Page 64 of Summer at Rachel’s Pudding Pantry

‘Of course, all the tables are served here just now. Get yourself away.’

‘I’ll take a few things for him, and for Mark, too.’ Tom’s farmhand, Mark, would often help out on Tom’s farm at the busier times of year. So, Rachel made up a picnic lunch of ham sandwiches, with ham fresh from the local butcher, some buttered cheese scones, two chocolate cupcakes and a mini sticky toffee pudding, especially for Tom.

‘I’ll be back shortly. You know what it’s like at haymaking time. No one wants to stop for long. You have to crack on while it stays dry.’

Getting on to her quad, with her goodies secured in a small box, Rachel felt a familiar surge of excitement breaking through. She was reminded of this time last year, when Tom had offered to help her to mow her hay for the first time, and she’d done a picnic delivery. Back then, she’d wanted to thank him for his kindness and support, and a tasty lunch taken to him in the field had seemed a good idea. There had been a real connection between them that day, the realisation hitting that their friendship promised so much more. And a year on, here they were, about to be married.

She headed for the hum of the tractor. The saying ‘make hay while the sun shines’ was very true, and today was a scorcher. As she whizzed off, the breeze on the quad was wonderfully refreshing on such a warm day. Arms bare, shorts on, her farmer’s suntan apparent – with marked T-shirt-and-shorts lines. Ah, she’d so have to remember to get a spray tan done before the wedding – to match up the tops of her arms for her dress, and the tops of her legs and tummy for her new fancy lace lingerie!

Tom was cutting the headland – the outer area of the field – of the second field now. And by the sounds of it, Mark was ‘tedding’ – aerating the cut hay – in the first field. So, Primrose Farm’s two hay fields were well on the way. Tomorrow, she’d help with the rowing and baling, so fingers crossed that it stayed dry. It was always a good feeling getting the hay in, and knowing you had a good store of food for your animals over the winter. It looked as though it was going to be a decent yield this season too, which they’d need if there was another hard winter ahead.

But, for now, the sun was blasting, the bees were buzzing, and her fiancé was pulling to a halt. He looked surprised as he opened the door of his tractor cab and climbed out.

Rachel approached with a little trepidation. The sunshine had carried her over to the fields in good spirits, but she was suddenly all too aware of the storm clouds that had followed her and Tom around the last couple of weeks.

‘Lunch?’ she asked tentatively.

‘That sounds great, thanks.’ He strolled across.

Rachel started unloading the goods a little nervously. ‘There’s plenty here for Mark too, so give him a shout.’

‘Yeah, will do, I’ll phone him in a sec … Thank you for doing this, I really appreciate it. And hey, Rach, it’s good to see you.’

‘You too.’ She smiled, her agitation starting to evaporate.

‘Hey, have you realised where we are?’ His tone was soft.

‘On my farm …’

‘But where exactly?’

It was lovely to hear the hint of warmth in his voice. Rachel pulled a face, still unsure of what he was getting at.

‘Look, I’ve just been cutting the grass for our wedding venue.’

‘Oh, yes. We’re in just the spot.’

This was the field, nearest to the farmyard and the Pudding Pantry, where the tipi was going to be put up for the reception. The whole place would be transformed, with all the beautiful flowers they’d chosen, Eve’s crafts and bunting decorations, and their Towers of Pudding, and the absolutely gorgeous wedding cake that they had ordered – a three-tiered sponge and buttercream affair with the prettiest floral garnish. It was going to look stunningly ‘boho chic’, in a countryside ‘fairy-tale palace’ as Maisy was calling it. Rachel didn’t have the heart to correct her that it was just a tent.

It was wonderful to see that Tom was finally getting that buzz of anticipation too. But Rachel understood what a hard time he’d been having. It was only a week until the court hearing.

She didn’t want to spoil the moment but she wanted to remind him she was there for him too. ‘How are you feeling about Wednesday?’

‘Kind of resigned to getting it over with. I just want to know what’s going to happen now, and to move on. My solicitor’s doing all he can and there’s a couple of new developments he’s looking into, but all I can do is tell the truth and do my best … then it’s over to the judge.’

‘I can still come down to Newcastle with you if you’d like?’

‘No, honestly, this is between me and Caitlin. I’ll be fine.’

‘Okay.’

‘And Rach …’ Tom looked at her in earnest, before stroking the back of her hand gently. ‘Look, I’m really sorry if I’ve been a bit irritable these past few weeks. I-I’ve just found all this with the farm and Caitlin really tough.’

‘It’s okay. I understand, Tom. I’d have been furious and stressed-out too if it was my farm under threat. And … I’m sorry too, for perhaps not being as understanding as I might have been, and for not letting you know earlier about Jake coming to the wedding.’

‘Hey, no worries. We’ll work it all out somehow.’

‘Yeah, we will.’ Rachel smiled, feeling like a weight had been lifted.