‘I told you he would.’ Ignoring my reaction, she takes another bite of cake. She’s enjoying a free tenancy in one of Rafe’s cottages down in the village. And she’s determined I should do the same.
I sigh, pick up two more cupcakes and pop a sugar rose on each of them. Then I go back to dots.
‘Thanks, but I really don’t want a cottage.’ Jess came to my rescue by offering me the flat above the shop when I left Brett. My attic may be little more than a cupboard, but I pick up a lot of orders by being on the spot at Brides by the Sea. What’s more, I’m finally beginning to feel settled. ‘Even if it’s bigger than here, who’d want a cottage in the middle of nowhere, tied to a temporary job?’
‘Whatever.’ Her disgusted sniff suggests she disagrees. ‘Anyway Rafe said tomorrow’s good for the grand tour.’
‘What?’ I look up blankly from the spots I’m arranging.
Immie laughs. ‘Keep up Mrs. The tour of the farm he’s supposed to give you – the wedding area, the cows, remember?’
Cows. My favourite. Not. ‘Couldn’t you show me round instead?’ It’s a plea.
She shakes her head. ‘Rafe’s adamant. He said be there for two, and wrap up warm.’
Another afternoon with the world’s most joyless farmer and I might just lose the will to live. ‘I’m not going to get out of this?’
‘No point trying.’ She laughs. ‘But the good news is this mocha cake is delicious. Is there any more?’
If only I’d stuck to cake making.
A Tour of Daisy Hill Farm: Do cows eat cake?
First things first. Please don’t look at what I’m wearing or I might just die of shame.
‘You can’t go out in a flimsy little thing like that to see a farm,’ Rafe says, pointing to my thickest warmest fur-lined winter parka, as I arrive in the yard the next day. ‘I’ll find you a Barbour.’
The way he says the B word, he makes it resonate, as if it’s full of spiritual significance, and then he rushes off to the house. ‘Great,’ I say, remembering the short almost on-trend jacket Immie lent me on Sunday. Except what he brings back isn’t anything related to that at all. It might go by the same name, but it’s definitely not the same species. Somewhere along the line it’s mutated, which is why I’m currently doing an impression of a yurt on legs.
‘Thanks.’ I’m not wanting to sound ungrateful, but a marquee would have fitted better. Although I have to admit there’s something immediately addictive about the smell of the wax oiled fabric.
If news on the style front is disastrous, as long as you ignore that we are not travelling by car, we are not even travelling by Landy, we are actually travelling by tractor – and that is the kind with four wheels all approximately the size of the London eye, where you practically need a ladder to get on board – the rest is better.
An hour later, my brain is popping with information on feed prices and milk quotas, not to mention every fun fact there is to know about organic farming methods, past and present. What’s more mind boggling still, it seems that Rafe’s family collect land and farms at approximately the same rate I collect Kate Moss dresses from eBay. But on the plus side I’ve discovered that the way to soften up Rafe is by talking cows not cake. We’re standing in a drafty barn, but the good part is there’s bouncy yellow straw on the floor, and we’re watching some very cute black and white calves with wobbly legs, skittering around.
‘The last time I saw straw like this was in a nativity play when I was at infant school.’ This is the extent of my conversation on the subject of straw, I just hope the man appreciates it.
‘Come over here …’ Rafe’s voice is low.
A calf is sticking its nose through the railings, and is nuzzling his hand.
‘If you put your finger in its mouth, it’ll suck,’ he says.
I shudder, and not in a good way. ‘Thanks, but I don’t think so.’
‘You might find you like it. People do …’ Rafe is rubbing the calf, tickling the tufty hair between its ears
Cow slobber? I steal myself, and creep towards them. The next thing, there’s a slimy wet nose pushing against the palm of my hand.
‘Oh my.’ Waxed jackets were obviously designed with slobber in mind. I’m just totally relieved this isn’t happening to the front of my best parka.
‘Not so bad is it?’ Rafe’s letting out the nearest thing to a laugh I’ve heard, but then I realise he’s talking to the calf, not to me.
‘Awww … his eyes are blue … and look at his lashes …’ I might sound besotted, but it’s always the eyes that get you with babies. According to Immie we’re biologically programmed to react to them, and kick into care and protect mode.
‘Here.’ Rafe takes my hand and gently guides my fingers into the calf’s mouth.
Its tongue is raspy and sticky, warm on my hand. As it begins to suck I let out a gasp.
‘We don’t do this too often, or they give up drinking from the bucket,’ he says. ‘But it’s a good way of making the humans less nervous.’
How the hell did his voice get this chocolatey without eating any brownies?
‘You might want to visit at tea time, they knock you over to get to their milk.’ His lips twitch into a semi smile. ‘Not all farming is this cosy, but it’s a good place to start.’
Everything I had to say about weddings has gone. Which is a pity, because while Rafe is all relaxed and chatty, it might be an ideal opportunity to run a few things past him.
‘Daisy Hill Farm needs a website you know.’ I blurt out the first item from my list of priorities as it pops into my head.
A second calf is sniffing now, and before I know, Rafe grasps my other hand, and what do you know, I’ve got two calves sucking on my fingers.
‘Set one up then.’ He says not even bothering to look in my direction. Blunt as that.
‘Me?’ Now I’m warmer and out of the wind, I can smell a hint of delicious aftershave wafting up from the corduroy collar of my borrowed coat. I try to block out that it might be his.
‘You’re the one that wanted the job. It’s down to you. Do whatever you have to.’
‘Great.’ This should be easy, so why is he making it sound hard?
‘One condition –’ this time he does look at me, and it’s almost a glare. ‘– don’t bother me with it, because I don’t want to know.’
‘Right.’ So what about the other hundred items on my list that all need answers?
‘If that’s clear, when you can bear to drag yourself away, I’ll take you to see the wedding field.’
I’m strangely reluctant to detach myself from the snuffly noses, but I do. Slowly.
After a long goodbye, he hands me a towel, which is good because I’ve never known slime like it. I’m still wiping my hands on the back of my jeans as the barn door clangs shut behind us.
‘As for your contract, Wedding Coordinator doesn’t adequately describe the responsibility you’ll be taking here. You won’t just be planning, you’ll be the one everyone turns to on the day. The one in total charge. In other words, it’s your head on the block.’ He’s ushering