Opening the window on her own car as she drove, Jessie let the cool breeze hit her face, drying the sweat from her hike. It had felt good to use muscles that were dormant too long. And it had felt good to cry, she admitted. The hardest part would be facing Annie.
If she could even manage it. She wondered what Annie would be like after sixteen years. She wondered if she had gone and married that man in San Francisco. Probably. Annie may not even be in Sierra City anymore. Wouldn't that be ironic? She finally got up enough nerve to come back and Annie wouldn't even be here. On impulse, she pulled into the gas station and walked up to the phone booth, flipping through the directory. Her fingers found the S's and she held her breath, pausing at Stone, Annie. So, she was still here after all. Jessie closed the book and walked away, her heart hammering in her chest.
She made a sandwich for lunch and chased it down with a glass of wine, then lay on the sofa, letting sleep take her. She had not slept well the night before and she was a little tired after her hike. She would have plenty of time to decide about Annie, she thought as she drifted away.
Chris followed the Ridge Trail loop, enjoying the quiet of the weekday. She had met no one since encountering Jessie Stone that morning and figured she would not. Friday, the tourists would begin showing up and by Saturday, there would again be people on the trails, trying to leave the city behind for at least the weekend. She passed the cutoff to Lake Trail and continued down the hill to her Jeep. She was tired and wanted a shower, glad she had worn shorts that morning instead of jeans. But they still clung to her now and she pulled her shirt out, letting the cool air hit her bare waist.
On her way past the trailhead marker, out of habit she lifted the sign-in box and glanced at it, wondering if anyone had gone up after her. Jennifer Parker? Chris smiled. Who was she kidding? Then she laughed. The woman was still flirting, even on the sign-in sheet.
Chris passed her road and went on to the office where Ruth Henninger would be. Maybe Jessie Stone was staying at the cabins. It would be much more private than the lodge and she apparently was looking for seclusion, judging by the alias she used.
Ruth came out to meet her, as Chris assumed she did everyone. She slammed the Jeep door and walked up.
"Good afternoon, Miss Henninger," Chris greeted.
"Oh, please, I've told you, it's just plain Ruth." She turned and beckoned Chris to follow. "Come inside. I have fresh baked cookies, Chris."
At least once a week, Chris stopped by, just to chat. She suspected that Ruth looked forward to her visits now.
"You look hot. Want some iced tea?"
"That sounds great, thanks." Chris sat at the table and took a cookie, still hot from the oven.
"How are all die rangers doing, dear?" Ruth asked, as she always did.
"They're fine," Chris answered, as she usually did.
"How do you like that Robert?"
Robert Hatcher. Chris had to force a smile onto her face. He was probably one of the most handsome men Chris had ever seen. He had been with Roger a little over a year but few liked him. He rarely worked the trails, usually making some excuse or other about staying inside or having urgent paperwork to finish. He pretended to tolerate her, but still, Chris had little use for him. She detested laziness.
"I don't get to see him much," Chris said. "He doesn't get out on the trails a lot."
"Now he's a handsome one, with that moustache of his. I saw him at the grocery store. What about Matt?"
"I like him fine," Chris said. "What's with the questions?"
"Well, a woman your age, you need to be dating. I would hate to see you end up like me, an old maid."
Chris laughed, drawing a smile from Ruth. "I'm serious. And don't tell me they haven't asked you. As pretty as you are, they're probably banging your door down." Then she leaned closer to Chris. "A little too skinny, though, Chris. Men like to have a little to hold on to."
Chris laughed again. "Thanks, but I'm not looking for a man, Ruth."
"Women nowadays, think they have to be so independent. I declare, in my day, we wanted a man to take care of us."
"What happened to you, then?"
"I guess I scared them off, what with having a business to run and all," she said wistfully, staring out the back door.
"And how is business, Ruth?"
"Oh, the cabins are full on the weekends, that's all. Now that school has started up again, the families have all gone home. Had a new one come in yesterday, though."
"Really?" Chris asked.
"Pretty girl. Alone, too. I put her up at number seven. She was looking for a secluded place, just like you. Why you young women want to be by yourselves so far back in the woods, I'll never know."
"Number seven? That's across the stream from me, isn't it?" Chris asked innocently.
"Yes, through the woods. Her name is Jennifer Parker. She looked so familiar to me, but she said she'd not been here before."
Yes, Ruth would have known Jessie as a young girl, Chris supposed. No wonder she didn't use her real name.
Chapter Eleven
It was two days later before Chris saw Jessie Stone again. Wednesday morning on her way to the Rock to meet Roger for breakfast, she saw the lone figure jogging ahead of her. She recognized the short, dark hair immediately and she slowed, watching the tan, muscular legs keeping a beat as Jessie methodically pounded the dirt, arms pumping at her sides. With intentions of driving past without stopping, Chris nonetheless slowed. When Jessie looked up and grinned, Chris found herself stopping and waiting.
"Morning," Jessie breathed, wiping the sweat from her brow. She leaned on the Jeep's door to catch her breath and Chris was surprised at her nervousness as she stared back at Jessie Stone.
"Hi," Chris greeted. "Been at it long?"
Jessie laughed. "About fifteen years."
Chris blushed. "I meant this morning," she clarified.
"I know you did. About thirty minutes. Thirty more to go." Then Jessie straightened and rested her hands on her hips, offering Chris a genuine smile. "Did you get my message on the trailhead?"
Chris smiled back. "Yes. Glad you made it out safely, Jennifer Parker."
Jessie shrugged. "Well, I had no choice. I would hate to have gotten lost or something and have them send some man to find me since you were already out on the trails."
Chris pressed her foot down, stirring the motor just a little before answering. "I'm sure they would have radioed me and I'd have rushed back down to save you."
Jessie showed off even, white teeth as she laughed. "Well, it would have been my lucky day then."
Chris only nodded, deciding that this game had gone on long enough for now. She shifted the Jeep into first gear. "Gotta go."
"Going to work?"
"Breakfast. Then work."
"Rock House?"
"Yep."
"Any good?"
Chris laughed. "If you like greasy food, I guess."
Jessie leaned down and stared into her eyes, making Chris catch her breath. "And do you?"
"Sometimes."
Jessie stood up again, away from Chris. "Well, it's a start."
Chris was wondering if they were still talking about food, but she was afraid to ask, so she pulled away.
"Seeya."
"Hey," Jessie called after her. "What's your name?"
"McKenna," Chris said, driving off. She took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror, then grinned at the flushed face looking back at her. Shifting into fourth, she thought she might be out of her league with Jessie Stone. All flirting aside, she still suspected that J. T. Stone had major problems. Or Jennifer Parker, whoever she was pretending to be today.
Jessie jogged down to the trailhead of Elk Meadow, then slowed to a fast walk as she entered the woods, smiling to herself as she passed the sign-in sheet without writing down her name. She looked up at the blue sky. Yes, that was exactly the color of the woman's eyes. McKenna. She had a nice smile, too, Jessie admitted. And if she were honest with herself, she would admit that the little game of seek and conquer that she usually played was not working on this McKenna woman. Jessie wasn't even sure she wanted it to work anymore. She suspected that this McKenna was a nice person and if she were in the habit of making friends, she might make one of McKenna. But she had no friends. She had no relationships of any kind in her life, save the seek-and-conquer types she saw once and then never again.