Secrets of Time

by Zoe Matthews

  She opened her mouth to answer, but Keegan beat her to it, a little cross. “Megan just wanted to see the town, and needs to head back to the ranch before long.”

  Somewhat confused at Keegan’s rude tone, Megan tried to lighten the conversation. “I wish it could be different, but I do have important business to take care of tomorrow.”

  “You must be just like Keegan. All work and no play,” Nathan teased them both, and elbowed Keegan as he spoke.

  “I did just take a few days off, didn’t I?” Keegan defended himself under his breath.

  “We will have some fun tonight. I’m sure between the two of you, we will have a good time,” Megan tried to say cheerfully.

  Keegan grunted. “I’m sure Megan is tired from the trip. Let me show her to her room so she knows where she can relax, and we will go out when she is ready.”

  “It looks like you have everything taken care of. I need to go back to Dr. Thomas. The office is busy today, and he requested that I make my lunch break short. I’ll see you tonight,” Nathan winked at Megan and strode out the door.

  Keegan stood for a moment scowling at the door, then he turned and showed Megan around the house and where she could freshen up. Megan wished she could pay attention and enjoy the tour of the house more, but she was confused by Keegan’s reaction to Nathan. If he didn’t like Nathan, why would Keegan let him stay in his house? Keegan finished showing her around, his mood improving with every room he showed her.

  When he showed her the parlor, she did her best to keep her face passive, but she wanted to gaze around in amazement. The room looked exactly like the one in her dream. It was where Keegan had kissed her. For the first time, she finally gave herself permission to believe that her dreams were trying to guide her, to tell her something, and that Keegan was to be a major part of her life. Even when she was able to return to her time, she now knew the fact that she traveled to Keegan’s time was supposed to happen. She just wished she knew why.

  Eventually, Keegan left her to use the indoor washroom and wash up. He promised he would meet her in the kitchen when she was done and would ask the cook to start a lunch for the two of them.

  Hopefully, Keegan wouldn’t get grumpy again next time Nathan was around. He seemed like a good friend, and Megan thought the three of them could have a fun time that evening if Keegan wanted to.

  Chapter 12

  After eating a delicious lunch of roast beef sandwiches and fresh fruit, Keegan and Megan walked into town. Keegan explained that most of the time he preferred to walk unless he was in a hurry. Megan was fine with that; after their two-hour ride on horseback to Keegan’s house, her legs were stiff, and she knew she would be uncomfortable getting back on a horse again so soon.

  They had agreed that Keegan would check in with Dr. Thomas and show Megan around town. Then they would go see Justin to see if he had any ideas on how to get Megan back to 2015.

  As they walked, Keegan talked about the different neighbors he had and different stories about each of them. It sounded like they were a pretty close community and would all visit each other frequently. Megan loved hearing all the stories and had to admit it sounded nice to live in his time. There were only a couple neighbors back at her apartment that she knew by name. They never stopped to chat when they saw each other.

  Her heart picked up its pace a little when they got closer to town. She was so excited to experience an old-fashioned town. She had watched movies and heard about reenactments of small country towns, but she had a feeling it was different in real life. She saw several shops lining either side of a long dirt road. In front of all the shops were long wooden sidewalks, mostly swept clean of dirt. She saw a small restaurant that was bustling, and the smell of fried chicken was wafting out the window toward her, making her mouth water even though she had just eaten lunch. Next to that was the general shop, and she asked if they could go inside to look around.

  Keegan agreed, smiling at her eagerness. They walked in, and she looked around in amazement at the simplicity of everything that was sold there. There were big barrels of flour, sugar, and other basic kitchen necessities to the left. On the right, there was a small bookshelf lined with different books, most of them educational, but there were also a nice variety of novels. Further in the shop were rows of fabric that people could use to make their own clothes. It took her a moment to notice everyone in the shop quieted when she walked in, and they all turned to look at her curiously. Once she noticed and started feeling self-conscious, they all turned to each other to continue their conversations. She could hear a few people talking about her.

  “Who is that pretty little thing with Keegan?”

  “Maybe he met her at that fancy college he went to. I wonder if they are planning on getting married.”

  “It seems all the Callaghan boys insist on marrying people from out of town. I don’t know what’s wrong with any of the girls here. Why, my daughter…”

  Megan blushed at the assumptions everyone jumped to. An older woman walked up to them and smiled at Keegan.

  “So, you finally decided to come back.”

  Keegan laughed, clearly fond of the other lady. “Oh, I was gone less than a week.”

  “And that’s plenty long enough in my book. Who is this?” she asked with a kind interest in her eyes.

  “This is Megan Conway. She is a friend of my family. She wanted to come visit for a few weeks,” Keegan said, using the story that they had agreed on while they were at his home. “Megan, this is Mrs. Mary Higgins. She runs this shop with her husband.”

  “Oh, how lovely! It’s nice to meet you, dear,” Mrs. Higgins replied. “Is there anything I can get for you?”

  “I was hoping to pick up some candy for Bridget’s children,” Keegan told her.

  “I’m sure they will enjoy the treat. You know where the candy is,” Mrs. Higgins said. “Here is a small bag to put them in.”

