by Zoe Matthews
After everyone quieted, Patrick spoke. “Keegan has a good idea. I think we should consider hiding the keys in the cave.”
“What if someone else finds them?” Bridget asked.
“I know the cave Keegan is referring to,” Shaun said. “It’s close to Colleen’s Indian-family’s village. I’ve seen the cave. There are many places inside it where we can hide them. I think they will be safe there.”
“What if one of the Indians from the village goes into the cave and finds the keys?” Victoria asked.
“I would be very surprised if that happened,” Shaun replied. “They don’t like to be in enclosed places and avoid them. When Colleen’s uncle, Running Dear, comes to visit, he refuses to come into the cabins or barn. He believes the roof could fall in on him. He told me once that they are very suspicious of enclosed rooms.”
“We will need to make sure they are hidden well,” Collins commented.
“Does everyone agree with this plan?” Patrick asked, looking at everyone in turn, as they nodded. Nicky noticed he skipped over her. After all, she was just visiting. She was glad, when Kimberly spoke.
“Nicky, do you want to go back to your time now?”
Everyone was quiet and looked at her, waiting for her answer. She took a deep breath. “I would like to stay until August like I planned, but I will leave, if you all want me to go. I don’t want to put you in danger.”
“I don’t want you to go yet,” Colleen announced.
Kimberly looked at Patrick. “I think it will be okay for Nicky to stay like she planned. We’ll hide the keys well. Collins can come the first day in August and take her back.”
Nicky noticed that everyone looked at Patrick, and she knew whatever he decided would be followed. They definitely treated him as the head of the family, which she found peculiar. But she also knew that, if Patrick decided she needed to leave now, no one would question him, and she would have to respect that.
After a few moments, he slowly nodded and turned to Nicky. “I guess it won’t hurt if you stayed like you planned, but please be aware that, if things become dangerous, you will need to leave immediately, even if Collins won’t be here to take you.”
Nicky nodded with relief. “I understand. Thank you for letting me stay.”
Shaun cleared his throat. “You also need to realize that there is a chance you might not be able to go back to your time, if you don’t go now. If Golin causes more trouble, or if the keys are found by someone else, you might be stuck here. You need to think about that possibility.”
Nicky nodded again. “I’ll think about it and let you know in the morning. Will that be okay?”
Shaun agreed with her decision and then looked at Patrick. “I think we need to leave for the cave as soon as possible.”
Patrick nodded his head in agreement. “I need to take care of some of the animals tomorrow. Let’s leave the next day. We can hide the box somewhere in the barn until we leave.”
Plans were soon made that the entire family, except Kimberly and the babies, would make the trip to the cave. Nicky offered to stay behind with Kimberly, but she was glad when Bridget insisted she be the one to stay at the ranch. She wanted to see the cave, and she wanted to explore more of the mountains and the way they were in Shaun’s time.
Nicky spent the next morning with Kimberly. She enjoyed helping with the babies, and she started to feel a tug on her own desires to be a mother. Would she ever have that opportunity? She hadn’t been dating anyone seriously in her time. In fact, she had become disillusioned with the men she came in contact with.
About six months before Kimberly had disappeared, a man had been hired on as a substitute teacher at her school for a woman who had taken maternity leave. This man had ended up staying for the rest of the school year. She had become good friends with him, and they had even gone out on a few dates. He had a young son whom he sometimes included. He had told her that he was divorced. Nicky had really liked him, although she remembered that Kimberly had felt that there was something that wasn’t quite right. Nicky had ignored Kimberly’s concerns, feeling her friend was being overprotective.
Then one day she had entered the faculty’s lunch room and had seen the man sitting with a young woman, their young son by her side. She quickly learned that the man hadn’t been divorced at all. Later, when she confronted him, he confessed he wasn’t divorced but was making plans to leave his wife. Nicky was appalled at herself for dating a man who was married. She firmly believed that many marriages could be saved, if the couple was willing to keep their marriage vows to each other.
During a small window of time, when both babies were asleep, Kimberly took the opportunity to rest, but she insisted that Nicky sit on a chair next to the bed.
“We haven’t had time to talk very much since the babies were born,” Kimberly told her.
“No, we haven’t,” Nicky shook her head. “But I understand. How do you really feel about taking responsibility for the keys?”
Kimberly’s eyes grew concerned. “I kind of feel bad that you got involved in this,” she said softly. “I can’t say that I’m sorry this happened. After all, I would not have met Patrick, and I definitely would not have these two, sweet, little babies.”
“Please don’t feel responsible,” Nicky told her. “I would not have come if I hadn’t wanted to. I have been enjoying my time here. Colleen is such a sweetheart. This ranch is beautiful. Things have been developed so much in our time. This area where your ranch is located in our time is probably full of condos or a ski resort. And Shaun…”
Kimberly smiled. “Yes, what about Shaun? I’ve noticed that you have been spending quite a bit of time with him.”
