Arve obeyed without hesitation since Josef’s eyesight was extraordinary. He could distinguish an Artic hare or plump ptarmiganon the tundra with ease while it took the rest of them longer to pick out the animals that blended with their surroundings.
“I’ll try to contact Kirk and Runt again,” Josef said.
The phone rang and rang, long after Arve would’ve given up.
“I guess they’re still in the middle—”
“What?” a decidedly grumpy Kirk barked at them.
“Something wrong?” Arve asked before Josef could jump in and stir trouble.
“Your timing is lousy,” Runt muttered.
A melodic laugh filtered down the line. Arve straightened, and beside him, Josef’s smile fell away.
“Who is that?” Arve demanded.
Josef exchanged an astonished glance with him “Do you have awomanwith you?”
“Have you guys left Gillam?” Arve shrugged at Josef. Surely they wouldn’t do something so irresponsible—not on their first run when they had something to prove to the Churchill residents.
“We left hours ago,” Runt said with clear irritation. “We stopped for the storm. It hit hard and fast and we couldn’t see where we were driving.”
“You didn’t answer the question,” Josef broke in, directing the conversation back to the important stuff.
“Fiona, meet our older brothers, Arve and Josef,” Kirk said drily.
“Hi guys,” a sexy voice said.
“American,” Arve said. “What are you doing up here?”
“Kirk and Stig are giving me a ride to Churchill. I’m visiting to see the polar bears.”
Silence pulsed for long seconds before Josef barked out a laugh.
“Does Leif know you have a passenger?” Arve asked.
“Yes,” Runt replied.
“The storm has cleared enough for us to get on the move again,” Kirk informed them.
Arve heard regret in the words, but Runt spoke before he could question his younger brothers.
“The wind has kept most of the snow from forming drifts on the road. Progress will be slower than normal but we’ll get through okay. We’re moving out now.”
“Fiona,” Josef said. “I look forward to meeting you in person. Woohoo! Did you hear the crack of the ice?”
“You won’t be laughing so hard if we go in like that cat over there.” Arve jerked his chin toward an abandoned caterpillar that had fallen through the ice. Hopefully the driver had jumped clear and hadn’t got trapped in his vehicle. He kept his speed steady, his breathing even until he passed the ice hazard warning sign on the other side of the lake.
“We’ve crossed the big lake,” Arve said as he guided Harold toward a forest and the road that wound through the trees. “Where are you?”
“We sheltered by a rise with a handy stack of rocks. Perhaps four or five hours from you.”
“We’ll see you soon then,” Josef said.
“Unfortunately,” Kirk mumbled, seconds before the call disconnected.
“We interrupted something,” Josef said.
