There was no sign of a previous campfire, no charred rocks to mark a spot and Jessie watched as Chris gathered some rocks now and cleared an area. One of the rocks that Chris picked up was black on the bottom. Apparently, Chris dismantled the fire ring when she left, leaving no sign that she had been there. Just like her father used to do. Jessie shrugged off the depression that threatened and went about gathering small twigs to start their fire. There was a fallen pine nearby and she broke off larger limbs and hauled them over to the fire ring, breaking them with her foot and stacking them neatly in a pile.

They set up the small tent and took out the sleeping bags, then Jessie surprised Chris by pulling a bottle of wine out of her backpack.

"You packed that?" Chris grinned. "Weren't too concerned about weight, were you?"

"And aren't you glad?" Jessie asked. "Or do you want to have coffee with your dinner?"

Chris laughed. "Tell you what. I'll share my tent if you share your wine."

"Hardly a fair trade, seeing as it's not raining." Jessie clutched the bottle to her chest and raised an eyebrow seductively. "You'll have to do better."

"Okay. I think I have a sleeping bag to bargain with."

Jessie seemed to consider this, her eyes raised into the trees. Then she looked back at Chris, her eyes twinkling with delight.

"Sleeping bag for half my wine? Okay, McKenna, I accept."

Chris nodded, enjoying the unexpected playfulness. By the look on Jessie's face, she was enjoying it too. They worked in silence again, Jessie breaking up sticks for the fire and Chris laying out the few cooking utensils and pots she had brought along.

"I think I'm going to hike the stream a bit," Chris said.

"Go ahead," Jessie said. "I brought a book." She pulled out a worn paperback and waved it at Chris. "I'll just sit and relax."

"Okay. I won't be gone long."

Chris walked back the way they had come, hopping across the rocks until she came to the trail. She crossed over and picked up the stream on the other side. She had been camping here twice before and both times had intended on exploring upstream but had ended up perched on a rock overlooking the falls and canyon. She thought this time she would leave the view and solitude to Jessie. She had lightened up since the first couple of encounters and Chris was beginning to enjoy her company. She wanted nothing more than to confront Jessie with her true identity, to talk about Annie, to find out why she was back, but Chris admitted that it really wasn't any of her business. And if Jessie wanted to be Jennifer Parker for a few days and escape from her real life, who was Chris to haul her back to reality?

She stopped after nearly a half-hour, the trees casting long shadows over the stream as the sun was sinking lower. If she were to catch the sunset, she would have to hurry.

She found Jessie leaning against a rock, book held opened in her lap, but she was looking out over the canyon.

"You're back," she said. She lazily moved her head to glance at Chris, a sleepy smile on her face.

"How's the book?"

Jessie shrugged. "One of those self-help books. Mostly bullshit," she said.

Chris laughed at the sincerity of Jessie's words.

"So you took a nap instead?"

Jessie grinned. "This crap always puts me to sleep." She motioned to the sky. "I was afraid you were going to miss the show."

"Of course not. That's why we're here."

The sun made its way over the ridge, far to the west, shooting oranges and reds their way. Jessie opened the bottle of wine and they each poured some in their drinking cups. They sat against the rock, quietly watching the sun fall from view, their eyes filling with the deep colors of sunset, the western sky aglow as a brilliant burgundy shot through the few low-hanging clouds before fading to a quiet pink. Overhead, the cedars and pines whispered their secrets as the wind caressed the branches and carried scented air into their faces.

Jessie couldn't imagine a sight more beautiful. The colors were even more splendid than she remembered and she shut her eyes for a moment, trying to forever burn it in her memory.

She felt Chris watching her even before she opened her eyes. A faint rosy haze remained where the sun had been only moments ago and she turned to Chris, their eyes locking in the last light a day.

"Beautiful," Jessie whispered

"Yes, very."

"Thank you for letting me share that with you."

Chris's smile was as soft and unhurried as the sunset had been and Jessie felt herself being pulled into those blue eyes. Unfamiliar feelings washed over her and she didn't know what to make of her rapidly beating pulse or the difficult time she had catching her breath. She let her eyes slip briefly to Chris's mouth, wondering if her lips were as soft as they looked.

Chris pulled her eyes away, silently acknowledging the growing attraction between them. She wondered if her attraction was simply a result of finally giving life to a picture on the back of a book. Chris still wasn't certain that she liked Jessie Stone, but she suspected she had yet to meet all of her.

She moved away, leaving Jessie staring after the long-gone sun. She started the fire easily, then put water on to boil for their dinner. With the dark came the chill of night and Chris moved into the tent, stripping off her shorts and pulling on an old, comfortable pair of sweats and bulky sweatshirt.

Jessie did the same, taking the small flashlight from Chris's hand. When she came out of the tent, she was holding up toilet paper.

"Gonna take a trip to the woods," Jessie said shyly.

Chris nodded. "Don't go far."

"Don't worry. If you hear me scream ..."

"I'll come running," Chris assured her. She watched the light flash into the woods as Jessie disappeared behind a spruce. A short time later, Jessie came back, discreetly tossing her toilet paper into the fire.

"Much better," she said.

Chris watched as Jessie sat cross-legged on the ground close to the fire. She added more wine to each of their cups and handed one up to Chris.

"Thanks."

They ate dinner in relative silence, sharing thoughts occasionally, but mostly content to listen to the crackle of the fire and the sounds of the forest as it came alive after dark.

