Kate rushed down the stairs, grabbing a cup of morning coffee on her way outside. Her parents were already on the deck having breakfast.
“Good morning, sweetie.” Her mom placed her fork on her plate. “All packed?”
“Uh-huh,” Kate mumbled as she pretended to sip from her mug. She couldn’t believe what happened last night and wanted to tell the world. Drew made love to her for the very first time—in the present, that is.
When he carried her upstairs last night they had no idea that would happen. He gently placed her on her bed and kissed her good-night. Kate grabbed Drew’s hand as he began to walk out of the room, saying, “Don’t leave.”
Kate smiled, remembering what he said. “If I don’t leave now, you won’t get rid of me.” He was still sleeping in her bed.
“I better go wake Drew. He never oversleeps!” Kate put her cup on the table and slipped back in the house. She ran upstairs and into her room, but he was gone. Rushing into his room, she found him sitting on the edge of his bed.
“What have I done, Kate?” He looked like a lost puppy. “I broke my promise to you...and your family.”
“Drew, it’s not a big deal. It was bound to happen sooner or later.” She sat down next to him.
“We’re not married, not like back at the canyon.”
“I think I have a say in this, Andrew Martin-Kelly. Stop being a martyr. This is the twenty-first century.” Kate got up, kissed the top of his head and left.
“Do your parents know?” Drew called after her.
“Maybe...” she yelled back. Kate laughed and danced around her room. She felt freer than she had in awhile. Then she remembered something and stopped in her tracks. Anna asked her to bring the book to Arizona. It was an odd request, but Kate would never deny her anything. There might be a curiosity on Anna’s part. Maybe she wanted to see the magical book for herself. She really didn’t say.
Kate took the book from her nightstand and stroked the cover. Turning the book over and over in her hands, she saw nothing special about it. The outside was black leather with no other markings.
“Here’s hoping you think this looks like a very boring book, Tyson.” Kate wrapped the book in one of her shirts and placed it in her carry-on luggage. No way was the book going to be out of her sight.
* * * *
Boarding the plane, Kate grabbed Lindsey’s hand and squeezed it. “I have something to tell you,” she whispered, hoping Drew wouldn’t hear. “You’re sitting by me, right?”
Lindsey held up her ticket. “Aisle seat, you in the middle and Drew by the window, just like we planned. What’s up? I can’t wait. Tell me now.”
They were walking through the business class of the plane when Kate whispered to the back of Lindsey’s head the news about her and Drew.
“What!” Lindsey’s blonde hair flew around, hitting Kate in the face. A few passengers looked up as she spun around.
“Shhh, we can’t talk about it.” She cocked her head back toward Drew. Kate walked past her row, waiting for him to slide in. He gave her a quizzical look as he slipped into his seat. “Buckle up!” Kate told him as she sat down next to him. Giving him her best smile, he quickly kissed her cheek.
“If you think that’s ever happening again until we’re married, you’re mistaken.” Drew opened a magazine and began to flip the pages.
“Unfair! Not the best place or time to start this argument.” Kate poked him.
“Oh, it’s the best place to tell you so it doesn’t turn into an argument.” Drew smiled slightly as he continued to turn the pages.
“Hasn’t it always been...an argument?” Kate was miffed.
“I love you.”
“And I love you.” Kate knew she’d get nowhere with the conversation and decided to let it drop. She turned her attention to Lindsey. “Anna wanted me to bring the book. Has she said anything about it?”
“No, she hasn’t. That’s a strange request. Maybe she just wants to see it.”
“I thought that, too. But I think there’s more to it. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
“Does she know Tyson stole a book?” Lindsey made a face when she said his name, and the two friends cracked up. “It’s not that funny!” Lindsey snorted which made them laugh harder.
“Yes, it is.” Kate could hardly breathe. “Anna knows, and she thinks it could turn into a huge problem if we don’t do something.”