  Megan watched as Keegan picked out some licorice sticks and gumdrops. After paying for the treats, they said goodbye to the good-natured woman and walked out of the shop. Keegan led her across the street to the doctor’s office. Once inside, Megan quickly took in the small room with a desk to the right. A single chair behind it, although no one was sitting in it. There were papers on the desk, along with a little bell with a note that read, “Please Ring for Service.”

  On the left, there were four chairs set up for anyone who needed to wait. Keegan led her past the small waiting room into a back room where there were more chairs, cupboards and a sink. Megan instantly knew that this room was where they treated anyone who came by. Megan saw an older man with white hair cleaning up some bloody bandages and washing some of his tools.

  “Dr. Thomas, how have things been going?” Keegan asked when the doctor didn’t seem to have heard them enter.

  The man turned to look at Keegan over his shoulder with a grin. “We seem to be having a slow week, so it was a good week for you to take a break. Nathan has proven to be a decent help; you might want to watch out, or he could be competition for you when it comes time for me to choose someone to take over my practice,” Dr. Thomas joked with a smile.

  Keegan laughed, and Megan felt a jolt at the thought of Keegan taking over the doctor’s office. Keegan can’t take over the office! There would be no way for us to stay together! she thought, before she reminded herself sadly that they weren’t even together now- and they never could be.

  She recognized that this was probably a big opportunity for him. Of course, he would take over the practice, and his entire career would be stable if he ran this doctor’s office in Denver.

  “This is Miss Megan Conway,” she heard Keegan say, and she forced her thoughts to the present as she realized she had missed several sentences in the conversation.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” she smiled at Dr. Thomas briefly, unable to shake the sadness that had washed over her.

  Dr. Thomas smiled at her kindly, although Megan could tell he was curious as to who she was, and why she
was with Keegan. When Keegan told the older man that she was a family friend, she could tell Dr. Thomas didn’t quite believe him. They only spent a few more minutes in the office. Keegan promised the doctor to come in to help out a little early the next morning since he would be gone for a few more days when he took Megan back to the ranch.

  They walked out of the office and walked past a few shops, including a pharmacy, before Keegan opened the door to an art gallery.

  Megan looked around with interest at all the different kinds of artwork. Keegan had told her that some of the wooden figures he liked to carve were sold here, along with some drawings Kimberly had done. She was immediately impressed with the art gallery. Paintings hung on the walls around the building. Most of them were landscapes, but there were a few portraits. There were many shelves filled with Native American jewelry. A stack of Indian rugs leaned against a wall. Keegan pointed out the wooden figures he had carved. She immediately picked up a carving of a cute chipmunk eating a nut.

  “These are very good,” Megan told him. “I love shops like this. I could spend hours in them.”

  When she went to put the carved chipmunk back on the shelf, Keegan closed his hand over hers. “Keep it.”

  “What?” Megan asked, her voice shaking a bit at his touch.

  “I’d like to give the chipmunk to you. Think of it as a souvenir from your travel through time,” he grinned at her.

  Megan slipped the small carving into the huge pocket of the dress she wore. “Thank you very much.”

  “Keegan, glad to see you made it back.” A man walked forward boldly and patted Keegan on the back in a bearhug. Megan assumed this must be Justin. There were two boys nearby who ran to Keegan.

  “Uncle Keegan,” one of the boys yelled.

  “How are you troublemakers doing?” Keegan asked playfully as he picked up the two children and spun them around a few times. The boys giggled and one of them tried to playfully punch Keegan on the arm. Both boys seemed to notice Megan at the same time who was watching the exchange with a smile.

  “Megan, meet David and Matthew,” Keegan introduced them, touching their heads as he said their names.

  “Who is this?” Justin asked, curiosity thick in his voice.

  “This is Megan Conway. We actually came to see you,” Keegan said, looking around to make sure there weren't any customers in the shop. “Can we go into your back room to talk?”

  Justin’s face turned from curious to concerned, and he turned and led the way to the back room. The two boys opened a large box with some wooden blocks and immediately set out to have a contest to see who could build the best building.

  “So, what can I help you with?” Justin asked, tension running across his shoulders.

  “Megan showed up on the ranch a couple days ago…” Keegan seemed unsure of how to explain the situation they were in. “She is from 2015.”

  Surprise spread across Justin’s features. “Does she have a key?”

  “No. She doesn’t know how she got here,” Keegan answered.

  Megan decided she’d better explain. “I was just hiking when my dog disappeared into thin air. I panicked, and didn’t want to lose him, so I stepped into the same spot he disappeared in, and found myself at the ranch.”

  “Kimberly and Nicky think it’s a portal, maybe created by Golin’s key after it got lost in the fire,” Keegan pitched in.

  “So, if it’s a portal, why can’t you just walk over that same spot and travel back to your own time?” Justin asked the question rhetorically as if trying to figure it out himself.

  “I tried for hours yesterday, and nothing seemed to work. We marked the spot with a circle of rocks so we wouldn’t forget where the exact spot is, but we are all out of ideas. How do we make it work again so I can get home?” Megan ranted, the stress of the last few days catching up with her.

