Page 52 of You Had Me At Pumpkin Patch

‘You know, when I first saw those things lined up in there, I thought you were living with a bunch of gnomes.’

Zain put his hammer down and looked up, shielding his eyes against the late-morning sun.

He was sitting on the decking outside his cabin, surrounded by a new batch of partly built bat boxes.

When he managed to focus on Rosie, he jumped up and took a step towards her, then cleared his throat and stepped back again.

‘Erm, hi.’ He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, in a way she would definitely have pinched for her romance novel, just a week or so previously.

‘Hot work, making gnome houses?’ she teased, putting down her flask of tea.

‘They’re not...’ He waved his hand, seeming stuck for words.

Rosie smiled. ‘I know.’

‘You see why I’m better with a script?’

She noticed his slight wince, as though he wasn’t sure that was a thing to joke about.

But the truth was, she loved him like this.

His vulnerability was the sweetest contrast against his rugged exterior, and she didn’t want him to ever have to pretend to be anything different.

In fact, his exterior was looking particularly fetching, in a tight white T-shirt that did everything to remind her of the firm torso she’d once lain her head on.

Though she wasn’t here to ogle or take notes.

‘Not that I’ve consulted the chatbot for a long time,’ he said quickly. ‘I only experimented with it in the early days of liking you, when I had no idea how to be around you. I even sold my laptop that night, just after the auction, to raise more funds.’

So that’s where he’d been going with it after the party.

‘You don’t need a script, Zain. You never did.’

He took a moment to think about it, then sighed.

‘You see, the real me only has two settings. There’s gruff pumpkin farmer mode, which is handy when I want people to leave me alone.

Then there’s the version who turns weird when he likes someone and starts rambling on about bats or the key characteristics of a Baby Boo pumpkin. ’

Rosie thought back to the time she’d bumped into him in a meadow, not long after she’d arrived, when he’d got overly animated on pumpkin facts, before looking mortified.

And their impromptu bat-spotting night, when he’d admonished himself for being a nature geek, even though she’d adored every moment.

She instinctively knew all of that was from his heart, not a laptop screen.

‘You have no idea how much I love that side of you,’ she said, hoping her eyes conveyed how much she meant it.

‘Really? I mean, it’s not very macho, is it? Not the kind of thing any romance lover would go weak at the knees for.’

‘Oh, I’m pretty sure you can do macho without a script.’ Her lips were twitching into a smile. ‘Unless you somehow orchestrated that time I walked in on you naked in the outdoor shower?’

‘No! No way. I mean, you can check through my emails, or the printouts, or anything...’ He pointed to a pile of logs, which had been dumped like they were ready to burn, wadges of paper stuffed among them.

‘I mean, if that was acting, you deserve an Oscar.’

The way his neck was flushing red was definitely genuine.

‘You don’t need a chatbot to make you interesting or lovable, Zain. I fell for you long before the so-called “perfect” dates. And my favourite parts were always when you seemed off-guard, or you stumbled over your words or what to do. Now I know those parts were you , without instructions.’

He pushed a hand through his long black hair, which was sort of tied back in a knot but mostly flopping everywhere – just how she liked it. ‘You preferred the messy bits?’

‘Always. That’s how life is meant to be, isn’t it? Kind of untamed.’

‘Huh. I guess. It’s just...’ He looked upwards and exhaled, before fixing his gaze on hers.

Those deep, woody eyes had become her place.

‘Nobody’s ever wanted or accepted either of those versions of me.

Not the gruff one, and definitely not the nature freak.

Not that I let that one out much. I don’t want to go on about my earlier years, but you know how that went.

I rarely found a family who wanted me to stick around.

Not even the ones who were related to me.

And the occasional time I did...’ He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

She wanted to close the gap between them and hold him.

She longed to tell him that everything would be OK, and that she was here to love him always.

But he still had some explaining to do, and so did she.

She wasn’t going to pretend everything was OK, just to keep him, because she was no longer that person.

‘Zain, what’s the connection between you and the chatbot that you know lost me my job?’ She’d since googled Kimberkoo, and it was not a popular surname.

‘ Urgh. Stupidly, I didn’t even know Kimberkoo Chat was a thing, until you’d mentioned it. Us hermits don’t tend to keep up with the news.’

Rosie could tell the light humour was to deflect his nerves.

‘But back when I was a lonely kid in care, it wasn’t just nature I was geeky about.

The nature bit came later, with Pru and Dennis.

Before that, I was a... tech nerd .’ He winced.

‘It feels like a different life. With a whole lot of lonely hours in my bedroom, I came up with an early, pretty crappy version of a chatbot, just for something to talk to. I mean, I was clearly no good at making human friends.’

‘You? You created Kimberkoo Chat?’ Rosie’s face sank, almost as quickly as her heart.

‘No, no.’ He stepped forward and placed his hand on her arm.

‘Not the version you know now, with all the bells and whistles. I had no idea it would end up writing novels and planning dates for losers.’ He gave her an awkward smile.

‘And though I’m sure it does worthwhile things too, I wasn’t responsible for letting it loose on the world.

I had no idea that had happened. That was my estranged father, all the way across the other side of the world. ’

‘I thought you barely knew him?’

‘I didn’t, much.’ His face crumpled. ‘I should have explained, but it’s a raw subject.

I hadn’t known him as a kid. I’d always had dumb dreams of the father–son long-lost reunion thing, and getting to know my roots.

So when I was eighteen, I flew to Montana to track him down.

I found the rest of his family first. His brothers, sisters, my grandmother.

They were good people, and they ran a pumpkin farm, with real history.

