Call of the Canyon

by Nancy Pennick

  “I broke up with Matt,” Jordyn wailed.

  “So go back and un-break up with him.” Kate said with a slight smile. “You didn’t want to, I take it.”

  “Yes, I did. I don’t really have feelings for him anymore. It’s just that you and Drew are so happy. Lindsey has Charlie in Arizona and now I have...nothing.”

  “Don’t say that. You have your whole life ahead of you. This is just one little blip on the radar.”

  Jordyn gave Kate a half-smile. “You always know the right thing to say. I wish you had tried out for cheer squad. We’d see so much more of each other.”

  “You know why I couldn’t.” Kate confided in Jordyn all the things Erin did to stop her from being on the team last year. Erin was part of choosing this year’s members so it wasn’t even worth trying out. Besides, Kate didn’t want to be on the squad although she’d never tell Jordyn that.

  “Yes, I know. I always thought Erin was nice,” Jordyn sighed.

  “She is...but just not to me.” Kate squeezed her hand. “You can check out the guys on the basketball team but I don’t recommend Tyson.”

  They laughed and parted ways. Drew was leaning against Kate’s locker, waiting for her. “Anyone I need to beat up?” Drew grinned in his teasing way.

  “Everything’s fine. We just need to be there for Jordyn. She’s in a fragile state right now. She and Matt are no longer together.”

  “Sorry to hear that. I liked Matt.”

  “You can still be friends with him, Drew.”

  “I know, it’s just not the same. I liked them as a couple...”

  “You’re such a romantic!” Kate playfully poked him in the side.

  All of a sudden there was an arm around her waist and one wrapped over Drew’s shoulders. “How’s my favorite couple? You two are looking cozy as ever. Erin’s coming home this weekend, you guys want to double?”

  Tyson. That’s all Kate could think. Tyson. Drew already threw the arm off his shoulder and Kate could feel the tension in the hand holding hers. She needed to diffuse the situation.

  “Tyson.” She calmly turned to him. “Kindly take your arm off me or I’ll let Drew rip it off. You know we only double-date with friends.”

  “Ouch.” He pretended to have hurt feelings. “You’re coming to my basketball games, aren’t you?”

  “To see my friend, Jordyn, cheer, of course.” Kate was tired of trying to deal with him.

  “And how about you, big guy? I came to all your football games.” Tyson turned his attention on Drew and Kate knew that could end badly.

  “Wouldn’t miss one, I’ll be right next to Kate in the stands.” Drew shot back. Kate was proud of him.

  “Kate, Kate, Kate, what’s up with that? I got yelled at the one time I called her that.” Tyson wasn’t backing down.

  At that moment Kate wanted to tell him the truth. It was Drew’s name for her, not Tyson’s. She had yelled at Ty because it reminded her of Drew and the canyon. She was tired of feeling sorry for him. It’s been a year since everything happened between them. She thought things might get better and they could be friends. There was little chance of it happening now.

  Lindsey was heading straight for them just at the right moment. Kate could tell by the look in her eyes she knew exactly what was going on. “Someone bothering you, cuz? Want me to take him off your hands?”

  “He’s all yours.” Kate gave Lindsey a silent thank you with her eyes and continued down the hall with Drew.

  “Does that boy ever learn?” His face grew red with anger.

  “He likes to get to you, Drew. That’s all he’s doing. If he sees it’s working, he’ll do it all the more. You were great back there. Just don’t let him see he’s winning the battle of the wills.”

  * * * *

  The rest of the school week went by smoothly. Kate looked forward to the weekend. She had something special she wanted to discuss with Drew. Since he still lived with the Campbells, Kate didn’t see him all the time. They were a normal high school couple with Drew going home to his house and Kate to hers. They talked on the phone and sent text messages just like everyone else. No one would suspect a thing or think they were different from anyone else at school.

  Kate waited for Drew’s call on Saturday after football practice, but the call never came. She paced in her room and finally ran downstairs. “Has anyone heard from Drew?”

