Part 6 (2/2)

'We!' shot out Sarah. 'What are you talking about?'

He ignored her. 'Do you think you could fix me up with a snowmobile-I'll clear it with the top.'

'No problem that I can see. Captain.'

The man excused himself, and Sarah turned on Guy, whispering furiously, 'Would you please tell me what it is you think you're doing?'

'Giving you your heart's desire, I thought. I'm going to take you on a little tour of the tundra. We might even see a polar bear-a real one this time.'

'And what makes you think I'd trust myself out there with you?' she demanded, jerking her head towards the frigid scene beyond the windows.

'If there's one thing I know about,' he said calmly, 'it's navigation. I've even done a stint in the Arctic with your own armed forces. What happened to the girl who was ready to go out on her own? Still, if you're afraid...'

'Not at all,' she snapped, shaking back her hair. But she did, however, look with misgivings at the closed door of the supervisor's office. Guy followed her glance.

'He'll be tied up with paperwork the rest of the day. I heard him discussing it with Cameron. You think he won't approve. Say so.'

'Don't be silly. How many times do I have to tell you that I don't answer to Tony for every move I make?'

'You're afraid of me, then.'

'Certainly not!' She met his gaze steadily. He was judging her again, she was sure of it. Then she recalled her resolve not to let her emotions, or Guy Court, get in the way of her work. If she turned up this chance to see something of the Arctic just because of him, then she'd be breaking that promise to herself.

Of course, there was always the possibility that Guy was making an honest gesture of reconciliation to her. Perhaps he regretted the angry words they'd exchanged. She looked hard at his firm mouth, his determined jaw, the clear green eyes.

'How soon did you say we could be back?' she asked.

'An hour there, an hour back, and an hour or so to look around... we should be in by early afternoon.'

'Let's get going, then.'

The arrangements took no time at all. Permission was granted, maps, a hot lunch, and suitable clothes a.s.sembled. Guy checked with the meteorology department and received a forecast of clear weather for the next several days.

Sarah stood at the storeroom door and looked across the courtyard at Guy. He stood astride a sleek black snowmobile, one booted foot on the starter pedal. She watched as he drew himself up and came down hard on it. The motor roared to life, and he swept forward in a broad circle to where she waited.

'Hop on!' he shouted over the buzz-saw whine.

She took one breath for courage, fastened the helmet strap snugly under her chin, and selfconsciously raised her leg over the seat.

'Hold on tight!' he ordered, reaching behind him and pulling her roughly to his back. Her hands slid around his waist, her thighs pressed the outside of his.

'No dogs?' she shouted in his ear.

'No, but you can still say ”mush” when I start her up. I have great faith in your powers of imagination!'

Sarah yanked her hood farther down her brow, hunched behind the warming breadth of his back, and obliged. Slapping the clear bubble visor of his helmet down over his eyes, Guy waved to a small group of observers at the storeroom door, and gunned the motor. With an arc of snow spraying out behind them, they hurtled away from the camp.

CHAPTER SIX.

At first glance, the Arctic had a deserted appearance, but Sarah was soon aware of a rich profusion of life. The air held snow geese, ptarmigans, kittiwakes and murres. The land was home to the sleek white fox and the burly musk ox, and the sea sheltered walrus, harp seals, and the white Beluga whale.

Guy raised a plump, mittened hand from the controls and pointed towards the ice-dotted water. Far off sh.o.r.e, on a drifting floe, Sarah made out the powerful, slope-shouldered form of a polar bear, padding agilely on all fours.

She pressed her mouth close to Guy's ear. 'Are you sure we're safe? I've read they're pretty dangerous!'

His voice drifted back to her on the wind. 'Out there, on the ice, yes-they're ferocious. But they're timid on land and don't often venture on to it.'

The bear, as if realising it had a rare audience, reared like a stallion, raking the air with deadly claws. Sarah shuddered, grateful for the huge expanse of water that separated them.

Despite the ground crew's a.s.surances that the weather was unusually mild for this time of year, Sarah felt an alarming cold moving up her legs. A long orange star of sun streaked the sky and tinted the snow around them, but it shed no warmth, and the wind penetrated her parka mercilessly. By the time they spotted the dark curve of pebble beach that was their destination, she had begun to wonder at the wisdom of her decision.

Guy brought the snowmobile to a smooth halt beside a small snow shelter that sat on an icy rise overlooking the beach.

'Looks as if we're out of luck,' he said, lifting the helmet off his head. 'No signs of a boat down by the water. Either they're out hunting, or they've moved on.'

'Maybe they'll be back before we leave,' Sarah said hopefully. She winced as she dismounted cautiously and straightened her cramping legs.

Guy scuffed at a shallow footprint in the snow. 'Not very fresh... I'd say they've abandoned the camp.' He stooped by the snow block tunnel that led into the igloo. 'h.e.l.lo?' he shouted. There was no reply.

'It was still worth it,' Sarah said stoutly, her breath misting the air. 'It's so awesomely beautiful here. I'm never going to forget this as long as I live!'

She stood at the brink of the rise, her hands s.h.i.+elding her eyes, and gazed out at the endless expanse of azure sea strewn with a thousand pure white floes.

He regarded her with narrowed eyes. 'You're half frozen,' he said curtly. 'Let's get something warm into us.'

He retrieved the insulated food container the camp kitchen had provided. Side by side on the snowmobile, they broke off chunks of bread and sipped steaming mugs of soup. Slowly the food pushed the cold out of Sarah's body. She was well aware that they were just two fragile specks of life near the hostile top of the globe, but she had no sense of fear. She felt only peace and contentment, and a strange, overwhelming sense of belonging, as if time had suddenly ceased for them.

But it was evident to her that Guy did not share her mystical calm. He wolfed his lunch, giving distracted replies to her chatter, and searched the horizon restlessly.

'What's wrong?' she asked, hurt. 'Are you bored?'

'No, not bored...' He broke off.

'What, then?' she persisted.

He nodded towards the horizon which had taken on a pale, purplish tint.

Sarah stared at it, then turned her eyes back questioningly to his face. 'A storm?' she asked. 'But the forecast was for clear weather.'

'Storm patterns in the Arctic are extremely unpredictable. I think we'd be wise to cut this short and head back,' he said, already tossing his cup back into the case.

'Just one quick trip down to the beach, Guy- please? I want to gather some stones to take back.'

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