“I won’t be home this summer to help break into his house,” Lindsey mood changed as she stuck out her lower lip.
“You’re never home any summer, Linds.” Kate started to laugh again. “Anyway, you’ll be busy with your summer fling, Charlie, and your puppy. I can’t wait to see how much Abby’s grown.”
“Charlie sends me daily updates and let’s me talk to her on the phone. I know I’m strange.” Lindsey put her head on Kate’s shoulder. “I could stay there and never come home, you know.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling.”
The plane began to descend, ready to land in Phoenix where the families would change planes and continue on to Flagstaff. The whole Jenkins clan would be there to meet them. They’d drive in the usual caravan of trucks and SUVs back to the ranch, giving Kate an old comfortable feeling.
As the families maneuvered their way to baggage claim, she slipped her hand in Drew’s. “Excited?”
“You know I love coming here. We have a whole week to do what we want. Horseback riding when we get there?”
“After we see Anna.”
“Of course, that’s a given.” Drew smiled and pulled Kate closer. “Are all the secrets out now? No one’s keeping any, right?”
Did he sense something? Did he know she had the book? “Well, there’s just a little one. Anna wanted to see the book.”
“You brought it?”
“Yep, can’t deny my girlfriend.”
“Well, let’s keep track of it. I’m a little nervous about books falling into the wrong hands after what just happened. Could you see Megan ending up at the canyon?”
Kate giggled. Megan was her eleven-year-old cousin and interested in everything. She always had a million questions for Kate when she arrived at the ranch. “Megan would love it. She lives out here. But if for some reason it happened, we could convince her it was a dream...for now.”
She heard shouting and knew they arrived at the right baggage terminal. Aunt Sue was waving and jumping up and down. Charlie ran straight for Lindsey.
“Abby’s in the car,” Charlie told her, and the two ran off to the parking garage ahead of everyone else.
“Katie!” Megan squealed as she skipped up to her. “Mommy, I’m riding with Katie...oh, and you, too, Drew.” She gave him a quick hug.
There were hugs all around. Uncle Steve and his wife, Uncle Scott and family plus Aunt Sue and Grandpa Dan were all part of the entourage. Sue, Scott and Steve were Lindsey’s aunt and uncles—brothers and sister to her mom, Beth. They were cousins to Kate because her third cousin, Amy, married Grandpa Dan. Confusing to explain, but they understood the family bond quite well.
“Grandma J said to put the pedal to the metal on the drive home. She’s anxious to see you.” Aunt Sue put her arm around Kate. “I can’t believe you and Lindsey are eighteen! Anna insisted on being in charge of your birthday again so I have no idea what’s going on. I’m just following orders. Last year, it was a cowboy party. I can’t get her to tell this year’s theme for the life of me!”
Kate jumped in the back of Aunt Sue’s SUV with Drew and Megan. Brandon slid in front with his mother. No one ever talked about Aunt Sue’s husband or what happened to him. Kate didn’t know if they were divorced or if he passed away. She always thought it was best not to ask.
“So what do you want for your birthday?” Megan asked Kate. “What kind of cake? I’m helping Grandma J this year. I’m supposed to write down all the details.”
“I want all my family to be at the party, and I like marble cake.” Kate touched the tip of Megan’s nose with her finger. “How’s that?”
“That’s not a present.” Megan shook her head. “The family already plans on being there.”
“Okay, I’ll think about it. Do you know the theme by any chance?” Kate thought she’d help Aunt Sue solve the mystery.
“Yes, it’s going to be a Roaring Twenties birthday party. Personally, I don’t get it.” Megan slowly shook her head and shrugged.
Kate turned to Drew, and they smiled knowingly. “Where’s she getting the clothes for us to wear?”
“Don’t worry. She’s been ordering on-line for weeks.” Megan put her hand to her cheek, giving them an exasperated look. Kate had to suppress a giggle.
“I did get a text to bring a suit.” Drew leaned over to join the conversation.
