Chapter 45
‘He bought your mum’s necklace back?’ Sabrina hissed at me as we stood together in the kitchen, both holding a glass of wine.
She wore a pretty, black dress, her hair curled and red lipstick on her lips.
It had been a long time since she’d been at a party so she said she was making the most of it.
I had asked for a quiet dinner party but this was Birchbrook and they didn’t do quiet.
I looked around at our bustling kitchen.
The dining table was covered with food and drink; everyone had brought something along with them.
Sabrina and her family were here, Dad, Dylan and Steve, Amy had come along and Steve’s sister with her boyfriend, the two Pats and Paul, Brian had turned up, shocking me that he’d left his farm and come all this way to see us, the landlord of the Birchbrook Arms and his wife, even Mayor Taylor had walked in and she was currently talking to my dad in the corner.
A few more people had come too who I’d known all my life in town, including even my old headmistress, who was drinking a glass of wine and talking shop with the current headmistress, Sabrina’s boss.
I nodded at Sabrina’s question. ‘He said I should have it back.’ I touched the necklace. ‘It was a huge surprise.’ My eyes found Dylan chatting with Steve, a beer in his hand, leaning against the kitchen table. ‘I feel like maybe I do want to be with him.’
Sabrina clutched my arm. ‘Of course you do. There were sparks even that first day in the café when you gave him the wrong directions. God, Willow, that was hilarious!’
‘Not my finest moment,’ I said with a sheepish smile. ‘I thought he was completely not my type that day, although clearly handsome.’
‘I think he’s been your type all along; it was just hard to see past the suit,’ she said. ‘He stayed on a farm for you; that should have told you something from the start.’
‘It was pretty crazy to move in with strangers.’
‘I told you: you were both looking for something. Maybe now you’ve found it?’
My dad tapped on his glass then and asked for quiet in the room so I didn’t have to answer Sabrina. My eyes met Dylan’s briefly before my dad came to stand beside me. I hoped Sabrina was right. I felt more settled than I had since we lost Mum. I held on to her necklace as my dad started speaking.
‘Well, thank you all for coming,’ he said, looking around the room at everyone watching him, drinks in hands.
‘I was thinking earlier about when we first arrived at this farm; my wife immediately pictured us having a family here. We didn’t have a clue about running a farm but it felt like home instantly anyway.
When we had Willow, that family dream came true.
And to see her the past few weeks making changes around here, throwing herself into the project just like her mother would have had done, has really meant the world to me.
I know Birch Tree Farm is in good hands and I know that my wife…
’ Dad’s voice broke a little bit here so I took his hand and squeezed it.
He smiled at me. ‘…would be so proud if she was here. Hopefully, she can see it wherever she is. So, happy twenty-sixth birthday, love; you have been through a lot for someone so young but whatever life throws at you, you always find a way through it. And I know sometimes, I haven’t been as supportive as I could have been, because we come at things so differently, but I really admire that about you.
Raise your glasses to my daughter, please!
’ He lifted his up and everyone followed suit. ‘Happy birthday, Willow!’
Everyone said, ‘Happy birthday’ to me as I hugged my dad tightly and I felt, finally, that he was proud of me and that I hadn’t let my parents down like I thought I had.
This farm meant so much to us and after selling all the tickets for half-term, I was hoping that we’d done enough to keep it for the next year at least.
My eyes found Dylan across the room again. He was beaming with pride too. And I knew that I wanted to go to him later.
* * *
The party wound down around 11p.m. as it was a weekday, and Dylan and I walked to the gate to wave goodbye to everyone.
Dad said we should clear up everything in the morning and had headed up to bed, which I had no doubt was to give me and Dylan some privacy.
We’d spent a lot of the party side by side and I was glad we were now alone.
‘Did you have a good time tonight?’ Dylan asked as we strolled back down the driveway, the moonlight pooling in the gaps between the leaves on the birch trees as we passed them.
‘It was lovely. I thought it would just be us and Sabrina and Bradley so it was a nice surprise to have so many people come along.’
‘Let’s have a chat out here,’ Dylan said, gesturing to the field as we approached it. ‘I want to ask you something.’
‘Okay,’ I replied, curious as to what he wanted to talk about. All I’d been thinking about was going to the cottage for a kiss. And maybe more…
Dylan led us to the benches in front of the pumpkin patch. At night with no one around, the field was quiet and still and the moon shone down on the pumpkins, reminding me that it wasn’t long until Halloween.
We sat down beside each other and he took my hand in his.
‘I meant what I said the other day about really wanting you to trust me again,’ he said softly.
‘I really want to kiss you, for you to come back with me to the cottage, but I don’t want you to hesitate or not really enjoy it because you aren’t sure about my feelings for you, or my intentions,’ he added, his skin warm on mine despite the chilly night.
‘Intentions?’ I couldn’t help but give him a teasing smile. ‘What century is this, again?’
Dylan rolled his eyes. ‘I’m all serious, and you’re making fun of me…’
‘I’m sorry.’ I squeezed his hand. ‘What are your feelings, and intentions?’ I asked, grinning at the word.
He smiled. ‘I don’t know why I put up with you, but you’re what I want, Willow.
I have never felt this kind of connection before.
I think I felt it even on that first day when I was furious at you and all I could think about was getting my hands on the farm.
Almost immediately, you threw me off kilter and you’ve been doing it ever since.
I want you to know that, and I know it’s fast, but I can’t help it – I’m already falling for you. ’
I couldn’t laugh at that. ‘Wow.’ I let go of his hand and took hold of the edge of his jacket and pulled him towards me. I gave him a lingering kiss and then leaned back slightly to look into his eyes. ‘I feel the same but what does this mean? You’re leaving soon…’
‘I don’t know but I spoke to Nate earlier,’ Dylan said, his eyes lighting up after I admitted I was also falling for him.
It was scary on one hand, but on the other, it felt completely natural.
Like we had always been meant to fall for each other.
‘I told him that I don’t want to work for him any more.
I didn’t enjoy it. Being on the farm has shown me I don’t want to be stuck in a city doing office work and I don’t want to be in my car travelling around either, both of which working for him would mean.
I like the countryside. Being outside. I like the freedom here.
I like being able to follow my own initiative.
And build something special. I don’t know what the future looks like but if you also wanted me to stay, I don’t have to leave at the end of the month.
There’s no rush in working out what we do.
I just was hoping that we could work it out together. What do you think?’