Kendall handed him his mug of tea, although she considered throwing it at him. “You don’t understand. I refuse to marry any of the men on the list in my grandfather’s will. My family have used me enough and treated me as a tradeable commodity. I’ve made friends here in Churchill. My job is enjoyable, helping a café become successful and teaching someone how to cook. I have boyfriends, and they know nothing of my family. They like me for me, not my grandfather’s name or property. My title.”
Anthony cautiously sipped his tea, then took a bigger gulp. He had a strange expression on his face. “Let me get this clear, Kendall. You don’t wish to marry me. You refuse to marry either of the other men on your grandfather’s list even if it means you’d have the opportunity to return to the job you carved out for yourself and enjoyed.”
“That is correct.” Maybe she’d gotten through his thick head.
“And you have no intention of changing your mind?”
A growl floated from the other room, and Kendall realized Sax, Tate, and Ran were listening to every word.
“No! How many times do I have to tell you?”
“Your mother is convinced she can talk you around, although she said you’re not answering your phone.”
“I…uh…had an accident with my mobile. It fell down a long drop.”
Anthony’s brows rose. “I didn’t know people still had those.”
Kendall ignored the snicker from the other room and topped up her wineglass. “It’s a long story.”
“Your mother won’t like this.” Anthony trailed her back to the lounge.
“I don’t care. If Mother wants to get her hands on money, she can marry you. Now, there’s an idea.”
Anthony ignored her brilliant suggestion. “Do you intend to return to England?”
“Not anytime soon. As I told you, I like it here. I’ve made wonderful friends.”
Anthony nodded. “And you have a boyfriend.”
“Boyfriends,” she corrected.
His brows arched toward his designer-styled hairline. “More than one?”
“I live with Sax, Ran, and Tate, so you see I truly have no intention of marrying you. I have enough men, and I’m not looking for more.”
“That’s good,” Tate said, striding into the lounge.
Ran followed and sat beside her. “I’m glad we haven’t scared you away.”
“You haven’t,” Kendall declared. “Is Sax okay?”
“He wants to sleep. His head is aching from moving around,” Ran said.
Anthony set his mug on the coffee table and sprawled back in his chair. He beamed at her, his smile so wide Kendall blinked. “I’m glad you’re happy here because the truth is I didn’t want to marry you either. I was pretty annoyed when I learned of my parents’ maneuvering. I’ve been having money problems. My parents refused to help me unless I married. Your grandfather knew how desperate I was to keep my company afloat and my staff intact. He offered me an alternative deal—a way out.”
“You want to marry me for the money too.”
“No, I’m fine either way. Your grandfather made sure of that, but you had to say no to my marriage proposal first. Or say, yes. I had to ask you to marry me.”
“But… Wait. I’m confused,” Kendall said. “Please explain.”
“I’m gay and have a live-in partner. We’re happy together, despite my parents’ machinations to break us up and marry me off. I don’t want a wife.” He pulled an envelope from an inner pocket of his suit jacket. “This is a letter from your grandfather. I don’t know what it says. You’ll see it’s still sealed. The other two candidates received a letter to give to you if you rejected their proposals. Or at least, the lawyer received three letters, and we were to collect them if we intended to propose to you.”
“I’m still confused.” Kendall stared waiting for him to explain.
“You’re not the only one, sugar.” Ran glowered at Anthony. “If you’re happy with your partner, why did you tell your lawyer you intended to propose to Kendall?”
Tate tapped his fingers on his knees. “Yeah, that’s my question.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to give you a convoluted explanation. Part of the deal I had with your grandfather was that I must pop the question. I was concerned when your mother told me you’d be delighted to accept my proposal. When you didn’t come home to Devon, I decided to visit you in person. The lawyer instructed me to give you the letter if you rejected my proposal. Which, happily, you did. Now that I’ve asked you to marry me and you said no, I’ll receive enough money to help my company recover. This time, I won’t make the same mistakes with my meal delivery business.” He paused. “Your mother worried me when she informed my parents you’d set a date.”
