Page 24 of You Had Me At Pumpkin Patch

Zain laid out a sheet of paper of his own on the grass, next to Rosie’s. ‘Brainstorming. Not my usual thing, but... you know.’

Rosie’s mouth dropped open. Did she dare to believe he’d come out here to help with their retreat preparations – even if they had to involve his pumpkins as the USP? Maybe her home truths about Cyber Purrz had finally filtered through. Her heart lifted.

‘I saw them,’ he blurted out. ‘Some guys in suits, sniffing around. Pointing at my fields and talking about destroying everything. One said they could pour concrete in the lake, and the other said my pumpkins were a pointless waste of space.’ Anger sparked in his eyes.

‘Concrete?’ Rosie uttered the word like it was tinged with wickedness. This place was fast becoming part of her soul, and she was damned if she’d let anyone fill her lake with rock so they could build a fake cat factory.

‘The worst thing is,’ he said quietly, ‘they have a point. Just like you warned me. Farms should be productive; I know that. And Agnes’s husband was good to me.

I should be doing better by them both.’ He blew out a long breath.

‘My crops have almost become a waste of space. What’s the point in my experiments if I churn out speciality pumpkins and do nothing with them?

I’ve been selfish. My ancestors wouldn’t have squandered good produce like this. ’

‘You’re not selfish.’ She squeezed his hand, noticing his fingers curl back around hers for a second. They both pulled away. ‘Look, you’re helping us now, aren’t you?’

He gave an almost imperceptible nod.

‘What are your experiments? If you don’t mind me asking.’

‘I do,’ he replied. ‘Mind you asking. I just came to give you my thoughts on these retreats.’

Well, you couldn’t blame a girl for trying.

‘Fair enough. Let’s look at these plans.

’ Rosie busied herself with Zain’s notes, which to her surprise, were pretty impressive.

It was as if he’d swallowed the encyclopedia on how to create the perfect wild retreat – which obviously he hadn’t.

That sort of thing didn’t even exist. For someone who shunned a smartphone and presumably didn’t bother with Google, he’d compiled quite a list – even down to some quirky ways they could incorporate his pumpkins.

‘Are you saying you’re OK with these officially being pumpkin farm retreats?’ She held her breath.

‘Mmm.’

It was more of a growl than a ‘woo hoo, let’s do this’ – but it was beyond what Rosie could have hoped for.

‘Thank you.’ She kept it simple, conscious a gushing response might send him stomping off. ‘How did you come up with all this? It’s brilliant. Did you... go to the library?’ She could barely imagine his gruff exterior and muddy boots among the bunting and books.

He huffed. ‘I do have a brain, you know.’

‘Of course.’ Perhaps Zain was naturally good at this sort of thing. Some people used search engines and chatbots, but Zain didn’t need to. What other hidden talents did he have?

She put a hand on his bare forearm and immediately wished she hadn’t.

It was warm and firm, and she had the sudden feeling that touching him might become addictive.

She allowed herself a moment before pulling away.

‘This...’ She placed his list down next to her list collection, weighing its corners with pebbles too. ‘This might just save us.’

He shook his head. ‘You’re doing all the saving. It’s just a few extra thoughts from... well, me. Logistics. You’re the one with the details. Flowers in the loo. Stinky soaps. Making people feel special.’ He scratched the back of his neck. ‘Or whatever.’

Did she really make people feel special? Had her small gestures started to make him feel that way? Rosie had always been told it was rude to stare. Yet here she was, getting lost in Zain’s gaze for what seemed like the longest time, even though it could only have been a few heartbeats.

She cleared her throat, and they went back to looking at their lists.

Though as their elbows touched as they rearranged paperwork on the grass, she heard his surprised intake of breath.

Had he felt that spark too? As she accidentally caught his gaze, there was something in his deep, woody eyes that she hadn’t seen before.

And his look made her feel something. Like a swooshing.

Once again, she kind of liked it, and would definitely put that in her book.

Rosie heard Luna making a low wolf-whistle sound from across the grass and could see from the corner of her eye that she was nudging Ellen and pointing at her and Zain. Rosie quickly pulled her gaze away from his and fiddled with her ponytail.

‘My experiments,’ he said hurriedly, as though he might change his mind. ‘We might as well be honest with each other, if we need to work together. At least if I tell you, you won’t need to go poking around.’

‘Honesty!’ she said breezily. ‘Always the best policy.’ Other than she wasn’t going to divulge that she was an impostor, that a woman called Bianca was trying to hunt her down with mean orange letters, or that at least one of her ex-boyfriends had been on Crimewatch.

‘I’m trying to bring back some all-but-lost varieties.

I got hold of rare seeds from distant relatives.

’ He shrugged, like he didn’t want to go into it.

‘My family history is complicated. I’ve also been cross-breeding, to make varieties of my own.

Crops that are hardier, so they can grow better and stronger, even out of season.

And some I’m just toying with, to see how quirky I can make them.

’ His lips twitched into an almost smile. ‘It all goes on, in those polytunnels.’

‘Could some of these experiments help us?’ said Rosie, the cogs in her brain turning. ‘It’s been bothering me that the pumpkin retreats might not work outside of autumn. Are you saying we could extend them to other seasons to?’