  “I have.” Her father called out. “He’s running late and will be here shortly.”

  Kate thought it was strange her dad got a message from Drew and not her. Just then the doorbell rang. “I’ve got it!” Kate called out to no one in particular and opened the door to a flurry of balloons and a bouquet of flowers.

  “Happy one week anniversary, Mrs. Martin.” Drew stepped into the house with balloons whipping around him. “Thanks, Jack!” He called out to Kate’s dad.

  “Oh, Drew, this is too much.” She grabbed the balloons from his hand and ran upstairs. She let them go in her room and they floated to the ceiling filling the room with the colors of their wedding.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t find lilacs this time of year.” Drew stood in her door with a purple and white spray of flowers. “That’s why I’m a little late. I called your dad to let him know I was checking every florist in the area. You would ask too many questions if I called you.”

  Kate jumped in his arms, closing her door behind him. “Make love to me, Drew, right now, right here on my bed.” She closed her eyes waiting to feel his kiss.

  “Kate, don’t ruin the moment. We’re not married.”

  “Yes, we are, don’t you remember that little ceremony we had last weekend? Isn’t that what all these balloons are for?” Kate tried to appear all cute and innocent.

  “You’re hard to resist, wife. You’ll have to wait until we return to the cabin at Thanksgiving just like we planned.”

  Kate sulked for a while but knew he was right. She would wait for another time to break him down. This was all still new for both of them. “Then at least join me here.” She patted the bed. “I want to properly thank you.”

  He sat next to her and drew her into his arms. “I so love you, Kate.”

  “I love you forever,” Kate whispered. How could you not love someone who was always looking out for you and never had an agenda...not to mention was tall, dark and handsome?

  “Well, isn’t this cute?”

  Kate almost jumped through the ceiling when she heard that voice. “Ty, what are you doing here?”

  “Your dad sent me up. He said you two just came up. Wasting no time, I see.”

  Drew stood up. “Why would Jackson send you up here? I find that hard to believe.”

  “Kate and I are working on a project, aren’t we, Kate?” Tyson nodded toward her.

  “Yes, that’s right.” She got up and walked over to her desk. She opened her laptop and downloaded the information he needed on a flash drive. “Here’s what I have so far.” She handed him the drive.

  Kate couldn’t believe she ended up doing another project with him, just like last year. He was in one of her classes and when the teacher assigned group work, she made sure to sign up last so Ty was already in a group. Somehow there were too many people in his and he volunteered to switch. “I forgot to tell you, Drew.” That wasn’t completely true. She just kept putting it off because she knew how he’d react.

  “Fine, you got what you wanted. Now get out of here.” Drew stepped between Tyson and Kate.

  “A little cranky, are we? Kate not putting out? I tried my best...”

  Tyson didn’t get to finish because Drew had him by the shirt and was shoving him out the door.

  “Tyson, shut your mouth for once!” Kate screamed at him. “This is not the friend I know.”

  His eyes showed a touch of sadness, but he immediately transformed back to his cocky new self. “Get your hands off me, AN-drew. I’m leaving.”

  Drew slammed the door behind him and turned to her. “How does he do that?”

>   She ran to Drew and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Please, don’t be angry. I don’t know how it happened. I told you I waited to sign up for the project...”

  “I’m not mad at you, love. I’m starting to see how he manipulated you last year and that’s what makes me angry. He tried to do it to me, too. Since it wasn’t working, he’s making you the target again.”

  Kate breathed a sigh of relief. There’s no way she could describe what she went through last year, but now Drew saw it first hand. Tyson had a gift for showing up at the right time and using his words to make you think you’re wrong and he’s right. It was a scary combination. Many times Kate believed he was truly sorry only to find out later it was just an act. “Now where were we?” Kate looked up into Drew’s sizzling green eyes and melted. “Remember, I love you, no one else.”

  Drew gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll be right back.”

  Kate followed behind and listened in as Drew went downstairs to confide in her father.

