Pam grabbed her scarf from the back seat of Jim's car, as it was slightly colder than normal for an early October afternoon. “You up to working your way through the corn maze with me later?” She asked, linking her arm through his.

“I could be talked into it,” he mused, adjusting the collar of his coat as they started walking toward the large barn ahead of them. “Maybe I'll get you lost on purpose in there.”

“I wouldn't complain,” she smiled. “Though Dwight might take it upon himself to track us down.”

“Shhh,” he chided. “He does not need to know.”

There were many things Jim didn't think Dwight needed to know, and his plan for this evening was certainly one of them. As his arm swung against the front of his corduroy jacket, he could feel the weight of the small black box buried deep in his inside pocket. He'd decided this morning that tonight would be the night he would try again to ask Pam to marry him.

He was the first to admit that attempting such a thing at an office-related event seemed like a bad idea. But Pam had been so delighted at the thought of the hayride and the pumpkin picking that he didn't see how he could waste such a good opportunity. Besides, Halloween had always kind of felt like their holiday. He just needed to seize the chance to be alone with her at some point.

They met up with Phyllis and Bob in the marquee set up next to the barn, and sipped hot apple cider as they watched Michael try to talk the farmer into letting him drive the horses. Thankfully the farmer said no, and as they bounced along on the back of the cart Jim made sure that Pam stayed on his side that wasn't hiding the ring. They were knocked together so much on the journey that handled any other way, his surprise would surely have been revealed. It was also a pleasant excuse to keep his arm tightly around her.

He happily followed her around the pumpkin patch, amused with how seriously Pam took her job in finding the perfect pumpkin. They walked the lines of vined pumpkins for nearly thirty minutes.

“You know they could leave us behind,” Jim teased her.

“They won't.” She replied. “It takes time to find the right pumpkin.”

“Do describe this wonder to me. What exactly are you looking for?”

“I'll know it when I see it.”

“I hope so. I'd hate to miss the corn maze because you overlooked your perfect pumpkin.”

“Oh hush. Don't be such a complainer.”

“I'm not complaining. I just find it amazing that it takes you more than a half hour to pick out a pumpkin.”

“Aha, this is it,” she declared proudly, lifting up a large round pumpkin that looked to Jim very much like the last fifty pumpkins he'd seen. “I told you I'd find it.”

The look of pure satisfaction on Pam's face made Jim unable to do anything but shake his head and smile, his heart practically bursting with love. There really wasn't anyone else in the world quite like her.

“Here, let me carry it,” he said, taking the heavy pumpkin out of her hands. “Can we go back now?”

She grabbed his sleeve. “No, wait a minute.”

Jim turned back toward her. “Hmm?”

He nearly dropped the pumpkin as Pam launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a warm kiss firmly on his lips.

“Thanks for being so great,” she said breathlessly. “Do you know how much I love you for putting up with me?”

“You're insane,” he laughed, flushing at her compliment and affection. “So I expect it's a great deal.”

He grabbed her hand with his free one, and pulled her toward the approaching hay wagon. “Come on, Pumpkin Whisperer.”

Jim gently deposited Pam's prized pumpkin into the trunk of his car and they finally headed toward the corn maze. The sun was starting to drop lower in the sky, and Jim felt a bit of tension building as he knew they shut the maze at sundown. It didn't help his nerves any that Michael and Dwight had also chosen that moment to give it a try too.

“Hey, Jim!” Michael greeted the duo. “Let's race - I bet you and Pam can't make it through this quicker than Dwight and I can.”

Jim was about to decline when he had an idea. He winked at Pam before turning to Michael. “That's a great idea actually, Michael. Who's got a stopwatch?”

“I do, of course,” Dwight scoffed. “I always have one with me.”

“Of course you do, Dwight,” Jim grinned. “Okay, well, you guys start first, and we'll wait three minutes and then we'll start.”

“Why three minutes?” Dwight asked suspiciously.

“Shh,” Michael nudged him. “That way we get a head start.” He looked at Jim and Pam. “Okay then - we're off!” Michael darted into the cornfield, with Dwight close behind.

“You're horrible,” Pam laughed.

“You'd rather walk through with those two?”

“Good point,” she smiled, extending her hand. “Shall we head in whatever direction we don't hear them?”

“Absolutely.”

They spent the first minutes trying to lose themselves down the aisles of corn, pausing at intersections to listen for familiar voices, then choosing the paths that led away from them. The maze was impressively large, and soon they could hear nothing but the sound of their own footsteps crunching on the hay and fallen stalks. They turned down one path and found themselves at a dead end.

“Finally,” Pam sighed, turning toward Jim. He raised his eyebrows at her comment, and she responded by pulling his coat lapels toward her, stepping up on tiptoes to kiss him. “I have been waiting all day for this,” she sighed against his lips.

“Waiting for what?” he asked, his arms coming around her.

She unzipped his coat and pushed it open, her fingers immediately working on unbuttoning his shirt. “You and me, alone in cornfield,” she mused, “who's to know what will happen? Clothes fall off all the time.”

This was not what Jim was expecting. And on any other day, he would have been delighted by her boldness. But all he could think about was the ring in his pocket, and how he couldn't imagine this as the type of proposal story he'd one day be telling his children and grandchildren.

“What has gotten into you?” Jim laughed, his hands covering hers to stop the undressing she was so evidently focused on. “Is corn an aphrodisiac I didn't know about?”

“I guess being out here alone with you just makes me want to get back to nature.” When she reached for his belt, he stopped her again. “Don't you want to?” She asked.

Not want to make love the woman he adored? Was that a serious question? “I just think it's getting a little late in the afternoon,” he found himself saying, aware of how lame it sounded. “They are going to kick us out at sunset, you know.”

“You're afraid we'll get caught,” she teased.

“Yeah,” he lied. “I don't think I'd recover from having Stanley turning the corner and finding us.” He brushed his hand against her cheek. He was losing confidence in his ability to turn the situation around. What could he say? Sorry, Pam - I'm a bit too distracted thinking about how to propose to you to have sex right now. He knew she was staring up at him, clearly wondering what was going on with him, so he did the only thing that seemed safe. He began kissing her.

It was a compromise that seemed to sit well with Pam, and as the minutes ticked by, Jim started to feel like maybe this could still work. He could still do this. He pulled back to look at her again, and took a deep breath.

“Pam,” he finally said.

Before he could speak another word, the voices of Michael and Dwight could both clearly be heard calling out. Calling out for Pam and Jim.

“Damn it,” Jim sighed, closing his eyes as he rolled his head back.

“I guess we better get back before they start stomping down new paths in the corn,” Pam grinned.

He nodded, frustration preventing him from speaking.

Pam immediately noticed his quietness. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he replied sullenly, his hand at her back as they made their way out of the maze. “Those guys just have the worst timing.”