Chapter 42
Dylan and I walked into the Birchbrook Arms that night.
The evening had turned chilly so the crackling log fire inside was a very welcome sight.
The pub was busy as it was Friday night but Sabrina and Bradley had secured a small table in the corner.
They had jumped at the chance to have a quick drink with us, and I was relieved to have ‘safety in numbers’ as Dylan had put it earlier.
‘We had so much fun today!’ A woman accosted me on the way to the bar so Dylan said he’d get us a drink and I stopped to smile at her. ‘I’ve been telling everyone they need to come along to the pumpkin patch,’ she added.
I recognised her then as having come to the farm earlier with her family – she was a newcomer to town and said it was so much more fun than the one she had been to near her old house.
‘Thank you so much,’ I said. ‘That really helps us out.’
‘I might bring the kids again in half-term; it’s hard to find things to do all week!’
When we said goodbye, I joined Sabrina and Bradley as Dylan carried over a beer for him and wine for me. ‘That was some week,’ I said as I sank into the chair and took a grateful gulp. I slipped off my coat as the pub was so warm and I felt some of the tension of the past few days slip away.
‘You have worked so hard,’ Sabrina said, raising her glass in the air. ‘We need to toast Pumpkin Hollow.’
‘Everyone keeps saying it’s the place to go,’ Bradley added. ‘I told my colleagues all about it and they’ve all booked tickets.’
‘It’s like Birchbrook never realised we were missing something to do at this time of year,’ Sabrina agreed with a vigorous nod in her husband’s direction.
‘Apart from the lantern festival,’ Bradley said.
‘Speaking of, Dad has a meeting booked in with the mayor on Monday to see if she will let us tie in the farm to it this year,’ I said, smiling at how enthusiastic they were about it all.
‘Maybe people can set off or end at the pumpkin patch and I’ll decorate it even more for Halloween and light it up. I think it could be really great.’
‘He’ll persuade Taylor, I’m sure of it. He said she is an old friend, right? And your dad is so happy with how it’s going,’ Dylan said. ‘Ticket sales have increased so much. I have high hopes for half-term.’
‘It’s your birthday before that – next week,’ Sabrina added excitedly. ‘How shall we celebrate?’
‘I haven’t had a chance to think about it,’ I admitted. ‘It’s so full on at the farm, I don’t want to do anything much.’
Sabrina pulled a sad face. ‘Okay, well, I’ll have a think of something; you have to celebrate it a bit.’
I smiled. ‘Okay. We will do something,’ I promised, although I was already feeling very tired.
Bradley started telling us a funny story about his work and I leaned back in the chair to listen, glad I didn’t need to make much conversation, just relax.
I glanced over at Dylan as he laughed at what Bradley was saying.
I had a strange feeling that he wouldn’t be a newcomer in our group for long.
That the four of us would have many drinks together in this pub.
Or maybe it was wishful thinking. That I wanted us to do that.
When I went to the loo, Sabrina joined me and, standing in front of the mirrors as we washed our hands, she studied me.
‘What?’ I asked finally, uncomfortable at her scrutiny.
‘You look exhausted. But happy.’
‘That sums it up. I’m relieved things are going well.’
‘Are you also relieved that Dylan is still with you? I heard that his brother showed up and there seemed to be tension…’
I turned to her and rolled my eyes. ‘How does gossip travel so fast in this town?’
Sabrina shrugged. ‘Don’t deflect. Spill the beans!’
‘Yeah, his brother came to the farm,’ I said as I reapplied my lip gloss.
‘He was angry Dylan hasn’t been working as hard for him as he’s been helping us, and he wanted to know what was going on.
I think he’d guessed Dylan wasn’t pushing me to accept their offer for the farm like he’d told Nate he was doing.
His brother was pretty vile to both of us.
Dylan told him to go and that he’s staying until the end of the month and wouldn’t be working for him until then.
I don’t know what he’s going to do. But they don’t have a good relationship. ’
‘So, why did he say those things to his brother about you two?’
‘To buy more time. Dylan said he knew early on I wouldn’t want to sell, and because he liked me, he wanted to help me keep the farm.
The opposite of what he was saying he was doing to Nate.
So, the conversation I overheard was Dylan lying to his brother.
But what he said about me hurt. He says it wasn’t true and he’s sorry, and he seems determined to stay, but I don’t know if I can trust his feelings for me.
And I’m not sure if there’s any point in any more happening with us.
I mean, if he’s leaving at the end of October.
It’s just going to hurt us both, isn’t it? ’
‘But I guess you can’t always know what will happen,’ Sabrina said.