“She ordered a bunch of straw hats for the men to wear. That’s what they wore in the summer.” Kate could tell Megan was enjoying the attention. “I already have my flapper dress.”
Aunt Sue pulled into the driveway. “We’re here! And completely informed on the birthday festivities!”
Kate waited impatiently for Megan to open the door and slide out, finally slipping out next and running for the door. “Anna!” she called as she ran through the house, heading for the apartment.
Anna stood at her door, tears falling freely down her face. “Kathryn, my Kathryn.” Anna held onto her tightly. “Come in. How was your flight?”
“Fine. Now, how are you? Let me look at you.” Kate sat down next to Anna on her loveseat. “You’re beautiful as ever.”
Anna’s pure white hair was pulled back in the style she wore while working at El Tovar—a simple bun at the nape of her neck. Her brown eyes sparkled with excitement. “Did you bring the book?”
“Of course.” Kate pulled it from her bag.
“Is it alright if I keep it?”
“That’s a strange request.” Drew stepped into the room.
“Let her explain.” Kate took Anna’s hand.
“I want to go back, back to the boardinghouse. I want to see everything one more time. I miss it.” Anna wiped a tear from her eye.
“You’re already there. There can’t be two Annas.” Drew sat down on the other side of her, taking her hand to soften the blow he just delivered.
“We don’t know until I try. Right?”
Kate gave Drew a stern glance.
“No, we don’t. The worst that can happen is there are two Annas of different ages. We’d have to keep them apart for a day.”
“Then you agree? I can do it? I’ll wait and go whenever you say. I know I won’t be able to return until July with Kathryn. I could help with Tyson, too.” Anna seemed eager for an answer.
“I can agree to one day as long as you wait until Kate is there.” Drew raised his eyebrows at Kate. “Well?”
“Agreed.” She took Anna’s other hand.
Anna pulled them close and put her arms around both of them. “You’re the two best friends a girl could ever have. Now I have something special to show you. Drew, go find my son and tell him it’s time—he’ll know what you mean—and Kathryn and I will be right behind you.”
After Drew left, Anna turned to Kate. “It’s a surprise for Drew. Help me up so we can join them.”
Instead, Kate stayed put. “First, I have to ask you something. You don’t have to answer and can tell me it’s none of my business, but what happened to Sue’s husband? The first time I came for a visit, I thought she was married. It was my first visit, and we were here for such a short time. But I remember a man being here. No one ever mentions him.” There was a long pause. Kate felt bad she broached the subject. “That’s alright. You don’t have to answer.”
“No, there are no secrets between us. I’m just thinking the best way to tell the story.”
“There’s a story?” Kate settled back, ready to hear more of the family history.
“Sue was never married. The man you remember from that visit was just a friend.”
“Brandon? Megan?”
“Same father. His nickname was ‘The Wild Thing’.”
“Intriguing. Go on!”
“Well, Craig, his real name, was something of a ladies’ man, if you know what I mean. I think he dated every girl in his high school class. Sue was always smitten with him. After she graduated from college they dated on and off for a number of years, but he was a wanderer. Never liked to stay in one place too long. Guess he felt the same way about women. Her father and my Daniel were always inviting rancher’s sons over to distract her, but it never worked. Then when she was twenty-eight she got pregnant. We thought we’d be throwing a huge rancher’s wedding, but instead Craig disappeared. He resurfaced about five years later, all apologetic, hat in hand. Sue took him back. He was around for two or three years until Megan was born. And we haven’t seen him since.”
“Is he still alive?”
“We think so. The girls mention him once in awhile. They know it’s a sore subject with most of us here at the ranch.”
“The girls?”
“Retta and Lucy.”
Kate had to smile as she heard her third cousins being called girls. They were far from girls, probably in their eighties by now. They were her great-great Aunt Lucinda’s daughters. “What do they have to do with this?”
“Oh, sorry, I left that part out. Remember Trevor?”