‘Possibly, in time. If I can get my head around people being here, in theory, we could involve visitors at different stages of the year – spring planting, summer growing, autumn harvest. I guess a pumpkin patch is for life, not just for autumn. And it’s better than the alternative.

’ He gave a small shudder. ‘Hell, I could probably do with some help out there, if we’re going to get profitable .

’ He said the word as though he still didn’t like it.

‘We can move with the seasons too. Wildflower meadows, sunflowers... Those might attract people in and help with pollination. We can work it out as we go.’

Rosie grabbed his arm again. ‘You’re right. But first, the pumpkin retreats. Are you in on helping too?’

He sighed. ‘Happy to do what I need to, I guess.’

‘He’s happy,’ Rosie heard Bonnie whisper not quite quietly enough to Mags as the pair of them wandered over. ‘She’s put a spell on him.’

‘That’s one word for it,’ Mags not-so-whispered back.

Zain shot them a look and then stood, shaking himself down.

‘Why don’t you show me this field you’ve suggested for the retreat base camp?’ Rosie said quickly, jumping up with him. ‘We’ll size it up for the teepees. And I love your idea about treehouses.’

‘Treehouses? I’ll never get myself up into a horse chestnut,’ said Mags, offering Zain a parcel of cake.

His eyes widened, like he wasn’t accustomed to kind gestures. After a slight hesitation, he exhaled and took it. ‘They’d be more like wooden huts built onto the trees’ structure and strengthened from below by stilts, rather than something you need to swing into, like Tarzan.’

‘Knew he reminded me of someone,’ Mags muttered.

‘On stilts?’ said Bonnie.

‘It gives a true immersive experience,’ said Zain slowly, as if trying to remember something.

Then his words picked up pace. ‘Being up there in nature, the rustle of the trees as you sleep. The views of the pumpkin fields to greet you as you wake.’ He swept his arm in their general direction.

‘A small balcony for al fresco dining on a hearty pumpkin stew, while you gaze at the stars. A set of binoculars to take in the birds as they peck happily from the pumpkin bird feeders. Not to mention the health benefits of forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku , as the Japanese call it. It reduces stress hormone production, boosts your immune system, awakens your senses, brings your creative soul to life...’

Rosie scratched her head. Who was this, and what on earth had they done with Zain?

Now he was definitely starting to sound like he’d inhaled a brochure on the perfect pumpkin retreat lifestyle, complete with a few tomes on health and wellbeing.

But like he said, he had a brain. It would be rude for anyone to assume he hadn’t.

Yes, Zain Kay had hidden depths. And the more Rosie saw of them, the more she liked.

Perhaps she should get him to write the retreats’ promotional material. He was certainly selling it to the others, who had all gathered around. Luna was looking gooey-eyed, and her girlfriend Ellen was tutting at her, good-naturedly.

‘And fewer creepy-crawlies and slithering creatures up there too,’ said Mags. ‘I don’t want any adders up my ladder.’

Zain shrugged. ‘Maybe Rosie will lend you her humane spider catcher. The best thing about the treehouses is that they’ll be a compromise.

’ He turned to Rosie and held her with one of his looks, that were fast making her feel like she was the only other person in the universe.

‘They won’t take up precious meadow space or encroach onto the habitats of the farm’s wildlife.

It will be more about co-existing in harmony.

Growing to understand each other but still respecting the other’s space.

I used to think people just brought problems – but I’m starting to learn that some have good hearts.

’ He stopped for a moment, as though trying to remember what came next.

‘He gives a lovely speech,’ Luna breathed. ‘He should be an actor, or something.’

‘They’re all my own words.’ Zain’s response was a little on the gruff side, but he shook himself and blinked a few times, his face looking like he was trying to compute something.

‘Respecting each other’s space, good hearts,’ he muttered, checking things off on his fingers.

‘Yes, that was it.’ He lifted his head. ‘Some people want to make things better, even if they seem out of their depth and they wear the most unsuitable wellies. I respect that.’

Rosie tried not to grin.

He really did have a lot of words today, and not all of them sounded like the version of Zain that Rosie had come to know – but she could get used to the compliments.

Rosie could only guess that seeing the men in suits sizing the place up and threatening to bring concrete had lit a fire under his particularly firm backside. That couldn’t be a bad thing.

‘We need to talk more about this compromising,’ said Rosie, grabbing Zain’s arm and pointing towards the fields. ‘Shall we?’

She experienced an unmistakable pull to hear more of his intriguing words. Suddenly it felt like, together, there was a growing possibility they could get somewhere.

Though there was a tug of fear that she ought to curb her mounting desire to be dangerously close to Zain.

When she’d arrived, she had carefully constructed reasons to keep her distance.

She had too many secrets. He was her mysterious muse.

Her romantic life always ended in spectacular disaster.

But the more she spent time with this intriguing hermit with the hidden heart, the more parts of that fell away.

If she wasn’t careful, she’d have no walls left.

If they worked together, could she still keep a colleague-safe distance? And if she didn’t, would their newly found level of compromise come crashing down?

To everyone’s surprise, he took her hand and squeezed it. How long would this fascinating new version of Zain be sticking around?