Chapter 48
Although supper followed by a lovely kiss and a cuddle with Brodie was fun, as soon as she left him and was on her way home again her mind was filled with worries about what she might be able to do to save the farm.
She parked the car and went for a short walk, stopping and sitting down behind one of the dry-stone walls to call her brother.
‘Hey, sis, I gather Mum and Dad told you the latest about the farm.’
‘They have.’
‘It sucks, doesn’t it? What’s happened to Dad recently? It’s like he’s a different person with all this travel stuff and wanting to sell. I just don’t get it.’
Lettie knew it was her mum’s influence when it came to the travelling but she doubted she was as happy as her father appeared at the thought of packing up almost thirty years of stuff from a five-bedroomed farmhouse. ‘Nor do I. I’ve been chatting to Brodie trying to come up with some way of changing their minds.’
She heard him groan. ‘I’ll try to think of something too. I’d love to help put your mind at rest. I know how hard you’ve been working and as upsetting as this is for me it must be doubly so for you.’
‘Thanks, Zac. I knew you’d understand.’
‘’Course I do, sis.’
She heard her father’s voice in the distance. ‘I’d better go. I’ll keep you updated though if anything changes.’
‘Great. And, Letts?’
‘Yes?’
‘Hang in there. This isn’t a done deal yet. Don’t lose hope.’
Lettie promised she wouldn’t and ended the call. She shivered. It was a cooler evening than she had expected. She pushed her phone into her back pocket and walked slowly back to the farmhouse. It was almost dusk and the warm glow of the kitchen lights made her breath catch in her throat. She had to think of some way to dissuade her dad from making a terrible mistake. But how?
Her father didn’t catch her eye and, happy not to speak to him about everything just yet, she went to stand by her mother who was stirring gravy in a pan on the Aga and lowered her voice. ‘Do you need any help?’
Her mother stopped stirring. ‘No, thank you, but why don’t you go and talk to your father. I know this has upset you and Zac, but it’s not an easy decision for us either, you know. And it’s especially difficult for your father because the farm has been in his family for generations.’
She wondered where he had gone to and found him in the living room trying to find something to watch on the television.
‘Dad.’
‘Yes, love?’
She took a deep breath. ‘I wanted to talk to you about agritourism.’
He settled on a programme and muted the sound before addressing her. ‘I’ve heard of it obviously but why do you think it’s relevant to us here?’
‘I know you and Mum are ready to sell but while you’ve been away I’ve drawn up a plan with ideas to diversify and make more of an income in a way that I would find sustainable and easier to cope with.’
‘You mean you’re wanting to find a way to persuade me that there are other ways to raise money with this farm than selling it?’
Lettie almost held her breath. Her father had always been a private man, keeping his thoughts to himself and rarely feeling the need to explain his motives about anything he did, but she couldn’t tell if he was angry with her for taking it upon herself to do this.
‘Sorry, Dad, I know you don’t usually discuss the workings of the farm with us.’
Her father studied her face for a moment. ‘You’ve been crying?’
She wasn’t sure why he needed to ask such a question. ‘Yes. Why? Did you imagine I wouldn’t be upset?’
He patted the seat next to him. ‘I’m sorry, sweetheart. I can see by your tan that you’ve spent most of your time outside in the fields. It’s a lot for you to have coped with, especially when you had hardly any prior experience.’
‘I’ve enjoyed it though, Dad.’
He put his arm around her shoulder. ‘I’m glad to hear that, but I wish I’d have known you had some interest in the place years ago. I’d never have considered selling if I’d thought I could step aside and let you take over.’ He groaned and rubbed his chin. ‘I’ve been so busy making plans for your mother and I that I’ve forgotten about your feelings and that’s thoughtless of me. Come here.’
She did as he asked, enjoying the familiarity of a bear hug from her dad.
‘I naturally expected you to be unhappy about the decision to sell this place. I’ve seen for myself all the hard work and dedication you’ve given this place over the past few months and I appreciate everything. As does your mother. You’ve done a great job. But we must consider our future, and unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, we need to fund it somehow.’
‘But selling, Dad. It seems extreme.’
He sighed. ‘I know. If I’m perfectly honest with you, now I’ve been back for a few hours and spent time with the animals and walking around the fields and by the stream, I’ve been reminded why I love this place so much.’ He hesitated and after clearing his throat continued, ‘I have to admit I’m struggling to picture someone else living here. The thought that everything here could be changed is difficult to accept.’
Could Zac be right? She hoped so with every fibre of her being.
Hope coursed through Lettie. ‘Maybe.’
His mobile rang and he picked up the phone from the side table next to him. ‘Zac.’
