Stealing Time (10 page)

“In a minute, I want to talk to your dad.”
Drew held up one finger.

“Sure.” Kate ran up the stairs and into her
room without a moment to spare. An idea just came to her. She
rummaged through her desk, looking for Lindsey’s senior picture.
For some reason, Kate felt like she should take it with her. Her
heart pounded with excitement, and she prayed this would work out
well for Anna. Forgetting about Drew, Kate popped into bed and
grabbed her book. Embracing the book to her body, she was
overwhelmed by its awesomeness. Slowly, Kate turned to the first
page and began to read.

“Starting without me?” Drew bounced on her
bed.

“Secrets with Dad?”

“No, I just wanted to go over the details one
more time.”

“In other words, secrets from Kate.”

Drew threw his head back and laughed. “If you
must believe that, then okay.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Good
night, my princess. See you in my dreams.”

Kate had a hard time staying mad after that.
She kissed him again and smiled. “My wish is for the other princess
in our life to be granted all of hers tonight.” She snuggled down
in her bed. “Good night, my prince.”

“Are we getting too corny?” Drew cocked his
head to one side and gave her a cute smirk.

“Never.” Kate slipped off to sleep, her last
thought being of the canyon.

* * * *

Her eyes popped open. Kate felt like she
dozed for just a minute.
I don’t remember falling asleep. I want
to be at the canyon and am afraid to look around.
Something
inside her urged her to do so quickly because there was a job to
do.

Gazing straight up, Kate recognized the pine
ceiling of her boardinghouse room and finally found the courage to
sit up. She never tired of the sun shining through the cotton
curtains at her window, making patterns on the floor. The dresser
stood stoically against the wall with its wash basin and pitcher,
always a comforting sight. Although she was here yesterday, Kate
shivered like it was the very first time. The sensation tingled
through her body like it was aware something new was about to
happen.

“Anna!” Kate flew out of bed and down the
hall to the end room. She didn’t even knock, just threw open the
door. “Anna, are you alright?”

She was still asleep and lazily sat up.
“Kathryn, whatever are you doing?” Anna rubbed her eyes as if she
was trying to focus.

“I’m looking for someone.”

“In my room? May I ask who you’re looking
for?”

Kate was a little worried. Maybe she should
run upstairs to check to see if the other Anna arrived. Too late
for that. She was supposed to keep an eye on young Anna this
morning, not burst into her room. Now she’s asking questions, and
Kate had to answer. “Lindsey, Lindsey Campbell.”

“Why are you looking for my
great-granddaughter? That girl sleeps in until late morning.”

“Oh my gosh, Anna, it’s you!”

“Of course, it’s me! What are you doing at
the ranch?”

“Don’t you remember? You wanted to come back
to the boardinghouse. This isn’t the ranch. It’s 1927.” She
hesitated and quickly scanned the room. A hand-held mirror caught
her eye. “I know it’s you, but it’s you from the present
inside...this body.” She handed her the mirror. “Look.”

Anna’s hand flew to her face. “Kathryn! It’s
eighteen-year-old me. I’m young. I’m at the canyon!” She jumped out
of bed and danced around the room.

While Anna spun around the room, Kate decided
to be sure she was the one and only Anna at the canyon. She pulled
Lindsey’s picture from the sleeve of her nightgown. “Can you look
at this picture, and tell me who it is?”

“
It’s Lindsey, of course. Stop being so
silly. Let’s go riding together. I’ve always wanted to do that with
you at the Circle J but was too old. Oh, I have all the memories,
from now and the present.” Anna stopped twirling and hugged Kate
tightly. “I don’t want to waste a minute. I feel like a thief in
the night, robbing someone else’s life. I need to get
started.”

“Let’s sit down for a moment, shall we?” Kate
became business-like. “This is a first for the book. We know my
dad’s always the age he was in 1927, and it makes sense that you
are, too, I guess. Why do you have memories of your present day
life?”

“Because I time traveled.” Anna hopped from
one foot to the other. “I’m not the 1927 Anna. I’m present day Anna
inside this body. And besides, your father has all his memories.
But I know what you mean.” She stopped her little dance and settled
in next to Kate. “He left here and went to the present to live. I’m
the opposite so it’s different circumstances. Confusing, but I
don’t care. Let’s go find Andrew and Jack and tell them the good
news.”

