Summer At Willow Tree Farm: the perfect romantic escape for your summer holiday

by Heidi Rice

  ‘Why do you think I got up at six this morning to finish that bloody bathroom.’ Art’s growl rippled across Ellie’s skin, and she shivered despite the warmth of the evening.

  She detached her gaze from Art, only to find Annie watching her with a ‘just jump him already’ look on her face.

  She took a sip of her own cider and ignored it. She’d already decided that jumping Art was not a solution. Maybe they didn’t hate each other any more, and maybe they’d managed to forge a good if distant working relationship during the shop build, but they were hardly best buddies.

  One insane kiss and a couple of hot looks did not a friendship make.

  Jacob cleared his throat loudly as the table fell silent again.

  ‘I wanted to let you all know how much this means to us both. But especially to me, because I’ve been carrying something around in my pocket for over a month now.’ He pulled a small velvet box out of the front pocket of his jeans.

  A hush descended over the whole company. Even Jamie Jackson stopped rapping a chicken bone on his high chair as if aware of the gravity of the occasion.

  ‘I had planned to do this in private.’ Jacob cleared his throat again, staring intently at Maddy. ‘So that if the answer was no, I wouldn’t look like a complete twat.’ He thrust his fingers through his hair, his nerves palpable now.

  Maddy had been struck dumb. Obviously she hadn’t been expecting this as much as Jacob thought.

  ‘But I figured, what the hell? Why not do it in public, in front of all the people I admire and trust most in the world? If I’m going to make a twat of myself, why not go the full twat while I’m at it?’

  He turned to Maddy and opened the box, the tremble in his fingers visible. A silver ring embedded with tiny diamonds shone gold in the dying sunlight.

  He pulled out his chair and knelt in the grass in front of Maddy, his usually smooth movements clumsy. ‘Maddy… I… Oh shit. For God’s sake put me out of my misery here.’

  The beaming smile that spread across Maddy’s face was an answer in itself. ‘If that’s your idea of a proposal, it’s a piss poor one.’

  Jacob chuckled, still looking a little unsure. ‘If that’s your idea of an acceptance, it’s an even piss poorer one.’

  ‘I guess we must be made for each other then.’ Maddy threw her arms around Jacob’s neck, her corkscrew curls bobbing round her shoulders. ‘Yes, yes, yes.’

  Jacob roared with pleasure then rose to swing his new fiancée round in his arms. Everyone surged to their feet, shouting congratulations and applauding. Toto and Josh whooped and whistled, dancing around behind Jacob and Maddy, who were now kissing as if their lives depended on it, while Jamie Jackson screwed up his face and screamed his lungs out as if he were being murdered.

  Ellie’s heart jitterbugged. These two had their whole lives ahead of them and, unlike her and Dan, she didn’t think they were going to bugger it up. Because they didn’t just love each other, they liked each other too.

  But, as her gaze travelled round the table at all these people she had come to like so much too, it snagged on Art again. Unlike the others, he wasn’t watching the kissing couple, he was watching her.

  She looked away, the heat spreading up her scalp, and everything inside going tight and achy and fluttery. Blast.

  *

  ‘Ellie, could I speak to you a minute?’ Maddy still beamed like a solar-powered flashlight, her cheeks rosy with the apple cider they’d used to toast the couple.

  ‘Of course, what do you want to speak about?’ Ellie said, handing her mother the box of bowls they’d just finished washing out in Maddy’s new kitchen.

  Dee headed out towards the tractor they were loading.

  Maddy’s smile spread as she whispered, ‘Wedding plans.’

  Ellie laughed. ‘Don’t want to waste any time?’

  ‘Are you kidding? It took him so long to propose, I want this done before he changes his mind.’

  Lifting the box with the last of the leftovers they’d saved, Ellie nodded to the bag of cutlery and plastic plates they had to load before they could head back to the farmhouse. ‘Give me a hand with that and we can walk and talk.’

  Hauling the equipment together, past Art and Jacob who were busy dismantling the barbecue, Maddy nudged her arm. ‘I want to do it this summer, while you and Josh are still here. When are you planning to head back to the US?’

