River of Time

by Zoe Matthews

  She felt herself stop, and she opened her eyes. Looking around in amazement, she knew she had traveled to the right place. She saw a large, log cabin directly in front of her. Behind the cabin, she could see a barn for the horses and a pen for the chickens. Beyond that, there was nothing but grass, trees, and mountains. She could hear the faint sound of a stream nearby. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, relishing in the fresh air around her.

  Nicky saw a small girl with braided black hair working over a patch of ground and immediately knew it was Colleen. The girl stood and noticed her. Nicky watched, as she said something to a woman who was working with her and pointed. The woman turned and Nicky recognized Bridget.

  “Who are you?” Colleen called, as she ran towards Nicky. As the child got closer to her, Nicky knew Colleen recognized her, when her face lit up. “Hi, Nicky!” Colleen ran up to her, giving her a large hug that had Nicky grinning in response.

  “Hello, Colleen,” she greeted the girl with a hug of her own.

  “Welcome,” Bridget called, as she approached Nicky. “When did you get here? Are Victoria and Collins with you?”

  Nicky shook her head. “I came by myself.”

  “Where’s your horse?” Colleen questioned curiously and then looked her up and down. “You’re dressed funny again.”

  “Colleen, why don’t you go and find one of your uncles?” Bridget suggested and chuckled, as the child scrunched her face, letting her aunt know she didn’t want to leave, but she obediently ran towards a building nearby.

  “I’m assuming you used one of the keys to get here,” Bridget said to her after Colleen left.

  “Yes,” Nicky confirmed. “School is out for the summer, and I really want to be here for Kimberly’s baby’s birth. Am I too late? Did she have her baby yet?”

  “Too late?” Bridget questioned. “No, you aren’t too late. She had pains all day yesterday, but it was false labor. She isn’t having any today.”

  “Good,” Nicky breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s a bit early yet for the baby to come.”

  “Babies come when they’re ready, whether it’s early or not,” Bridget commented.

  “In my time, if babies come early, we have ways to help them if they need it. I’ve just been worried about her.”

  Bridget nodded. “Kimberly has tried to explain how giving birth works in the future. It sounds very complicated to me. Imagine going to the hospital just to have a baby. Here, she will have her loved ones around her to help. She’ll be fine.”

  “I’m sure you’re right; she will be fine. I want to be here anyway. I want to help and…” Nicky was interrupted, as she saw Colleen run back towards them with a man behind her. Nicky immediately recognized Shaun, and her heart skipped a beat. In her mind, he was the perfect cowboy, good-looking, one thumb hooked in a pocket of his pants, the blur of the beautiful green forest behind him.

  “Colleen says we have a visitor,” Shaun said, as he reached them. Taking off his hat, he looked at her intensely, and Nicky instinctively took a step away from him. Was he upset she had come? Well, even if he was, she wasn’t going to leave. She came to help Kimberly.

  “Hi, Shaun,” she said with a smile.

  “Nicky came to be with Kimberly until the baby is born,” Bridget explained.

  “So you are planning on staying until the birth?” Shaun questioned, as the strange look in his eyes grew stronger.

  Nicky shook her head. “I am planning on staying all summer.”

  Shaun smiled, and Nicky felt relieved that he seemed fine with her plans, even though she kept telling herself it shouldn’t matter what he thought. “I’m sure Kimberly will be glad to have you.”

  What about you? She wanted to ask, but she kept silent. She was being honest that she was there to help Kimberly, but she also knew she wanted to get to know Shaun better, and what better way to do that than to spend her summer on his ranch?

  Bridget tucked her arm into Nicky’s. “Kimberly is in the family cabin. I’ll take you to her.”

  They fell in step together, and suddenly she felt a tug on the bag she carried.

  “I’ll take this,” Shaun offered, and Nicky released her hold on it.

  It was only a few steps to the house. As Nicky stepped inside, she felt she was walking into another world. She had been to some old cabins that had been restored in her time, and it felt like she was in one of those old homes. The exception was this one definitely looked like people lived in it. It was all one, big room, with the kitchen close to the door, and a living area beyond that. A large, wood stove sat in the corner of the kitchen, and a small, tall table stood nearby with vegetables on it. There was a large table directly in front of her, which she assumed was where everyone had their meals. There was a doorway on the far wall, which Nicky assumed led to the living room.

  “Kimberly,” Colleen called out, running into another room. “Guess who came to see you?”

  “Did Victoria come?” Nicky heard her friend call out, and her eyes filled with tears. She missed her friend so much.

  “No, someone else came!” Colleen giggled. Nicky stood in the doorway and watched, as Kimberly looked up from her sewing curiously and gasped. “Nicky!”

  Nicky hurried to Kimberly’s side, as she slowly maneuvered herself to her feet. The two friends hugged for a long moment, both glad to be in each other’s presence once again.

  “Oh, Nicky,” Kimberly sobbed, as she pushed Nicky away from her for a moment. “You don’t know how happy I am to see you.”

