Mason headed back to the kitchen to make himself dinner before an early night and an even earlier morning in the vineyard.
Chapter 8
Sami woke the next morning and stretched lazily before opening her eyes. Holding her hand up to her face she held her breath. This morning her wound was throbbing rather than the sting of yesterday. It means it's was getting better, doesn't it? She wiggled her fingers trying to ease the stiffness that had taken hold of her fingers while she slept. The bandaid had come askew in her sleep and hung half off the spot where the splinter had been removed.
Gingerly she lifted the dressing to peek. Ohhh.
It was disappointing. Where she was expecting a ghastly looking wound there was a small red mark and a slight swelling on her palm.
All of that angst for this. How damned embarrassing. I am such a sook.
No wonder Mason was grinning from ear to ear when he was trying to help her. She'd gone over the top...again! Not her fault she couldn't stand the sight of her own blood, was it? Everyone had their own little idiosyncrasies and this was hers. She blew a big breath and snuggled back down under her blankets.
If only he wasn't so damned keen on getting hold of their farm, she could get to like him. But then, he was way too upmarket for her. She was the kid from the outback and he was the city slicker making wine in the beautiful valley so close to Sydney and all things flash, so not her style. Shame really. He was easy on the eye and he filled out a pair of jeans better than anyone she had seen before. But then, look what she had to compare him too.
Jackaroos and roustabouts. Mason was in a different league altogether. And it wasn't hers.
Fuck it. Life could be very unfair. For a few seconds she had envisaged running her hands over his cute butt. Not going to happen but the thought was uplifting.
Annoyed with herself, she threw back the blankets. When she walked down the hallway she heard Garth singing off key to himself.
"Hey, why are you up so early?" She leaned on the doorframe and watched him preparing breakfast. The toast was made and he was stirring eggs in a fry pan, sprinkling green herbs and grated cheese over the top. The smell of fresh coffee reached her nose and she headed for a cup. Breakfast had never been so appealing as it was today with the aromas coming her way.
"Things to do, you know, exploring and stuff today." He kept his eyes on the stovetop while Sami poured a strong coffee and leaned against the counter watching him.
"Uhuh. Where did you plan on going?"
"Maybe next door. Mason said I could go and look any time I wanted to." He flicked the switch on the stove off and lifted the fry pan, moving over to the plates. "Are you going to get dressed or eat in your pyjamas?"
"Are you going to change the subject or can we discuss this?"
"There is nothing to discuss. He said I can go and look and I want to take him up on the offer. You won't let me do too much around here and you know how much I want to learn more, so why not?" He plated the eggs and put the pan in the sink before turning back to her. "Now, are you going to get dressed or what?"
She growled and put her cup beside her place at the table. Running down the hallway to her room, Sami grabbed her jeans and a clean top from her suitcase before pushing it out of the way under the bed. One day soon she would have to empty the drawers of her grandparents’ clothes and fill them with her own meagre wardrobe.
The envelope from her grandfather stared at her from the top of the dresser and she glared back at it. Not ready to open it, Sami lay if face down before turning back to the task at hand. Finding her clothes she quickly dressed before hurrying back to the kitchen to eat breakfast before it went cold.
"Don't let him talk you into being on his side, please?" She said with her mouth full of food but Garth nodded as he understood every word. "I don't need the hassle yet until we find our feet. I meant what I said last night, I don't want to sell. His stuff up ordering plants, he can deal with it."
"Don't worry, I can't do anything anyway, even if I was that way inclined. The place is in your name." He pushed his plate away and reached for the toast. "You do what you want to do with the farm, your call Sami. I'm happy wherever you are, you know that."
"Yeah, well...it's too much too soon, if you know what I mean. For God's sake, we just got here and we're being ambushed already from every frigging direction to sell. I want to keep this place for us, at least for the time being."
"I'm all for it. But, looking at things from my side, I want to learn more and when you left yesterday Mason said I can go over and look at his vineyard any time I want to and that's what I'm going to do today."
He took a big bite of jam-covered toast his gaze on hers and Sami felt a twinge of guilt. He had done it tougher than most kids his age and she wanted to make it up to him. If Garth wanted to see how grapes grew, fine, he could.
"Hey,
