Page 55 of Rachel’s Pudding Pantry

‘Have you had enough to eat?’ Rachel asked.

‘Yep.’

‘Okay then.’

There was no stopping her whirlwind of a five-year-old. It was lovely to see her having fun. Sometimes Rachel wondered if she did enough for her little girl; it often felt that Maisy had to just muck in alongside what they had to do on the farm, and they didn’t have a lot of money for expensive trips out. Life was so busy, it felt like a juggling act at the best of times.

Suddenly, there was a droning sound coming from across the fields – it sounded like a quad. Then, there was a creak of the field’s wooden gate and Tom appeared. He pulled up beside their picnic area with a grin.

‘Hello, there. I thought I heard some festivities going on over here.’

‘Hah, Moss barking and Maisy squealing, I expect,’ Rachel said. She looked up at Tom, suddenly remembering how close they’d been in the hay field just a few days ago, how his arms had felt around her. It gave her a strange feeling she couldn’t quite pin down.

‘Hi, Tom,’ said her mum.

‘Hello, Jill.’

Then Maisy, who was splashing happily away in the stream, called out, ‘Tom!’ and came dashing out.

‘Well, this looks fun.’ He took in the picnic scene, and wasn’t put off by a cold, wet five-year-old appearing by his knee for a cuddle, closely followed by a very damp border collie. ‘Hey, Moss. Hi, Maisy.’

His Jack Russell terrier, Mabel, then leapt off the quad to join in the fun and ran in circles around the three of them.

‘Oh, I hope you don’t mind us being here. We are technically trespassing,’ Rachel said. The best section of stream to paddle in was here on Tom’s land.

‘Of course not, it’s great. You’re not hurting anything. Well, maybe the odd minnow, but I can live with that.’

‘Would you like something to eat or drink, Tom?’ Jill offered. ‘If you’re thirsty there’s some homemade lemonade.’

‘Now that does sound tempting. It’s such a warm day, I’m parched.’ He was in T-shirt and jeans, his forearms tanned.

Jill poured some out into a plastic cup. ‘Here.’

He gulped it down quickly. Rachel noticed that there were little beads of liquid left on his top lip which he wiped off.

‘There are cupcakes,’ Rachel added, knowing his sweet tooth.

‘Now you’re talking. How can I say no?’

Jill passed him one of the lemon cakes from the Tupperware box and he took a bite.

‘Delish. So, how are all the final plans going for your Pudding Pantry?’

‘Good. We’re nearly there, aren’t we, Mum?’

‘Yes, getting there now, thank heavens. We open formally to the public on Friday next week, with a launch party first on the Thursday afternoon. We have a proper invite for you at home, but it’s from 2 p.m. You must come along,’ said Jill.

‘Oh yes, we’d love to see you there,’ said Rachel with a warm smile. ‘There will, of course, be pudding.’

‘I’d love to, wouldn’t miss it for the world. It’ll be good to see what you’ve done with the old barn too. Well, I’d better crack on, I suppose. I was on my way to check the cattle.’

‘Ah, no rest for the wicked,’ said Jill.

‘That’s farming for you. Well, enjoy the rest of your picnic. And like I say, you can come here any time, I really don’t mind. Nice to hear some laughter about the place.’

Rachel caught his eye. She suddenly thought how his home life must be so quiet, perhaps a touch lonely. A man in his thirties all on his own. Yes, she was single, but life was never really lonely what with her mum and Maisy constantly around.

She smiled at him, again remembering that recent moment of closeness. She quickly dismissed the thought.