“You know what this means, don’t you?” Kate
trembled as she asked. “We can meet here all summer and be
together.”

Anna climbed out of bed, grabbed Kate’s hand
and showed her the door. “Get dressed! I’ll meet you outside in a
minute.”

Kate stumbled back to her room, dazed by what
just took place. She quickly dressed in her uniform that had
magically appeared on her bed. Using the brush on her dresser, she
tried to style her hair into the Harvey girl hairdo, having no luck
as usual. Anna usually did her hair before work, and Kate hoped to
learn to do it one day herself. Tossing the brush on the bed in
disgust, Kate ran to the front of the house and outside. Drew and
her father were deep in conversation when she reached them.

“Sorry, she’s nowhere to be found.” Her
father tried to soften the blow he thought he was delivering.
“Maybe she fell asleep before she started reading.”

“Oh, she’s here alright.” Kate looked
around.

“No, she isn’t.” Drew tried to console
her.

The front door flew open, and Anna came
skipping out.

“Don’t say anything. Just act like you’re
inviting us to breakfast,” Kate’s dad whispered.

“Okay,” Kate whispered back. “You’re invited
to breakfast with me...and Anna Jenkins!”

“Shhh, don’t use her married name.” Her dad
seemed perplexed by Kate’s behavior.

“Did someone say ‘Anna Jenkins’?” Anna
innocently asked.

“You probably heard me talking about Daniel.”
Andrew stepped in to take the blame.

Kate and Anna looked at each other and began
to laugh.

“Should we let them in on the secret?” Anna
asked her.

“Go ahead.”

“I’m future Anna. It’s me, guys. I’m in my
1927 body.”

Both men looked shocked and then
relieved.

“Congratulations!” Kate’s dad nodded at her.
“I’d hug you, but no one knows we’re family.”

Maya came out on the front porch. “Breakfast,
everyone! You men staying?”

Kate ran ahead of the group and hugged Maya.
“It’s her...Anna from the present.”

Maya smiled broadly and said, “Thank goodness
it worked. I’ve been so worried. Being the keeper of these books
brings on great responsibility. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by it
all. If only my Carl was alive to discuss this with me. I valued
his opinion so much.”

“Carl is here.” Kate knew she shouldn’t say
that because this Carl was the 1927 version. He had no idea of a
son or living in the future. Maya was grateful just to be able to
see him at the canyon even though he had passed away years ago.
“What I mean is his spirit. Talk to his spirit.” Maya put her arm
around Kate and walked her into the house now filled with smells of
coffee and baking bread. Another one of Kate’s favorite moments.
“Maya, you know how to fill this place with love.”

“Two more for breakfast, Carl!” Maya called
as they reached the kitchen.

Ruthie and Lucinda scurried into the room and
sat at their places.

“We have two gentlemen at the table today.
Whatever brought them here?” Lucinda poked Kate in the ribs and
smiled at her.

“Always nice to have extra company.” Carl Sr.
poured coffee for himself and anyone else who wanted some.
“Canyon’s in the barn, Andrew. I wiped her down this morning. She’s
ready to go.”

“Thanks, Carl,” Drew acknowledged with a
nod.

Breakfast turned out to be fun and lively
with everyone contributing something to the conversation, even
Ruthie who was usually quite shy.

As the girls began to clear the table, Drew
nodded to them and got up to leave. “We don’t want to overstay our
welcome. We’ll be on our way. Jack, I’ll be in the barn.”

Kate knew that was the signal for them to
meet there. “I need to do a few things before I’m ready to leave.
I’ll be quick.” She got up and took her plate over to the kitchen
counter.

Anna continued to clear dishes and help Maya
at the sink. Maya seemed to be saying she’d take over and pushed
Anna toward the door.

Anna and Kate ran for the barn, closing the
door behind them. Drew was prepping Canyon as Kate’s dad paced back
and forth.

“Let’s make this a regular day at the canyon,
shall we? Girls, you go to work, and we’ll see you at lunch break.
Enjoy the day.”

