Page 34 of Freedom Mine
He didn’t give his usual half-wave.
As Masher disappeared into the mine, the second shift arrived, earlier than expected, with Runner a few strides ahead of the group. Both shifts would be in full swing soon. Runner dropped off a sack for her before he ran back down the mountain. Jace and Kayo really needed a short-range comm, but those cost money, like everything else.
Alli opened the sack. Food and a note from Kayo. He wanted her to prepare food for the men from the first shift since they’d be staying longer.
She worked half-way through the second shift, preparing food and patching up Liet who’d twisted his ankle when he got it caught crawling over a pile of rocks to explore an old shaft. Fortunately, one of the harkifa was still grazing nearby. She led the beast by the reins, while Liet rode it. The beast didn’t protest Liet’s weight, making it a rather easy descent, despite the thick mud.
After she helped Liet to his bed in the longhouse and bought him some food from the men’s kitchen, Alli walked the harkifa over to the stables. Ranth kept her longer than she had wanted, but she didn’t want to interrupt him, especially since it was a good chance to learn his process for removing the animal’s harness as well as washing all the dirt from its coat. The harkifas developed skin rashes easily if the mud stayed on too long.
She headed to Kayo’s house. Hadn’t she seen Kayo on the porch only moments before, scowling? She found him sitting on the floor of the pantry, with a bottle of brandy in his hand, unopened, as if he was debating if he should drink. She thought she’d gotten rid of all of his bottles. Evidently, she’d missed one or maybe several.
“Is that all for you, or are you sharing?” she asked.
He stared up at her, as if she’d shocked him. “You don’t drink.”
“Perhaps I should start. To see what the appeal is.”
He handed her the bottle. “Be my guest.”
She opened it, brought it to her nose, sniffed, and made a face. It smelled like something she’d use to clean the bathroom. He liked this foul liquid?
He chuckled. “It’s an acquired taste. Made from the varka fruit on the other side of the planet. Cheap and easy to get. It does the job.”
“You mean getting drunk?”
“Helping me forget.”
Her heart ached for Kayo and whatever was haunting him. This was no way to live. The man had a huge property and plenty of men.Freemen. She had to keep reminding herself that they worked and lived here as free men who were waiting for their status change.
That’s why they all worked so hard, especially Kayo. She’d never seen him go into the mine, probably because he didn’t like small spaces, but he was always fixing equipment, pulling harkifa out of ravines, pouring over mining maps to assess their next move. . . The list of chores she’d seen him take on never ended.
Except for breakfast and dinner, when he was cooking, she hardly saw him in the house. He was late to bed and early to rise. Sometimes she wondered if he slept at all.
He raised the bottle to take a drink, then lowered it and set it between his legs. “I don’t know what to do, Alli.”
“About what?” she said, sitting on the floor beside him. She leaned toward him, seeking his head, his strength, all that was Kayo. The urge to let her fingertips glide along his thigh, or his forearm, to touch even a small patch of skin and share that intimacy practically overwhelmed her each time he was near.
She had to restrain herself. Despite all his flirting, he hadn’t touched her or even tried to. Kayo wasn’t interested in her. Perhaps that was for the best. What did she know about men and relationships? She’d been used, and she never wanted to be touched by another man again, at least not like that. With Kayo though, everything was different. Even now, as he stared at the ceiling, she found herself wanting to ease his suffering. He wasn’t going to say anything apparently, but he still hadn’t had anything to drink yet either.
“Want to go for a walk?” she asked.
His head snapped to her. “With you? Alone?”
“Afraid I’ll compromise your virtue?” she said with a smile, knowing he enjoyed flirting.
“Worried Ranth will bash my face in.” He pulled the cork out.
Ranth? “What does he have to do with this?”
“Never mind.” Kayo shoved the cork back in then abruptly rose, leaving the bottle on the floor.
She caught him by his arm as he brushed past her. “You said you couldn’t read my mind, but that works two ways. What about Ranth?”
“I saw you leaving his place the other day, and again tonight.”
She’d only just met Ranth her first day here, and each time after had been to help out with the harkifa. She barely knew the man.
“You think I slept with him?”