Jessie washed up their few dishes in the stream and Chris got the fire going again, adding some of the larger limbs Jessie had collected earlier. They sat down across from each other, with the leaping flames the only barrier between them. Jessie held up the wine bottle.

"Enough for one more each, I think."

"It was an excellent idea," Chris said. "Not exactly practical," she added.

Jessie waved her off. "Backpackers have too many rules. A quick up and down trip, there's absolutely no reason a good bottle of wine can't be brought along."

"Had you been packing in the equipment, you might not have wanted the extra weight."

Jessie leaned forward. "But I wasn't. That's what I brought you along for."

Chris laughed. Jessie's eyes sparkled across from her. Maybe that was why her next words nearly caused Chris to choke.

"You're extremely cute, McKenna. You know that, right?"

"Cute?"

"Extremely cute," Jessie corrected.

"Well, I... thanks," Chris stammered, hoping Jessie could not see her blush.

"Not beautiful or anything like that, McKenna. I don't want you to get a big head," she teased.

"I'll try to keep the swelling down," Chris murmured.

Jessie let her gaze slide from Chris into the fire. Maybe a pick-up line in another life, but she meant it sincerely now. Not only did she find Chris attractive, she liked her. And she couldn't remember the last time she had thought that about another person. She covered the smile on her face with her hand, amused at her own thoughts. She could pick up a stranger in a bar in two minutes and be inside her panties in five. She had practically hit Chris over the head and still she showed no interest in Jessie at all.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Chris's blue eyes weren't exactly expressionless and Jessie knew when another woman found her attractive. She just wasn't used to the wariness that Chris showed. Didn't matter anyway. Why ruin what was turning out to be an interesting friendship? A friendship might be something they could carry with them. Anything else, and Jessie would run.

"Ah... Jennifer?"

Jennifer? Jessie mentally shook herself. When you used an alias, it helped if you remembered the name.

"How long are you going to be vacationing here?"

Jessie shrugged. She should just tell Chris the truth. She didn't know why she was using a damn alias anyway. If her purpose was to see Annie, what did she care if anyone noticed?

Chris watched the questions fly across Jessie's face, wondering what decision she was coming to, what lie she would tell Chris next.

"Like I said, I'm between jobs, so I'm not really in a hurry. I haven't decided yet."

Chris nodded and held Jessie's eyes in the firelight. She dared her to look away.

"Tell me about yourself," Chris suggested.

"Why?"

"Because I want to know."

"Just like that?" Jessie gave a nervous laugh. "Just because you want to know, I'm supposed to tell you?"

Chris leaned forward, still holding Jessie's eyes captive.

"Yes."

The silence continued as Jessie felt words form and threaten to spill. She fought with herself over what to tell Chris, if anything. It would be so much simpler to pretend to be Jennifer Parker who was between jobs, and not some deranged author named J. T. Stone.

Chris watched Jessie's face, saw the shadows cross it in the soft light of the fire. She could let it go, she knew, but she sensed Jessie's need to talk, even if Jessie didn't. And besides, she'd had quite enough of Jennifer Parker.

"Tell me... Jessie," she whispered.

Jessie drew a sharp breath. Had she been standing, she was certain her legs would have failed her.

"How ... how did you know?"

Chris gave a half smile. "I have your books."

"Fuck," Jessie said. "Well, I feel foolish."

"You could tell me you're just a celebrity looking for privacy, thus the name change," Chris suggested.

Jessie laughed. "Hardly a celebrity."

Chris added a couple of logs to the fire while she allowed Jessie to collect herself. Now it was her turn to keep secrets. Jessie had no need to know that she and Annie were friends. No need to know that Chris already knew everything about her childhood.

"I grew up around here," Jessie admitted after taking a deep breath. "A lifetime ago."

"Tell me."

"Even if I wanted to talk about it, I wouldn't know where to begin," Jessie said.

"Why don't you want to talk about it?"

Jessie leaned forward. "There are some things you just don't talk about."

"Why?"

"Why? What kind of question is that? I hate that word."

"Okay. No questions, then. Tell me about your life when you lived here."

Jessie grinned. "Why?"

It was Chris's turn to lean forward. "Why? I hate that word." She nudged Jessie with her shoulder. "Tell me about growing up here. Please?"

Jessie gave a small laugh, finally giving in. "Okay. Fine." Jessie stared into the fire, remembering. "I had a lovely childhood. As seen through the eyes of a child, anyway. It was pretty pathetic when I think about it now. I grew up out here in the mountains and my father took me everywhere. He was a ranger right here in Sierra City," she explained. "He took me camping and hiking and fishing. Everywhere he went, I tagged along. I was happy."

"What about your mother?" Chris asked.

"I had a mother in name only," Jessie said bitterly.

"What do you mean?"

"She lived in the same house as us, but she was like a stranger. We didn't talk, really. She and Jack didn't exactly have the ideal marriage. She wouldn't even share a bedroom with him. They seldom spoke to one another."

"Jack? You always call him that?"

Jessie shrugged. "He didn't like me calling him Dad."

Chris raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"I... worshiped him. He was my best friend. My only friend. I went everywhere with him, did everything with him." Jessie looked through the fire at Chris. "He died when I was still here. Seventeen."

"I'm sorry," Chris murmured.