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And then we both hear it at the same time, as do the dogs: a big motorbike coming up the drive. Will and the dogs run back towards the gate. I pick up the saw and follow. It’s time for a cup of tea anyway, I think. I’m grateful for the break, and I smile at the thought of sharing a pot of tea with Horse.

But Horse, it turns out, isn’t on his own.

I stand and watch the bike pull up with a passenger on the back. Horse puts it on the stand and his passenger dismounts and pulls off her helmet, as does he, smiling.

‘Horse!’

‘Hey, fella! Thought I’d come and see how the pups are doing this morning, and Nadiya has come as promised!’

Nadiya smiles at Will.

‘Here, give Nadiya a hand with her bags,’ Horse says, handing Will a rucksack from Nadiya’s back.

Will opens the zip, dips his head into it and breathes in deeply.

‘How about we make lamb keema, with chutney and lime pickle and samosas?’ Nadiya says, holding out another bag for him to take. ‘I can show you how we read the spices. Use them with any ingredients. You can help make everything and test it all out, too!’

Will looks up at Horse, a huge smile widening on his face. His eyes are lit up with happiness, his cheeks glowing.

‘Thank you,’ he says breathlessly.

‘Well, I can’t take any of the credit,’ Horse tells him. ‘It was Nadiya’s idea. She said she’s told Ayesha that you’re cooking and that she’s going to make this keema recipe with you.’

‘I’ll write everything down afterwards,’ Nadiya says. ‘But I thought this would be a good one to start with, as well as a daal. Daal is always a good place to start.’ She waves and smiles at me as she turns to follow Will towards the farmhouse. I wave back.

Horse hangs back to give me a hand with the tools. As the others disappear into the farmhouse I can just hear Nadiya saying, ‘. . . remember not to add lemon until the end, or water, or it will toughen the lentils.’

It’s a good thing, I tell myself, that she and Horse are both here. I’m happy for them, and for Will.

‘Thank you for this,’ I say to Horse. ‘He’ll love it. He’s so keen to learn. I just can’t keep up!’

‘No problem. It’s Nadiya’s day off. She suggested it.’

‘I’m glad you’re spending time together,’ I say. ‘You seem to be getting on well.’

He laughs.

‘You could say that, yes.’

‘I’m pleased for you,’ I say, and I mean it. He’s a lovely man. He’d make someone a wonderful partner.

‘Oh, I think there’s some—’ he says, but is interrupted by a shout from Will.

‘It’s Lara!’ Will rushes back out of the kitchen with an apron on, waving a wooden spoon. He runs up to Lara’s car as it pulls into the yard, showing her the apron and pointing back towards the kitchen before taking her hand and pulling her towards the barn and then running back to the kitchen. Tegan and Dinky are following him.

‘Thank you for everything else you’ve been helping with lately, too,’ I say to Horse.

‘It’s my pleasure.’ He smiles. ‘Happy to do it.’ He reaches over and removes a stray twig from my hair, detaching it gently and deftly. ‘Like I say, it was Nadiya’s idea. But I wanted to do something that would put a smile on his face. He’s a great kid. I’m fond of him.’ And before we have a chance to talk about how Horse might or might not be able to stay in Will’s life once his new family is found, he’s waving to us from the kitchen window.

‘We should probably go and help out,’ Horse laughs. As we head towards the farmhouse, he asks, ‘So, how are plans going to open up the Christmas tree farm?’

I let out a long sigh.

‘I’ve let it go a bit over the past few years, and now I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. I was feeling . . . let’s say, fired up.’

‘Nothing wrong with that.’

‘But,’ I say, shaking my head, ‘I need to get this place into shape and opened up by the beginning of December. That’s not even two weeks away. Not to mention finding a way to make it even more enticing than Christmas Tree World.’