‘I mean, you could find a way to make it work even if Dylan goes back to working for his brother. If you really like each other. I don’t know, the way you smile at one another…
You have some strong chemistry, Willow. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you fit with a man like you seem to fit with him. ’
Sabrina’s words ran through my mind over and over for the rest of the evening.
After we’d had a couple of drinks, Dylan and I said goodbye to everyone else and headed back towards the farm.
I was glad of my coat as after the pub, the cold hit us and we walked briskly.
Dylan offered me his arm and I took it to stay warm and I did enjoy how strong he felt to lean on.
I supposed I hadn’t leaned on anyone for a long time. It was nice.
‘Do you think you and Nate will make up?’ I asked as we approached the farm. It was all quiet as it was late, both Dad and Maple fast asleep inside, I betted.
‘I don’t know if I can work with him after how he acted the other day. All those things he said.’
‘Why do you think things are so difficult between you? If you don’t mind me asking…’ I found myself walking towards the pumpkin patch and Dylan didn’t stop me from steering us in that direction. I wanted to give it a final check before I went to bed, I supposed.
‘We were close when we were younger but I think it all changed when my mum died. Nate took on a lot at that time. Our dad expected a lot of him too. And Dad put pressure on me but I didn’t handle it well, and maybe I rebelled a bit and Nate was unhappy with me.
Or maybe he wished he could do the same, I don’t know.
We just grew further apart. I wondered if working together was the last shot at being close brothers again. And if it was, it’s failed.’
‘Is that my fault?’ I asked as we walked into the field, the moon casting a silvery glow over the pumpkins and the polytunnels.
We paused in the silence to look at it all.
In the day, it had been bright and busy but now it was dark and quiet, the pumpkins almost had a spooky vibe to them.
I pictured how good we could make it look for the Halloween festival.
Dylan turned to me, my arm dropping from his.
‘No. I jumped at the chance to stay here because I wasn’t happy.
I was so determined to prove myself to my brother, to make a success of us working together, but it wasn’t long before I realised I didn’t enjoy it.
I didn’t like working for him. I don’t feel motivated to do the work.
It isn’t what I want to do. And it feels like I’ll never make him proud anyway. ’
‘Maybe he just wants you to have what he has,’ I suggested.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Something you’re passionate about. Something you want to stick to and make a success of. Something that makes you happy.’ I tilted my head to look at him in the light from the moon. ‘Was that too brutal?’ I added, knowing that sometimes, I could be too honest.
Dylan gave me a small smile. ‘You know I like it how you say what you think. Maybe you’re right. Maybe at the heart of it all, he is worried about me. Maybe I have been a bit lost since Mum passed away.’
I nodded. ‘I know that feeling.’ I looked at the pumpkin patch.
‘I think she would be proud of this. Of how hard I’ve worked.
How much I want to save this place. I might have left it a bit late to pull myself together but I am passionate about it now.
I don’t know if it will work but I know now I won’t regret anything about the past few weeks.
I’ve put my heart and soul into the pumpkin patch.
I won’t have to think “what if”, you know? ’
‘That’s how I want to live too.’ Dylan stepped closer. ‘I’ve never felt happier than I have being here. With you.’
‘Really?’ I whispered. I wanted that to be true so badly.
Dylan had changed the whole dynamic on the farm for me.
I liked having him here. The feeling that we had become a team.
And I couldn’t deny the spark between us.
But I was so unsure about his feelings. Hearing him say he was happy here made me smile.
‘I just have this feeling it’s only going to get better too,’ Dylan said, smiling down at me.
He moved closer still, the gap between us just inches now.
My breath hitched as he reached out to touch my cheek and then slid it down to cup my chin.
‘Can I kiss you again? I won’t if you don’t want me to but I really want to. ’
All I could do was nod. I saw a flicker of a smile on his lips before he leaned down and brushed them against mine.
He murmured at the contact, his eyes closing.
He wrapped his arms around me then and pulled me into his chest and I kissed him back, relieved to be touching again after wanting to but keeping my distance.
Dylan gave me a long, deep kiss but before it turned hungry, he pulled away from me.
‘I’ll wait until you’re ready for more,’ he said.
‘Even though it’ll be hard. Come on, let me walk you to your door.
’ He put his arm around me and we walked back to the farmhouse.
I was disappointed that he’d just kissed me once but I knew I couldn’t jump into bed with him again unless I was 100 per cent sure about him… and about us.
I opened up the door. ‘Goodnight then,’ I said.
Dylan gave me a gentle kiss on my cheek. ‘Goodnight, Willow. I’ll be thinking about you.’
I watched him walk off into the darkness towards the cottages.
‘I’ll think about you too,’ I whispered before closing the farmhouse door and sinking against it with a wistful sigh.