Secrets of Time

by Zoe Matthews

  “I thought so. How did he take the news?” Megan wrinkled her nose.

  “He was mad at first, but seemed to accept it in the end.” Again, her mother tensed, and Megan wondered if there was more to the story than she was hearing.

  “I’m glad,” Megan said, inspecting her mother, trying to decide if she should insist that Barbara tell her what was wrong or let it go for now. “Are you alright?”

  Her mother seemed to be deep in thought and shook her head to clear it. A tight smile came across her face. “I am fine. There is something I do want to share with you.”

  “Okay,” Megan agreed. She was so glad that her mother had listened to reason and that things were now fine between them.

  Barbara pulled out a thick folder from a bag she had placed by the side of her chair. “Did you know that I have always wanted to have a shop like the one we are planning now?”

  Megan shook her head slowly. “No, I didn’t.”

  Barbara pushed the folder over to her. “It’s been a dream of mine to operate a shop that offered more than just herbs and essential oils. I wanted to have a place people could go to where they would feel comfortable staying for long periods of time. It’s amazing to me that things have worked out the way they have. This house is perfect for what I’ve wanted to do. Without you even knowing about my dream, things have fallen into place just as I’ve always envisioned.”

  Megan opened the folder and was amazed at what she saw. There was a detailed business plan along with a simple floor plan of the shop. Her mother sat silently as Megan read through pages of ideas about a café, a bookshop, a gift shop, along with a place that sold herbs and essential oils.

  “This is amazing, Mom. Why haven’t you shown this to me before?”

  Barbara shrugged. “I never felt I would be in a position for it to happen. I could never have gotten a loan for a shop like this.”

  “You have some good ideas here. We need to make sure this house is set up exactly the way you want it. After all, it will be your shop.

  “It is yours too, honey. I can see you have set things up exactly like I would have. You have worked just as hard as I have. This is our shop, our dream. I’m not sure why you were allowed to time travel to Keegan’s time, but I do think things happen for a reason. You were meant to meet him in that way. And now he is here in our time. How do you feel about him?”

  Megan smiled wryly. Trust her mother to just ask directly what she wanted to know.

  “I don’t know. I really like him and I know he likes me. But I know I need to stay here.”

  “Maybe he will want to stay here with you.”

  Megan shook her head. “Patrick wants him to go with them when they leave tomorrow. Besides, he is a doctor in his time and will be able to take over a practice from an older doctor in Denver.”

  Barbara reached over and gave Megan a hug. “You were meant to meet. If he is supposed to stay, it will work out.”

  “I’m sure you’re right. It’s nice that we have so much in common. We both have an interest in homeopathy. We went out today with Kimberly to some antique shops and found some neat things.” Megan was trying to change the subject and she was glad when her mother caught on.

  “Why don’t you show me all the things you found shopping today?”

  Megan’s face lit up. “You're going to love them, Mom! They are in the library for now.”

  She led the way to the room, a lightness lifting her shoulders. Even though she didn’t want Keegan to leave, at least her mother wouldn’t be marrying a man who wouldn’t treat her right. It was also a relief that she and her mother had their relationship back. She could get through anything as long as her mother was there with her.

  Chapter 23

  Keegan stared out the car window as Megan drove him, Patrick, Kimberly, and Richie back to the mountains. They were going back to their time today and Keegan wished things could be different.

  Last night Patrick had talked with him and convinced him it was the right thing to do. He had worked hard his whole life to become a doctor, and it would be a waste if he didn’t stay in his time to help people the way he had always wanted. If he stayed in Megan’s time, he wouldn’t be able to be a doctor. Patrick had also reminded him that Nathan and Dr. Thomas were waiting for him. It was time he return to his own life and responsibilities.

  Keegan agreed with him, but he was also conflicted. He and Megan had something special, something he had never felt with anyone else before. How was he supposed to forget about her and live life just like he used to now that he knew what life was like with her?

  He also wished he had gotten a chance to talk to her last night. Barbara had stayed late and the two of them had talked late into the night. He was glad for them because he knew they needed to work things out after their fight last week, but he had hoped for a chance to talk to Megan just one more time. A chance to kiss her one more time.

  He tried to distract himself by listening to Richie chatter excitedly about driving fast in a real car and showing awe at the airplanes that flew above them.

  He tried to smile like Kimberly and Patrick, who were grinning broadly at Richie, clearly relieved he was no longer sick. He still had about a week left on his antibiotics prescribed to him, but his incision was healing nicely, and he was no longer in pain.

  Keegan’s smile turned down again as he longed to learn how modern medicine worked. It was astounding to him that just a few days ago Richie was writhing in pain, and if he had gotten any worse, he would have died. Now, he was smiling, wiggling, and laughing. He wanted to know how to do that himself. He wanted to be the one with the knowledge to save people like that.

  He sighed and looked back out the window. They were already in the mountains, driving on a dirt road now. It wouldn’t be long until he had to say goodbye to Megan for good. He glanced over at her and realized she hadn’t said a word since they had gotten in the car. He wanted to hold her hand while she drove, wanted some type of connection with her before he had to go, but both her hands were gripping the wheel tightly, her knuckles white.