They welcomed me in. That’s where I got the rare seeds from, and that’s when I began to fall for their way of life.

To feel connected to something.’ He’d begun smiling, but it faded.

‘When I did find my father, he didn’t have much to do with his farming family anymore, and he didn’t show much interest in me – until I mentioned this clunky software thing I’d invented.

I was trying to sound cool and get his approval.

I wanted him to like me, to think I was worthy of his attention.

..’ He rubbed a hand over his face. ‘Pretty needy, hey?’

‘No,’ said Rosie, firmly. ‘Please don’t think that.’ She gestured him to go on.

‘Well, it did get his interest. More than I did, it seems. He pretended like he didn’t believe me, so that I was quickly laying out the tech and trying to prove myself.

Anyway, we had a big argument, which he probably engineered.

It worked. I fled, leaving everything I’d created.

I was more interested in working on the land by then, anyway.

’ He shrugged. ‘This was years ago. I guess he’s been improving what I left him with.

I had no idea he’d unleashed it onto the world, until you said the name.

It’s true that I’d barely used tech since then.

Until this.’ He waved an arm towards the would-be bonfire.

‘And look where that got me. Rosie, I’m so sorry. ’

His eyes locked with hers. ‘I’d only meant to check out this chatbot and see what he’d made of it.

I was curious. So I bought an old laptop and found a pub with Wi-Fi.

I didn’t intend for the thing to plan our dates.

It started as a what-if. Then suddenly, the software seemed more interesting than me.

I just wanted to sweep you off your feet, like you deserve to be.

I never ever meant for you to feel tricked.

I clung to those stupid instructions at first, because I was out of my depth.

But the way I feel about you was never scripted.

I love you. I’ll never need a script for those words. ’

Her once sinking heart soared.

‘And your love was always enough. You are enough, Zain Kimberkoo. Exactly as you are.’ Rosie stepped towards him and took his face in her hands.

‘And I’m so sorry for all the things I wasn’t truthful about.

I was going to tell you I wasn’t the real interviewee for this job – it just never seemed like a good time. ’

‘Hey, if Agnes doesn’t mind.’ He shrugged.

‘And I shouldn’t have turned our relationship into a romantic story.

I didn’t plan to. I just started typing and couldn’t stop.

I would never have shown it to anyone without your say-so.

Anyway, you can have it for your bonfire.

You’re right that I should create my own stories, not copy our chatbot-inspired dates. I’m writing something new.’

‘Don’t you dare burn it – it was incredible.

Well, the bits I saw of it, before I realised naked Cain was me, and got self-conscious.

I over-reacted, and I’m sorry. Thanks for the generous description, by the way.

’ He gave her a shy nod, his hair flopping across his face. It was both hot and adorable.

‘Oh God, I should have thought more about your privacy. It’s almost like painting you in the nude without asking.’ Rosie hid her own face behind her hand. ‘Though I would have edited those bits out.’

Zain gently removed her hand and held it in his. ‘No more hiding.’

Rosie nodded. He was right about that.

‘And I honestly don’t mind if you want to use me in your work, now I’m used to the idea. I’m pretty honoured you find me interesting enough.’

‘Oh, you made a fascinating muse.’

‘Tell me more.’

Zain squeezed her hand and guided her away from his cabin, towards the lake.

The sunlight shimmered across its water, giving it the magnetic pull she’d come to know and love.

The day was warming up, and Rosie couldn’t help thinking about stripping off to jump into it, preferably with a certain pumpkin farmer. But they had talking to do.

‘I’m not sure what a muse does,’ Zain said, as they walked across the grass.

‘But I know being with you has brought me back to life. Before you came here, I’d given up on people.

I was hanging out with a hairless cat, obsessing over the ultimate knobbly fruit and shutting out every chance of being happy.

I was just existing . Usually, quite grumpily. ’

Rosie laughed.

‘You didn’t look like you belonged here one bit,’ he continued.

‘With your fancy beige coat and those heeled boots that slid around in the mud. Steve and I had a bet on, and I gave it two days, max, before you’d be calling a taxi.

But I guess I didn’t know what you were made of.

You climbed on roofs and made bug houses.

You forged ever more ridiculous plans. And you didn’t let anything faze you.

Before I knew it, you’d set up a damned treehouse in my heart. ’

They reached the edge of the lake, and he turned to look at her, his eyes heavy with the weight of everything he was trying to say.

‘You showed me that people can be good, Rosie. I need more of you in my life.’

He held her face and tilted it tenderly towards his. The touch of his skin against hers, the intensity of his gaze, the pull of her heart as it dragged her towards him. It was the stuff of a million romantic novels, and it didn’t need a script.

A light autumn breeze swept around them, bringing birdsong and a few damp leaves, and the sweet smell of harvest. Rosie felt as if she could belong here forever, with this man. She felt almost complete. The only thing missing was his smile.

‘You made a bet... with a cat ?’ Rosie could barely keep the giggle from her voice.

And finally, he beamed back at her, with a richness that reached his eyes and seemed to set them alight.

‘I pour my heart out – which was completely unscripted, by the way. And the main thing you take from that is my bet with Steve? Yes, OK. My best friend used to be a cat. I told you I was different.’

They stood grinning at each other, like being different was the best thing ever.

At last, their lips met, somewhere in the middle, and Rosie felt so light she could almost float.

His kiss was soft and warm, laced with the promise of all that would come.

It was the perfect welcome home, as though she’d always belonged with him, and everything before had been a journey to be right here.

Held and loved. Safe in his arms and giving him shelter too. Nothing could have made her happier.