Call of the Canyon (7 page)

“Oh, that’s so cute! You never told us they
called you that.” Lindsey’s voice piped in. “Sorry, go on.”

“To top it off, Matt wants to marry me. I
don’t want to get married. I’m too young and not sure I want to
marry him. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy, but I never
thought about him like that.”

“I know what you mean. I feel like that,
too,” Lindsey said.

“About Matt?” Kate was confused.

“No about Charlie and me...oops.” There was
silence.

“Lindsey Campbell, did you sleep with
Charlie?” Kate couldn’t believe her ears.

“No, no, I didn’t. Things got a little
serious between us last summer. I was leaving the next day and we
were alone in the barn. One thing led to another, but I put on the
brakes.” Lindsey paused. “No questions about the relationship,
Kate. Promise?”

Kate was surprised Lindsey held back
information and was a little hurt. “I wish you’d confided in
me.”

“Hey, this isn’t about you...or me now.”
Lindsey scolded her. Then her voice softened. “It’s hard having a
long distance relationship. I didn’t want one. So I talked myself
into believing we were better off friends.”

“We’ll talk later.” Kate promised.

“Got to go anyway, they need my help out in
the kitchen. Jordyn, I’m here whenever you need me.”

“Bye, Linds.” Both girls said at the same
time and then stared at each other.

“What are you going to do, Jordyn?” Kate
finally broke the silence.

“I thought about a lot of things, but I
decided to have the baby. I guess I better tell my moms. I don’t
want to get married. I don’t want to be Jordyn Taylor-White-Parker!
Not yet, anyway.”

“I don’t blame you.” Kate could sympathize
on the marriage part. “I think you should tell them today. Do you
want me to go with you?”

“No, I can do this on my own. Wish me luck.”
The girls hugged each other tightly and Kate wished there was more
she could do for her friend.

After Jordyn left, Kate could not stop
thinking about the situation Jordyn was in. She definitely did not
want to have a baby that young and it made her think about marriage
to Drew. It was time to talk to her mother.

“Mom? Where are you?” Kate looked through
the house and found her on the deck. She was reading and sipping an
iced tea.

“Mom, Jordyn’s pregnant.”

Her mom choked on the tea and almost dropped
the glass. “Oh, my gosh, Katie! Is she okay? Do her moms know? Is
Matt the father?”

“Calm down, Mom. Yes, Matt’s the father. He
even wants to marry Jordyn. She’s going home now to tell her
moms.”

“Wow.” Her mom put the glass down. “No
offense to Jordyn, but I’m glad it’s not you.”

“There
is
something I want to talk to
you about.”

Kate’s mom put her hand to her chest. “Not
you, too!”

“No, stop it, Mom. You should know Drew
better than that. We want to get married...in 1927.” Kate went on
to tell her mother ideas for the wedding. She wanted to get married
at the Circle J ranch in mid-September. “I want you to be my maid
of honor.”

Her mother got tears in her eyes. “Oh,
sweetie, I’d be honored.”

“You have to go back with me to pick out
dresses and everything we need. I know traveling to the past isn’t
your favorite thing to do but we can’t shop here. I don’t think
dresses can time travel and I don’t feel like sleeping in a wedding
dress.”

They both laughed and then her mom grew
quiet. “Shouldn’t you have your two best friends from the
boardinghouse in your wedding, Anna and Lucinda?”

“Yes, of course, I plan on asking them.
Drew’s going to ask Dad to be his best man and will probably have
Thomas and Daniel as groomsmen. That’s as far as we got with the
plans. Oh, I want to have Lindsey there, too.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Dad won’t
approve, I’m sure.”

“Well, too bad. If Lindsey wants to come,
I’m somehow getting her there...with your help or without.”

“Let me think about this.” Her mom got up
and went in the house.

“By the way, Mom, it’s Kate now. Just in
case you forgot.” She called after her mother. She decided to stay
outside and enjoy the sunny day. She closed her eyes and reflected
on the day until her thoughts were interrupted.

“Hey, li’l sis! Mind if I join you?” A
familiar voice rang through the air.

“Carl Jr.! You’re home!” Kate jumped up and
hugged her friend and neighbor. “Sit down and tell me what you’ve
been up to.”