“Your mother sounds horrible,” Ran said. “No wonder you ignore so many of her calls.”
Kendall screwed up her nose. “She likes her life to run smoothly and for people to jump when she says leap.”
“An apt description,” Anthony agreed.
“What would you have done if I’d said yes to your proposal?”
Anthony coughed. “I was hoping your absence and lack of communication meant you weren’t interested in me. Your mother’s increasing desperation made me suspicious too. Your grandfather told me if you said yes, I’d still receive the money to save my business, but he thought I was safe from a positive response.”
“Humph! I’ll contact my mother tomorrow,” Kendall said.
“Steven and I are staying at the Tundra Inn. We’ve booked a tour to see the beluga whales. Hopefully, we’ll see polar bears too.” He hesitated. “Arranging the trip was the only way to convince Steven you and I weren’t going to work. I’m glad now that we’ve arrived. It’s a break from the business.”
Kendall grinned at Tate and Ran. “I’ve seen bears during my time here. Other animals too. Why don’t you come to the Lanky Moose café for breakfast? I’d like to meet your Steven.”
“Around eight?” He stood. “Don’t be surprised if Steven tries to hug you. He’s been like a bear with a sore head, thinking you want me. I assured him I wasn’t interested, but he wasn’t certain of me. Trust is a fragile thing, you know, and this arrangement had him panicking.” He extended his hand to Ran. “A pleasure to meet you.” He repeated the gesture with Tate and gave Kendall a quick hug. “See you tomorrow.”
Tate showed him out and returned. “Are you going to open your grandfather’s letter?”
“I’m frightened,” Kendall confessed, staring at the ivory envelope with distaste. “The reading of the will irked me so much.”
“What is your actual title?” Tate asked. “I don’t think you said.”
“Officially, I’m Lady Kendall or Lady Kendall Essex, but I never use it, especially not while working in a kitchen. I prefer plain Kendall Essex.”
Ran frowned. “And your parents?”
“Before he died, my grandfather was the Earl of Beacham, also known as Lord Beacham. My father died before my grandfather, so my brother Leo is now the Earl of Beacham.”
“Open the letter,” Sax said from the doorway. “You’ll get no sleep tonight if you’re worrying about the contents.”
Ran and Kendall shifted along to make space for Sax on the couch.
“Do you want to open your letter in private?” Ran asked.
“No.”
“Good,” he said. “After all, we are your boyfriends.”
Kendall snorted. “You heard that during your eavesdropping, did you?”
“We had to take the opportunity to listen,” Tate said without apology. “It answered a few questions.”
A sigh gusted from Kendall. “Shock and dismay didn’t begin to cover my emotions on hearing the contents of Grandfather’s will. I slogged hard to improve the family pickle and jam recipes. Once I improved the products, our market share increased. Then, I started the restaurant and everything took off. I’d expected my grandfather to reward me for my hard work because, without me, the family business would�
��ve failed. They were close to bankruptcy.” She glanced at the brothers. “You think I’m bigheaded.”
“No, I believe you,” Sax said. “In a short time, you’ve turned things around at the Lanky Moose. It never used to be busy. The food was indifferent and the service the same. You and Emily have done wonders for the café. The locals rave about the food.”
“Thanks.” These men got her. Their loyalty blew Kendall away. They valued her abilities and didn’t turn up their noses at her strengths. Not like her mother. Her grandmother. It had horrified them when she’d informed them of her goals.
Kendall stared at the embossed envelope clasped in her hand. She frowned at the looped letters of her grandfather’s elegant handwriting. Her hand trembled.
“Would you like one of us to read it for you?” Tate asked.
“No, I’ll do it.” She ripped open the sealed envelope and started to read aloud.
“Dear Kendall,
“If you’re reading this, I’ve passed away and if I read your character correctly, which I believe I did, you’re furious at me.