  Her face was tense and he wanted to hold her until she was relaxed and happy again. Instead, he looked back out the window. They were pulling into the parking lot now.

  “It looks like we are here!” Kimberly said excitedly. She, Patrick, and Richie poured out of the back seat, eager to be on their way.

  Keegan turned to Megan and brushed her hair behind her ear. She continued gripping the wheel, looking straight ahead.

  “Thank you for showing me your time,” he said.

  Her mask broke a little and she glanced at him. “It was a pleasure.” She glanced out his window and smiled, although it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’d better get going or your family is going to leave you behind.”

  True enough, they had already started up the trail. He sighed and got out of the car. “Thanks for everything.” He wished she would get out of the car and come with them. It would give them both more time to talk and be close to each other.

  She stayed in her seat. “No, thank you for everything. I don’t know what we would have done with my mother’s shop without you,” she said sincerely, but wouldn’t meet his eyes.

  He just smiled, then climbed out of the car. Shutting the door behind him, he started to follow his family up the trail. He was frustrated his goodbye with Megan had gone so differently than he had hoped. It was as if she wanted him to leave; she didn’t want to talk to him anymore. Maybe it was best he was leaving after all.

  ****

  Megan sat in her car as Keegan walked away to join his family. She forced herself to stay seated when all she wanted to do was catch up to him, wrap her arms around his neck, and beg him to stay.

  On the entire drive to the trail, it was all she had been able to do to keep from crying. Now, the tears started to fall silently down her face.

  She needed to clear her head. She usually did that by hiking, but Keegan was already heading up her favorite trail. She put her
car into gear and moved it to the other side of the parking lot. She would take a different trail. She had hiked this one before several times, and it was a difficult hike. It was exactly what she needed today.

  She started up the trail, wishing she had brought more water. And Apollo. She wouldn’t be able to hike as long as she wanted, but at least she would get a chance to think things through.

  She had a strong connection with Keegan; there was no denying that. They had a lot in common, and their conversations always flowed without effort. There was only a handful of people she felt like she could talk to, and he was one of them. She found herself pouring out her dreams and feelings every time she talked to him. She could be totally herself when she was around him. She also had to admit she was very attracted to him. But she knew she was wise to not say anything to him. If he had wanted to stay, he would have. He needed to want to stay freely, not out of obligation.

  After awhile, she turned around. All of the negative energy she was hoping to burn seeped out of her, and all she wanted to do was sit down. Besides, she hadn’t come prepared for a long hike. Turning around, she headed back to her car.

  She tried to change her mindset. She tried to think about how lucky she had been to have known him, even if there wasn’t any chance they could stay together. She had dreamed about this man her whole life, and she was lucky enough to have met him, despite all the years between them.

  Things like that didn’t just happen to people. It was amazing that she had been the one to experience traveling through time and meeting such a wonderful man from a different time. Maybe it would help her understand what type of man she did want to marry- when the time came.

  She felt sad and lonely even thinking about dating at the moment, so she pushed the thought from her mind.

  She kept thinking of everything she had to be grateful for, and by the time she was back at her car, she felt better about saying goodbye to Keegan. She would miss him incredibly, but she felt she would always have a connection with him through his house, and she would never forget the time she had spent with him.

  When she entered the parking lot, she saw a picnic table tucked under a group of large pine trees. Heading in that direction, she decided to sit for awhile and try to enjoy the peace that the mountains usually gave her. But tears started to fall as she sat down and another wave of sadness hit her.

  Maybe it won’t be so easy to move on from this relationship, she thought.

  ****

  Keegan followed behind Patrick and Kimberly. There was a sharp contrast between the happy family hurrying along and the sulking way he walked along the trail. He started recognizing the river and their surroundings, and he knew they were getting close to the portal.

  With every step he took further up the trail, the more he felt he was making a horrible mistake going back to his own time. He had something incredible with Megan, and despite the way she was acting on their drive up here, he knew she felt the same about him.

  He glanced up as Richie gave a shout and started running faster. Panic hit his gut. Were they at the portal already?

  “Look at that deer, Pa!” he shouted and Keegan could see a large buck bound further into the forest away from all the noise Richie was making.

  Keegan tuned them out again, not able to join in their happy conversation.

  He hadn’t courted many women, but he somehow knew he wouldn’t find another woman like Megan. They had something special, and the more he thought about it, the more he was certain he would never forgive himself for not trying to continue their relationship.

  “There it is, Ma!” Richie shouted, and this time Keegan could see the clearing they had to walk through to get to the portal. This time, instead of panic, he felt a feeling of calm settle in his heart as he knew what he had to do.

  “Patrick,” he cleared his throat. “Can we talk for a minute?”

  Patrick looked at him knowingly. “It’s about time,” was all he said before he stepped off the path a few yards, and Keegan followed.

  Keegan wondered if Patrick had known how difficult it had been for Keegan to hike up to the portal today. The thought gave him courage, and he started explaining how he felt to Patrick.

