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

mechanics.”
“Nice to meet you, Jason,” Caine said. “Thanks for taking pity on me.”
“It’s not pity,” Jason replied. “I want to hear about America. I love the way Yanks talk.”
Caine chuckled. His nationality might be a strike against him with the adults, but maybe he could use it to his advantage with the kids. “Tell you what,” he said. “I’ll answer all your questions about America if you’ll answer my questions about the outback.”
“Really? My dad said you wouldn’t have time for all my questions and I shouldn’t bother you and really?”
“Really,” Caine promised, “as long as you return the favor.”
“Deal,” Jason said. “Finish your tucker so I can show you around.”
Caine finished the meal, leaving his plate with the others but stopping to thank Kami for the food. Kami waved him away with a dishtowel. When they were outside, Jason whistled softly and a black, gray, and white dog came trotting up. “This is Polly. She’s an Australian shepherd. She’s still too young to work with the sheep, but she’s learning.”
“May I pet her?” Caine asked, stretching his hand out for Polly to sniff.
The dog sniffed at his fingers, then looked at Jason, obviously waiting for his approval. Jason nodded and gestured her forward with his hand. That was the signal she had been waiting for, because she slid her head beneath Caine’s hand and rested her jowl against his thigh. “She likes you.She’s a good judge of people.”
Caine smiled at Jason and knelt down to scratch Polly’s ears a little more. Jason had said she was young, but she wasn’t a small dog by any means. Her shoulder was nearly mid-thigh on him. “I’m glad to know I passed her test.” He had a feeling there would be a lot of tests over the subsequent few months.
“So tell me about the station,” Caine asked, looking up at Jason. “Were you born here?”
“No, I was born in Melbourne,” Jason said, “but I came here when I was two. Dad lost his job in Melbourne and hired on here. Mum helps Kami out with the baking sometimes, when he’ll let another person in his kitchen, and she helps with some of the cleaning in the bunkhouses. The jillaroos are okay, but some of the jackaroos don’t take care of anything unless you make them.” Jason leaned forward conspiratorially. “They don’t get invited back next summer and have to go work for Mr. Taylor instead, but don’t tell Mr. Armstrong I said that. He doesn’t want people saying bad stuff about Taylor Peak even if it’s true.”
“It’ll be our secret,” Caine promised, but it wasn’t news to him. Even without anyone saying anything, he had seen the difference between the two stations, and that was without the benefit of any knowledge about what might be going on beneath the surface. “So I’ve seen the main house, but that’s the only building I’ve been in yet. Think I could get a tour?”
“Sure,” Jason said. “Come on, Polly.”
Polly moved obediently to Jason’s side. “That’s the bunkhouse for the girls,” Jason said with a wave of his hand toward the other side of the valley. “I’m not allowed to go over there without Mum. I think she’s afraid I’ll see something I shouldn’t. Like I care about girls. I’d rather teach Polly about sheep. Where are you from in America?”
“I’m from Cincinnati originally,” Caine said as they walked down the gravel road toward the collection of buildings at the far end of the valley, “but I lived in Philadelphia b-b-before I came here.”
“I’ve never heard of Cincinnati,” Jason said, “but Philadelphia, that’s American Revolution stuff, right?”
“It is,” Caine agreed. “The Continental Congress, the Liberty Bell, the first presidential residence, although that’s no longer standing, but they have this display where you can see what the floor plan was. It was really small by modern standards. So what are those buildings?” He pointed to a series of low-roofed