Fiona had expected a small man, but the blue-eyed blond that turned to face her had several inches on her. She’d put him at six foot, give or take an inch. His hair was much darker than his brother’s—a dark blond and he wore it cropped short.
“Fiona, this is my baby brother, Runt,” Kirk said.
He held out his hand. “Stig,” he said in a deep voice. “My name is Stig.”
“I’m pleased to meet you.” A frisson of heat shot up her arm at his touch.Oh my.
“Fiona wants to get to Churchill, but she didn’t realize the train only came to Gillam,” Kirk said. “I offered her a ride.”
The two brothers exchanged a glance—a private one but not smarmy enough to arouse her unease.
“Why is it so important to get to Churchill?” Stig asked.
“I’m going to see polar bears.”
Both men blinked. They exchanged a quick grin.
“What’s so funny?” she asked, her suspicions raised.
Kirk noticed her shiver and shifted position to cut the wind. “Do you know much about Churchill?”
“It’s on the Hudson Bay and the polar bears congregate there every year while they wait for the sea ice to form. During the summer months, the beluga whales gather in the bay and both types of mammal bring in tourist dollars.”
“Why didn’t you book through one of the big companies? They do tours out on the tundra and organize flights and accommodation.”
Fiona hesitated, wondering what to tell them. About Robert and how he and his family had made her jumpy? That she’d experienced anxiety all the time, as if someone was watching her. No, she’d sound crazy if she told them that. “A last minute plan. I met a lady who visited last year, and her descriptions of the bears and the tundra made me want to see the place for myself. Obviously, I should’ve planned better.”
“We can take you to Churchill,” Stig said. “It won’t be luxurious, but we have a sleep area behind the cab. Toilet breaks are behind a rock or tree. We’ll be eating on the move.”
“That’s Bessie over there,” Kirk added.
He pointed at a big ugly vehicle. It was higher off the ground than a normal truck, its big wheels covered in track, much like a bulldozer. In fact, Bessie resembled a chubby bulldozer all over.
Fiona scrutinized the two brothers. She tested her instincts and blushed. If anything, they were in more danger from her jumping them. The instant attraction took her aback, because if they both offered to take her to dinner, she’d have trouble choosing between the pair.
She shook the sensual lethargy from her mind with a brisk nod. A weird hormonal moment caused by fatigue. That’s all.
“How much will you charge me?”
“No charge,” Kirk said.
“We couldn’t charge you,” Stig said at the same time.
Fiona frowned. “I have to pay you something.”
“No,” the brothers said in unison.
“We’re going to Churchill anyway and have room for you,” Kirk added.
“Thank you,” she said after a pause, going with the strong instinct that told her to trust the Swenson brothers. Whether it was a good idea, she wasn’t sure. Time would tell.
“Great. You can put your bag in the cab and go for a coffee and a meal while we load the sleds.”
“Can I help with anything?” she asked.
Kirk’s mouth dropped open while Stig—she couldn’t think of him as Runt when he towered above her—stared with a trace of shock.
“What? What did I say?”