  “The kid said he needed some information for a paper he was doing. You two just went up so I told him to go ahead. My mistake, forgive me. Tyson was a good kid at one time. I don’t know what happened to him. From now on, he waits in the entryway with my eyes on him at all times.”

  “And what about the times we aren’t here, Jack? That’s what concerns me. Kate can tell him to leave, but he doesn’t seem to hear anything she says. She’s vulnerable and I don’t like it.”

  Kate stepped into the room when she heard that. “You two are making Ty out to be a slasher-stalker! I’ve known him since we were eight years old. I think I can handle him, don’t worry. It’s just that...”

  “What?” Her dad came toward her with a look of concern.

  Kate hesitated. Enough happened today and she didn’t want her father and boyfriend to turn into security detail. She couldn’t tell them Tyson was very adept at stopping by when she was home alone. “He was my friend at one time and I can handle him.”

  “I know, pumpkin.” Her dad pulled her into a bear hug. “Things are different now, just remember that.”

  “I will, Daddy. It’s probably good you’re here. You can help us with something. I think Drew and I should visit his family in New York City. We’ll miss a few days of school. That’s where you come in. You have to convince Mom it’s okay. I think Drew needs to see his family one more time and make amends before he’s lost to the river.” Kate sighed loudly, relieved she was finally able to reveal her special plan for Drew.

  Her dad’s face wore a look of surprise. “That’s very thoughtful, Kate. I’ll talk to your mother; it shouldn’t be a problem. When do you want to go?”

  “Next weekend?”

  “Then next weekend it is.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “We’ll travel to New York in style.” Those were Drew’s words before they left Ohio and now, looking around her, Kate saw he was right. Drew had booked them a Drawing Room suite, a car that was special ordered from the Pullman Travel Company. The unit had a spacious living room with a wide sofa and two movable lounge chairs. A luggage space with a wardrobe for hanging their clothes was in one corner. A huge bed and bath were part of their accommodations, too. “I thought we’d be sleeping in bunk beds like last time,” Kate exclaimed as she entered the car. Their personal porter took the baggage and was already putting things away.

  “Well, that booking was last minute. I would have definitely gotten better accommodations if I’d known sooner. I thought we deserved a honeymoon and this is it. When we arrive in Chicago, our car will automatically switch to the one taking us to Grand Central Terminal in New York City. We don’t have to get off and change trains. We stay in this car.” Drew appeared proud of himself. “If we have to travel for a few days, we may as well enjoy it. The porter will bring our food and clean the room.”

  “Just like a hotel.” Kate thought it was a little much but wasn’t going to complain. She spotted the bed and knew she and Drew could sleep together on this trip, not in separate berths like last time. She hadn’t been looking forward to a sleeping car again. The family had seats for the day and then retired to a private car with four small beds, two on top and two on the bottom, like bunk beds. “And on the way home?”

  “Same thing.” Drew beamed at her. Suddenly, Kate realized he was accustomed to the finer things in life. She knew little about his past and wondered what his house in New York was like. Maybe she was in over her head when it came to the rich and famous of the 1920s. Too late to do any research. No laptops on the train or wi-fi available...if only she had her phone. A thought occurred to her and she turned to the porter. “Would it be possible to get some magazines?”

  “Of course, ma’am, right away.” He turned and left the quarters.

  “I didn’t mean right away...”

  “That’s their job, Kate. They’re trained to take care of the customer. It’s not a big deal.”

  Kate settled in with her pile of magazines. She was surprised to recognize many of them. She pulled Good Housekeeping and Better Homes and Gardens from the stack and set them aside to look at later. Vogue was her first choice after scouring through a pile of vintage movie magazines. Those people loved their movie stars.

  She slowly flipped through the pages of Vogue. Most articles were about the latest fashions from Paris and what to wear in the upcoming season. Kate was pretty familiar with the fashions of the day but needed more information about how people lived, what they used in their homes. One article caught her eye. It talked about the four social zones of Fifth Avenue. It seemed like high society lived around Sixty-Eighth Street and beyond. After glancing through the story, she grabbed the pile of magazines and began to sort through them again.

