Kendall's Mates

by Munro, Shelley

  “Would you be able to leave it with Sax and his brothers? That might be easier since it’s been busy here.”

  “How is the job?” Fiona asked.

  “I can’t talk now. I’ll tell you everything tonight.”

  “Oh. That doesn’t sound good. I’ll have a bottle of wine ready,” Fiona promised. “Take lots of photos.”

  “Will do. See you later.” She hung up just as Emily bounded into the kitchen.

  “Three more orders for soup.” Emily bounced up and down on her toes. “This has been the best day ever. The customers love your food. Oh, where is Uncle John?”

  “He’s gone home. Says he has the flu.”

  Emily snorted. “I’ve got to tell Mom. Aunt Susan needs to come home or otherwise, Uncle John will ruin everything.”

  Kendall raised both hands. “I don’t need this. I have enough drama in my life as it is.”

  “Please stay. I’ll talk to Aunt Susan myself. Their daughter has cancer, and she needed chemo. Aunt Susan went with her for support. They’re due back next month. Uncle John isn’t coping well without them.”

  “I’ll give it a bit longer, but we need to hire someone to do the dishes and help me with preparation work,” Kendall said.

  “It would be easier to hire a waitress to look after the customers. If I help you in the kitchen will you teach me more? I want to be a chef like you.”

  “Deal. Do you have anyone in mind?”

  “I have two friends. They’re both looking for part-time work. They might job share.” Emily’s lips pursed. “I’ll ask if either of them is interested. Oh, one of your friends popped in. He was in a hurry but asked if you could buy sandwiches. They’ll pay for them when they pick you up.”

  Kendall peeked out at the cabinet. “I’ll make more sandwiches now. Your uncle told me he intended to do an order for the café. Will you check he has done one? If he forgets I won’t have much to work with tomorrow.”

  Emily nodded and stacked the dishwasher while Kendall made sandwiches and did preparation for the next day.

  Although she’d offered to stay for now, aggravation rippled through her as she sliced onions and diced carrot for more soup. People liked to hamper her with their stupid rules. They kept telling her what to do and how to do it. John. Her family. Her grandfather in particular was attempting to rule her from the grave. It was almost as if they thought she lacked a brain to make the right decision herself.

  She was an adult and possessed the intelligence and the ability to make her own way in the world. It was time for others to accept her independence and talents too.

  * * * * *

  Ran set down his paint roller. “You want me to pick up, Kendall?”

  Sax glanced at his watch, a sense of eagerness rushing through him at the idea of seeing Kendall. He admitted his doubts about the three of them sharing a woman had faded since they’d spent more time with her. Early days yet, but he didn’t hate the idea. “Yeah, you’d better. Don’t forget to pay for the sandwiches.”

  “Our girl can cook. I hope she has some of those muffins left. The smells from the kitchen were delicious.” Ran rubbed his stomach in clear anticipation. “Sax, should we look for Gunnar?”

  “I don’t know,” Sax said in a low voice. “If he’d wanted our help, he would’ve stayed.”

  “He might have a den out on the tundra where he can hole up. It was obvious he’s keeping to his bear form these days. Probably because it helps him to cope better with the pain,” Tate said, emerging from the spare bedroom they’d also painted. “You should get Kendall now. It smells as if a storm is on the way.”

  Sax frowned and walked over to a window to stare out at the blue sky. “Will we make it to the land and back before the storm hits?” He didn’t doubt Tate’s weather prediction even with the evidence of the fine day in front of him. “Should we cancel?”

  “No, we should make it there and back.” Tate radiated confidence.

  “Let’s all go together then.” Sax placed the lid on the paint can and cleaned up, collecting the rollers and pans to wash then store.

  Ran gathered the sheets they’d used to protect the floors, and five minutes later, they were on their way to collect Kendall.

  She stood outside waiting for them, a package in her hands.

  “Sweetheart.” Ran climbed out of the SUV.

  Sax had never heard his brother use that tender tone with any woman. Normally, the twins had a parade of women through their bedrooms, apart from when they worked in remote regions.

