Page 2 of Love and Lattes at Pumpkin Hollow
It was a cool morning, watery sunshine peeping through the clouds, and I was glad I had on my beaten but still hardy Barbour coat, inherited from my mum, along with wellies and a thick jumper and leggings. My long hair was in its usual messy bun.
My eyes drank in the farm. At this time of year, there were no visitors and no seasonal workers so I had the space to myself. This I was used to but occasionally, I did feel a pang of loneliness. Maybe I was feeling slightly sentimental about my upcoming birthday, knowing I didn’t have anyone special to celebrate it with. But today, it ran deeper than that. I missed my mum. She would have known what to do. I had no idea how to change my dad’s mind about meeting Henderson Homes, and what if they made us a really good offer? Could we realistically turn it down? But then I would have to leave the place I loved most in the world.
‘Oh, Maple, I wish there was a way to make money around here before spring comes around,’ I said, as we walked towards the field behind the chickens, which was empty of any crops. It didn’t have the best soil or light so we usually kept it empty and sometimes in peak summer sold ice creams from it. Today, Maple ran across it joyfully as I tried to walk off my melancholy. I stared out at the land and willed a good idea to come to me but I was feeling too sorry for myself to think clearly. I pulled out my phone to message my best friend Sabrina.
I’m in need of girl talk ASAP please.
Sabrina replied within a minute, as I was following Maple across the field.
I have it on good authority that Birchbrook Café will have their seasonal food and drinks in from tomorrow.
Sabrina’s reply made me smile. We loved the café in our hometown and met there frequently in autumn and winter for a hot drink and sweet treat.
Just what the doctor ordered! When can you meet me?
As I waited to see when she’d be free for a chat, I turned to look back at the farmhouse. I saw Dad walking outside and round to one of the crop polytunnels. He walked slowly now, ever so slightly stooped, and I could often see him wince, early in the morning or late at night when his joints ached. It pained me to see it. I also hated to see him so worried. I knew he was right that we couldn’t carry on how we were for much longer. I was just at a loss to know what we could do. I didn’t want to entertain the idea of selling, especially not to Henderson Homes.
Maple came up to me and sat down, leaning against my legs, following my gaze.
‘Well, Maple, get your thinking cap on; we have to find a solution so we can stay here. Because we love this farm, don’t we?’ I reached down to run my fingers through her fur, something which always made me feel better.
Maple gave a small bark, which I took to mean she agreed.
‘God, I’ve been single for too long,’ I muttered, shaking my head for thinking I was having an actual conversation with my dog. She was very clever so you never knew. ‘Come on, Maple, let’s get our chores done so we can watch a Sunday movie on the sofa in front of the fire,’ I said, setting off for the chickens.
My phone beeped with a response from Sabrina who told me to meet her in the café on Tuesday morning as her mother was looking after Dottie, her baby. I really hoped Sabrina might help me come up with an idea because the clock was definitely ticking.
3
‘Will you be here later then, love?’ Dad called out to me on Tuesday, coming up to lean on the fence as I scattered feed for the chickens.
I glanced behind me at his nervous face. I tried not to grimace but it was impossible. ‘I don’t know,’ I said. I whistled for Maple as I saw our naughtiest chicken, Hetty, heading towards the hole in the fence. That was next on my list of jobs to fix. Maple darted over to sit in front of it, forcing Hetty to let out a frustrated cluck and wander back towards the other chickens for more food. ‘I have to fix that fence then I’m meeting Sabrina in town for a coffee. I haven’t seen her in two weeks,’ I added. I had spent every hour since my conversation with Dad on Sunday trying to think of ideas for the farm but I knew I hadn’t hit on anything that would work yet and I was getting increasingly annoyed with myself.
Dad frowned. ‘I think you should be here to meet with Henderson Homes, Willow. You need to hear them out along with me. See what their plans are, what the offer is, and I thought you were worried about the trees?’ he asked, gesturing to the birch trees in his eyeline.
I sighed. Meeting one of the Henderson brothers to hear how they would destroy our farm was probably the thing I wanted to do the least in the world but I hated to keep disappointing my father. And I was worried about the trees. ‘I suppose I could come back for the meeting,’ I said, begrudgingly. I was shocked at how fast it had all been set up. Dad had phoned them yesterday and learned that one of the brothers would be in the area and could meet us early this afternoon. Dad said there was no point putting it off, we needed to have all the facts before we could make a decision, so he had agreed to it, and that ticking clock suddenly had gone into overdrive.
‘You said you’d let me come up with an idea to help the farm, though,’ I reminded him again as I went over to the damaged fence to inspect it. We needed a whole new one but couldn’t afford it so I’d have to patch it up like I had done countless times by now.
‘Have you? Come up with an idea?’ he asked, coming over to look at the fence with me.
I shook my head sadly.
He turned his attention to the fence and not my lack of bright ideas, which I appreciated. ‘It was that storm last week that did it; I don’t think it’ll last much longer.’
‘It’ll be fine,’ I said stubbornly. ‘I’ll go get some wood and my tools, then I’ll head into town. You need anything?’
Dad looked at me like he wanted to say something but shook his head. ‘No, thanks. I’m going to go inside and get changed, and tidy up the kitchen ready for the meeting. Mr Henderson will be here at one thirty so make sure you’re back from seeing Sabrina for then, okay? And give her my love.’
As I started to walk off, Dad called my name.
I looked back at him. ‘Yes, I’ll be here,’ I said, through gritted teeth.
I just knew this Henderson man would be what I hated most in the world: suited and booted, arrogant and rich, no idea what being a farmer or running a farm was about, and wouldn’t see how special this place was. He would have no heart, I was sure, so I really didn’t want to meet him but I also didn’t want my dad to agree to anything without me being there. I was also hoping that I could put Dad off the idea of dealing with Henderson Homes in the meeting, throw as many spanners in the works as possible to give me more time to come up with an idea that would solve our problems and let us avoid having to sell.
Okay, so it wasn’t a great plan, but right now, it was the only plan I had.
Once I had completed all my chores, I walked into town to meet Sabrina late morning. I changed out of my work clothes into my better ones, which, to be honest, weren’t much different but they were clean and without holes. Birchbrook was a half-hour walk from the farm and I had done the walk so many times throughout my life, I could probably do it in my sleep. It was slightly downhill as our farm stood at the top so the journey into town was always more enjoyable than the way back.