  “I’m not going to go back with you today. I know I have responsibilities back at home, but I think Nathan and Dr. Thomas make a good team, and they will be fine without me. I need to stay and talk to Megan. She…” He flushed, unable to say the words he knew was in his heart.

  Patrick put a hand on his shoulder. “I know, Keegan. I’ve had to make a difficult decision similar to yours once before.” He looked over at Kimberly, who was showing Richie some of the different herbs in the field. He watched as his son picked up a colorful rock and put it in his pocket. “Somehow, you will just know when you meet the right woman. If you already have, it is near impossible to talk yourself out of loving her.”

  Keegan stuttered. “Well, I wouldn’t say love…”

  Patrick interrupted him. “It wouldn’t be love if you weren’t willing to give up your life for us to be with her.”

  Keegan didn’t say anything but thought hard about what Patrick was suggesting. Did he love Megan? He had feelings for her that were stronger than he had ever felt before, but was it really love?

  “Are you two men ready?” Kimberly called playfully.

  Patrick gave Keegan a tight hug, patting his back a few times before letting go. “I hope to see you again, brother.”

  Keegan felt a tightness in his chest. “Well, if I do stay permanently, we have the portal now. I am sure we can come visit from time to time.”

  Kimberly seemed to sense that there was something wrong. “What’s going on?”

  “Keegan is staying here,” Patrick explained.

  Kimberly grinned at him and threw her arms around Keegan’s neck. “I’m so glad you figured it out!”

  Keegan protested. “I haven’t figured anything out yet; that’s why I’m staying.”

  “You keep telling yourself that,” she teased.

  Richie came up behind Kimberly. “Aren’t you coming with us, Uncle Keegan?”

  “Sorry kid, not today. I will see you around though, okay?” Keegan knelt on one knee and ruffled Richie’s hair. “No more getting sick on your Ma and Pa, ya hear?”

  Richie giggled. “Bye, Uncle Keegan!”

  As easy as that, Richie was running across the field towards the circle of rocks with Kimberly close behind, insisting he wait for the two of them before he jumped into the portal.

  Patrick put his hand on Keegan’s shoulder. “Good luck, little brother,” was all he said before he turned to follow his family.

  Keegan watched as all three of them grasped hands and then stepped into the portal together. In the next instant, they were gone. Keegan felt torn in two. He would miss his family incredibly, but he knew he needed to stay in the future with Megan so they could figure everything out between the two of them.

  He took a deep breath and turned back around to head down the mountain. Now that he had made the decision, how was he going to get himself back to his house?

  ****

  As Megan sat at the picnic table, she couldn’t help but look longingly at the trail where Keegan had left just a few hours before. She wished with all her heart that things could have been different. Then she saw a man leave the trail and stop as he looked around the parking lot. He seemed to have found what he was looking for and started to head in the direction of her car. He looked familiar and Megan squinted her eyes in order to see him better.

  Her heart fluttered as she realized she was looking at Keegan. Relief flooded through her. She tried to push it back down. He might not be staying for good; maybe there was something wrong with the portal. She got up and started to run, stopping a few yards away from him.

  “Keegan,” Megan said in disbelief.

  His face lit up when he saw her. She was not sure what to say, so she remained quiet and waited for him to speak first.

  “I couldn’t l
eave,” was all he said.

  Joy slowly spread through her. “Why not?” she asked, wanting to hear what he would say.

  He ran his hand through his hair and looked around as if he was searching for words. His eyes found hers and they seemed almost smoldering from emotion. “We need more time.” He walked over to her and put one arm around her waist while the other came up to stroke her cheek.

  She smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around him as well. “I’m so glad you stayed.”

  Then Keegan kissed her, holding her tightly as if he never wanted to let her go again.

  She kissed him back, reveling in the safe, warm feeling of being in his arms. There were things she wanted to tell him, yearned to tell him, but would he even believe her? After a few minutes, but still too soon, he pulled away.

  She wanted to ask him how long he was going to stay, but she was too scared he would say he was planning to stay only for a few more days. Instead, she said, “Shall we go back to your house then?”

  He smiled at her. “Yes, let’s go home.”

  Chapter 24

  The next few days passed quickly. They were close to having the shop completely set up and ready to move all their inventory in, and she and Keegan worked hard to keep everything moving quickly. They finally had a working kitchen in the house, so they spent time cooking their meals there since they had both gotten sick of fast food.

  Abby also came by to help when she could. At first, Megan didn’t think much of it; they were best friends after all. However, after the third time she showed up unannounced, she realized how many questions Abby asked about time travel, and how fascinated she was by the room full of Victoria’s time travel collections.

  “So, what was this house like when you visited in it 1902?” she asked Megan.

  “Honestly, it hasn’t changed much from what it was like back then. It’s pretty miraculous that it can stand abandoned for so long without receiving any major damages to it.” Megan knew it was normal for someone to be fascinated by time travel, but she felt Abby’s interest went deeper than that.