On the plus side, she didn’t have to face this temptation for much longer. Soon, the brothers would return to their regular lives, and she’d continue with her routine.
With a shake of her head, Renee opened the front door and marched through the common rooms to reach her bedroom. Work always helped her to forget the past. It was her place of safety.
Twenty minutes later, Renee entered Tundra Helicopters. She wore her uniform of navy pants, a white polo shirt bearing the Tundra Helicopters logo and a navy jacket to keep out the cold. A braid confined her hair, and she’d shoved her uncertainty and doubts to the back of her mind.
Work-mode.
The best place for her, and her place of comfort.
“Hey, Janet.” Renee greeted the receptionist.
“Ah, Renee. I have a private charter for you first off. Two hours. They want to see the sights and as many polar bears as you can find.”
“Sounds good. Let me know when they arrive and you’ve completed the safety talk. I’ll do my pre-flight checks.”
Janet escorted two men toward her helicopter ten minutes later.
“Hi.” Renee offered her hand to each man. “I’ll be your pilot on the flight today. Would one of you like to sit in the front with me?”
The two men exchanged a glance. In their thirties, they wore jeans, boots and leather jackets. Their gazes were assessing. Not that she could see much of their faces with those bushy black beards. Her spidey senses tingled, but she didn’t recognize either man.
No, she was imagining things.
The Taktuq brothers had her instincts tipped upside down. Some passengers disliked a female pilot. Something that justwaseven if she hated the fact.
“No, we’ll both sit in the back.”
“No problem.” Renee forced a pleasant expression and opened the rear doors to her bird. Neither carried bags or bulky coats requiring storage in the fuselage hold, so she remained silent.
The first man clambered inside. Renee indicated the seatbelt and the headphones, and once he settled and clicked the belt into position, she closed the door.
“If you’ll follow me,” she said to the second passenger. “Where are you from?”
“Texas,” the man told her, his gravelly accent not fitting his reply.
Those spidey senses jumped to the fore again.
“Are you here to see the polar bears?”
“Yes.”
She nodded. If he didn’t wish to talk, she could deal with that. She’d give them the requested tour and move on. Renee opened the door on the other side and waited for the man to seat himself. Once her passenger buckled in, she shut the door and trotted to the front. Within minutes, she spoke to the office for clearance.
Renee pressed the start switch and the motor burst into noisy life. The helicopter gave its normal starting sway, the back-and-forth shimmy giving way to the standard vibration. As always, her mind emptied of everything except her helicopter and the flight procedures as she lifted off and hovered. Her joy of flying centered her and let any worries seep away. Once her helicopter rose and cleared the heliport, she took a quick breath and stepped into tourist leader mode. “Hello there. Can you hear me?”
She received a grunt and assumed both men could hear her via their headphones.
“Today we’ll do a circle around the town of Churchill. Over to our left, you get a great view of Hudson Bay. The entire bay will ice over in a matter of weeks. If you have questions, just let me know, and I’ll do my best to answer them. We use the numbers of a clock to show the direction of any animals we spot. Okay?”
“How long have you been flying helicopters?”
Renee grimaced as she used her right hand on the cyclic stick to turn the helicopter toward the tundra. “Since I turned seventeen. Below us, you’ll notice a plane wreck. The plane’s owners overloaded the cargo hold and the plane crashed shortly after takeoff. Luckily no one was injured. The locals affectionately call the plane Miss. Piggy.”
“How long have you been working here?”
What the devil was up with these two guys? Most of the tourists she flew were all about the polar bears. These two seemed more interested in her flying qualifications. Unless they were here for other reasons.Her. Just then, she spotted a lone white spot.Saved by the bear.
“If you look to your left at eight o’clock, you’ll see a single polar bear curled up near the lake.”
