Free Inherit the Sky (Lang Downs 1 ) by Ariel Tachna Page A

dressed and went downstairs. “Can I help?” he asked from the doorway to the kitchen. “I can carry stuff if nothing else.”
    “Take that tray,” Kami said, not looking up. “The big white one. Fill it withbread.”
Caine took the tray Kami had indicated from the rack where it waited and set it on the counter. “Where is the bread?”
“In the oven,” Kami snapped as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.
Caine suppressed another sigh at Australian men and their manners. He found a hot pad and opened the oven, pulling out trays of rolls. He put them on the counter to cool while he washed his hands so he could separate them and fill the tray as Kami had directed.
“You ever work in a kitchen before?” Kami asked as Caine worked.
“Only my m-mother’s,” Caine replied honestly.
Kami harrumphed but then barked another order at Caine, so Caine figured he hadn’t been totally dismissed.
“What are you doing in here? I thought I told you not to disturb Kami.” Macklin’s voice cracked through the room.
“He’s helping me,” Kami snapped before Caine could protest the accusation. “He offered, which is more than most of your no-good jackaroos have ever done.”
“Don’t take that tone with me, Kami,” Macklin said, but Caine noticed Kami didn’t look at all cowed. “I specifically told him to leave you alone so dinner wouldn’t be delayed.”
“And he didn’t bother me one bit,” Kami replied. “He came down here ten minutes ago and asked if he could help. I said yes. Now, since you’re disturbing me, you can carry that platter of bread out to the canteen for the men. Caine and I will be along with the rest of dinner in a minute.”
“Th-thank you for s-s-standing up for me,” Caine said when Macklin had left. “I d-don’t think he likes me very much.”
“I didn’t say I liked you,” Kami replied, but his eyes twinkled as he spoke. “I said you helped me. I’ll decide if I like you once I get to know you.”
“That’s fair,” Caine said.“So what else do we need to do?”
They got dinner ready to serve, heaping trays of meat and potatoes to go along with the bread Macklin had already carried out. The canteen where the hands ate was crowded, but not with fifty or more people like Caine had expected after his conversation with Macklin earlier in the day.
“This isn’t everyone on the station, is it?” Caine asked, taking an empty seat next to Macklin because he didn’t know anyone else.
“Some of the men spend the night out with the sheep,” Macklin reminded him. “Others eat with their families. No one is required to eat here.”
“You’re taking everything I say the wrong way again,” Caine said.“I’m just trying to understand the way things work.”
“Look,” Macklin said, pushing back from the table. “I know you want to help, but there’s really not a lot you can do. Kami apparently likes you so why don’t you help him out in the kitchen until you get your bearings? Once things aren’t quite so strange to you, you can think about finding some other things to do too.”
Caine stared in open-mouthed shock as Macklin grabbed his plate and left the bunkhouse.
“They found three dead sheep this morning. Nobody knows what happened to them.”
Caine spun around to face the kid who had plunked his plate down on the other side of the table. If he had to guess, he’d put the boy’s age at twelve or thirteen, older than the kids they’d seen running around earlier, but still only barely into adolescence. He quibbled for a moment about pumping the kid for information, but no one else seemed willing to talk to him.“Is that typical?”
The boy shrugged. “It happens, but not usually three at once. Mr. Armstrong was all put out about it.”
That explained Macklin’s temper. “I’m Caine,” he said, offering his hand.
“I know who you are,” the kid said, shaking it. “Everybody’s buzzing with news of the blow-in. I’m Jason. My dad’s one of the