Rocky Mountain Times (Chapter 1)
#1 of Rocky Mountain Times
Jen Stepped off the bus in Ridge Colorado. She took a deep breath of the mountain air, relishing the smell of snow. It had been too long since.
"Excuse me miss, you're in the way."
Yap, she supposed she was. Jen walked to the side of the bus and waited for the driver to open the baggage compartments. She only had two bags, one with here skis, and the other with the remainder of her cloths. Jen had sold most of her belongings to move out here, but shopping would have to wait.
Jen set her bags down and tipped the driver; a terrier who looked completely unsuited to working in the cold mountain environment. Being a snow leopard, Jen herself was more than at home in the winter. Two college students on break gawked at her as she picked up her bags and walked through town. Maybe she should have worn more than a fitted t-shirt. Jen reasoned that a jacket would be two hot considering her fur was made for cold weather.
Then again, they were probably admiring her build. Jen was 5'9", 127 lbs and very shapely. By now, Jen was used to men starring at her. She prided herself on her physical condition. She biked five days a week and yolates every morning. Luckily, her curves did an exceptional job of hiding her slightly muscular build.
She held her tail high as she walked through town. Jen took in the sights and sounds of Ridge. It had barely changed from how she remembered it. Having practically grown up skiing in here, Jen knew the streets and store fronts like the back of her paw. Sure, some of the store names had changed, and there were strings of new condominiums on the lower slopes, but the buildings in the main town were the same. And, as always, the four peaks of the resort rose over the buildings, trails weaving through the lodge-pole pines.
Jen reached the end of the commercial district and turned left. She walked past the ice rink and began the accent out of town. She was glad that she was almost home because it was starting to get dark. Jen checked the map on her iPhone. She was looking for 2383. When she was planning to move, Jen found an ad from a friendly sounding girl looking for a co-leaser. She had called the girl, Samantha, or Sam, and they had gotten along well enough. They had agreed on date to move in. Sam had said the house was already furnished, so all Jen needed to bring was any cloths and personal belongings. Jen just hoped that they would get along well in person. As a rule she was a solitary individual, and didn't share so much as half a duplex.
Jen looked over and saw that she was at 2383. The house was built like all the others along the street using the ever present log cabin theme. Warm light was pouring from the windows and reflected on the untouched snow in the small lawn. The sidewalk and drive had been recently shoveled and swept. Jen could see someone moving inside. She let out a deep sigh and walked up to the door. Before she could ring the bell, the door opened and Jen found herself face to face with Sam for the first time.
Sam was a Blue Fox. She was easily four inches shorter than Sam. Her slim form was shown off in a tight fitting track jacket and hip huggers. Sam had a grin the size to the Rockies as she stood in the door, framed by her bushy tail.
Sam spoke first "You must be Jen, nice to finally meet you in person."
Jen held out her hand "Nice to meat you."
"No formalities among friends!" Cried Sam and promptly hugged Jen. Jen could tell she was going to like this girl already. "Now," Sam continued "come inside, I'll show you your room. Dinners almost ready, I hope you like tacos."
Jen loved tacos, and this house, and Sam's friendliness. Everything made her feel right at home. She followed Sam through the door. It was warm inside. A large stone fireplace stood in the center of the space, dividing it into quarters. A staircase leading up and a dining table were on the left, the living room to the right. The kitchen was behind the dining room, the smell of simmering meat and fresh vegetables filling the room. Beyond the living room, was a hall which lead to more rooms.
Sam turned left and led Jen up the stairs.
"Since it's just the two of us, I'm giving you the upper floor."
The stairs lead to a loft overlooking the dining and living rooms. Facing the railing Sam pointed to the left "the bed's over there, here's the bathroom, and the studios to the right."
Jen walked the bed room and dropped her bags. There was a full sized bed two windows on the far wall and reading lamp. She poked into the bathroom, and continued over to the studio. It was amazing. Counters lined the room and the two walls that didn't touch the bathroom had enormous windows that looked out over the town and across to the slopes. The boxes Jen had shipped ahead with her equipment were stacked in the middle of the room.
"It's not much." Sam muttered distractedly.
"It's perfect." Jen walked over and hugged her.
Sam smiled "I'll go check on dinner and let you get unpacked."
As Sam walked down to the kitchen, Jen looked around again and grinned. This house, this town, Sam, everything here was the exact change Jen had been looking for. As she unpacked, the smell of food wafting up, she didn't even think about why she needed that change to begin with.