"The view is incredible, Annie. I like it."

Annie walked into the room and peered up at Sierra Peak. "I didn't know how you would react to the house, Jessie. I didn't leave any reminders of Jack. I hope you understand why."

"Of course I understand, Annie. I wouldn't have expected you to." She met Annie's eyes for an instant. "I'm sorry it took me so long to... remember, to get back out here. It seems we've wasted so many years between us."

"I'm not that old," Annie said with a quiet laugh. "I hope we still have a few good ones left."

"I'll admit, I didn't think it would be this easy being here, being around you. You're not at all like I remember."

"If you had come here a few years ago, especially before Roger moved back here, things probably would be different. I was a very bitter woman for many years. Roger gave me an outlet to talk about the past and try to put everything in perspective. Now, there's Chris. She's been such a joy to me. She comes over a couple of times a week and we play cards and talk and drink wine."

Annie gently pushed Jessie from the room and closed the door behind her. Jessie settled on the sofa while Annie bent to get the fire started. Jessie was curious as to just how much Annie had told Chris about the old days. The look on her face must have said as much.

"Oh, don't think we sat around here and talked about you all the time. She was reading one of your books when she moved here and Roger told her who you were and that I lived here. She was naturally curious and on our first couple of visits we talked about you, but we've become friends. She keeps me up on the local gossip now," Annie said and laughed.

"I'm glad you invited me tonight, but I don't want to cut in on your time with her," Jessie said.

"Nonsense. I want you two to get to know each other better. I really hope you'll be friends."

"I think we'll be fine, Annie. I like Chris a lot."

"Good." She bent again to stick a match to the paper and they watched as it caught.

"Annie, tell me about the man you were seeing in San Francisco," Jessie said suddenly.

"My, where did that question come from?"

Jessie shrugged. "Chris told me some."

"His name was Jonathan and he was the attorney I went to see," she said.

"Why did you see an attorney?"

"I was going to divorce Jack. You were twelve and I was lonely," Annie said simply. "Only I couldn't go through with it, but Jonathan and I had become friends and he was someone to talk to. I would see him once or twice a month and eventually we became more than friends." Annie looked into the fire, seeing nothing, picturing Jonathan's warm face. "He was quite a bit older than me and a widower, but such a gentle man, Jessie, and I fell in love with him."

"Why didn't you go through with it?"

"Oh, I don't want to place any more guilt on you, Jessie, but I was worried about you. I didn't want to leave you alone here with Jack, in case you needed me. I was going to wait until you graduated high school, then go be with him."

"Only Jack found out first," Jessie said.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you go after Jack died? After I left?"

"After Jack died, I wouldn't see him at first, wouldn't even talk to him. It was very difficult at that time."

"You mean, I was difficult," Jessie stated. She did feel guilty. It was her fault that Annie had never had a life.

"Not just you, Jessie. The whole situation. Regardless, we stopped seeing each other," Annie said.

"What about later?"

"We talked occasionally, after you left, but it was never the same. He died a few years later," she said softly.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't think it's your fault. It's just life, is all. Some things, we can't control. Remember that."

Jessie nodded and again felt tears prick her eyes.

"Anyway, I made out just fine."

Annie left, saying she needed to check on dinner, and Jessie suspected she had tears in her own eyes.


Ten minutes later, Chris tapped on the door and let herself in. Jessie was sitting on the sofa, flipping through a magazine. Her eyes flew up, meeting Chris's questioning ones easily.

"Hi," she said. She put the magazine down and stood, lightly crossing her arms.

"Hello, Jessie." Chris closed the door but stood there, unmoving. "I didn't expect to see you here," she said. "Everything okay?"

"Yes, fine. Annie invited me," she explained. Then lowered her voice. "I guess I should warn you, she intends for us to be friends," she said with a smile.

"I see. Guess we don't have a choice then." She walked slowly over to Jessie and stood in front of her, her lips forming into a smile. "I'm glad you're getting along. You are getting along, right?"

"Oh yes. It's been fine. I never would have believed it possible," she confessed. "It's almost as if we've not been estranged all these years, you know. I mean, there's still a lot we've not discussed, but I don't know if we even need to. What good will it do? I think maybe just starting fresh with us is the way it should be."

"I think if that will work for you both, then go for it. You might be right. What good will it do to drag out all the old history and get you both upset?"

"I guess. Although my therapist would probably think that was a terrible idea. She likes everything out in the open and hashed over a hundred times before she's satisfied."

Chris nodded and allowed her eyes to be held by Jessie's before looking towards the kitchen.

"What's she whipping up?"

"Spaghetti, I think."

"Oh, goody. My favorite."

Chris walked to the kitchen and Jessie followed.

"Why, Chris, I didn't hear you come in," Annie said, when they walked into the kitchen. She lifted her cheek for Chris's kiss and smiled up at her.

"Smells good, Annie."

"Oh, please. You'll say that about anything," she said and laughed. "You two go visit," she said, pushing them from the kitchen. "I'll be out in a bit. Here, take the wine." She shoved the bottle into Chris's hands and the glasses into Jessie's.

Any pretense that Chris had of ignoring her attraction to Jessie fled the instant their fingers touched as she handed Jessie a glass of wine. She knew Jessie felt it, too, for her eyes locked on Chris's.

