Free Sierra Hearts (Part One) by Ash Elko Page A

jail. Big Paul was the only gentleman in store. He
wasn’t staring at either her behind or her breasts.
    “What are you doing trekking all the way to the
ridge for phone reception for?” Big Paul asked.
    “I called my friend from LA to let her know I got in
fine. With the storm coming and all, I figured I would give her a
call while I could. People from LA don’t know what real weather
is.” Jenn grinned.
    Big Paul muttered something about how much he hated
LA sports teams.
    “Can I—” Mick started to say but was interrupted by
the sound of the local news coming back on. Mick made it a habit of
keeping the TV tuned to local news. Odds were someone in the store
knew someone who appeared in a news segment, plus given the fact
most customers didn’t have access to internet or even so much as a
regular newspaper, it was the one source for news besides the usual
gossip.
    “Can I get you anything?” Mick asked. Jenn shook her
head.
    “No, thanks. I think I’m going to head up and turn
in early.” Jenn was tired, sure, but she also hated the local news.
To her, the local news broadcast was a reminder of her childhood.
Of how alone and isolated she felt growing up in a tiny mountain
town with a thousand other people. Of how scary it was that this
could be her whole life. Living and dying in this place. The whole
world out there, but the most important thing to report who was
having a bake sale this week or who had died. A constant, daily
reminder that there was no escape to this tiny insular world. Jenn
hated the local news.
    “OK,” Mick said.
    Jenn started for the door marked Private at
the end of the bar which led to a small hallway next to the
staircase that separated the General Store from the MacKenzie home.
In the hallway, she carefully removed her jacket, placing it
carefully on a hook. Next her boots, which felt cold and wet. She
undid her scarf, feeling the soft wool against her neck as she
untangled it from her hair. There was something so satisfying about
shedding all of these layers, especially away from the penetrating
stares of the saloon regulars. Pulling off her sweater and stepping
out of her snow pants, she felt so much lighter, renewed somehow.
She began to tug off her knee high socks when she heard footsteps
on the staircase coming down. A shiver of panic rippled up Jenn’s
spine. No one was supposed to be back here. No one. Here she was
getting undressed with a person casually coming down the steps.
    “Who’s there?” Jenn called. The footsteps hesitated.
Jenn waited, unsure what to do.
    Should I try to cover up? she thought.
    Suddenly, a voice from the staircase. “Oh. Sorry.
Mick said I could borrow a cardboard box… for groceries. I didn’t
mean to intrude.” The voice was embarrassed, shy even, but
definitely male. Whoever it was, they hadn’t moved on the stairs,
which was something Jenn noted. There was something about the voice
that Jenn couldn’t place. Almost familiar but not quite.
    Suddenly Jenn could feel the door behind her open.
Glancing behind her, she could see it was her dad.
    “Jenn, I forgot to tell you—oh, I guess you’ve
already discovered for yourself. Danny, stay where you are for a
moment. Don’t move.”
    “No problem, Mr. MacKenzie.”
    Danny? Danny Williams? Was that who was on the
staircase? Jenn thought, of course! That shy voice. It wasn’t shy
now, but it had to be him. It had to be Danny. The last time she
had laid eyes on Danny must have been… years? Was that even
possible? He was only a few years older than Jenn. He would tag
along when his mom did the grocery shopping for the family, and as
a result spent a lot of time in the General Store. Quickly, she
pulled on her snow pants. Not sure what to say, she said, “OK. All
clear.”
    All clear? What did that even mean?
    The sound of the footsteps resumed, slowly at
first.
    The pace made Jenn think of the word tentative .
    “Did you find the box, Danny?” Mick asked. Danny
held up a squat red