"Very much." Then he laughed. "Damn, McKenna, you're too old to be making out in front of someone's house."
"We were not making out," she hissed. "We were... talking. And then we decided to talk some more at her place. And I fell asleep," she finished. Then she laughed, too. "Roger, please don't tease me about this. I really... like her."
Roger leaned back in his chair, a satisfied grin on his face as he watched her.
"Okay, McKenna, I won't tease you." Then he leaned forward again. "Do you want to tell me what's going on?"
"No, I don't." At his hurt expression, she softened her words. "I'm not really sure what's going on, Roger. I mean, she's probably going back to New York within the month."
She felt the impact of her words, and her chest tightened. Back to New York. Out of her life again. And maybe this time for good. She met his questioning eyes across from her, wondering how much he suspected. He was no fool and she was never very good at hiding her feelings. She was very close to falling in love with Jessie, and she realized she was powerless to stop it.
She spent the rest of the morning putting out trail markers along the Lake Trail. She would mark Elk Meadow in the afternoon. They were the two most heavily used trails for cross-country skiing in their area, although the South Rim got a lot of traffic, too, especially early in the season when the snow level wasn't down to the lower elevations yet.
She worked quickly, trying to beat the storm, but it was slow going in the cold and wind. She had to take her gloves off each time she placed a marker, and her hands were frozen by the time she finished the loop around the lake.
She was sitting in her Jeep trying to get warm when Roger radioed her.
"McKenna, what's your ten-twenty?"
"Lake Trail. Just finished," she replied.
"Come get me," he said. "I'll help you mark Elk Meadow. Just heard from Matt up on Ridge Trail. They've had two inches in the last hour, probably four since this morning."
"Ten-four."
Roger was waiting as she pulled up, the hood of his parka pulled up to cut the wind.
"Damn, McKenna, that wind is a bitch," he said as he crawled inside.
"No shit. My hands are still frozen."
"Well, it's a quick mover. Should be over by tonight. Nice and sunny tomorrow or so the experts say."
"How much snow?" she asked.
"Ten to twelve up on the mountain. There's another low pressure system off of Alaska. We need to watch that one," he told her.
"You sound like a damn meteorologist, Roger."
"Yeah. And I can probably predict the weather just as good as they do."
With both of them, they made quick work of Elk Meadow, but it was snowing heavily by the time they finished. They sat in the Jeep, hands held to the heater as they tried to warm up.
"Want to stop by the Rock? They'll have a roaring fire going," Roger offered.
"Can't."
"Plans?"
Chris grinned and nodded. She had done a pretty good job of keeping thoughts of Jessie at bay, but now she let them in and the memory of last night nearly overwhelmed her. She felt the heat down to the tips of her toes.
"Be careful, McKenna."
"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously.
"This one could be a heartbreaker."
She nodded. Yes, she knew that already.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chris was surprised to see smoke coming from her chimney when she drove up. She was suddenly nervous, knowing Jessie was inside.
Jessie was standing with her back to the fire, waiting. Their eyes met across the room and identical smiles touched their faces.
"Hey."
"Hi."
"Nice and toasty in here," Chris said as she moved to the fire to join Jessie.
"Yes. I've made Dillon quite happy, I think," Jessie said, motioning to the cat who was curled up contentedly on the sofa. He opened one eye and scowled at Chris before closing it again.
"I see he's still pissed at me."
They were quiet and Chris let her eyes travel around the room, noting that the table was set for dinner, wine already opened and ready. She finally let her eyes rest on the anxious ones of Jessie, trying to read them, but they were guarded, probably much like her own.
"Did you have a busy day?" Jessie finally asked.
"Yes. And cold. The snow's coming down pretty good now. Should be great skiing this weekend."
"I guess there will be a lot of people in town, at the lodge," Jessie added.
Chris nodded, wondering why they were having this inane conversation, knowing it wasn't what either of them wanted to talk about. She sighed, not knowing where to start.
"McKenna, why don't you get a shower," Jessie suggested, wrinkling up her nose.
"And what are you saying?" Chris asked with a grin. "I stink?"
But Jessie had moved to the kitchen, making a pretense of checking on dinner. Chris left her without another word, wondering why the conversation seemed so strained between them. If she wasn't so damn hungry, she would drag Jessie into the bedroom and strip her naked. That was really want she wanted to do. But, probably uncivilized, she thought. Then she grinned. Dinner first, then bed.
She lingered in the shower. The hot water felt too good after being cold all day long. She slipped on baggy sweatpants and a long-sleeved T-shirt, donning only thick socks for her feet.
Jessie was again waiting by the fire, this time with a glass of wine. She motioned with her head to the table and Chris picked up her own glass before walking over. She stopped just short of Jessie, then took the remaining step to her, slowly bending her head and kissing the lips she had tried so hard not to think about all day.
Jessie closed her eyes and sighed, savoring their first kiss. She wasn't sure how to greet Chris, what Chris expected of her, so she did nothing. She was oddly disappointed when Chris arrived and did nothing as well. She didn't want to take the time for small talk and dinner. She only wanted what they'd shared last night. After a lifetime of one-night stands, she was nearly insatiable for Chris's gentle, tender lovemaking.
"Okay?"
"For now." Jessie nodded. "Are you hungry?"
"Are we talking about food?"
"We're talking about anything you want."
Chris raised an eyebrow.
"Is dinner ready?"
"It can be. Or we can turn the oven off," Jessie suggested.
Chris leaned over and touched her lips, this time lingering, her tongue licking off the trace of wine on Jessie's lips. Jessie's mouth opened, capturing Chris's tongue and sucking it into her mouth. That was all the encouragement Chris needed. She blindly set her wineglass on the mantel, taking Jessie into her arms and holding her tight against her.
"Chris, please," Jessie whispered into her mouth. Her hands moved under Chris's shirt, touching warm skin before moving to her breasts, lightly raking her fingers over taut nipples.
"I vote we turn the oven off," Chris said, her voice husky with desire. She took Jessie's hand and led her to the bedroom, pausing at the oven on their way.
They stood in the darkness of the bedroom, listening to each other draw breath. Chris reached out slowly and touched Jessie's cheek, lightly running her fingertips across her skin, trying to memorize every line.
"You're so beautiful," Chris whispered. "Before I met you, I used to stare at your picture, wondering what you would feel like, what your lips would taste like," she confessed. "You looked so sad."
"I was. I was dead inside. There was no joy in my life. I never thought I could feel this way. I never thought someone could touch me the way you do," Jessie said quietly. She reached for Chris, pulling her mouth to her own. Their gentle kiss turned hungry, and she slipped her tongue into Chris's mouth, swallowing the moan that followed. They broke apart long enough to shed their shirts, then mouths reunited as their breasts pressed together.