"I hope you're not upset with me," Jessie finally said.

"Upset? Why?"

"I didn't really plan on kissing you last night. But... well, it was just too tempting," Jessie said lightly.

"Oh, that," Chris said just as lightly. "It was nothing."

"Nothing? Well, I'll have to do better next time."

Chris held Jessie's gaze before lowering her eyes to Jessie's lips.

"Will there be a next time?" she asked.

Jessie leaned closer, feeling the heat that radiated from Chris, suddenly wishing that they were alone.

"Yes. Without a doubt," Jessie stated.

Chris tried to break the hold that Jessie had on her, but she failed miserably. Despite what had happened between them before, she knew she wanted another chance with Jessie. A chance at what, she wasn't really sure. One night of passion? But what if it ended like the last?

Jessie saw the doubts cloud Chris's eyes and she knew she was remembering their last aborted attempt at lovemaking. There was so much she wanted to tell Chris about her feelings that night, about what had driven her to do that, what always drove her to that. But now was not die time. Instead, she changed the subject away from them.

"You know, I wasn't sure if you'd mind that I came tonight or not. I know this is your normal time with Annie. She thinks the world of you, by the way."

Chris smiled and sipped from her wine before answering.

"We usually finish the evening with her beating me in cards and she makes me drink another bottle of wine and I feel like shit the next day," she said with a laugh, acknowledging Jessie's subtle shift in their conversation. "Maybe I can get her to cut me some slack tonight."

"What's so funny?"

They both looked up at Annie who held an empty wineglass. Jessie reached for the bottle to fill it.

"Chris was telling me how you force her to drink two bottles of wine while you beat her at cards," Jessie said.

"Oh, please. I could beat her at cards if she was stone sober," Annie laughed.

Chris smiled, pleased that Annie was so relaxed this evening. She had a glow about her, and Chris knew it was because of Jessie.

They were quiet as they looked from one to the other, then Annie smiled broadly.

"I can't remember the last time I've been this happy. My two favorite girls here at the same time. Thank you both."

Jessie blushed and looked at Chris who smiled quietly while watching her.

"Girls, huh?" Chris murmured.

"Yes, girls," Annie said. "I've been thinking. You know Thanksgiving is coming up," she said shyly. "I haven't actually celebrated it in a lot of years, but I thought this year, well, I have so much to be thankful for. Perhaps Roger and his Ellen might come, if you two thought we could have a dinner together."

"I think that's a great idea," Chris said.

"Yeah. That would be nice," Jessie agreed. She couldn't remember the last time she'd celebrated it either.

"I might even break down and cook a turkey. I doubt Roger would come otherwise," Annie said.

She was nearly beaming and Chris couldn't hold in her laugh. She doubted Annie had planned a dinner party in forty years.

"What?" Annie demanded.

"Nothing," Chris said, hiding her smile with her hand. "It's just... well, I've never seen you like this."

"Like what?"

"Well... happy, Annie."

Annie blushed and busied herself with the fire while Chris and Jessie shared smiles.

"I'm happy, too," Jessie said. "And I think I have the most to be thankful for."

Annie turned around and Chris watched the warm smile transform Annie's face as she looked at Jessie.

"Let's eat, huh?"

Chris was the only one who went back for seconds but was not the least bit shy while she piled her plate high a second time.

"I think she starves herself in between our dinner dates," Annie explained to Jessie. "She eats likes she's starving, anyway."

"I think you're right. Last night, I saw her plate at the Rock House. I don't think she even knew what it was."

"I don't think it's polite to talk about me as if I'm not here," Chris said around a mouthful.

"Why do you insist on eating there?" Annie asked.

"Because I can't cook, as you very well know."

"Nonsense. How hard can it be?"

"Okay, I don't like to cook. Is that better?"

Annie reached across the table and patted her hand.

"I'm just teasing you. It does my heart good to cook a decent meal and have you consume it with such gusto."

Jessie watched the exchange between them, feeling a stab of jealously at the easy banter they enjoyed. She looked up, startled to find Chris watching her.

"Did you ever get any firewood?" Chris asked suddenly.

"I picked some up at the lodge today."

"Good. We're getting a storm in a couple of days. I was going to take Bobby and Greg out for training tomorrow, while things are fairly slow here, but Roger said he got word that we might get ten inches down here in town."

"But not tomorrow?" Annie asked.

"No. But we've not put out all the cross-county ski markers yet so I'll help with that tomorrow. I'm sure if we get a good snow, we'll be packed with skiers this weekend."

"It seems every year around Thanksgiving we get a storm. But it'll be fun to pull out my snowshoes." She turned to Jessie then, to include her in their conversation. "I love to hike and I don't like winter to slow me down."

"Do you ski, too?"

"Oh, no. I tried those long skis but ended up on my butt more than my feet," Annie said and they laughed. "I stick to walking." She paused. "Do you ski?"

Jessie shook her head. She had learned to cross-country ski as a kid, but had not been out since she had left.

"No, I've really not had the opportunity," she said, not wanting to explain her avoidance of anything that would remind her of the mountains.

"Well, if you feel the need to try, you can go out with me," Chris offered.

"Thank you. If we get the chance between now and December twentieth I'm in."

"The twentieth?"

"That's when I've got to be out of the cabin," Jessie explained.