"Yes, please."
"Are you okay?"
She gazed around the hospital grounds and sighed. "Yeah. I'm all good. I'll meet you at the front gate, thanks." With a quick movement the phone was jammed back in her pocket.
Yeah, I'm all good. Right. I doubt I'll be all good again. This stuff up was going to take some getting over.
When James pulled up she was leaning against the red brick post of the hospital gates. He stopped and waited for her to get in the front seat and then did a full circle to head back to the farm.
"I spoke to Rupert."
Sami snorted. "Yeah, me too."
"Can I speak honestly and in confidence here?"
"Sure, feel free."
"Rupert is, how shall I say it, a lot different to Mason. I often wondered how they could possibly be related to tell you the truth." He waited at a set of lights and smiled at her. When they turned green he accelerated. "Don't let him intimidate you Sami. He will try, he does it to everyone. If he knows he can get under your skin he will keep coming back and digging until he gets what he wants."
"Too late now, I've ruined everything for Mason."
"Look, he is a big boy and can make his own decisions. The land is yours to do what you want with. You were under no obligation to sell it to Mason because your grandfather had it on the cards. Personally, I don't think we need the extra vines but, well, Mason wanted to expand so I left it to him."
"If I'd done what he wanted this never would have happened."
"Seriously, you can't hold yourself responsible for everything that goes wrong." He swung the car out onto the main road and headed for home. "He knew how I felt about using the bottom paddock, but he did what he wanted anyway. To my mind it was a waste of time because it floods so readily."
"But he already ordered the stock so I guess he had no choice." Sami picked at her fingernails before looking up. "It wouldn't have hurt me to at least lease him the land. Garth wanted me too."
"Really? That is an option I hadn't come up with. I'm sure he could have easily sold the plants on if he wanted to though if it came to it. But it's your call, Sami. Do what feels right to you and don't do it because he got hurt no matter what his father said. Mason is old enough to know what he's doing."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. I appreciate it."
James drove quietly until they reached her driveway. He slowed the car and let her out at the gate by the house. "I'll call you if I hear anything." He lifted a hand and waved as he drove away.
"Sami, how is he? James didn't really know too much when he called." Garth came running down the steps with Tibby behind him.
"In having an operation from what I can gather. One leg is shattered and needs a plate and he needs plenty of stitches for cuts on his legs. Luckily his other leg is only bruised."
"Thank goodness for small miracles. Gee, Sami, you look like hell."
"Yeah well, a run in with dear Rupert tends to do that to me apparently."
"Did the mongrel solicitor have a go at you? For the accident?" Tibby looked at her with horror on his face.
"Yep. All my fault apparently. I have to agree with him but I don't think I would have had the balls to say it to someone else's face the way he did."
"Nah, it wasn't your fault, Sami. Don't let him get to you. Mason won't agree with that." Garth put a hand around her shoulders and she leaned into him.
"He was kind of out of it if you know what I mean. I doubt he really even knew it was me he was hanging on to." She looked over Garth’s shoulder and met Tibby's gaze.
"You think it was my fault, don't you?"
He looked at her without saying anything and shook his head before turning back into the house.
She pushed Garth aside and followed him into the kitchen. "Tell me. Go on, I dare you to have a go at me as well. Might make you feel better." Sami stood with her hands on her hips waiting for him to take it out on her too.
"If you weren't so damned stubborn this never would have happened. There, are you happy now?" His face was sad and her stomach dropped. She hadn't expected this from Tibby.
"Fine." She turned and ran out the back door not stopping until she reached the stables. Mallika whinnied when she saw Sami, sniffing for an apple when arms went around her neck. Tears mixed with dark horse hair and the mare stood still while Sami sobbed into her neck.
When she was spent, Sami reached for a brush and an apple. She took a bite before offering to the horse and then methodically brushed her from head to tail, cleaning her hooves and combing her tail.
The sun was dipping in the sky as she placed a blanket on Mallika. Patting the horse goodnight, Sami headed back to the house.
Garth was pottering around in the kitchen making dinner and he gazed at her warily when she walked in. "I don't feel like dinner, thanks." She walked past him to her bedroom, kicking off her shoes and throwing herself onto the bed.
Sami gazed at the ceiling wondering what she could do to make things right. She argued with herself long into the night before falling into a tortured sleep.
When she woke in the morning her head throbbed and she winced in pain. After visiting the bathroom she threw on her work clothes and headed to the kitchen. Garth was still in bed and she had the room to herself. Standing at the sink, she poured a glass of water and took a packet of paracetamol from the cupboard,