  “I decided to save you time,” Kendall said. “Do you have a safe place to put this?”

  Tate leaned out the window of the passenger side. “I’ll hold on to them until we get to the heliport. I have your camera and a change of clothes here too. Fiona dropped your stuff off earlier.”

  “Come and sit in the back with me.” Ran patted the seat beside him. “We can neck.”

  Sax bit back a smile while satisfaction bloomed in him. Kendall wasn’t fleeing.

  When he glanced back, he saw Ran was busy kissing Kendall hello and her hands were clasping him closer rather than pushing him away. Ran was still kissing and whispering to her when Sax pulled into the parking area outside the helicopter port.

  “I should’ve volunteered to sit in the back,” Tate muttered to Sax.

  “Don’t tell me you didn’t get a kiss this morning,” Sax said. “You looked way too happy when you arrived to paint.”

  “And he had pink lipstick on his jaw,” Ran declared as he climbed from the vehicle.

  Sax opened the door for Kendall.

  “I’ve never ridden in a helicopter before.” Kendall beamed, anticipation bringing rosy color to her cheeks. “I’m excited and nervous too.”

  “Just think of it as a flying egg-beater,” Tate said.

  Kendall paled. “I need to change.”

  “Check with the receptionist.” Sax glared at Tate once Kendall had disappeared inside.

  “Don’t hit me.” Tate raised his hands, both full. “I have Kendall’s camera and our lunch.”

  “Behave,” Sax said. “The last thing we want is to scare Kendall.”

  “Sorry.”

  Sax snorted. His younger brother didn’t look sorry at all.

  Kendall changed in the restroom before joining the others in the office. Sax spoke with the receptionist and another woman who’d appeared from outside.

  “Hi, I’m Renee, and I’ll be your pilot for today.” The woman had an antipodean accent. “I have another flight to do after yours, so I’ll drop you off and pick you up at five.” She scanned their faces. “Will that work for you?”

  “Perfect.” Sax cocked his head. “Is that a hint of a New Zealand accent?”

  “Right first time.” Renee held open the door that led outside. “My mother was born in New Zealand. Most people guess Australian.”

  “We built a resort in Queenstown,” Ran said. “We worked there for almost six months. New Zealand is a beautiful country.”

  Three helicopters sat on the tarmac. One took off as Kendall exited the office area, so noisy she couldn’t hear the men speaking. She followed Sax and Renee.

  “Who wants to sit up front with me?” Renee asked.

  “I will,” Ran volunteered.

  Renee opened the door for him and he climbed in without hesitation, the easy way he buckled the harness, telling Kendall he’d done this many times before. It made sense since they’d worked in remote areas.

  Tate got in next, juggling her camera and their box of sandwiches with ease.

  “You next.” Sax gestured her closer. “Sit opposite Tate by the window. That way you should have a good view on the ride over the tundra.”

  He lifted her with ease and once she settled, Tate helped her with the seat harness then handed her the camera.

  Sax sat next to her and Renee fastened the door. She strode around the helicopter and climbed into the pilot’s seat.

  “Put on these,” Sax said. “We�
��ll be able to talk to each other and it will cut the noise.” He helped her put on the headset before putting on his own.

  Renee spoke and a stranger replied. The helicopter vibrated and lifted into the air.

  Sax tapped her leg and smiled when she glanced at him. “Okay?” he mouthed.

  She nodded and watched the town of Churchill spread out before her as the helicopter rose into the air. Sax was right. The helicopter was noisy. Renee’s voice came through the headset, asking if they were all right.

  Kendall relaxed as Tate and Ran spoke.

  “I might as well practice my tourist spiel. I understand you’re a visitor, Kendall?” Renee’s voice came through the headphones.

  “Yes,” Kendall agreed.

  “That’s the Hudson Bay out there, and to our right is the old fort. They have restored the fort and they’re intending on holding dinners and other functions there soon.”

  Kendall saw the way the town of Churchill hugged the bay. Today, the waves bore faint white caps. Beyond the town, the tundra spread for miles. It appeared flat, but she guessed the landscape dipped and curved since she remembered Fiona saying that the animals were sometimes hard to spot.