“Well, I’m home on an extended visit. I’m
going to take some courses over at the college this summer. I took
a sabbatical from my job.” Carl stared straight ahead as if he
couldn’t make eye contact.

“So there are no Swedish-African-Americans
in California now?” Kate teased him with their inside joke.

“Nope, the one and only left the state and
there better not be one taking my place.” Carl turned and looked at
her. He was barely smiling.

“What’s wrong? You’re not telling me
something.” Kate took off her sunglasses and stared him down.

“Okay, between you and me, I quit my job and
came home. I felt unfulfilled.”

“Unfulfilled as a marine biologist living in
California?”

“That’s not all there is to life. Look at
you. You lived more in your seventeen years than I have in
thirty.”

“Carl, that’s not true. Our lives are just
different, that’s all.” Kate felt bad for him. He was like her
brother and always looked out for her. She hoped she could do the
same for him.

“Look, Kate, don’t tell my mother I quit my
job. I saved up a lot of money and can live on it for quite some
time before I need to find another job...and I’m not really taking
courses, either.”

“You can count on me. You know I think of
you as a brother. I want what’s best for you. I think I know how I
can cheer you up.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“You need to come back to 1927 with me just
once. You need to see your dad and the boardinghouse and the
horses. We won’t tell anyone. It will be our secret. That might
help your state of mind.”

“I don’t know. My mom never wanted me to
time travel. She stayed in the present when I was a child and
brought me up in the here and now, letting my dad go back for
visits. She said it was tough enough being an interracial couple in
the late sixties when they first met, let alone the twenties. They
worked hard to be accepted there.”

“You’re a grown man now, Carl. You can make
your own decisions. It will just be one time so you can see
everything. Your dad won’t know you so we’ll have to come up with a
name and background for you. We’ll have to wait a few more days
because I didn’t show up until July.”

“My middle name is Joseph. I could use
that.”

“That’s good. We could say you’re a long
lost cousin of Maya’s and that’s the reason you’re at the
boardinghouse.”

“I have to be related to Maya because she’s
black?”

“Carl!”

“I know, I’m teasing. I’d love to see my dad
one more time although we’ll probably be the same age. I could be
younger, right? My mom goes back to being twenty-four, doesn’t
she?”

“I have no answer for that. I know my dad is
the age he was in 1927, which makes sense. You told me Maya is
always the same age. She was seven years younger than Carl when she
met him so that makes her twenty-four when she’s in 1927. So
confusing! I’m just myself so maybe you will be, too. It will be
fun to see.”

“Agree, confusing at times. You may be right
about whatever age you are when you first travel; you’ll always be
that age. I’ll think about it and let you know in a few days.”

* * * *

Kate talked to Lindsey every day while she
was at the ranch and filled her in on her wedding plans, Carl’s
soon-to-be visit to the canyon and her return to the boardinghouse
in July. She couldn’t resist asking about Charlie either.

“Kate, how many times do I have to tell you,
we’re just friends. We haven’t hooked up this year. Charlie knows
how I feel. We’re casually dating, that’s all.” Lindsey sounded
like she was tired of explaining. Kate knew all their conversations
started off with the same question. “Are you and Charlie a couple
yet?” and she needed to stop.

“I know, I’m a pest and you hate me.” Kate
said into the phone.

“No, I love you and you know that. You’re
just getting the wedding jitters. I want to come. I’ll be good and
stay in the background. If anyone asks who I am, I’ll say I’m your
best friend from Ohio...which is true.”

“I really want you to come. We’ll make it
happen. I want you to see my world.” She wanted Lindsey to be there
more than anything. “I wish you could be in the wedding, too.”

“Not a good idea. I’ll have enough trouble
avoiding young Anna and even great-grandpa Daniel. I do look a lot
like Grandma J, you know.”

“Yes, why did that have to happen?” They
both started to laugh.

“Have you talked to Jordyn?” Lindsey
suddenly changed the subject.

“Not too often. She told her moms about the
baby and they were supportive. They said if she married Matt, he
could move in so they could finish high school. Matt’s all for it.
Jordyn’s so preoccupied. She doesn’t have time for gossip or
visiting. I hope that changes soon.”