“I never thanked you or made this confession—stupid male pride really—but you single-handedly saved Essex and Sons. I’d tried everything, and your father—my only son—died so young. Your brother wasn’t interested in the business, but you knew what to do. I wanted to kiss you when you came to me with your charts and your lists and your ideas for improvements for our products. Then, you returned with your plan to make the factory into a visitor destination with a restaurant to showcase our jams and chutneys. I’ll admit, I was uncertain about your idea but you started small and showed me the possibilities.
“Once again Essex and Sons prospered and with it, our family coffers. I know you expected a leading role in the company once I died, but family tradition meant I left everything to Leo. If the lad continues in the way you’ve started, he should succeed. While he doesn’t love the company as you do, I’ve made sure decent, honest people staff the management positions. They’ll help Leo make the business grow and prosper.
“Which brings me to you. You’re a sweet and loving girl and my dearest wish is to see you married with a family of your own.”
Kendall stopped reading to mutter a rude word. Ran barked out a laugh while Sax smiled.
“Keep reading,” Tate said. “This is interesting.”
“I’ve arranged a list of several eligible men for you to consider. My darling Molly and your mother will pressure you to choose one of them and abide by my wishes because they’ll fuss over their future. I’m not concerned since I’ve put restrictions on Leo. He won’t be able to indulge in his love of gambling with the company. A part of me wishes I could witness the fallout from my will. You get your stubbornness from me, and if I were a betting man, I’d wager that you tell each of the men on my list to go jump. Probably with cruder language than that since you blossomed when you attended culinary school.
“The truth—I’m fine with that, and I’ve made provision for your stubbornness. Forcing you to make this decision will make it easier for you to leave and see the world, to explore other options. It was my one regret that with all the hours you worked you met no worthy men.
“If you reject each of the men on my list that means you’ve grown a backbone and you’re disobeying your mother. She’s a strong woman and was perfect for my son. You’re more like me—a person who prefers to march to the beat of your own drum.
“Although I was skeptical of your ideas at first, the moment we saw results, I opened a bank account in your name. It’s at a Swiss bank and I kept it from the rest of the family. Each month, I drew a salary and placed some of it in your Swiss account. There is a tidy sum there now—almost half a million—as I write this, and with interest the sum will continue to grow.”
Kendall blinked. She handed the letter to Ran. “C-can you finish reading it for me? I-I’m gonna cry soon.”
“Babe,” Ran said. “This is just like a romance novel.”
“This is my way of saying thanks for saving the company, for saving the Essex family. I didn’t tell Molly or your mother, Leo either because they don’t understand your sacrifices to our family and the way you worked so hard to make sure we were financially secure.
“I want you to take this money and build something for yourself. Buy a house or start a restaurant or travel and explore the world. Meet people and make friends. Live a little. That is my wish for you. Be happy and own who you are. Despite what your mother says, you are an attractive and vibrant woman. You need not change a thing.
“I love you, Kendall, and I have every confidence you will have a wonderful life.
“Blake Essex, Earl of Beacham
“P.S. My lawyer has the details of your Swiss account. All you need to do is contact him and present your identification along with this letter.”
“Wow.” Tate let out a surprised whistle. “Half a million. That’s a lot of money.”
“It is.” Kendall wiped her eyes. “I don’t know what to do with that much money.”
“Now that you know it’s there, you can take your time deciding what to do,” Sax said.
“I don’t want to leave Churchill.” Kendall studied each of their faces, saw the same trepidation, the unease and anxiety that beset her.
“We don’t want you to leave either,” Sax told her. “Churchill is our home until the end of October. We wanted to ask you to come with us when we leave.”
“We’re uncertain where our next project will take us, but we’d like you to consider coming with us.” Tate had never looked so serious or cute.
“We have a choice of projects. If you agreed to travel with us, we’d consider your opinion before choosing our next building project,” Ran said.
“That’s if you’re okay with the polar bear shifter thing,” Sax added.
Kendall started to smile. “I love the sound of that. I didn’t know if what we had together was temporary.”
