Stealing Time

Published by

Fire and Ice

A Young Adult Imprint of Melange
Books, LLC

White Bear Lake, MN 55110

www.fireandiceya.com

Stealing Time, Copyright 2014 by
Nancy Pennick

ISBN: 978-1-61235-808-6

Names, characters, and incidents
depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or
are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales,
organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental
and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher. No part of
this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States of
America.

Cover Design by Lynsee
Lauritsen

STEALING TIME

by Nancy
Pennick

Drew from the past...

Kate from the present...

Two worlds collided.

As senior year comes to a close, a promise of
new beginnings is on the horizon. Kate longs to head to Arizona and
college until her former friend, Tyson, does the unimaginable
forcing her to stay in Ohio. Her family has to pull together to
keep their secrets safe. Anna wishes to return to the canyon in
1927 once more and Kate’s determined to make that a reality.
Summer’s filled with wonderful memories and little warning of
things to come. Kate’s world grows darker and she must be the one
to conquer the demons and save the world that is most precious to
her.

Table of Contents

"Stealing Time"

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Previews

To my cousin and friend,

Beth

We are all time travelers in our
own small way...

- Professor Brian Cox

The Science of Doctor Who

Chapter One

Present Day Ohio

“Katie, you know I love you.” Tyson slipped
off his shirt and lay down next to her on the bed. For some reason,
nausea swept over her. She turned her head, trying to avoid his
kiss.

“Come on. Say it back. Say you love me.” He
didn’t seem to notice her distance and kissed her on the cheek,
sliding over to her mouth. “This is how it’s supposed to be. Me and
you. Forever,” he whispered between the kisses.

Kate thought she was kissing him back but was
not quite sure. Something in her mind kept shouting, “This isn’t
right.” She tried to imagine the reason, but he kept kissing her,
distracting her.

Think, think harder!
She wanted to
pound her head with her fists, but Tyson’s muscular body pinned
them down. Now the kisses were on her neck and slowly moved down
her body while his hands slipped under her, lifting her toward him.
Kate felt like a rag doll with no control. Suddenly, it came to her
what was wrong. It wasn’t Andrew, not her Drew. Where was he? Why
wasn’t he here, kissing her? None of this made sense.

Kate struggled to get away, out from under
Tyson’s strong, massive body. “No, Tyson, no.” She wanted to
scream, but nothing came out. She felt her mouth open. Her breath
came back at her as it bounced off his skin, but she heard nothing.
He finally felt her resistance but didn’t stop, almost liking
it.

Is he going to...?
No, Kate couldn’t
go there. He had been her friend since she was eight years old.
They had gone through so much together. There’s no way he would
continue on...but he did.

I need Drew. He’s going to come and save
me.

“Drew!” Kate screamed at the top of her voice
as she bolted upright in bed. Fear gripped her by the throat. She
felt weak from fighting Tyson’s advances. Heart pounding, she
searched the room, taking in every inch. She was alone.

“Was that a dream?” She couldn’t believe it.
It was so realistic. She took deep gulping breaths to calm herself,
all the while repeating over and over, “It was just a dream.”

Dreams held a different meaning for Kate and
the world she now lived in. Her mom gave her a book one evening,
hoping to change her daughter’s boring summer. Since that night,
Kate’s life had never been the same. She was taken away to another
time on an unbelievable journey. What she thought was a dream
turned out to be real, changing her life forever.

Kate reached for the book, holding it to her
chest, hoping it would calm her. “You gave me Drew. I was only
sixteen when I first saw him...” A tear rolled down her cheek. “But
I knew he was the one.” Two worlds collided. Drew from the past.
Kate from the present.

Although they were just seniors in high
school, Kate planned to be with Drew for the rest of her life. She
didn’t know how she could live without him. He was so much a part
of her everyday life, it was like breathing. And he could take her
breath away.

After being saved from the past by Kate’s
father, Drew had adjusted to life in the present. He changed his
last name from Martin to Kelly and didn’t look back. On the flip
side, Tyson, her childhood friend, had not. He had trouble
accepting Kate couldn’t take the next step from friendship to love.
He had no clue about her two lives or who Drew really was. All he
saw was someone moving in on his territory. Not that Kate was ever
his territory. She explained over and over she wanted to be
friends, nothing more.

Back in December, Ty slipped into the house
when no one was home and tried to force himself on her. She knew it
was out of desperation but finally realized he couldn’t be part of
her life. Maybe the dream was a reminder of how she could never
trust him again. Everyone believed he would have forced her to have
sex if Drew hadn’t rescued her. But she was still in denial. “Not
Tyson. He’s my friend,” Kate told the empty room. Her chest
tightened, and she placed her hand on her throat. “No, he’s not my
friend.” She hung her head. “He’s turned into a stalker. My
stalker. I have to accept that.”