“Regular day. Got it.” Anna saluted and then
turned to Kate laughing. “This is unbelievable. I get to relive my
memories.”

Kate hoped the day would remain the same
during the visit. No new memories, no altering history. She trusted
Anna, but someone else might mess things up. He could be lurking
behind every bush. Around every corner. It was only a matter of
time until he showed up.

Chapter
Seven

Summertime in Ohio was something no one took
for granted. The memory of cold winter days was always a reminder
to appreciate the long, hot ones. The Roberts family ate dinner on
the deck and had late night swims to take advantage of the
weather.

The days lazily drifted by with nightly
visits to the canyon. Kate and Drew were happier now that they were
under one roof. They could coordinate their schedules, like leaving
for the canyon and choosing classes for their first semester of
college.

“So many introductory classes to take. I
don’t know if we should start with English or Speech. What do you
think?” Kate poured over the college catalog one evening on the
deck. “Drew, did you hear me?” Kate finally looked up from her
laptop and saw a blank stare on his face. She gave him a poke.

Drew jumped as if startled back to reality.
“Yeah, whatever you say.”

“And what did I say?”

“We’re choosing classes.”

“Not quite. What were you thinking
about?”

“That everything’s going too well. We’re too
happy. Things are too normal. Stuff like that.”

“So you like drama...things are too
calm?”

Drew sat up. “No, just the opposite. This has
been a dream of mine since coming here. A normal life. Seems like
something always gets in the way.”

“I know what you mean. It’s been a whole
month of peace and quiet. Anna’s enjoying the canyon and counting
the days until she can see Daniel again. He doesn’t come back from
that cattle drive until Lucinda’s wedding which is still over a
month away. You’re not worried she’ll break down and tell him
anything, are you?”

“Absolutely not. We have one more month of
enjoying the summer here...and there. What could be better?”

“Well, if I’m correct, the sun’s starting to
set. We can get a head start on our night. Let’s go up and get
ready for bed. Race you!”

Kate slid open the screen door and headed for
her room. It wouldn’t take long to get ready. She and Drew had it
down to a science now they were in the same house. They’d arrive at
the canyon and conveniently run into each other throughout the day.
During the evening Kate would steal away to the cabin with Drew.
Although Thomas lived with Drew, he usually worked double shifts
and came home after the dinner hour. Kate and Drew headed back to
the boardinghouse by then in order to come back to the present. It
was a routine Kate never wanted broken.

Drew walked by Kate’s room, pretending to
ignore her.

“Hey, husband! What’s up?” Kate called out to
him.

“See you soon. Love you.” Drew stuck his head
in the door.

“I love you, too.” She opened her book and
looked hard at the first page. She swore she read that page over
and over but still had no idea what it said or what the story was
about. Anyway, she was getting tired and didn’t care. Sliding under
her cool sheet, she soon drifted off to sleep.

* * * *

After her shift at El Tovar, Kate decided to
take a walk by the canyon as she waited for Drew to finish up at
Kolb Studio. She walked along the canyon rim taking in its natural
beauty.

“Katie? Is that you?”

She heard a familiar voice, and a shudder
went through her. It was not a voice she ever wanted to hear at the
canyon. Turning toward the sound, she knew who owned
it...Tyson.

“Katie, it is you! What are you wearing?
Looks old-fashioned or something,” he chuckled. “I feel so much
better now that I see a friendly face. I feel like I’ve been
wandering for days.”

“Then you must be hungry. Let’s get something
to eat.” Kate knew she needed to play along with the dream theory.
She had to be nice because this was Tyson’s dream. Looking over her
shoulder, she hoped Drew spotted them before she took Tyson inside
El Tovar. Anna was working the dinner shift so Kate steered them to
one of her tables.

“Funny, but I’m starving.” Tyson seemed to
relax as they sat down.

Anna came scurrying over to the table, making
eye contact with Kate as if to say she knew what was going on.

“Hey, look, you two are dressed alike.” Tyson
pointed back and forth between the girls. He nodded. “Nice.”

After they ordered, Kate knew she had to make
it seem like a dream. “I’ll be right back.” She got up and
disappeared into the kitchen.

Anna grabbed her, pulling her into a corner.
“Drew’s in back. He said to remain calm and stick to the plan.”