from the car.’
‘Let’s do it after a hot drink. I have cake too. Come on, you can tell me all about it inside. Oh, Willow, the two Pats phoned and told me to tell you, “Yes”. You know what that means?’
I beamed at him. ‘I sure do.’
I watched as Dad walked inside and Dylan followed, telling him about the pumpkin farm we visited first. He had taken off his jacket and undone a couple of shirt buttons and changed out of his polished shoes into his farm ones so he was now half Mr Suit Man and half Farm-Dylan.
I knew which one I preferred. And he seemed to get more relaxed as the farm grew closer so I wondered if he disliked the suit just as much as I did.
‘You coming, love?’ Dad called back from the doorway.
‘Yep,’ I said, hurrying after them, Maple trotting beside me, making sure her fur brushed against my legs.
The kitchen felt even cosier than normal after a couple of days away from it.
Dad brought over thick slices of carrot cake with mugs of tea, and then we sat at the kitchen table to talk about the trip.
Maple stayed by me like she was worried I’d leave her again.
I kept a hand on her and wished she would understand if I promised I never would again.
‘The pumpkin farm was impressive,’ Dylan said over lunch. ‘Although Willow told me off for getting too involved…’ He grinned over at me.
‘Well, you started to negotiate with the farmer without me when clearly it’s up to me what I pay for his pumpkins,’ I retorted hotly.
I was annoyed to see his grin only became wider like he was enjoying himself.
‘But what deal have you decided on?’ Dylan asked, raising an eyebrow. I could feel Dad watching us closely and I felt flustered. He leaned back when I didn’t answer. ‘That’s what I thought.’
Damn it. His idea for us to sell the pumpkins on behalf of the farm had been a solid idea for the first try at a pumpkin patch, and would allow me to spend money on the more unusual pumpkins that would look pretty inside the polytunnels.
The large, orange ones could be stacked in the crates I’d come back with from the wine place.
‘You still should have discussed it with me first before saying anything to the farmer,’ I replied stubbornly.
‘It just came to me in the moment,’ Dylan said. ‘Anyway, I thought that was one of the reasons you wanted me to stay here for six weeks – to use me…’
I spluttered on the tea I was drinking.
‘You okay, love?’ Dad asked me while I tried to compose myself and Dylan chuckled under his breath.
‘What was I saying?’ Dylan asked when I quietened down. ‘Oh, yeah. I thought you wanted to use my ideas while I’m here to help your business, as well as manual labour… Actually, I feel like you are getting the best out of this pact we made.’
I took a breath now I had calmed down and threw him a glare for throwing me off like that. I thought we mutually had agreed not to mention our night together but now it felt like he was almost flirting with me about it. And in front of my father too!
‘I suppose you have been convincing Willow to take your deal over the weekend, though,’ Dad said, with a worried look in my direction.
‘I just reminded her that if things don’t work out, there is a pretty good second option on the table but I didn’t expect Willow to find so much over the weekend. You should have seen her in the homeware shops; she was a woman on a mission!’
‘In my pumpkin element,’ I said, laughing as I remembered Dylan following me around the shop chuckling as I got excited over all the décor pieces.
‘So, you admit that things are coming together well?’ I teased him, to get my own back.
‘That maybe you will have to make an offer on that piece of land you visited yesterday instead of our farm?’
‘We still have five weeks to go,’ he reminded me.
I didn’t reply, not wanting to admit that was the reason I was scared to kiss him again. It felt like a long time with him, but also not long enough.
After our tea break, we unpacked my car and moved everything I had bought into the polytunnels. Then Dylan went to his cottage to unpack and do some work, leaving me and my dad in the field alone.
‘Brian was so generous about giving me his hay bales,’ I said after I filled him in on my visit to his farm.
I didn’t mention our chat about Mum as Dad seemed so cheerful to have me back and I didn’t want to dampen his spirits.
‘It feels like it’s slowly coming together,’ I said, eyeing the props I’d stacked at the start of one of the tunnels to make sure they stayed dry before I set everything up.
I had found pumpkin décor pieces, skeletons, cobwebs, fake flowers, lanterns and even a giant fabric scarecrow couple.
‘I’m glad he’s doing okay; I’ve always worried about him alone there.
Speaking of old friends… Sabrina came over with a lasagne for my dinner yesterday.
She said she felt bad for not being as supportive about your idea as she could have been, and I don’t think I have been either, love.
’ Dad gestured to the pile of things I’d bought at the shops alongside the stack of crates I had picked up over the weekend.
‘I was just worried you were getting your hopes up. And also that maybe I should let the farm go. I don’t want you to feel tied to something that isn’t working, that you might start to resent or even hate one day. Like Brian’s son did, you know?’
‘I’m not like him, though,’ I replied. ‘He never felt the same way about his farm as I do about this one. Brian made me realise that all I can do is my best. I can try to make this work and if it doesn’t then I’ll have to accept it.
But I really hope it does because I want to stay. This is my home.’
Dad smiled. ‘I hope we get to stay too.’
We left the field and Dad showed me that the wood I’d ordered had been delivered safely and was in the barn ready for me to use. I ended up having to hire the other polytunnels we needed and they were due to arrive tomorrow so I could start setting up the trail.
We started to head back to the farmhouse as twilight crept over the farm, the sky above us turning a pretty indigo blue that reminded me unwittingly of the river behind the pub where Dylan and I had kissed last night.
Dad slung an arm around my shoulders and I leaned into him.
‘We are going to all pitch in and help from now on, I promise. This isn’t all on you.
I’m sorry if I made you feel like it was.
Sabrina wants to help too; she said she had an idea and took off in a hurry.
She’s always been a whirlwind, that one. ’
I smiled. ‘That’s true. Thanks, Dad. I could use all the help I can get.’
‘You have Dylan to help too,’ Dad said, startling me. It was as if he could read my mind or something.
‘I don’t know. He wants us to sell. I know he has helped but he doesn’t want it to work out really, does he?’
‘Well, if anyone can change his mind, it’s you, love.
And the way Dylan was talking over lunch…
He seemed impressed with all you achieved over the weekend; it sounds like it was a good idea to go away.
How did you get on with him?’ Dad asked me as we walked inside and started to remove our muddy wellies and coats.
‘Um…’
‘I was a bit worried as you’ve clashed so much but I also wondered if?—’
‘Don’t say it,’ I cut Dad off as he gave me a twinkling look.
‘We’re not you and Mum,’ I snapped. ‘Sorry,’ I quickly added because I knew that had been too harsh.
‘I just mean, Dylan is way too different to me. And he’s only here for a few weeks.
I can’t get distracted. And I definitely don’t want to get hurt. ’
Dad followed me through into the kitchen.
‘So, you got on well then? If you’re thinking about the possibility of being hurt when he leaves…
’ He was smiling now and I rolled my eyes.
‘I just see something when he looks at you, that’s all.
And I know you’ve been lonely sometimes.
Even if you never tell me that or try not to show it.
All I’m saying is don’t shut yourself off because you’re already thinking about the end. ’
I watched him go over to switch the kettle on.
I wondered if he still would have chosen to marry my mum if he had known that she would leave him so early.
But I realised I already knew the answer.
And if I had the choice of their love even for a short time, knowing me, I would make exactly the same choice.
But what was between Dylan and me was nothing like my parents, I knew.