  The sweet thrill that Maddy would be so keen to include them in her special day was accompanied by a pang of longing.

  It was already the sixth of August, the shop was due to open next weekend and they’d already made huge inroads into getting the newly refurbished building stocked. All her thoughts and planning had been focused on the launch. But once they were up and running, she only had three weeks of summer left before the school term started in the US. She’d emailed a lawyer a week ago about the divorce proceedings, but had basically avoided thinking about that too – wilfully putting off any negotiations with Dan and his legal representatives about the splitting of their assets and his visitation rights. For goodness’ sake, she still hadn’t even spoken to Josh yet about the divorce – the thought of having that conversation still giving her panic attacks. That Dan hadn’t raised it in any of his Skype calls with Josh suggested he was more than happy to avoid it too.

  ‘I suppose we’ll have to head back at the beginning of September.’

  ‘That soon?’ Maddy sounded shocked. Ellie knew how she felt.

  Why hadn’t she given this any thought? She was an event planner for goodness’ sake. Planning for the future was her forte. She needed to stop avoiding thinking about what would happen once their summer was over.

  ‘I’m afraid so. I need to get Josh settled in a new school.’ In truth, she should go back now to get everything done she needed to get done. But no way was she abandoning the project when they would need her the most.

  ‘I thought he was going to school with Toto in Gratesbury?’

  ‘That was only supposed to be a temporary arrangement for the last few weeks of the summer term.’

  The children had broken up two weeks ago, and had been disappearing each day on different adventures in the woods, or hanging out with Tess and Melody, to avoid getting roped into helping out with the shop.

  ‘You can’t go back so soon after the shop has opened,’ Maddy said. ‘You have to bask in the fruits of your labour. Why don’t you ask the school if Josh can enrol there for the autumn term?’

  The simple suggestion had the weight in Ellie’s stomach jumping. Maddy was right. If the head teacher still had some spare spaces to fill, why not let Josh start back at school here with Toto? It would save her having to put an arbitrary end date on their stay before she was ready.

  Maybe it was a cop-out. Another excuse not to face reality. But she’d started the shop project, she was responsible for its success and she couldn’t possibly leave her mother in the lurch after all Dee had done for them both.

  They would still have to go back. But Dan hadn’t contacted her directly since they’d left Orchard Harbor, so he was obviously tied up with Chelsea and preparations for the baby. And she still had no desire to walk back into that minefield before she absolutely had to. Plus, Josh had enjoyed going to school with Toto for the last few weeks before the summer break. He’d made new friends, loved his teacher Miss Morely. Would it be so terrible to extend their stay until the end of September?

  ‘I could definitely think about it,’ Ellie said, as they stacked the boxes and bags into the truck bed.

  ‘That’s terrific,’ Maddy said. ‘Because I wanted to ask you a huge favour.’

  Ellie smiled, feeling lighter already. ‘Which is?’

  ‘Would you plan our wedding?’

  ‘Oh…’ she murmured, torn. She wanted to say yes. Weddings had always been her favourite events to plan in Orchard Harbor. All that positive energy. Plus, she’d adored taking the stress off the bride and groom so they could feel relaxed as their big day approac
hed. And with Maddy and Jacob, the joy of doing that would be all the greater, because they had become friends. Giving them a great start to their marriage would be the perfect gift. But if she committed to this, wouldn’t she be committing to so much more? She wasn’t a permanent part of this community, and she needed to remember that.

  ‘Before you say no,’ Maddy jumped in, her face a picture of determination, ‘it’s only going to be a small affair. My mum and dad will come and a few of my friends from Richmond where I grew up. Jay’s got no family to speak of, so he’ll just be inviting some of his old mates from Bristol. Even factoring in everyone from the co-op we’re talking fifty people tops. And I’ve already got a dress.’

  ‘Really?’ Ellie said, impressed.

