“Good point, Runt.”
“Once we get an hour out, the track is more sheltered this way,” Stig added. “We’ll make better time without the wind shoving us around.”
“And that is why you’re the brains of the outfit.”
Kirk’s compliment sent warmth surging through Stig. His brothers rarely acknowledged his contribution, but he’d thought up this enterprise to help the town, to line their pockets and to give them options above what their mother wanted for them.
“Will the fruit and vegetables handle the drop in temperature?”
“Should be okay. I packed the sleds carefully and the more fragile stuff is in the middle. This trip will be a good test and help us decide what to invest our money in if we have room to haul our own freight.”
Kirk nodded and drove Bess through one of the shallow lakes that covered this part of the tundra. “I wonder what trouble Ma is stirring now.”
Stig sighed, a harsh ejection of air, before checking to make sure Fiona still slept. “Probably the same old song. Why aren’t we doing what all good polar bears should be?”
“Or she has arranged a date for one of us. Why does she think Birgit Larsen is a good match for any of us? She tried to fix Leif up with her last time. Must be Arve’s turn now.”
“And Arve told her where to go,” Stig concluded. His second oldest brother was a gentle giant and patient with it, but even he hit his limit. When his grip on his temper snapped, he exploded with the force of a volcanic eruption.
Bess chugged past a lone tree, twisted and grotesque from the constant barrage of snow and wind. Fiona stirred, the crinkle of his parka making him suspect she’d wake, but she slumbered on. At least she felt warmer now. They’d have to take care of their Southern beauty or else she’d freeze in this frigid tundra land.
For the next hour, Bess plowed through the ice and snow. Darkness fell quickly, and Bess’s lights pierced the gloom. Kirk squinted through the shadows. The snow fell steadily now. They’d have to stop soon.
“From memory, there is a stack of rocks about a kilometer away. The formations should offer shelter from the worse of the snow,” Stig suggested.
“Done deal,” Kirk said. “We might as well take the opportunity to grab some shuteye. Can we all fit in the back?”
Stig grinned as he reached for the phone. “I’ll tell Leif where we are and that we’re stopping for the night.”
“If you can get through.”
Kirk proved right, and Stig got nothing but static. Unconcerned, he set down the phone and turned his attention to the landscape. If it wasn’t for Fiona in his arms, he’d have opened the window and enjoyed the lash of wind and snow against his cheeks, the scent of fresh snow and the wail of the gusts zipping over the tundra.
A day out on the tundra left him happy and refreshed, time in his natural habitat destressing him. The harsh weather never bothered him because it made him enjoy the brief summer when the land greened up and the tourists came to see the beluga whales that massed in Hudson Bay.
“You were right, Runt. We can shelter from the worst of the storm behind that rise there. The area is long enough to protect the sleds too.”
Kirk positioned Bess, and the rocks and the rise cut the blast of wind and sleet straight away. It roared over their heads as if angry at losing Bess as a source of fun.
Stig shook his head at his fanciful thoughts. Lucky Ma wasn’t here. She’d slap that sort of romantic, fool idea out of him in short order.
Fiona stirred, her blue eyes sleepy. She smiled, and he would’ve sworn his heart flip-flopped. Those fanciful ideas again.
“We’re stopping because of the storm,” he murmured. “It has hit earlier than we expected. We’re going to wait it out here.”
Fiona sat up and rubbed her eyes. His coat fell away from her shoulders, and she shivered. “I can’t believe you’re not cold.”
“We’re used to it.” Kirk reached out, brushed a lock of hair off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear.
The tender expression digging into his brother’s features shocked the hell out of Stig. He’d never seen Kirk gone on a woman like this, and so quickly. The truth—he craved and desired Fiona as well. He had no idea what they’d do, especially if Leif decided he wanted her too.
For once, he didn’t want to accede to his older brother.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Fiona asked, and she cupped his jaw turning his head a fraction to see his expression.
“Thinking about Leif.”
“That’s enough to make me grumpy too,” Kirk said.