  “Probably about as happy as I am to see you,” Nicky smiled through her own tears.

  “Why are they both crying?” Colleen asked curiously.

  “They are happy to see each other,” Shaun explained.

  Nicky quickly wiped her eyes and glanced at Shaun, noticing that the strange look in his eyes hadn’t left. She wondered what it meant, but then she dismissed it, as she hugged her friend again.

  “What made you decide to come?” Kimberly asked.

  “I got your latest letter this morning,” Nicky explained. “I thought you were having the baby. I just couldn’t stay away.”

  Kimberly smiled. “Yes, I was having pains, but they went away. I’m fine now.”

  “Yes, that’s what Bridget told me. I’m glad to hear that. You need to cook that baby for a few more weeks.”

  “Cook?” Colleen asked. She looked at Kimberly with her eyes confused. “Are you cooking the baby?”

  Nicky chuckled. “I meant she needs to carry the baby a few more weeks.”

  “Oh,” Colleen said, but she still look confused. Nicky knew she needed to be careful with what she said around the girl.

  Shaun laid a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Why don’t you come help me with that new horse? Let’s let Nicky and Kimberly have some time together.”

  Colleen was easily distracted by the bribe of seeing a new horse and nodded her head enthusiastically. They left the cabin, and Nicky noticed Shaun didn’t look at her again.

  “I guess I’m on my own with the garden,” Bridget said and looked at Kimberly. “I’ll be back in a little while to start the noon meal.”

  When Nicky was alone with Kimberly, they hugged each other again.

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” Kimberly said to her. “I’ve missed you so much, but I didn’t dare ask for you to come again. You have your own life in the future. I didn’t want to take you from that.”

  Nicky smiled. “I wanted to come. I’ve been worried about you giving birth without a doctor or being in a hospital. I know that’s how things are done in this time, but…”

  “I understand,” Kimberly said, as she grasped Nicky’s hand with her own. “I’ve had a hard time with it, too. But remember, I am a nurse. As far as I can tell, things are fine. And Patrick did take me to Denver a few months ago to see a doctor there. According to him, everything is fine.”

  “That’s good,” Nicky commented, but she wondered if they could trust a doctor’s opi
nion who lived in 1893.

  “How long can you stay?” Kimberly asked her.

  “I promised Justin I would be back the beginning of August.”

  “So Justin knows about the keys.”

  “Yes. I just told him.”

  “How did he take it?”

  “About as well as can be expected. He’s concerned, of course. He was upset that I left for your wedding last year and didn’t tell him. In fact, I wouldn’t tell him anything. Things have been a bit strained between us.”

  “Oh, Nicky. You should have told him,” Kimberly chastised her gently.

  “I know, but I guess I was upset that he couldn’t trust me.”

  “This time-travel situation isn’t your everyday issue,” Kimberly commented.

  “No, it isn’t. I wasn’t sure he would believe me anyway. After all, when I did finally tell him, he pretended to believe me, but I could tell he really didn’t, until he saw my letter to Shaun disappear and then yours appear right before his eyes.”

  “It is easier to believe, when you can actually see how the keys work.”

  “Yes, but let’s not talk about Justin anymore. I want to hear everything that has happened since I left.”

  For the next few hours, the two friends talked, getting caught up in each other’s lives. Soon it was like they had never been apart. Nicky was glad she came. She didn’t know if she would even be a help for the birth, but she would do everything she could.

  ****

  The next few days passed quickly. Nicky discovered Bridget had been very nervous that she would be the only woman to help Kimberly when her baby came, so she was relieved that Nicky would also be there to help. Bridget confessed that she didn't do well around blood.

  Both Kimberly and Bridget gave her a few dresses to wear. There was a simple, blue one that came with an apron. She figured she would be wearing that one most often. The other was slightly nicer and red in color. Both had long sleeves, which she had to wrinkle her nose at, knowing she would be very hot that summer. Despite that, she found that she actually enjoyed wearing the dresses, although Kimberly told her she might change her mind after wearing them for a few days. Nicky actually liked to wear long, flowing skirts in her own time, so adjusting to wearing dresses every day wasn’t a problem for her. Bridget gave her a pair of shoes. Nicky tried them on, but she found them so uncomfortable she insisted she’d wear the bright pink and green, running shoes she had brought with her, even though they looked funny with the dresses. The dresses were long enough to cover them up most of the time anyway.

  Since Patrick and Kimberly had moved into their own cabin that had been built for them, Nicky stayed in the smaller cabin where Kimberly had stayed, when she had arrived at the ranch and for a short while after she had married Patrick.

  Nicky loved the small cabin. She had heard Shaun’s father had built the cabin when the family first had arrived in the area, and she had a hard time picturing five people living in such a small space, but it was perfect for one person. It had a small bed with a beautiful quilt on top. There was a small trunk where she kept her clothing, and a wood stove to keep the cabin warm. Nicky didn’t think she’d need to use the stove for warmth, since it was almost the middle of June, but she soon found she did need it at night, since it still was quite cold at night due to the altitude of the ranch.

