"Chris, I'm back here."
Chris now knew that was her studio. Annie had two walls knocked out of a corner room and glass installed and it offered her great views of the mountains and trees around her home. She did most of her painting there. Chris made her way back, exclaiming over how much Annie had finished in the last week.
"You're almost done," she said, inspecting the painting Annie was working on. It was of Sierra Peak, the most prominent landmark in the area. It was to be a gift for her.
"Not quite. A few more days, perhaps."
"It's beautiful, Annie." Annie told her that she had never given one of her paintings away and Chris was honored to be the first.
"Thank you, Chris, but I sometimes wonder at your judgment. You like the one I did of the elk and we both know they look more like cattle than elk," she said and they both laughed.
Before dinner, they took their wine to the back deck and watched the squirrels. Annie asked about the backpackers and Chris rattled on, bringing Annie up to date with the happenings in town, all the while keeping Jessie's name at bay. It wasn't until after dinner that Annie brought her up.
"I got my monthly newsletter from the book club and Jessie will have a new one out by Christmas."
"Really?"
"This will be number seven, by my count."
"I've only read four," Chris said.
They were quiet for a moment, then Annie said, "You know, sometimes I have half a mind to just call her up. If I thought it would do any good, I would. But I'm sure she's working through sixteen years of built-up hatred. Maybe if I ever get one of her books where the mother doesn't die, I might take a chance."
"I wish you could, too, Annie. It shouldn't be this way between families."
"What about your own? You've never mentioned them."
Chris grinned. "We don't exactly speak."
"And you're giving me advice? Shame on you."
Chapter Twelve
On her way to the Rock the next morning, Chris again passed Jessie jogging and again she stopped.
"Where have you been?" Jessie demanded as she leaned on the Jeep's door.
"South Rim Trail, in the backcountry."
"Searching for?" Jessie prompted, a grin slashing across her face.
"Backpackers."
"Find them?"
"Of course." Chris thought Jessie was much prettier than her picture revealed, if that were possible. Her eyes weren't quite as lifeless in person.
"You're not working today, are you?"
"Yep."
"It's Saturday."
"My turn," Chris explained.
Jessie nodded. "Where will you be?"
"I'm in the office this morning. Then I'll just be making the rounds, probably end up at Lake Trail this afternoon."
"Maybe I'll see you there, McKenna. I've been wanting to get in a little fishing."
With that she ran on and Chris watched, her eyes lighting on the back of muscled thighs. She finally realized she was still sitting in the middle of the road and she drove off, honking once as she passed Jessie.
After a quick lunch of cheese and crackers, Chris filled her water bottle and headed out to Lake Trail. The ranger station had been busy that morning and she knew that Lake Trail was the easiest and therefore, would be the most crowded. The cabins were full for the weekend, as was the lodge. Bill and Peggy had rented out all of their bikes and the dirt roads around town were crowded with hikers and mountain bikers alike. The beautiful late summer weather continued, bringing with it people from the city yearning for the outdoors. She stopped at the trailhead, glancing at the sign-in sheet. Six people in one group; there goes the wildlife, she thought. Another two; bird watchers. They should've started earlier. A group of four, two of them kids. Jennifer Parker. Chris smiled and looked up. Fishing? Two other names were listed below, but Chris scarcely noticed as she closed the lid and headed off down the trail. She hadn't expected Jessie to be here already. She had planned on making Lake Trail her last stop but because of the crowd, she thought she better make a quick run through before heading out to Fire Lookout.
It was almost a half-mile to the lake, then the trail followed the shore and connected back to the start, about two miles total. The Lake Trail cutoff, which hooked up with Ridge Trail, was about a mile into the hike. She walked briskly, coming upon an older couple with a poodle on a leash. She nodded and smiled, then barely got out of the way as the poodle decided to attack. She rolled her eyes as the couple pulled the barking poodle down the trail, disrupting the quiet of the lake for miles around.
Chris kept an eye out along the shore. She spotted Jessie at the first turn, standing by herself out on the point, expertly casting a fly rod. She watched for several minutes before walking up.
"Any luck?"
Jessie turned around and smiled. "Hi, McKenna. I'm afraid not. And I was hoping for fresh trout for my dinner."
"Then the luck's all with the fish," Chris said.
"And here I was going to invite you to dinner."
Chris laughed. "Please don't kill one on my account."
Jessie cocked her head and frowned. "Don't like fish?"
Chris shook her head. "I'm more of a vegetable person."
"Good Lord, a vegetarian? I thought I left them all behind in the city," she said.
"I manage."
"So, you want to come?" Jessie asked.
"Come where?"
"Dinner?"
"Where?"
"Cabin seven," Jessie said, her back still to Chris.
"Henninger's?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
"Six-thirty?"
Chris looked around at the crowds and shook her head. "Seven?"
"Fine. I'll have the first glass of wine without you."
Jessie turned around and their eyes met for a moment, then Chris motioned to the trail with a quick toss of her head.
"Better go."
"McKenna?"
Chris stopped and looked back. "Yeah?"
"What's your first name?" Jessie asked, again capturing her eyes.
"Chris."
Jessie nodded. "I like it." Then she turned back to her fly fishing, leaving Chris staring after her.
It took Chris longer than normal to make the loop as she stopped several times to answer questions and offer suggestions on other hiking trails. She stopped on her way past the point, but Jessie was already gone. At the trailhead, Jessie had signed out just like she was supposed to. Chris laughed at her comment. "No fish died today!"
Chris ran into Bobby later and sent him on Ridge Trail as she took the route up Fire Lookout Trail. There was a large group at the top, all enjoying the view without the benefit of the tower. Since the incident this summer with the two boys, Roger had the steps taken down and new warning signs put up, and they'd not had a bit of trouble.
She spent a little time up at the top, answering questions and just enjoying the views herself before heading back down the mountain, using the shortcut Bobby had shown her.
It wasn't until she was driving home that she realized she had intentionally put Jessie Stone from her mind. She tried to ask herself why exactly she was going to dinner with her, and she had no answer other than she found Jessie attractive and she would be the first to admit that she was extremely curious about this woman's life. And her sudden return to Sierra City. But she just couldn't shake the feeling that she was betraying Annie somehow.
After her shower, she took time to relax on the deck with a cold beer. It had been a busy day and she was feeling the effects of her afternoon hikes. Dillon was attempting to sneak up on a squirrel and she watched him for a moment. Then her eyes traveled on into the woods, thinking it would be so much quicker just to walk to Jessie's cabin. But more polite to drive. It wasn't as if they knew each other well enough for such informal visits.