Page 51 of Love and Lattes at Pumpkin Hollow
After Dylan had shot a video of Amy buying a pumpkin, she came over to me. ‘Thank you for letting me come here. I’ve got some really cute photos and videos. I think it’s great. I went to a couple of pumpkin patches last autumn and yours is just as good, if not better because of all the areas you have for photos. And that guy driving the tractor: he can take me on a ride any time.’ She winked, making me laugh.
Steve offered to take them all out on the tractor then, so she hurried off to join him for that, along with the rest of the press.
‘It feels like it’s going well,’ Dad said as I walked over to where he was having a rest with Maple before we opened to the public.
‘Amy was really impressed,’ Dylan agreed as he closed his laptop. ‘All my work is finished so I can help you guys this afternoon and I’ll keep an eye on everything online through the day too. It’s almost time for the first people to arrive. Are you ready?’
‘As ready as I’ll ever be.’
Dad got up to take Maple inside as we thought maybe she should stay in the farmhouse just for the first afternoon so we could focus on visitors.
When we were alone, Dylan turned to me. ‘I’m sorry about earlier. I know this is your focus right now. As it should be. I didn’t mean to bring up our stuff. I’m just happy to help you today.’
He looked so worried, I smiled. ‘It’s fine. Let’s just get through the day, okay?’
‘I’ll be by your side,’ he promised me. And although I looked away from him, my heart melted at those words despite all my good intentions.
Once the local press, Steve’s sister and her friends, and Amy had all left, the first paying customers started to arrive. We had organised the tickets in one-hour slots to allow everyone plenty of time and space in the pumpkin patch. It was lovely to see families turning up and the excitement on the kids’ faces when they saw what was in the field. Sabrina and her family arrived after school with the largest number of people we had booked for the first day. I left Dad manning the ticket and pumpkin sales table to walk through the trail and check on how it was looking, and if people seemed to be enjoying it all.
‘Look at this.’ Sabrina showed me a picture they had taken in the autumn section and it did look like a great shot. ‘I’ve shared it on all my social media and tagged the farm like Dylan told me to. Where is he anyway?’
‘He went to buy us coffees from Paul,’ I said. The van was going down a storm with visitors, and the smell of coffee and cinnamon was strong enough on the breeze to reach the pumpkin patch, adding to the cosy, autumnal vibe. I watched two kids carrying a huge pumpkin over to their parents, and a group of teenagers cheering each other on as they bobbed for apples. It seemed to be going well. We just needed everyone here to spread the word.
‘I can see a family I know from school,’ Sabrina said. ‘I’ll go and say hello.’
I waved her away and walked through to the Halloween section where I reminded a family taking photos of the dinner table to share them online and tag us – then I’d repost them on the Pumpkin Hollow accounts. Dylan came to find me as I restacked a pile of pumpkins that had gone a bit lopsided, probably from someone knocking against them accidentally. I decided it would be good to walk through every couple of hours to adjust anything that needed it and also spot if any pumpkins needed replenishing from the barn.
‘Paul said we had to try these. I asked for pumpkin spiced lattes but he refused,’ Dylan explained as he handed me a takeaway Birchbrook Café cup and looked down at the one he still held. ‘He kind of scares me,’ he admitted with a grimace.
I giggled. ‘He is a character, for sure. I’m happy to taste test café treats, though. Let’s head outside and check if Dad needs a break,’ I suggested. We walked out of the tunnel and I took a sip of the drink Paul had forced upon Dylan. ‘Oh, shit, he was right to make you order this,’ I said, letting out a moan at the taste. ‘Apple and cinnamon latte?’
Dylan nodded. ‘Yep.’ He took a sip. ‘Oh, man, why have I suddenly developed a taste for sweet coffee?’
‘Autumn just makes you crave sweet treats,’ I replied with a smile. He caught my eye and grinned back. I instantly thought about him making me that hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, and I could tell his thoughts had strayed there as well. We walked out onto the field then, passing families snapping photos by the Pumpkin Hollow sign, and wandered over to the table where Dad was currently selling a big pile of pumpkins to a woman who I recognised worked in our nearest supermarket. ‘I’m glad we’re selling some pumpkins,’ I said quietly to Dylan, trying to move my thoughts away from our hot night together. I couldn’t let myself wish for any more of that.
‘We’re being tagged in a few photos on social media already and ticket sales are steady through the website, plus we had two families show up and pay for entry today. I think it’s good to allow that while we’re still new. Hopefully, the social media influencers will post their content soon and the local press should have their article up online in the next couple of days and in the newspaper by the end of the week, which will all help to spread the word, right?’ Dylan raised an eyebrow at the look I gave him. ‘What? Do I have coffee on my face or something?’
I shook my head. ‘No. It’s just the way you were talking – you keep using the word “we”,’ I said. ‘Why do you keep saying “we”?’
We kept looking at one another and I didn’t think that I was imagining the way his eyes softened when he met my gaze and then his eyes flicked from my eyes to my lips.
My breath hitched. Was he thinking about kissing me again?
‘Why, Dylan? Why do you keep saying “we”?’ I repeated my question, desperate to know why he was so invested in the pumpkin patch when he should have been making sure it didn’t work.
‘That’s a very good question.’
We both started at the sudden, deep voice behind us, breaking our eye contact. I turned around to see a tall, dark man who looked a little bit familiar. He wore a tailored, dark suit that looked completely out of place at a pumpkin patch. I saw Dylan stiffen beside me and I glanced at his face. He was shocked and a little bit annoyed. But his face was nothing compared to the expression on the man behind us. He glared at Dylan with open hospitality.
‘So, little brother, why don’t you tell me what the hell is going on?’
39
‘Nate, what are you doing here?’ Dylan asked as I stared in surprise at the two Henderson brothers standing by me.
Nate acted much like Dylan had when he first came to the farm in his suit, standing upright and glancing around with barely disguised distaste. He gave Dylan a look up and down and sneered a little bit at his brother’s farm clothes. ‘I could ask you the same question. You’ve been fobbing me off since you first came here so I thought I better turn up and see what’s really going on.’ He seemed to really notice me for the first time then. Again, his gaze travelled from my head to my toes, and again, he seemed to find something wanting in my appearance. ‘I assume you’re the reason my brother suddenly has a keen interest in farming?’
Nate’s accent was posher and sharper than his brother’s and his handsome face was completely at odds with his bad attitude.