“I enjoyed the letters we exchanged back and forth throughout last winter. I have to admit that I do have feelings for him. I wish…” Nicky stopped talking. She wasn’t sure what she wished. But she did admit to herself that she wanted to find out if things could even work between Shaun and her.
“Let me ask you a question,” Kimberly asked curiously. “If Shaun asked you, would you want to stay?”
Nicky shrugged her shoulders. “I have to admit, the idea has crossed my mind. But I promised Justin that I would go back. I feel I need to keep that promise.”
Kimberly smiled at Nicky reassuringly. “As much as I would love to have you stay, I understand about promises made. But I feel like I need to warn you that I have no idea what is really going to happen to the keys. I do feel good about hiding them, but it will be harder to stay in touch with you. And I’m not even sure that it would be wise to continue to do so. We need to think about our safety, and yours.”
“I totally agree. That man, Golin, was really scary. He seemed to be the type that would do anything to get what he wants. I have a hard time believing that forcing him back to his own time is going to solve the problem. If he can time travel with his own key, he will be back.”
“Are you sure you want to stay for the rest of the summer?” Kimberly asked. “As much as I hate to say it, maybe it would be best if you went home now.”
Nicky stood and started to pace the room. She really didn’t know what the best decision would be, but she really wanted to stay. She wanted to spend more time with Kimberly, and she wanted to get to know Shaun better. She knew she was probably being selfish. What if her staying put Shaun’s family in danger? She also knew that she would regret it if she left now. The thought of the keys suddenly not working, or, if they were found by Golin or someone else, making it impossible to come back, depressed her. She stopped her pacing and sat on the bed next to Kimberly. Kimberly’s eyes were closed, and Nicky knew that her friend was very tired. She touched Kimberly’s hand, and her eyes opened.
“If you or Patrick feels that I need to leave, then I will, but I would really like to stay.”
Kimberly nodded tiredly. “Patrick and I have already discussed it. We both feel, if you want to stay you can, just as long as you realize you might not be able to go back to the future.”
Kimberly’s eyes closed, and Nicky left the room, walking into the kitchen. She filled up the basin with water from the stove’s reservoir. She then shaved some pieces of soap into the water, like Bridget had shown her. She smiled to herself at the primitive way to wash dishes. This was a chore she rarely did in her time, since she had a dishwasher, but she found that washing dishes by hand was a calming job. It gave her time to think.
By the time the dishes were done, she decided that she would talk to Shaun. If he gave her any indication that he wanted her to stay, she would. Otherwise, she would go back to her time, knowing that she would never see Kimberly again. She spent the rest of the morning cleaning up Kimberly’s small cabin. While she was sweeping the wood floor, she heard a small cry come from Kimberly’s bedroom. Hurrying in, she scooped up Katherine. She didn’t think that the baby was hungry, and her brother was still sleeping soundly. She left the bedroom and sat on the couch holding the baby close to her and hoping that she could give Kimberly a little more time to get some rest.
As she rocked, the door to the cabin opened, and Colleen slipped inside. Her eyes lit up, as she saw Nicky holding the baby.
“I’ve decided that I like babies,” Colleen told her. “Kimberly said that I could hold them anytime I wanted. “
Nicky knew what she was hinting. She smiled and stood, allowing Colleen to sit on the couch in her place. After helping the girl get comfortable and showing her the best way to hold the baby, she continued her chore of sweeping. The rest of the morning passed quickly. After lunch, Bridget came to help for the afternoon.
Colleen left, when both babies were awake and Kimberly needed to feed them. After making sure Bridget had what she needed for the afternoon, Nicky went in search of Shaun. She knew where she would probably find him, and sure enough there he was, in the fenced corral working with one of his horses. Colleen was nowhere to be seen, and Nicky was glad, for she wanted to talk to Shaun privately.
She leaned against the fence watching Shaun, as he worked with the horse. He was getting it used to a saddle. Her heart skipped a beat, as she watched him carefully put one foot into a stirrup. She was surprised, when he didn’t swing his other leg over onto the horse’s back but just stood there in the stirrup, as if letting the horse get used to his weight. After a few moments, he slid his foot out of the stirrup and patted the horse’s neck. He turned his head and noticed that Nicky was watching him. Smiling, he let the horse go, and walked over to where Nicky was leaning against the fence.
Nicky had an irresistible urge to push his hat off of his head. To avoid doing so, she shoved her hands into the pockets of the skirt she was wearing.
“It looks like that horse is coming along,” Nicky said, as she forced her eyes away from his to look at the horse, as it trotted around in a circle. The horse kicked up its hind legs, as if trying to get rid of the saddle.
“She has a good temperament,” Shaun said. “She’s been fairly easy to train. I should be able to ride her by the end of the week.”
“That’s good,” Nicky looked at him again. “I was wondering if I could talk to you. Could you come find me when it’s a good time?”