“We want permanent.” Sax met her gaze and held it. “Each of us loves you, Kendall. Hell, I’m so glad I didn’t scare you stupid when I shifted.”
“I didn’t like to presume,” Kendall said.
Ran slipped his arm around her shoulders and hauled her closer. “We’ve always wanted a permanent relationship, but we wanted time for you to get used to the idea.”
Pleasure grew inside Kendall. Excitement. A smile started slow on her lips, growing and growing until her grin stretched across her face. “I am fine with having three hunky boyfriends.”
“And the polar bear part?” Ran asked.
Kendall let out a surprised eep. “The two polar bears we saw when we drove out on the tundra—that was you and Tate.”
“Yes,” Tate admitted. “You seemed disappointed at not seeing bears, so we decided to give you a show.”
Kendall laughed, delighted they’d go to such trouble for her. “Now that I know you’re shifters, I’ll be fine. Fiona will offer advice if I need it.”
“You can always talk to us,” Sax said.
“I can,” Kendall agreed. “What about the lodge you’re building? I thought you wanted to have it ready for the season.”
“We might stay at the lodge for part of the first season,” Ran told her. “Enjoy running around as polar bears while working out how to market the lodge. We wondered if you’d enjoy a chance to see the mother polar bears and cubs leaving their dens. You might see wolves and more foxes. Would you like that? It will be cold, but the lodge will have excellent heating, and you can help us plan the final details.”
“Yes. Yes. Yes. That sounds amazing. And you’ll really let me have input into your next job?”
Tate topped up her glass of wine and handed Ran another beer. “We’ve always voted on our jobs. You’ll get a vote the same as us.”
“Thank you!” Kendall stood. “What do you want for dinner? Sax?”
“He needs red meat after shifting. It will help him,” Tate said.
Ran bounded to his feet. “Yeah, and tomorr
ow, we’ll go out on the tundra so you can shift again. Bertha told me you should try to shift to speed your healing.”
Sax groaned. “Do I have to?”
21 Play Time
The next day, they set out in their SUV and stopped at Fiona’s place. All five Swenson brothers were at home for a change. Sax forced himself not to snarl his greetings. Was he the only one who hated the shifting idea? When the Swenson brothers had learned the Hallstens were going on an excursion, they’d decided to go too, and Fiona had declared she’d keep Kendall company while the boys played on the tundra.
Now, Kendall sat beside him in the rear of the vehicle as they drove far away from tourist haunts. She sensed the tension in him. He knew for certain once she slid her hand into his and squeezed. He waited for her to speak in that crisp English accent of hers, but she merely offered silent comfort.
Sax cleared his throat. Perhaps if he talked, he’d outrun his fears of turning into a polar bear and not transforming back to human. “I’m scared,” he croaked.
“We know,” Tate said from the front seat. “You reek from the fear wafting off you.”
Kendall squeezed his hand again. “I’m pleased with my decision to stay in Churchill rather than return to Devon. I’ve made my peace with the past and you should too.”
“Kendall is right,” Ran agreed. “Tate and I have confidence in you. You shifted to save Kendall. Now, shift to save yourself. Do you still have a headache?”
“A low-level one,” Sax admitted.
“One shift should take care of that. Why do you think we never suffer from a hangover?”
“I—this is hard. You know how much the kids teased and bullied me while I was growing up. They made my life miserable because of my differences.”
Kendall spoke before either Tate or Ran. “We’re similar, Sax. I’m like a baby bird within a nest of cuckoos. It was clear I differed from the rest of my family, even when I was a child. I found a way to embrace this, which was to learn to cook and fall into line with my family.”
“You left,” Sax said.
“After I realized I needed to live my life rather than follow my family’s rules. To be honest, it’s taken time and distance to learn this. Instinct made me run—that and disappointment because my family took me for granted. We have to follow our hearts rather than the edicts placed on us by others. Your mother was human and your father a polar bear shifter. That gives you your own special characteristics. You can shift or not. I still love you. Your brothers love you, and we want you happy.”
Kendall's Mates Page 21