  “Kate, you’re so serious over there. Why don’t you take a break and join me? The countryside is breath-taking.” Drew had been staring out the window for quite a while. “I can never get enough of it. The landscape is so different from back east. Everyone should experience this.”

  Kate slid next to him. “Yes, it is so beautiful.” She snuggled up next to him. “Drew, I was thinking, we need to take your parents a gift...something for their home. What would they want?”

  “Well, we hold lots of lawn parties in the summer and cocktail parties in cooler weather so Mother and Father could always expand their Waterford crystal collection.”

  “Wow, I can just imagine those parties, like The Great Gatsby.” Kate thought dreamily of playing croquet in the yard during one of those social gatherings, sipping lemonade from a crystal glass. “Would we have time to shop before we go to the house?”

  “Of course, we can do anything you want. I wired ahead that we’re coming. A car will be waiting for us.”

  Kate loved the idea of shopping in old New York City. She kissed Drew on the cheek and he returned the kiss. She dissolved into his arms. The magazines could wait.

  * * * *

  Although it was still afternoon, Kate slipped on her silk nightgown with matching robe. It was dark purple, almost black in color. She felt so grown-up and glamorous in it. Drew had given it to her on their wedding night. Now she felt they could act like a married couple with no interruptions. She could wear a nightgown in the middle of the afternoon if she felt like it.

  “Mmm, I like that,” Drew said drowsily.

  “Hope you always will because we’ll be married for a long time.”

  “I like having you as my wife and my girlfriend. Makes life interesting.” Drew rolled over in the bed and leaned on his elbows gazing at her.

  “Stop it, you’re making me blush.” Kate tossed a pillow at him. Drew tossed it back. “Drew, why can’t we be like this back in Ohio? We can have it all there, too.”

  “It’s not the same. I feel like you’re my wife here, but not in Ohio. The times are different, I realize that now. I like having both lives, don’t you?”

  Kate had to admit she did. “I hate when you’re right!” She threw the pillow back at him. There was a knock at the door
which interrupted their fun. Drew jumped from the bed and opened the door just a crack.

  “Dinner menu, sir.” A voice came from the other side of the door.

  “Thank you, I’ll take it.” When Drew turned around, Kate was dressed and sitting in one of the lounge chairs. “Wow, you’re fast, Mrs. Martin. I thought you might be embarrassed to be seen in your nightclothes. I’m sure he’s seen his share of women in various stages of undress.” He chuckled. “Would you like to read the menu and order dinner?”

  Kate nodded and took the menu from his hand, loving the train ride to New York City.

  The dinner they ordered turned out to be wonderful. It was romantic to be just the two of them at their table. She loved hearing the clanking of the train on the rails and watching daylight turn to night. She slept well and looked forward to another whole day before arriving at Grand Central Station.

  * * * *

  “We’ll be arriving later today.” Drew reminded her as they got ready for the day. They’d left Ohio a day earlier than planned so they could arrive on Friday and have the whole weekend with Drew’s family. Kate’s heart skipped a beat. She was a little nervous about seeing Nicolas again. Ilene had been sweet to her and Kate hoped they would get along. It was just that Nicolas was so scary...

  “Did you hear me, Kate?” Drew took her by her shoulders.

  “Yes, I did.”

  “You don’t have to do this, you know.”

  Kate brought herself back to reality. “Oh, yes I do.” She was doing it for him. He needed to see his family and make things right. This would be the last time they’d see him. She had no plans to ruin it.

  As they pulled into the terminal, Kate couldn’t help notice the multitudes of people and how old-fashioned everything seemed. She had to pinch herself to see if it was real. “Ouch!” she said aloud.

  “Are you alright?”

  “Fine, just checking to see if I’m really here.” She giggled because she’d done that once a long time ago when she’d first arrived at the Grand Canyon. She thought she was dreaming so she had pinched herself then, too.