"Didn't you want to finish school?"
"No. I wanted to help pay the bills. It cost a heap when Mum was sick and Sami was doing double shifts to pay the debts but I doubt we would have been able to get our heads above water if it wasn't for the money our grandfather left."
"Now things are different, would you like to go back to school?"
"Maybe. I can't do anything too labour intensive or my asthma plays up but there are a few things I could do if I had some more training."
"Like what?" Mason was enjoying the conversation.
"I want to learn agriculture, you know, the plant side of things too not just cattle. I like watching things grow."
"You could always go to the TAFE College here in town and learn. They do courses you might be interested in."
"Yeah they do but I don't want to take the money off Sami. She needs it here to build up the farm. Anyway, it’s something I can think of another day. For now it's enough we have a place to call home the bank can't take from us."
"I understand. I do. Well, thanks for the conversation Garth. It was a pleasure meeting you. If you ever want to come over and see how a vineyard works, please feel free anytime." He stood and reached for the bottle screwing the lid back on. "Keep this. Sami might like to have a drink one night."
"Sure, thanks. Do you mean it? I can come over and look?"
"Of course you can. I'd love to show you around anytime, any excuse to show off what I've managed to grow from the ground up so to speak. I'm there every day. If you come over and I'm out in the vines you will meet up with James, my winemaker. Either of us would be only too happy to show you how things work."
Garth stood, the flush rising on his cheeks. "Thanks, that's pretty cool."
Mason looked for Sami or Tibby when he left but neither of them was in sight. He drove back to the vineyard and parked in the converted stables. Locking his car he walked out the back in the waning light to go and talk to his favourite animal.
Caesar was standing waiting for his evening treat when Mason got to his stall. The new stables were built to blend in with the old buildings but here the fittings were all modern and state of the art. Nothing but the best for his other vice, his horses and Caesar was his baby.
The Arab whickered his approval when he was handed a small apple from the bag stored in the tack room nearby.
"Hey, buddy. Missed you today. Didn't get a chance to see your girlfriend but once I break the ice with her new owner I'm hoping to see how she is." Mason leaned in and rested his head against the beautiful chestnut stallion. He smelled of hay and the warmth had the ability to make the stress of the day disappear. It had been too long since they had ridden out together to wander the paddocks down by the river.
After giving the horse a brush Mason headed back to the house. He had a pile of paperwork to sort through and things were starting to get on top of him. Sooner or later he would have to take on an assistant to help out but for now he wanted himself and James dealing with the bulk of the work.
The red light on the answering machine was flickering when he walked into the house. The heavy sandstone bricks had made changing the structure of the interior of his house difficult but with the right designer, he had managed to make the house warmer and cosier than when his grandparents owned it without losing any of the character. Leaning on the kitchen bench he pushed the button on the answer phone to listen to the message.
A seductive voice filled the kitchen and he shook his head, the knots in his stomach twisting tightly.
"Mason, I've missed you baby. When are we going to catch up again? Mother is so upset you didn't come to her little soirée but I know how you are." There was a brittle laugh. "You like it to be the two of us, alone. Give me a call, baby before I resort to driving down and seeing what you're up too. Ciao."
"You just don't get it do you, Clare. I don't see any future for us, never did." He pushed the delete button and slammed his palm down on the heavy wooden counter. "Bloody woman, won't take no for an answer."
No matter how often I refuse her advances or try to tell her, she doesn't get it. We have no chemistry or anything remotely in common. She fancies herself the wife of a winery owner and thinks it's the perfect place to party all year round. Not going to happen, ever.
The Sydney crowd were fun once in a while but life was more than partying for him now he finally had his business up and going. His whole dedication was to this place and would be for a long time to come. He had trained too hard to walk away at his busiest time of the year for a night of fun. Plus there were the grapes on order he had to sort out. He had to come up with a plan of where to plant them if Sami kept rejecting his offer to purchase some of her land.
His shoulders relaxed and Mason wandered into the lounge. The old couch had seen better days but it was still comfortable and reminded him of curling up with his grandmother in front of the fire. Dropping down to sit, he leaned back and popped his feet onto the low wooden table in front of him.
The only option he had with his vines was the bottom paddock near the river. The early morning sun missed the slope and that