  “That forested area is the Wapusk National Park. Oh, check out the sled dogs. They’re out for a run today. Since there is no snow yet, they’ll be using the wheeled carts,” Renee said.

  Kendall pulled out her camera and took photos. She snapped one of Tate and leaned sideways to take one of a grinning Sax. Then she turned her attention to the landscape.

  She frowned. Was that a plane?

  “That’s a plane wreck down there. Locals call it Miss. Piggy. A local freight company overloaded their plane, and it crashed. No one was injured.”

  Kendall took several photos of the landscape. Sax tapped her leg and pointed out the window next to her at a white blob.

  “Polar bear at ten o’clock.” Tate glanced in the direction Sax pointed.

  From this height, it was hard to tell it was a bear. It had rolled up into a ball and seemed to be having a snooze. Kendall took a photo anyway, mindful of the fact Fiona was missing out and would want to see her photos.

  For almost an hour, they flew over the tundra. As they progressed inland, the land became rougher with more trees and definite hills. She caught glimpses of lakes and rivers but not a single building or sign of man.

  “This is it,” Renee announced. She landed the helicopter but didn’t power down.

  Sax helped Kendall with her headset and harness. He leaned close when the door opened on her side. “Follow Tate and keep your head down. I’ll be right behind you.”

  Kendall followed his instructions, the wind caused by the rotors, whipping her hair across her face.

  Once they reached a safe distance, the helicopter took off and zipped away.

  “Let’s go,” Tate said. “Why don’t we check out the buildings first? I could eat. I’m starving.”

  “Plan,” Ran agreed. “Those sandwiches smell delicious.”

  Huh? Kendall sniffed. Nothing off. Nothing to discern except the fresh outdoors. It was cooler here, and she hugged her coat around her.

  “Let’s go.” Sax’s assessing gaze scanned the surrounding area. “It’s a beautiful spot.”

  “The dens are over on that ridge.” Ran lifted his head and inhaled. “Two. Maybe three.”

  A mournful howl rang out, and Kendall gasped. “Is that wolves?”

  “Yes,” Tate said. “Don’t worry. They’re not close. The hills around here make things echo and they sound closer.”

  “Shipping materials here might present a challenge,” Sax said.

  “Nothing we haven’t faced before,” Ran replied.

  “Are you building here?” Kendall asked. “It’s in the middle of nowhere.”

  Tate sent her a sharp glance. “Don’t you like it?”

  “It’s beautiful. But don’t people prefer their creature comforts? Their gadgets? Entertainment?”

  “Many people enjoy getting back to nature these days. The mother polar bears have dens on there. They spend months in those dens and give birth. When it’s time for them to travel to Hudson Bay, they’ll leave the dens with their cub or cubs and start the trek to the sea ice. Lots of tourists and photographers pay big money to witness something like that,” Sax said.

  “What about the rest of the year?” Kendall asked. “Wouldn’t that be a small window?”

  “It would depend on how we marketed the property,” Ran told her. “People like to see the northern lights. You might get famous film stars who want privacy away from the paparazzi. Families might like to bond and get away from gadgets.”

  “Huh! Mine would end up killing each other,” Kendall muttered.

  Ran cocked his head. “You haven’t mentioned your family. Don’t you get along with them?”

  No. They tried to run her life, the latest debacle even worse than she’d ever imagined.

  “Kendall?” Sax prompted.

  “We’re like most families.” She aimed for diplomacy because she didn’t want to discuss her situation. She’d come across as ungrateful and bitter, just as her mother and grandmother accused her of when she’d vetoed their plans. “Sometimes we argue.”

  Mostly they argued since Kendall refused to roll over and play dead.

  “We don’t argue much,” Ran said. “Probably because we ganged up against my mother and visited Marie and Sax all the time.”

  “We have the same father. My mother was a single parent. An unmarried mother, which prompted lots of gossip,” Sax said drily.

  “It’s part of the reason the other kids picked on Sax and bullied him at school,” Tate informed her. “He was a runt then, not big and strapping like now.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry,” Kendall said.