“I believe Lucy or Retta told me their Uncle Gilbert Hasting adopted Trevor when he was a young boy. He ran the ranch for Lucinda after Gil passed. His family still lives at the Circle H with them.”
“Craig is one of Trevor’s grandsons.”
“What?” Kate was surprised to learn another Hasting had a life intertwined with the Jenkins side of her family. She referred to the Hasting clan as the other side even though they were all connected through her mother. Amy Hasting, Lucinda’s third daughter, married Anna’s son, Dan Jenkins. That’s when the connection began, and they all became cousins. Kate saw the two families as an intricate design, woven carefully through time, crossing paths intermittently.
“Lucinda called it a scandal and said the families shouldn’t be procreating.”
“Tell me she didn’t say that!”
“I think she said things she didn’t mean, Kathryn. She viewed it as another Hasting/Jenkins connection she’d have to be a part of—something she always longed for herself. First me and Daniel. Then my son and her daughter.”
“Daniel loved you, Anna. He never led her on. Always remember that. That was Lucinda’s weakness. We all have them. I remind myself of her wedding day. I picture her crumpled on the stairs, so vulnerable when she saw you and Daniel together...”
“Say no more. You’re right. That’s just the way Lucinda was. Sue was her granddaughter, and Craig was family in her mind. Trevor’s adoption didn’t matter to her. She loved him and always thought of him as family. We all know it wasn’t inbreeding, but it didn’t make Sue feel any better that her grandmother felt that way. Craig Hasting was...is...her only true love. Oh, she’s dated some and came close to marrying once but put the brakes on before it went to that level.
“Sue’s been good to me and her father, running the ranch and making a perfect home for the family. She has a good life. Dan’s leaving the ranch to her. She’ll always have a home.” Anna wiped a tear from her eye. “Watching her through the years gave me a little insight on how Lucinda must’ve felt. Pining away for someone she could never have.”
“Do Brandon and Megan know their father?”
“Only Brandon. When Craig returned Sue thought things would be different and made sure Brandon had a relationship with his father. He was five at the time and seven or eight when Craig left.”
“And Megan?”
“She doesn’t know anything about her father and never asks.”
“Wow! That’s quite a story. Thanks for sharing. I think I better get you outside before the boys wonder where we are.” Kate helped Anna up, waiting for instructions.
She guided Kate outside to the backyard and headed toward the barn.
“Is it a horse named Canyon?” Kate guessed. Canyon was Drew’s horse that waited for him back in 1927.
“No, we have plenty of horses here. Don’t need one more,” Anna laughed.
They slowly made their way to the barn, and upon arrival Kate saw the doors were wide open. The stables were to the left, but Anna made a right hand turn. “In here,” she pointed.
They entered another big room where there was a large object covered by a tarp. Drew and Grandpa Dan waited patiently beside it.
“A car?” Kate couldn’t figure out the connection to Drew and the thing underneath the huge cover.
“Not just any car,” Anna waved her hand, “Dan, show him.”
Dan grabbed the cloth and pulled.
“The Packard? Daniel’s car!” Drew shouted, covering his face with his hands. “I can’t believe it.”
Kate winced as Drew ran his hand over the hood. He gave away too much information and seemed too familiar with the car. She hoped Grandpa Dan didn’t notice.
“Dad kept this car because it reminded him of good times and friends. It helped him remember a good friend he lost that year, a guy named Andrew. Right, Mom?” In all of the excitement, Dan appeared not to have heard what Drew said.
“Yes, son.” Anna smiled.
“I used to help Dad work on this car. We’d polish it up and take Mom for a spin whenever she wanted. Then I moved away, and it fell into disrepair after Dad got sick. For some reason, Drew, Mom wanted you to see the car. She thought you’d be interested. None of the kids are.”
“I want you to have the car, Andrew.” Anna placed her hand gently on his arm.
