She tutted. Yes, tickets were expensive, and it would mean taking time away from the farm, but it was always worth it. “It’s my parents,” she said. “Besides, they’ll—” Pippa bit her tongue. She’d almost blurted out that they would want to congratulate them on the engagement, but that would have been massively presumptuous. Alex was looking expectantly at her. “They’ve missed us,” she said instead.
“We’ll see.” Alex nodded at the laptop. “Did you manage the wages?”
“Of course,” Pippa replied. “But about Mum and Dad, are—”
Alex grabbed her hand. “Let’s talk about it tomorrow.” He ran his lips across her knuckles. “You look gorgeous. What’s this dress?”
“It’s new.” Pippa posed with her hands on hips. “Like it?”
“Yeah! I mean, you do look like you’re off to milk cows in some random TV show.” He waggled his eyebrows at her breasts. “But in a sexy way.”
“Perve.” Pippa giggled and reached into the overhead cupboards for teacups. “I love it.”
Alex looped his arms around her waist from behind. “So do I! You know I don’t know anything about style. You’re always beautiful to me, no matter what. Even when waist deep in cow shit.”
“You have such a way with words,” Pippa murmured as she poured boiling water into the cups and dropped in the tea bags.
“Forgive me?”
Pippa sighed indulgently. “This time.”
“Good.” Alex nuzzled her neck again. “Because I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Pippa dropped a soggy teabag. Was this it? Finally? “Okay.” She acted cool as she finished making their drinks, but the anticipation was rendering her almost breathless.
“Come on, sit.” Alex plonked the teacups on the table, then pulled out her chair. Once they were settled, he leaned forward, filling her head with his familiar scent of the outdoors and fabric softener. He took her hand, rough fingers twining with hers. “It’s been a mad few years, hasn’t it?” he said.
“It has.” Pippa’s innards jumped like fireworks.
“And I’m so proud about how we’ve overhauled this place. We’re a great team.” His grip tightened on hers.
“I was thinking the same just earlier,” Pippa said happily.
Alex’s hand strayed towards his jacket pocket. Pippa gulped. Was this it? “I’ve had a revelation,” he went on, his hand stilling. “I realised after what we’ve accomplished here, we can do anything we want.”
“I completely agree.” Pippa nodded eagerly, as if the movement of her head could urge his hand to continue its progress into the pocket.
His dimpled smile, so freckled and familiar, stretched wide. “I knew you would. So … how about an entirely new adventure?”
Pippa loved that he believed their future was an adventure. Because it was, wasn’t it? Marriage, kids, new business ideas … unchartered territory that they could tackle together. “I’m listening...”
“I mean, I’m thirty-one now. I know what I want.” Alex rubbed the back of her hand.
Pippa took a shaking breath. This was it. It had to be. She was so glad she’d worn her lovely new dress for this moment.
“I want excitement. I want the new, the interesting.” Alex’s handsome face broke into a broad grin. “I want the biggest challenges and I only want to share them with you.”
Pippa thought she might cry with joy. “You know I want that too.”
Alex smoothed an errant strand of her wavy hair away from her face. “Darling, beautiful, Pip.”
“Alex.” Anticipation surged like a wave desperate to crest.
Alex grinned excitedly and leaned in. Pippa tensed, ready. “You know how Mick Dunstan came round last month?”
Pippa’s excitement stalled like a busted engine. Had she mis-heard? Why on earth was Alex talking about Mick? Mick Dunstan owned vast hectares of farmland and was probably the wealthiest farmer in Yorkshire, if not the Northeast. What did that man have to do with a marriage proposal?
“Mick?” she repeated, just to ensure she had heard Alex correctly.