Kate heard the doorbell and wondered who it
could be. “Lindsey, I’ve got to go, that could be Jordyn. Talk to
you later.”

She ran down the stairs, looked out the
front door window and saw Tyson standing on the porch. She hadn’t
seen him in a long while. He probably noticed her dad and Drew were
gone and decided it was the time to visit. Slowly opening the door,
Kate gave him a slight smile.

“Hi, Katie, can I come in?” Tyson smiled
sheepishly.

“Yeah, sure, come in.”

“I want to let you know I was heading to New
York City for the summer. My agent wants me to live there because I
can get more work.”

“Aren’t you underage?”

“I’ll live with her for the summer. She’s
the mother of one of my basketball friends, remember? I met them
when I was chosen to play in the Eastern Conference game over
Christmas break. So it all works out. I won’t go, if you don’t want
me to.”

What?
Kate could not believe her
ears. She’s been with Drew since last November and now it’s July.
Didn’t he get the hint? “Ty, of course you should go.”

“Oh, just checking.” He shrugged and looked
away. “I’m going to make a lot of money this summer. I could keep
doing this and end up being famous or something.”

“I’m sure Erin will love that.” Kate
couldn’t help mentioning his girlfriend.

“Would you?” Ty raised his eyebrows and gave
her a hopeful look.

“If it makes you happy, then yes.” Kate held
her ground. Tyson was not going to manipulate her again.

“Let’s keep in touch, even though I’ll be
gone.” Ty put out his arms as if he wanted a hug.

One hug
, Kate thought.
That’s
harmless enough
. She reached out and when she looked up to say
good-bye, Tyson kissed her.

Kate pushed back and yelled, “When do you
ever stop?”

“Never, it was only a good-bye kiss,
something for you to remember me by.” He winked, opened the door
and let himself out.

He was so frustrating. What was she doing
wrong? She thought he was finally convinced he had no chance with
her. Was he acting like that because Drew wasn’t around?

Kate stormed out into the backyard. She went
all the way to the farthest corner of the yard where Drew and her
father had done some landscaping this spring. She needed to be by
something that reminded her of Drew. His mother loved lilacs so her
dad took him to a garden center to choose some plants. They created
a lilac garden in her honor. Jackson even dug up some of his rock
garden for the new display. Drew chose dark purple and pale
lavender flower bushes. They were beautiful a few weeks ago but the
flowers were starting to wilt.

She looked at the pale lavender flowers and
had a brilliant idea. Those would be the flowers for her wedding.
Lilacs! The bridesmaids could wear pastel lavender dresses and
carry dark purple flowers. It would be beautiful. Feeling better,
Kate headed for the deck to sit awhile. Carl was nowhere to be
seen, although they spent the last few days together. Kate wondered
if he forgot about their planned trip to the past because he never
mentioned it again.

“Kate! Are you alright?” Carl came running
over from his house on the Katie path, the one Kate and Maya built
when she was small.

“Yes, why?” She squinted in the sun.

“I saw Tyson leave your house a few minutes
ago. I debated and then decided to come over to see if everything
was okay.” Carl was being the protector, always the brother.

“I’m fine, see?” Kate pointed to herself.
“Come and sit with me.”

Carl sat next to her in a lounge chair. He
played with his sunglasses, taking them off, rubbing them on his
shirt and then putting them back on.

“Trying to see something more clearly?”

“No, I’m starting to see
everything
more clearly. I’m glad I quit my job and came home. I’m ready for a
new adventure in my life. Let’s leave tonight for the canyon.”

“Well, first I need to go back myself and
make sure everything’s the same. I’m a day late as it is. I really
should have gone back already. How about tomorrow?” Kate was a
little nervous about their plan. “I have a little exploring to do.
My dad and Drew always wake up in second floor bedrooms of the
boardinghouse, the family living quarters. I hope that’s where
you’ll wake up, but you have to promise to stay put until I find
you.”

“Deal,” Carl said. “Do what you need to do
and get back to me. I’ll be waiting.”

“As always, I need to wait until dusk for the
book to work and take me there. I’ll go as soon as the sun
sets.”