Lettie waited while her father spoke to her brother briefly before his eyes moved left as he gave her a knowing look. ‘Yes, she said. So you’ve both been discussing options? I’ll chat to you later.’ He ended the call. ‘Zac mentioned those ideas of yours.’
Aware that she couldn’t put off sharing the suggestions she had discussed with Brodie earlier, Lettie nodded.
‘Do you want to tell me about them?’ He gave her an encouraging smile.
Lettie began to explain her thoughts and noticed that her father seemed more enthusiastic the longer they spoke.
‘I’m not so sure about the music festival idea,’ he said eventually.
‘Why not?’ she asked, curious.
‘Think of the outlay paying for bands, and whatever else there is. Security. Clearing up afterwards. I’ve seen news reports about the mess people leave at some of these music festival sites and don’t want that for this place. And what about the animals?’
‘True, I wouldn’t want them distressed.’ Lettie thought hard, desperate to come up with a lucrative suggestion. ‘I know, how about farm-stay experiences. Like people staying at an Airbnb, but on the farm where their food is prepared for them, and they can help with the animals if they want to.’
Her mother interrupted their discussion as she entered the room with a determined expression on her face. ‘Gareth, I’ve been thinking.’
Lettie knew that tone. It was the one her mother used when she wouldn’t accept any argument. ‘What is it, Mum?’
‘I’ve been for a walk down to the stream and it got me thinking.’
Gareth raised his hand. ‘Let me guess. You’ve decided you’re not ready to sell this place yet?’
‘How did you know?’
Lettie enjoyed the look of surprise on her mother’s face. ‘Because Dad was pretty much saying something similar.’ She laughed, hoping she was right.
‘What shall we do then?’ Lindy sat on the arm of her sofa next to her husband.
‘I suppose we have just returned from a long trip away, so maybe while we’re planning our next one we can give ourselves some breathing space. I’ll go and see Leonard tomorrow and chat to him about things going forward. I can’t imagine he’ll be too upset to discover you’re still interested in continuing at the farm. I think he’ll understand me changing my mind about selling it to him.’
‘You’re keeping the land now?’
‘Of course. If you’re willing to keep going here then I’d only regret it if I didn’t let you continue.’ He raised a finger. ‘At least for the time being. To be honest, if we did decide to eventually sell this place it would sell easier with land. More opportunities for a buyer.’
He had a point. ‘But you’re still intending to sell?’
She saw her parents look at each other before he turned back to her. ‘I think we shouldn’t be too hasty. Maybe we’ll give it a year. It’s going to be a while before we plan our next trip anyway and, in that time, maybe we can put one of yours and Zac’s ideas into action – and Zac mentioned Brodie has ideas too that might be useful. We can see how it goes.’
It wasn’t one hundred per cent the answer Lettie was hoping for, but it was far more positive than she had expected only the night before. ‘I’ll find a way to make this place work so that your retirement can be financed,’ she said determined to succeed.
She kissed her father’s cheek, feeling enormously relieved when she got up.
‘Where are you going?’ her mother asked.
‘To tell Brodie the good news,’ she said, excited. ‘He’s seen how upset I’ve been, and I know he’ll be eager to find out what you’ve decided.’ She sighed. ‘I also want to thank him for being so supportive and helping me come up with ideas to hopefully change your mind.’
She ran out of the house thinking that if she had thought she loved Brodie before, she loved him more than ever now that he had helped secure her home and business for at least the next year. Who knew what she might come up with in that time.
She arrived at his cottage, realising he must have been waiting for her when he immediately ran outside to greet her.
‘Well?’ he asked holding her by the shoulders and staring into her eyes.
‘He’s changed his mind, for now at least. I have a year to see how it goes.’
He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. ‘That’s brilliant, Lettie, I knew you could do it.’
‘It’s not the perfect ending, but it’s a good start.’
He let go of her, and taking her face in his, smiled at her then leant forward and kissed her. ‘It’s a perfect start. I know you’ll achieve great things in the coming year.’
‘You really think so?’ she asked, knowing he was telling the truth.
‘I do.’ He kissed her again. ‘And you won’t be alone. I’ll be here for you whenever you need me.’
‘I know you will.’
Lettie thought about how much had changed in her life in the past three months since her return to the island. She could never have envisaged how much this farm would mean to her, or that she and Brodie would finally get together and fall in love. She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him. As his arms tightened around her and he kissed her back, her heart soared.
She had so much to be grateful for. She was still running Hollyhock Farm and she and Brodie were together. Finally. And she couldn’t wait to find out what the next twelve months had in store for them.