“Oh, I couldn’t, really. This car’s a legacy to the family.” Drew shook his head.
“Didn’t you hear Dan? No one wants it. Please, Andrew.” Her eyes pleaded with him. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be on this earth. I want to know the Packard’s in good hands.”
“Then it’s my pleasure to accept this wonderful gift. May I?” Drew offered Anna his arm and walked her to the car, placing her in the passenger side. He appeared to know what he was doing as he jumped in the driver’s side.
“Open the door, Dan,” Anna directed.
A garage style door lifted up right in front of the Packard, exposing a dirt road that led to the main one.
“Start it up!” Anna called out.
Drew looked at Dan for confirmation. Dan nodded and said, “She had me working on this thing all year. Mom was determined to have it up and running for your birthday, Katie.”
My Roaring Twenties Birthday, a gift to all of us, complete with car. Tears filled Kate’s eyes as she watched Drew and Anna drive the shiny crimson and cream automobile out of the barn. It was a convertible so the top was down. Kate could see the two friends talking and laughing. Anna turned around happily waving. For just a second Kate thought she saw her young friend, throwing her head back with laughter, enjoying a beautiful summer day. Drew made a turn and headed back to where Kate and Dan stood watching.
“Anna insists you get a turn.” Drew hopped out and ran around to the passenger side, lifting Anna out and placing her on the ground.
“It’s in good shape, Dan.” Drew shook hands with him.
“It’s a six-cylinder, eighty-one horsepower engine. I learned a lot from Dad and was able to get the parts I needed on the Internet.”
“I believe this is the Packard Fourth Series Six that came out in 1927.” Drew continued the car talk.
“I see you know a little about cars.” Dan patted him on the back.
“You two stop talking all this mumbo jumbo, and let Andrew take Kathryn for a drive.” Anna put her cane between the two men, making everyone laugh. “I take it my little great-granddaughter already spilled the beans about the birthday party theme so you can see why I wanted this ready to go.” Anna winked at Kate.
Kate ran over to the Packard and stood on the running board, peering in. “Wow, this is so cool!”
“Kathryn, you and Lindsey are going to be driven to the party in this car,” Anna shouted over the noise of the engine.
“Drew, can you believe this? Daniel kept this car all these years.” Kate ran her hand over the dashboard as she sat down. “Drew, did you hear me?” She looked over and saw tears welling up in his eyes as he desperately fought them back. “Start driving,” she commanded.
He drove to the other side of the barn, stopping where they couldn’t be seen. “Kate, I’m overwhelmed. I need a minute.”
“Sure.” Kate knew when Grandpa Dan said his father kept the car to remember good times and old friends that Drew was affected. She put her hand on his shoulder and rubbed his back as he slumped over the wheel of the car. “I love the car. We should probably keep it here because the weather’s better than Ohio. Less wear and tear. Don’t you agree?”
Drew sat up. “Yes, that’s a good idea. If anyone in the Jenkins family wants to drive it, see it, it will be here. Good plan.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Happy Birthday, Mrs. Martin.” He started up the car and drove back to where Anna and Dan stood waiting outside the garage. As they traveled along the little dirt road, Kate filled Drew in on Aunt Sue’s story.
“Another connection between the families!” He parked the car in the garage, and Kate helped cover the Packard with the tarp.
The couple joined Anna and her son, as they slowly made their way back to the house.
“What a great birthday present, Anna.” Kate wrapped her arm around the small woman’s shoulders. “What a great friend I have.” She whispered so only the two of them could hear.
“Remember these days, Kathryn. There may not be many left.” Anna broke Kate’s happy mood.
“Don’t say that!”
“I need to keep reminding you. You look at me as if I were still eighteen.” Anna smiled slightly. “And I like that. The rest of them treat me like an old woman who needs constant help. You don’t. But I have to help you now. You need to let go a little, accept that I may not be in your life much longer.”
“Never,” Kate answered. “I will never accept that as long as I live.”