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‘I’ll put the ducks away,’ says Will.

‘Do you know, we had seventeen trees reserved today,’ says Lara, looking down at the sales book.

‘And this weekend will be even busier,’ I say. ‘People will probably come and choose their trees to collect to put up nearer the time. And then the two weeks before Christmas, I expect people will come and want to take them home on the spot. It’s going to be bedlam when they all want to come back and pick up their trees,’ I say.

Horse stands to help clear the table, his tall frame filling the kitchen. I have come to love having him here in this space.

‘I have a plan,’ he says, and winks at me.

I shiver, and it’s not because of the cold December air outside.

By Saturday, business is better than we ever imagined or could have hoped for. There is a constant stream of cars pulling up at the farm.

Luke has set up the speakers from the milking parlour to play carols. The Three Wise Knitters are set up in the barn, making angel and donkey decorations for people to buy and hang on their chosen trees.

There are families milling around in the forest.

‘I like this one.’

‘This one is taller!’

‘We’ll take this one,’ I hear one couple say. ‘We have a small living room. This one is tall and slim. It’ll be perfect.’

‘I like this tiny one. It will sit in my flat window perfectly,’ says a woman to Horse. ‘My husband and I used to love Christmas, but I’ve moved house since he passed away two years ago. I thought Christmas was going to be horrible, but with this little tree, he’ll be right there with me.’ She ties a toy train ornament to her chosen tree.

Lara is on the till. I say till; it’s a money box and a card machine that keeps us guessing and waiting for when it wants to actually work, accompanied by a book of sales. Will is having a lovely time with his new friend Khadiza, who is here for the day. They are running in the forest with the dogs, cuddling the puppies and helping customers choose between trees.

‘I like this one. It has a smiley face,’ says Will, making a customer laugh.

‘In that case, I’ll take the one with the smiley face,’ she says, thanking the both of them and accepting a mince pie from Will.

At the peak of the afternoon rush, Scarlett’s Audi roars up the drive. I recognize it straight away, with a sinking heart.

Scarlett opens the car door and emerges, her expression stony.

‘I’ve come for my dog,’ she says, looking Luke up and down in his light-up jumper.

‘Not now, Scarlett.’

‘You’re not keeping her,’ she says, pointing at Dinky, who is hiding behind Luke’s legs and peeking out.

‘She’s still feeding the puppies,’ he says firmly. ‘They’re not ready to leave yet. Not until after Christmas.’

She says nothing for a moment.

‘Right, well, after that she’s staying with me. And what about you?’

He lets out a long sigh.

‘I’m busy right now, Scarlett.’

‘Arghh!’ she shouts. She wrenches the car door open, reaches in and pulls out a designer suitcase, presumably with his clothes in it. ‘I mean it. Just get this out of your system, and then everything can go back to how it was. I’ve been thinking about that girl who got engaged in the forest. It’s gone viral. With that #RememberThisChristmas, maybe we should do an engagement announcement – Christmas Day, in the forest. Do a hashtag, too. #BestChristmasPresent or something. I’ll get Mog to think of something snappy.’

Not what you’d call a heartfelt proposal, I think to myself, feeling my heart squeeze in sympathy for Luke. It’s all about the socials for Scarlett.

She peels off down the drive, her wheels spraying. Luke scoops up the suitcase and hurries it into the farmhouse kitchen, then comes back out into the yard.

‘You okay, Luke?’ I ask, wishing that Luke could see how much more fun he has when she’s not around. And most of all when Lara is here. ‘If you need to go after Scarlett, just go.’