  ‘I found it a month ago in the Oxfam shop in Salisbury. Antique lace and satin, bias cut, and it fits so perfectly. I thought it might be a sign so I bought it. I thought I’d sew in some sequins along the neckline to give it a bit of bling.’ Maddy hummed with pleasure. ‘Seriously, I love it so much, if Jay hadn’t asked me soon I would have had to do the asking.’

  Ellie laughed. ‘And there I was thinking you were as surprised as the rest of us when he proposed.’

  ‘I was astonished. But only because it’s taken him so bloody long.’

  They both laughed at that one.

  Dee came round the back of the tractor to join them, having just corralled Josh and Toto into the trailer they’d hitched up to carry the tables and chairs the short ride across the meadow and through the fields back to the farmhouse. ‘What are you two laughing about?’

  ‘The stupidity of wedding proposal etiquette,’ Maddy piped up. ‘Whose daft idea was it to leave that job to men? Seriously, it’s so much easier to be a lesbian.’

  Dee’s smile was wobbly round the edges. ‘It is now. But we had to wait a long time to even get that option.’

  Maddy sobered. ‘God, sorry, I didn’t even think of that. I didn’t mean to be crass.’

  ‘You’re a woman in love, on one of the most exciting days of her life.’ Dee patted Maddy’s cheek. ‘Crass is allowed.’

  ‘Maddy and I are talking about wedding plans,’ Ellie cut in, to give Maddy time to extricate her foot from her mouth.

  ‘That’s marvellous,’ Dee said. ‘I love weddings. Are you planning to have it here?’

  ‘Absolutely.’ Maddy nodded, her embarrassment forgotten in the rush of excitement lighting her eyes. ‘Do you think we could do it in four weeks?’

  It was Dee and Ellie’s turn to looked shocked.

  ‘Are you joking?’ ‘Four weeks!’ they blurted out in unison.

  ‘I know it’s a bit mad,’ Maddy said, ‘but I can’t wait to get hitched. And we’re only talking about a glorified party. I don’t want too much fuss. As long as I can wear my dress I’m good.’

  ‘But why the rush?’ Ellie said, confused now.

  ‘I want it to be in the summertime, so we can all be outside,’ Maddy said, her eyes still bright with enthusiasm. ‘We could have it one Saturday evening after closing the shop. String fairy lights across the farmyard like we did after the barn clear-out. Maybe add lanterns and flowers to make it magical.’

  Ellie could already envision it, but, even so, four weeks wasn’t long. Maddy might think a wedding was nothing more than a glorified party, but even with a small guest list, it would be an important event in the young couple’s life. And if she was planning it, she wanted to do it right. ‘We could still make it magical at the end of September?’ she offered.

  ‘We?’ Dee said. ‘Will you still be here then?’ The hope in her voice made Ellie’s mind up for her.

  ‘Yes, I thought I could stay till the end of September. As long as Miss Durden is happy to have Josh enrolled for the start of term. I want to make sure the shop is properly secure before I hand over the reins and head back to the US.’

  ‘Sweetheart, that’s marvellous.’ Her mother gripped her hands, the pleasure in her voice swelling the ache in Ellie’s chest. She’d have to talk to Josh about the divorce, and their long-term plans for the future before he started school again with Toto, so he didn’t get confused. But, for now, why not extend their summer an extra month?

  ‘I’ll ring Marjorie tomorrow and have a chat about the logistics,’ Dee added.

  Ellie smiled. This was the right thing to do, she couldn’t possibly run out on everyone right after the opening. And now they had a wedding to plan.

  ‘So there’s no need for you to rush the wedding,’ Ellie said, addressing Maddy again. ‘We could schedule for the end of September, and give ourselves another three weeks of planning time. Two months is much more doable than one.’

  Maddy’s face went spotlight red. She slanted a furtive look across the meadow to where Art and Jacob were now sharing a beer with Rob and Annie Jackson. The Peveneys had already headed home with a sleepy Melody.

  ‘Actually, there kind of is a need to rush the wedding.’ She swallowed audibly, her excitement and joy palpable in the evening light as she placed a hand over her abdomen. ‘I want to be sure I’m not too pregnant to fit into that dress.’

