Page 14 of Love and Lattes at Pumpkin Hollow
‘I think I might need that too,’ I heard Dylan mutter from behind me.
I chose not to reply but instead pointed to the field. ‘So, we need all this grass gone so we can create the patch. Our sit-on mower has died a death and I can’t afford to replace it so…’ I gestured to the lawnmower and the wheelbarrow I’d left next to it. ‘What do you think?’
Dylan raised an eyebrow. ‘I thought we could come up with a business plan today.’
I nodded. ‘Yes, yes, but we can’t get anywhere until this field is cleared. I’m on that,’ I said, pointing to the bramble bush that edged one side. ‘And I need you to take care of the grass. If can you handle it?’ I questioned, putting my hands on my hips and raising an eyebrow at Dylan. Something told me his need to prove himself meant, like me, he didn’t back away from any challenge if he could help it.
Dylan stared back at me then he set off towards the mower. ‘Course I can bloody handle it, Willow.’
I watched him go with a smile. ‘Maple, this is going to be fun. Come on, girl, let’s get rid of this bush.’ She followed me eagerly as I pushed another wheelbarrow over and pulled on a pair of thick gardening gloves. Thankfully, today was a dry day so rain didn’t disrupt us and soon most of the morning had gone by in a busy blur.
I thrived on manual labour. It meant that I didn’t need to think outside of the task I was working on. My body was working so my mind was silent. I ripped out the bramble bush bit by bit, pulling it by the roots and adding what I removed to the wheelbarrow while sometimes glancing at Dylan, who was mowing the grass. He had removed his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his jumper, revealing arms that were as muscly as I thought they had been when I touched him last night. Maple ran back and forth between us, happy to be outside as she always was, and I caught Dylan patting her a couple of times when he paused to empty the mower into his wheelbarrow.
Checking the time, I stopped and stretched out my arms. They would slightly ache tomorrow, that was for sure, but I observed my work. I had almost cleared all the bush and that made the effort worth it.
There was a whistle from the farmhouse.
Maple set off with a bark as Dylan looked over at me quizzically.
‘It’s lunch time. Come on, we’ve earned it.’
As we walked back to the farmhouse, I looked happily at the field to see it half removed of grass.
‘You’ve done great, thank you,’ I said. ‘After lunch, I need to go to another town. Do you want to come and we can talk about my business plan on the way?’ I honestly didn’t want to be on my own for this trip and knew my dad would find it too difficult to come with me.
‘Can we also talk about my offer for this place and why I think you should accept it?’ Dylan asked, looking over at me.
‘That was the pact,’ I said, although I already knew I would only half-listen to him. I had to focus on saving the farm, not get distracted by him pushing his agenda to take the place from us. I walked into the farmhouse and glanced back to see him rolling his sleeves back down. He then smoothed his windswept hair back, his cheeks pink from the manual labour, and I knew I needed to add all of it to the list of things I couldn’t let myself get distracted by for the rest of the day.
‘You two looked like you were working hard out there,’ Dad greeted us in the kitchen as we went to the sink and washed our hands. He had laid out homemade soup and fresh bread on the table. It smelled delicious and the room was warm from the Aga, welcome now we’d stopped working and could feel the chill of the sunny, crisp day. Maple ran to her bowl for her lunch as we sat down and tucked in.
‘I haven’t done work outside like that for a long time,’ Dylan admitted as he poured himself a glass of water and almost finished it in one long gulp. ‘My grandmother used to give me pocket money to mow her lawn when I was younger; I think that’s probably the last time I did any gardening,’ he admitted.
‘You don’t have a garden at home?’ I asked as I buttered a slice of bread. I realised I had told him all about Birchbrook but I didn’t know where he came from. I tried the soup Dad had had in the slow cooker all morning – it was thick and tasty vegetable soup, and the bread was perfectly crusty. It was just what I needed after working all morning and I glanced at Dylan to see him also tucking in with gusto.
‘I live in a building with twenty floors,’ he said. ‘Right in the city – very different to here. But my grandmother’s house was at the seaside and I used to love going there. I haven’t been for a couple of years, though.’ He frowned as if he hadn’t realised it had been that long. ‘My family home, where my father and brother still live, has a large garden but we have a gardener. I suppose I’ve been stuck in office jobs for a long time now. It did feel good out there though, I have to admit.’
Dad nodded. ‘I have always loved working outside. It’s good for your health. I only wish I could do as much as I used to. I hate that Willow has to take on so much more nowadays. It’s good you’re here, Dylan.’
‘You do more than you should,’ I said with a smile. I knew he felt bad that his arthritis prevented him for helping like he once had. I had to admit, two pairs of hands today had been really great. I could get this patch up and running so much quicker with Dylan pitching in.
‘I just worry about you, love,’ Dad continued. ‘We want to save the farm, we both do, Dylan, but I worry about what happens when I can’t work any more. If you take over, Willow, you’ll need help like we used to have. But we can’t afford any now.’
‘But if I can make us more money outside of the summer season, I’ll be able to afford help,’ I reassured him although it was another worry on my list. I knew it wouldn’t be long until Dad would be forced to retire due to his health, and the thought of being solely responsible for all of this, even though I desperately wanted to keep it, was terrifying. I occasionally felt lonely and that was with Dad still running things – how would I feel once he stepped aside?
‘My daughter doesn’t like to think about the future too much so I have to,’ Dad said, turning to Dylan. ‘That’s why your offer is so appealing to me.’
‘Life is so short; if we constantly worry about the future, it becomes even shorter,’ I told him, remembering what my mum told me. She got cancer so young and it took her away so fast, I still had trouble accepting what had happened.
‘But it also arrives sooner than you think,’ Dad responded. Sometimes, we really were like chalk and cheese.
‘I lost my mother too,’ Dylan said then. ‘It does make you think that it’s important to find things you really love in life. I do understand why you both want to keep hold of the farm, more than I did when I first turned up. I have a confession: after I discovered Birchbrook and saw your farm and the land you had, I did some research. I got a sense the farm wasn’t as successful as it once was, and I thought that would mean you’d jump at our offer.’
I narrowed my eyes. ‘Does that mean you’ve made a low offer?’ I asked, reading between the lines.
‘I told you I spoke to estate agents locally; I think it’s a fair offer but you could get it valued or look around for others, Willow,’ Dylan said seriously. ‘Ours comes with the bonus that we won’t take down the birch trees; we’ll write it into the contract.’
Dad beamed at him but I put my spoon down, not sure I could finish my lunch now. It felt like Dylan had preyed on us struggling by trying to swoop in and take the farm away from us. From me. And my dad was seriously considering letting it happen.
