‘He’s out there, telling them the whole story,’ Dylan said, moving for their teacups and bringing one to James before sitting on the bed. ‘Now I know where you get it from.’

‘He okay?’ James said, sipping.

‘Checked himself out of hospital this morning.’

James snorted, noticing his partner had someone else’s boots on. ‘What are you wearing, Dyl?’ he said, laughing.

‘I’m going out on the farm today,’ Dylan said, holding his mouth in an excited smile. ‘Uncle Bill asked me to go help him clear the yard over at the old house.’

‘Listen to you,’ James said. ‘Talking like a local already.’

Dylan laughed. ‘Aunty Doris is making coffee, then we’re off in the truck. You can lie here as long as you need. Work has been told to get over themselves and stop calling you, the dogs are being looked after for as long as we need, I’ve extended the car hire agreement and you need to put this on every couple of hours,’ he said, reaching for the tube of aloe vera on the side table. ‘Just don’t look in any mirrors today, alright?’

James chuckled and allowed his partner to rub the gel over the red patches on his forearms. ‘How did you get here?’ he said, eyes closed, loving the feel of Dylan’s hands.

‘Your cousin picked me up from Wishaw airport. You were tripping on painkillers by the time I arrived.’

‘Yvonne?’

‘Yes, and she’s lovely. We can all have a catch up later. For now, boyo, just rest.’

Daniel waited until Pete had taken the girls for a walk to the creek before getting onto the serious stuff.

‘Doris, I’d like you to come and sit down please,’ he said, easing himself into a chair and slapping a folder of papers onto the kitchen table. If he didn’t lower his chin too much, the ache at the back of his skull stayed fairly dull. The prickling on his face and hands felt like nothing more than bad sunburn.

‘I need to make a start on lunch,’ she called from the pantry.

‘Mum, come and sit down,’ Yvonne said. ‘I’ll help you make something when Uncle Daniel’s had a chance to talk things over with us.’

Daniel nodded at his niece and she nodded back. Yvonne had been a bloody trouper with her mother all morning. At the other end of the table, Jamie was finishing his second coffee. Doris and Yvonne settled into the empty chairs. After a morning of pleasantries and brekkie chat, it was time to talk turkey.