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Ellie picked her way through the woods, the moon and the floating buzz of the dragonflies edging her path. Crickets rustled in the muggy midsummer air. It had been a hot day, and the night was close and uncomfortable.

  She’d tried to get an early night once they’d returned from Maddy and Jacob’s house-building party, but she’d been lying in bed, listening to the sounds of the house settle around her as Dee put Toto and Josh to bed, and Art tramped up the stairs then back down again, probably to put a few extra hours in at the workshop.

  And sleep had eluded her.

  The woods had beckoned. The thought of a midnight walk to the millpond was too tantalising to resist. Having made the decision to stay in Wiltshire another month, she had hoped that her anxiety about returning to the US would have begun to calm, but if anything it had got worse.

  She felt edgy and tense, her insides hollow and achy and somehow heavy after the news of Maddy’s pregnancy. She was overjoyed for the couple, of course she was. Maddy had confided in her and Dee that she intended to tell Jacob tonight, their first night in their new home. And Ellie had no doubt at all that he would be ecstatic. She also had no doubt at all that Jacob would make a brilliant dad, because he was more than ready to take on that responsibility.

  But the news had made her think about the night she and Dan had discovered together they were expecting Josh. The panic, the anxiety, and the trauma of what had followed, when they’d gone to the family planning clinic to discuss their options and she’d run out again in tears, deciding to keep the baby no matter what.

  She adored Josh now, of course she did. He meant everything to her. He was the only good thing to have come out of their marriage. And, because of him, she could never regret the decision she’d made that day. But the memory of Dan’s face, confused and scared and yet supportive, as she’d told him her decision and he’d struggled to do the right thing, still haunted her. Dan hadn’t been ready for that commitment. And neither had she.

  Was that the real reason he’d always found it so hard to be faithful? And why she’d allowed herself to go through the motions for so long, while knowing she no longer loved him? The failure of their marriage was an indictment of both of them really and all the immature decisions they’d made along the way without ever thinking through the consequences. Until it was too late.

  And Josh had paid the price.

  She had to speak to her son. Soon. She’d spent the last few hours lying in bed running through all the ways to have that conversation with him, and she still didn’t know what to say. How to explain it all. He’d been so happy in the last few months, away from Orchard Harbor, away from the pressures of real life. And so had she. But was avoiding making decisions really an improvement on making the wrong ones?

  She heard the splash of water ahead of her and saw the derelict brick structure of t
he old millhouse looming over the lake ahead, now overgrown with weeds and bracken. A rambling rose bush climbed up one side, its flowers a dark glossy red in the moonlight, making the millhouse look like something out of a fairy tale. A gloomy and derelict fairy tale worthy of a Tim Burton movie. Walking under the weeping willow that shrouded the water’s edge, she stopped dead as the splashing became louder, closer, and she realised it wasn’t just the lap of water on the bank.

  Across the pond, she saw someone powering through the water with swift, fluid strokes. The swimmer’s dark hair bobbed as the person stopped and gripped a tree root, to lever themselves out of the water.

  Her heartbeat ticked into her throat. The ache in her abdomen sank lower as wide shoulders, followed by a broad back, rose from the dark pond. Rivulets of water slicked the planes of muscle, which tapered to the lighter strip of flesh defining his buttocks, as he climbed onto the bank in one fluid, athletic movement.

  Art.

  All thoughts of Dan, her marriage and the conversation she still needed to have with Josh evaporated in a firestorm of lust so hot it made her thighs tremble.

  Why did the man have to look so gorgeous? And what the heck was he doing swimming naked in the millpond in the middle of the night?

  So much for cooling off. She’d be unlikely to sleep for the rest of the week with this vision burned into her brain.

  Bending, Art picked up a piece of clothing from the bank. He rubbed the work shirt across ridged abs and then gave his groin a few absent strokes, before dropping the shirt to scoop up his boxer shorts. He stood upright to put them on, and the breath Ellie had sucked into burning lungs burst out. The shocked gasp sounded like a gunshot in the eerie quiet.

  Art’s head lifted, and he caught her standing on the opposite bank staring.