Shaun looked at her intently and then swung himself easily over the fence. He landed close to her, and Nicky involuntarily took a step back. “If it won’t take very long, we can talk now,” Shaun replied. “The horse needs some time to get used to the saddle anyway without someone in it.”
“Can we walk?” Nicky asked. Shaun nodded and started to lead her away from the corral and from the cabins. For a few minutes, neither of them said anything. Nicky’s heart was beating fast, and she was feeling a little bit nervous about the question she wanted to ask him. She was glad for the silence. Soon they were walking into the forest and along the river. She recognized the path they were on. It was the same path that they had used to get to the Indian village. Shaun stopped and bent down to wash his hands in the river. She then watched as he cupped one hand and drank. She smiled to herself, again noticing the difference between her time and his. Drinking out of a river was the last thing she would do because of disease. That obviously was something Shaun was not concerned about. After he had drunk his fill, he stood and looked at her.
“What is it you want to talk to me about?” he asked her.
“I need to get your opinion about the keys,” Nicky replied. “I am wondering if you think I should leave and go back to my time before the keys are hidden.”
“Why do you want to know my opinion?” he asked.
“Because… because your opinion matters to me,” she admitted.
Shaun glanced at her sharply, and then his face softened. “What do you want to do?”
“I would like to stay, as I had planned, but I don’t want to put your family in danger. I also know that there is a chance I might not be able to go back to my time, if I stay.”
“Does it really matter to you what I think?” He asked the question halfheartedly, but he looked at her so intently she knew that how she answered the question would change things between them.
“Yes, it matters,” Nicky admitted. “I have enjoyed being here. I have missed Kimberly; she’s my best friend, and she’s like a sister to me. I have loved getting to know Colleen and the rest of your family. I’m just not sure…” She paused, not knowing if she should tell him exactly how she felt. She knew that Shaun was attracted to her, but what she didn’t know was if he wanted to explore the feelings between them.
“You’re not sure about what?”
“Let’s just say that I enjoyed exchanging letters with you all winter, and I have enjoyed getting to know you,” Nicky said, not wanting to say more.
Shaun took a step closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I have enjoyed getting to know you, too. I think, if you would like to stay, then you should. Besides, I am familiar with the cave where we are going to hide the keys. You’ll know when you see it, but there are many places inside it where the keys will be safe. I really doubt anyone will find them.”
Nicky felt relieved at Shaun’s words. Her eyes widened, as he bent and placed a soft kiss on her lips. He pulled away and looked at her, seeming to search for something. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him back to her. They kissed slow and softly, relishing in each other’s touch. She wanted to keep this memory in her heart forever. She tried to memorize the way he felt and the way he ran his hands down her back.
Too soon, Shaun moved away but kept her hand in his. “I don’t know how things will work out between us. You are from the future, from Kimberly’s time, and I live here. But I think we should explore all of our options, don’t you?”
Nicky grinned. “I was hoping you would say that.” She reached up and placed a kiss on his cheek.
“What are you doing for the rest of the day?” Shaun asked her.
“Bridget is with Kimberly,” Nicky told him. “I really didn’t have any other plans for today, besides helping with dinner.”
“Would you like another horseback-riding lesson?”
Nicky’s heart soared, as she realized Shaun was letting her know that he wanted to spend the rest of the day with her as much as she did. She nodded vigorously, and soon they were walking back to the ranch. When they arrived at her cabin, Nicky quickly went inside to change into the riding pants Kimberly had given her. When she had finished changing she went to the barn, where Shaun had two horses saddled ready to be ridden. Colleen was with him, seated on her own horse, Spirit.
Nicky thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the afternoon. She could tell Shaun was pleased with her willingness to learn how to ride a horse and about his responsibilities on the ranch. Colleen sometimes answered her questions about horse training, and Nicky could tell that she spent a lot of time with her father. She felt that Colleen was a very lucky, little girl to be able to grow up on a ranch surrounded by people who didn’t m
ind she was half-Indian.
Chapter 17
The next day Nicky arose early with the intent to help Kimberly with the babies, before the rest of them needed to leave for the cave. However, when she arrived in Kimberly’s cabin, she saw that both babies had been cared for and were sleeping soundly side-by-side in their small cradle. Kimberly informed her that Bridget had already come over to help. Nicky discovered that Bridget was at the large cabin making lunch for the rest of the family to take with them to the cave, so she decided to go help.
Soon after breakfast, everyone was ready to leave. Shaun had saddled horses for each of them. They were tied to a fence post, ready for the trip. Soon they were on their way, although Nicky could tell Patrick was reluctant to leave his wife. He had made a suggestion that he stay behind, but Kimberly and Bridget both encouraged him to go; they would be fine.
Victoria and Collins decided to stay on the ranch for a few more days. They wanted to make sure the keys were safely hidden and that Golin wasn’t going to return. They also had found they enjoyed their time in the mountains and being substitute “grandparents” to Kimberly’s and Patrick’s babies.