  “Believe it or not, the bullying strengthened me. Not that I’d wish it on any other kid.” Sax scanned the hills and surrounding trees. “We might keep the place to ourselves during part of the year and use it to recharge. When we’re working on a project, things are full on.”

  Tate sniffed the air and frowned. “Maybe we should check out the rest of the land and eat later. The storm will arrive quicker than I expected.”

  Kendall stared at him. “You can sense a storm?”

  “He’s good at forecasting the weather,” Ran told her.

  “Right. A quick check of the dwelling then we’ll walk the land,” Sax decided.

  The men hustled, and Kendall followed, bemused at the change in them. So far, she’d seen them playful and teasing and now, it was as if they’d slipped into another gear. Business professional.

  A small wooden building came into view. It tucked into the base of a hill with trees behind it. Sax pushed inside after using his shoulder to dislodge the sticky front door.

  “After you.” Ran gestured her forward.

  The interior was dim until Sax opened a pair of window shutters. The weak light illuminated dust motes and scarred wooden furniture. A woodstove sat in one corner. The rest of the furniture comprised a battered table with a myriad of initials carved into the top. Three chairs sat around the table. A small room off to the side held two sets of bunks.

  “Is there a restroom?”

  Tate opened another door she hadn’t noticed, stuck his head outside and pulled it back inside. “Outhouse.”

  Kendall wrinkled her nose. “Fun. As a kid, I was never great with Girl Guides’ stuff.”

  “Don’t you like camping?” Ran asked, and he appeared disappointed.

  “Well, to be fair, I only went camping once with my troop. The weather was horrid, my tent toppled during the night because of the wind, and I woke up thinking someone was trying to smother me. I was off school for the next week because I caught a nasty cold, and Mummy blamed me because she couldn’t attend French fashion week. All that rather put me off the camping experience.”

  Ran and Tate exchanged gazes, their blue eyes big and wide. When she glanced at Sax, she noticed his bottom lip
quivered.

  “Are you laughing at me?” she demanded.

  Sax grinned, a dimple digging into his cheek. “A little.”

  “We’ll take you camping,” Tate suggested. “I bet you’ll enjoy camping with us. We’ll choose a fine night when the stars are out, before the winter arrives. We can have a fire and tell scary stories.”

  “Remember the time we camped and Marie gave us marshmallows. We toasted them over the fire and then squashed them between two of her homemade chocolate cookies because the supermarket didn’t have the right crackers to make s’mores,” Ran said.

  “What about the polar bears?” Kendall asked in a faint voice.

  “Sweetheart,” Tate said. “We’re very careful with polar bear safety. No bears will venture near our camp.”

  “How can you be so certain?” she asked.

  Ran winked at her. “Because we growl louder than they can and scare them away.”

  Tate chortled. “That’s true.”

  Sax stared at his two brothers and shook his head. “These two would talk a polar bear to death,” he told Kendall.

  “Nope.” Tate raised his chin, his mien more serious than Kendall had seen to date. “We become one with the polar bear. That’s how we scare other bears away.”

  9 The Brothers Hatch A Plan

  Tate watched Kendall, seeing how she took this truth. Of course, she wouldn’t know he spoke with honesty, but Ran and Sax did. His gaze slid to his brothers, and he discovered they were observing Kendall with equal intensity.

  “I’d like to see polar bears at a closer distance. They resembled white blobs of cotton wool from the helicopter,” Kendall said.

  Sax stepped closer and slipped his arm around her waist, making Tate wish he’d taken the opportunity. Although, he had scored a kiss this morning. “We’ll see what we can do about arranging polar bear sightings, although it’s early in the season. The bears wander closer to Churchill in late September and October.”

  “Kendall, do you want to come with us?” Tate asked. “We’ll be doing a lot of walking while we check out the size of the plot and compare it to the plans our father left us.”

  “I want to take photos. Will we see other animals?”

  “We’ll keep an eye out for you,” Ran promised. “But let’s grab a sandwich to eat on the way. My stomach is growling something fierce.”