  Justin seemed to sense her distress, and his facial features softened with compassion. “Hey, I’m sure we'll figure it out. There are obviously some magic combinations where when things line up just right, the portal is activated. All we need to do is figure out what that combination is, and we can get you right home.”

  Megan just nodded her head in response, pushing the lump in her throat back down. She was so worried about her mother, and she knew the longer she was gone, the worse it would be. She knew that most likely her mother now knew she was missing.

  “So, what could be involved with the combination of things we would need?” Keegan asked, still confused about the concept.

  “Well, obviously you need to stand in the same place. You might also need to be there at the same time of day, or hold something that will trigger the portal to activate.” Justin responded. “Were you holding anything in particular when you crossed the portal?

  Megan thought hard. “Just my backpack with some herbs in it; I had gone on the hike to look for fresh herbs to harvest for my mother’s health shop. I also had a water bottle and a couple protein bars.”

  Justin nodded, thinking. “What were you wearing?”

  “Just Capri pants and a tee shirt. I had a jacket tied around my waist in case it got cold,” Megan responded.

  “Were you wearing the same thing when you were trying to travel back yesterday?” Justin asked.

  “Yes. Except for the jacket. It was warm, and I didn’t think to grab it.”

  “Okay, so you should definitely try the portal again at the exact same time of day, with the same clothing you had on the first time. I’m willing to bet that will do the trick.”

  Megan took a shaky breath. “Okay, I think I can do that.”

  “I do want to think about it a little longer to see if there is anything else that could affect whether the portal works or not. I’m sure all of Keegan’s family run all over that ranch all day, and no one has traveled through the portal before. There could be more to it than the time of day.” Justin thought for a moment. “Could you come back in the morning? I can bounce some ideas off Bridget and see if we can come up with anything else to try.”

  “Yes, that is fine,” Keegan spoke up. “I need to help Dr. Thomas with the office for a few hours tomorrow anyway. I can bring Megan by here before I head over.” He had been quiet throughout the conversation, with a look on his face that she couldn’t quite identify.

  “It’s a plan then. I can ask Bridget to come by the art gallery tomorrow, and maybe she can show you more of life in 1902 while you’re still here,” Justin said kindly.

  “I would like that,” Megan responded with a smile. She felt much better about everything now that they had a possible solution to the problem. She just wished Keegan wasn’t acting so odd about it. He should be happy that he wasn’t going to be obligated to take her around everywhere anymore. She turned her attention back to Justin who was scowling at the corner of the room, as if deep in thought. “Thank you so much for your help.”

  “Of course. Time travel is a complicated thing, and it can be frightening when it happens,” Justin replied.

  “Well, I wanted to show Megan a few more of the stores down here, then we need to start heading back to the house before it gets dark.”

  Keegan stepped closer to her than she felt he needed to, and her breath caught at the closeness of him. She had been on dates with a few men, but none had affected her like he did without even touching her. She recognized the fact that if she had met Keegan in her own time, she would have fallen in love with him quickly. The way the circumstances were now, she knew she could not have feelings like that for him. It wasn’t fair to either of them. She put up a mental wall, to try to block the feeling that kept swelling up inside her.

  “David and Matthew. Are you two ready to head home? I need to talk to your mother.”

  “Ha! I won! My tower is the tallest!” David shouted triumphantly.

  “But it’s going to fall over any second! Mine will stay up for days; that means I won!” Matthew countered.

  Megan glanced over and smiled at each of their towers. Matthew’s
was more complex, with several different buildings that were connected. David’s was much taller and threatening to collapse at the slightest nudge.

  Keegan chuckled. “I think I agree with Matthew on this one.” He stuck his hand in his pants pocket and pulled out a bag. “I almost forgot. I brought a treat for you boys.”

  Both boys were very excited about the candy, and after expressing their thanks, started to eat the treats. After exchanging goodbye’s, Keegan led Megan out the door and down the street to explore more shops. Megan enjoyed meeting more of Keegan’s family. She liked being able to see what his life was like. It would be something to remember him by when she returned to her time. She realized she would miss this family when she left. She tried not to think about the other person she would miss as well.

  Chapter 13

  Megan and Keegan traveled back to the ranch late the next day. The night before had been one of the best of Megan’s life. When they got back to Keegan’s house, Nathan had announced that one of their neighbors had invited everyone to their house.

  One of the older boys of the house, Harrison, was learning to play the fiddle, and the family's only daughter, Mary, was very good at the piano. After they ate supper, they played songs while everyone sang, laughed, and sometimes danced to the music.

  The children’s parents were a happy couple, and told jokes and laughed with all of them. Megan laughed until her sides hurt and had grown closer to Keegan than she had planned on.

  When Nathan first announced the plan to spend the evening with this family, she was worried. What if she said or did something to make this new family suspicious that she wasn’t from their time? She instinctively knew that the fact that she time traveled, and the fact that quite a few of Keegan’s family members had time traveled as well, needed to be kept a secret. She did her best to pretend she was from their time, and it was surprisingly easy. She was careful to talk only when she absolutely needed to. Keegan had also helped by staying at her side. There were a few times when he even held her hand in encouragement.