  Nicky was a bit surprised that Shaun didn’t try to talk to her. He wasn’t rude to her, but she definitely suspected he was avoiding her, and she was disappointed. She didn’t expect him to welcome her with open arms, when she arrived from the future, but she didn’t expect him to avoid her either. She had enjoyed the letters she had exchanged with Shaun, and she thought he felt the same, although she figured it was one thing to write letters to a strange lady who lived in 2006. It was another, if that lady showed up in his own time.

  After thinking about the situation, she finally decided that her reason for traveling back in time was to help Kimberly. Shaun didn’t matter. She enjoyed his daughter. Colleen followed her around, whenever she could, and she was grateful that Shaun didn’t try to stop Colleen from spending time with her.

  It was surprisingly easy to be part of things at the ranch. Bridget insisted that Kimberly not do very much, so she continued to spend her days making baby clothing. Nicky quickly learned how to use the wood stove to cook on in the kitchen, and she enjoyed helping Bridget with the meals. She spent time walking around the ranch, and she could see why Kimberly loved it so much.

  In the evenings, the men would join the women in the living room or on the porch. As Nicky watched Patrick with Kimberly, any worry she had about their marriage was put to rest. She could tell they loved each other deeply. Patrick treated her like fragile glass, which she could tell irritated Kimberly a little bit, but Nicky thought it was sweet. She hoped that someday she would find someone who loved her as much as Patrick loved Kimberly.

  Chapter 11

  Medieval Times: 1570

  Golin walked away from a cart full of clothing, holding a new, black cloak in his arms that he had just purchased. He admitted to himself that the woman who had made the cloak had done an excellent job. She had even added a few, fancy stitches on the front. He cursed himself for having left his cloak in the kitchen of the old woman’s house. He had loved that cloak and had been tempted to go back and retrieve it, but, in the end, he had decided it would be best to get a new one. It was too risky; he didn't want to be seen. He knew that by now, everyone involved with those two keys knew someone else wanted them, especially when they had seen the note he had left behind, the note he now regretted writing. It would have been easier to return and look for the keys, if he hadn’t let them know he was after them.

  As he thought of the frantic search he had made of the old woman’s house, he grew angry. Where did she hide them? Those keys were meant to be his. He had to have them, so he could put his plans into place, the plans he had made years ago.

  “Mama!” Golin heard a child cry out, and he looked down the street of the market towards the sound. What he saw made him even angrier. He ducked behind a house and watched, as a woman ran towards the boy and picked him up in comfort. When the boy quieted, she set him down, and they both walked behind a cart that her husband owned. That woman was the main reason he wanted the keys.

  Golin sank to the ground behind the house he where he was hiding, knowing he couldn’t show himself for awhile. He thought back to the fateful day when his life had changed. The woman, Nellie, had been his girl and no one else’s. He was planning on marrying her, and she had even agreed to an engagement, although it hadn’t been formally announced. He had planned to talk to her father, making their engagement official, when she had come to him one day and told him she had changed her mind. Her father wanted her to marry a son of a friend of her family, and she felt she needed to obey. Golin was livid and had slapped her hard on the face. He told her no one was going to stop him from marrying her. He said he was going to make the arrangements, and they would marry in a few days.

  He regretted the slap now. It scared Nellie, and he knew he should have waited until they were married before he had exerted his authority over her. She told her father who removed her from his home, taking her somewhere safe, and Golin couldn’t find her. A few months later, Nellie had returned, having married the man she had chosen over him. Soon after, Golin found his key. He had been bathing in the river that ran near his village and had found it on the bottom nestled among some rocks and moss. He tucked it in the pocket of his pants for safe keeping. Later, after cleaning it up, he marveled at his find. Holding it in his hand, he inadvertently learned of the key’s power. He had pictured the river where he had found the key, and instantly he was there.

  Over the next few weeks, he tested the key and learned it was a time-travel device. He discovered that he could use the key to go back in time and into the future. He spent much of his days exploring, learning as much as he could about the key while being careful to not let anyone know he had
it. It was then he had heard a lot of folklore about the key, and how the powers increased if you had more than one. He had immediately gone on a search for more keys, knowing it would make his plans foolproof. A few years later he found out about the two keys Victoria had and instantly started to make plans. He would kidnap Nellie and force her back in time, to the moment she had agreed to marry him. This time, he would make sure they did marry, changing history. Then he would take her to a place she wouldn’t be able to escape from. Nellie would be his.

  Golin glanced around the building and saw that it was likely safe to leave his hiding place. He knew Nellie thought he had moved away, and he didn’t want her to suspect he had returned to their village. As he stepped around the building a small dog crossed his path. In his frustration, Golin kicked the dog out of the way. It yelped in pain, as it hit the side of the building. He continued walking, not caring that his kick might have killed the dog. He wasn’t aware that Nellie’s husband was watching from a small window of his house.