She sat rigid in the bed, trying to calm down
from the nightmare. The room filled with bright sunlight, unusual
for March in Ohio. It reminded her of an Arizona morning at the
canyon. She watched the sunrays dance across the floor as they
peeked through her blinds. She tried to clear her mind and wished
at times she could wipe the slate clean as easily with Tyson. But
it was too late. He changed everything with his behavior. She’d
always have that day tucked away in her head, reminding her of how
Tyson could truly be.

Kate flopped back into her pillow, reviewing
all that happened in the preceding months. After the return from
the past on New Year’s Eve, she vowed to live the simple life with
her family. No more drama. That’s when she told Tyson he couldn’t
be in her life anymore. She saw the hurt in his eyes but decided
she had to be selfish and take care of herself first.

Lindsey and Jordyn, her best friends, were
very protective and always by her side at school. They both knew
what happened with Ty and didn’t buy Kate’s story that she had
things under control.

As the weeks turned into months, the memories
eased. Kate finally felt in control again. She told the girls to
stop hovering. She was perfectly capable of handling things on her
own. After all, she was a married woman...in the past, that
was.

Jordyn didn’t know that fact, only Lindsey.
She knew of Kate’s two worlds and was there for Drew and Kate’s
1927 wedding last October. Too young to get married? Maybe. That
part felt like a dream. She had to smile as she thought of her life
at the Grand Canyon. It always made her happy.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock and
Drew’s voice coming from the other side. “Are you awake?”

“Yeah, come in.” Kate sat up, wrapping her
arms around her knees.

“You’ll never guess who already called me
this morning.” Drew threw out his hands in frustration.

“Good morning to you, too.” She smiled fondly
at him. In this world, they were just a high school couple worried
about friends and homework.

“Oh, sorry, good morning.” Drew walked over
and kissed the top of her head. “It’s just so frustrating, Kate.
Tyson’s called me every day for the past two weeks, begging for the
chance to restart our friendship. I gave him a tiny bit of hope,
barely a sliver, and he’s all over it. You know I agreed to
consider, and I say that word with much emphasis, just consider
letting that jerk back in our lives. I don’t care what you say he
did or didn’t do last December. He tried to...” Kate shuddered as
she recalled the dream she had. “Are you alright?” Drew sat on the
edge of the bed searching for her hand. “I didn’t mean to bring up
any bad memories.”

“No, it’s not that. I’m fine. What were you
saying?”

“Tyson called and asked if we’d meet him for
lunch tomorrow. He wants to mend fences and be friends again. He’s
going to swear on his family’s life that he never intended to hurt
you. He wants the chance to prove he can be a good friend.”

“Well, enough time has gone by that I would
consider
it.” Kate giggled as she used the same word he used
in his speech. “And it’s Saturday so we have plenty of time to
finish our history paper. I guess we can meet him for a short
lunch.”

“Alright. I’ll call him back and say we’ll
meet up with him tomorrow, but you better talk to your dad
first.”

Kate’s dad didn’t want her to have any
contact with Tyson ever again. “That boy has tested my last nerve!”
he had yelled. “He’s not welcomed in this house for the rest of his
life.” She didn’t want to face her dad alone.

“You have to come with me.” Kate slid out of
bed and threw on a hoodie. She took Drew’s hand, and they made
their way downstairs.

Her dad had started the morning coffee and
stood in the middle of the kitchen, waiting for it to brew, while
reading the newspaper. “Good morning, you two. Sleep well,
Katie?”

Kate hesitated and brushed aside the
nightmare she just had. “Yes, Father, and you?”

“So formal today,” he teased and set down the
paper. “You look like you have something to say.”

“Drew and I are going to meet Tyson for lunch
tomorrow and work out our issues.”

“What? Did I hear you correctly?” He slammed
his hand on the counter. “Andrew, you can’t be on board with
this.”

“I’m doing it for Kate.” Drew put his arm
around her.

“Come on, Dad, you’d probably forgive your
brother if he showed up at our door right now and invite him in.”
She stared intently at him.

“He’s been dead a long time so I don’t really
know.” He was right about Uncle Albert being gone for a long time.
Jackson Roberts was from the past, born in the early 1900s, when
things were quite different.

“You know you would. You probably already
have.” Kate took her father’s hand and led everyone into the family
room. She sat down with him on the sofa. “You’ve had so many life
experiences, learned so much this past year. You have a different
perspective on things...you must admit.” She hoped her father could
see the similarities between Tyson and Albert.