Page 21 of Daydreams at the Farm on Muddypuddle Lane
‘Not just goats. I’ve also grown quite attached to the chickens, especially Kevin.’
‘Kevin?’
‘That’s my nephew’s chicken. She’s female but Sammy has named her Kevin. She’s incredibly tame. And so is Flossie, the sheep. She was hand-reared by Otto’s dad, Walter. He owned the farm before Dulcie.’
‘I know.’
Maisie blushed. ‘Of course you do, what with you being a local. I keep forgetting that everyone knows everyone else in Picklewick.’
‘I don’t know everyonepersonally,’ he said. ‘But I usually knowofthem. When Walter and Otto put the farm into alottery, it was the talk of the village. I even bought a ticket.’
‘You didn’t!’
He nodded, smiling his thanks as a server delivered their meals to the table.
‘I can’t see you owning a farm,’ Maisie said, tucking into her burger.
‘Neither can I, but I can see me owning all those barns and outbuildings.’
‘Why? What would you do with them?’
‘Expand my business. I’m quite limited at the moment. I’ve been looking for something bigger, but there’s not much about, especially on my budget.’
He looked wistful, and Maisie felt for him. She would like a place of her own too, butthat wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
After the meal was finished, they strolled over to the cinema.
‘Where would you like to sit?’ Adam asked as they entered the theatre. There were two tiers, one nearer to the screen, which was almost flat, and the other up some shallow, wide steps.
‘Not right at the front. We’ll get cricked necks.’
‘The back row?’
‘Like a couple of teenagers?’
‘It depends on whether you want to watch the film, or make out.’
Maisie giggled. ‘How old are you? Sixteen? How about this one?’
‘I’m happy if you are,’ he said, and she sidled into the row, aiming for the middle.
By mutual agreement, they had decided not to buy any snacks, both of them still full from the meal, so they settled down to watch the film.
Maisie was soon immersed in the story, however she was also very conscious of the man sitting next to her, and every so often she stole a glance at him out of the corner of her eye.
When his hand reached for hers, a tingle shot through her which made it difficult to concentrate on the film after that. She kept hoping he would kiss her, but he seemed content just to hold her hand.
It wasn’t until he was dropping her off at the farm, that he finally made a move.This time, the kiss lasted longer and was far more satisfying, although it did leave her wanting more.
It was Maisie who ended it, but only because she had to get ready for work. ‘I’ve got to run,’ she said. ‘I have to be at The Wild Side in forty-five minutes.’
‘I can drop you off, if you like. I’ll be driving past it on my way home.’
‘That’s great – if you don’t mind. It’ll save me walking or asking Dulcie for a lift.’ She’d only had to do that once so far, as she usually either went into the village with Otto or she walked along the path through the fields. The one time she’d asked Dulcie for a lift was because it had been raining.
It occurred to Maisie that if she did persuade Dulcie to let her stay for anylength of time, she would have to buy herself a little run around; constantly begging Dulcie for lifts would be a sure-fire way of outstaying her welcome. Maisie just about had enough money in her savings account to buy an old banger, and at least she could ask Adam to take a look at it if it packed up.
‘Would you like to come in and wait?’ she offered, her fingers on the door handle. Adam hesitated. ‘Or maybe not, if it will make you feel uncomfortable,’ she added.
