North Pole City Tales 02 - The Heart of Frost by Charlie Cochet Read Free Book Online Page B

back to admire his baby, a Beechcraft Model D17W Staggerwing biplane that was the envy of the tarmac and his fellow Rein Dears. Built back during his years at the Rein Dear Academy, every part of his precious aircraft had been installed by Rudy himself, from her bright-cherry-red steel frame to her gleaming propeller. She was streamlined, lightweight, with a supercharged engine—400 horsepower, able to reach speeds of two hundred and twelve miles per hour with room for three passengers and one pilot.
    “Thank you, Captain. She’s in tip-top shape.” The young, white-haired Sugarplum fairy beamed up at him. Ginger was the first Rein Dear mechanic who happened to be a Sugarplum fairy. The other Rein Dears had wrongly dismissed her the moment they saw her, believing she didn’t possess the skill or fortitude necessary to do the job, simply because she was a pretty Sugarplum fairy. The other helpers looked down their noses at her, thinking she believed herself too good to join their ranks. Rudy, however, had seen the way she looked at their planes, and he had quickly requested to see her qualifications.
    Impressed by what he saw, he called her in for an interview along with a handful of other elf mechanics who showed promise. He put them all through the wringer, as he did everyone he considered hiring. Ginger had knocked them all out of the water. She was swift, accurate, skilled, and knew exactly what she was doing. Most importantly, she had backbone, refusing to let anyone break her spirit. He knew hiring her would let loose another wave of rumors, but he was past caring about gossip. Ginger was the best mechanic he’d ever had, social convention be damned.
    “Wonderful job. Let’s get her in the air, shall we?” Rudy climbed into his seat behind the wheel and closed his door firmly behind him. He switched on his radio, put on his headset, and fastened the heavy straps of his harness, one padded strap over each shoulder that clipped into the thicker one around his waist. Once secure in his seat, he started his preflight preparations. “Tim, can you hear me?”
    Tim’s gentle voice came through his earpiece. “Loud and clear, Rudy.”
    “Noel?”
    “Loud and clear, Rudy,” Noel replied in his curt yet polite tone.
    “Ginger?”
    “I’m here, Captain.”
    Rudy smiled. Ginger was the only one who called him Captain. He appreciated her formality, even if it wasn’t necessary. He understood her need to keep things professional. The only reason the gossip regarding her hiring hadn’t turned sordid was due to Rudy’s inclinations. Had his nature favored Sugarplum fairies, who knew what manner of nonsense would be circulating? Ginger had something to prove, and he had no doubt she would teach them all a thing or two. It was time for North Pole City to leave some of its outdated habits behind.
    Pushing those thoughts aside, Rudy concentrated on making certain everything was in working order for the second time that day, from his gauges to testing the flaps. The inside of his plane was as shiny and new as the outside, with its red control panel and black interior. It was no secret Rudy was partial to red, but seeing as how everything on his person was red, including his flight jacket, he thought it best he make the interior a different color. He had chosen black because it reminded him of Jack.
    Rudy had waited as long as possible to start the test run, in the hopes Jack would make it. After Jack’s phone call, he had busied himself in his office for several hours, catching up on paperwork and whatever else he could. When it became clear Jack wouldn’t be returning until far later in the evening, Rudy resigned to carrying on without him. It was silly, really, but Rudy had grown accustomed to seeing Jack smiling at him from the tarmac as he took off.
    The roar of the propeller was music to his ears, and he couldn’t keep his dopey grin off his face. Next to Jack, there was nothing he loved more than flying. After