Touched by Time

by Zoe Matthews

  “Yep, I like to help with the chickens and with Uncle Patrick’s puppies,” Colleen said, looking more awake by the minute. “Keegan likes to read books. He reads and studies all the time,” Colleen announced with a little disgust in her voice.

  Kimberly glanced at the young man who blushed at Colleen’s words. She could tell Colleen thought it strange that Keegan would want to willingly read.

  “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to learn,” Bridget said as she glanced at her youngest brother. “I picked out some more books yesterday in Denver. In fact, Kimberly helped. I hope these will keep your interest for awhile.”

  “That’s great, sis, thanks,” Keegan told her, his voice breaking in the typical teenage fashion. “I’m glad you were able to find more books.”

  “What can I do to help?” Kimberly offered, hoping that whatever was suggested would be things should could actually help with.

  Patrick looked a little surprised at her words, and then pleased. “Today, I would like to take you on a tour of the ranch. Maybe you can start helping tomorrow, if you want to.”

  “I would love a tour,” Kimberly told him. She liked the idea of spending the day with him and getting to know him better.

  “You can help me and Aunt Bridget,” Colleen said eagerly. “We always have lots to do.”

  “Aunt Bridget and I,” Bridget corrected her.

  Colleen looked confused at her aunt’s correction. “That’s what I just said.” Everyone chuckled at her words.

  “I would love to help you and Bridget,” Kimberly told the child who smiled widely at her.

  “Great breakfast, Bridget,” Patrick said as he put down a cloth napkin by his plate. He turned to Kimberly. “When you are ready for that tour, come out to the barn. I will be doing some things in there until then.”

  Kimberly nodded and watched him as he got up from the table and placed a small kiss on his sister’s cheek. He then put on a cowboy hat that had been hanging on a peg by the door and left the cabin, letting the screen door shut behind him. Shaun and Keegan followed their older brother and soon Kimberly was left alone with Bridget and Colleen.

  Kimberly ate as much as she could, but she only was able to finish about half of what had been put in front of her. She hoped Bridget wouldn’t feel offended, but the woman just picked up her plate and scraped the remains into a bucket.

  “Colleen, when you’re done there, take this out to the pigs,” Bridget instructed the girl.

  “I can help with the dishes,” Kimberly offered.

  Bridget shook her head. “Patrick’s waiting for you. If you want to help, you can start tomorrow.”

  Kimberly hesitated and then just nodded her head. She wondered if Bridget knew she wasn’t going to be much help until she learned how they did things. She said goodbye and followed Colleen to the barn. There was a small building off to the side of the barn that housed the pigs and she watched as Colleen dumped the contents of the bucket into a trough over the fence. A large pig and several piglets grunted and snorted as they started to eat. Kimberly wrinkled her face at the smell the pigs made.

  She watched as Colleen skipped towards another small building. This was enclosed with a wire fence and Kimberly could see a few chickens clucking and pecking the ground. Part of her wanted to follow Colleen and watch her take care of the chickens, but she decided to go find Patrick instead, since he probably was waiting for her.

  As she walked towards the large barn, she glanced up to the sky. It was bright blue and she loved the fresh air she smelled. She could see aspen and pine trees in the distance as well as close by. She knew it would take very little for her to fall in love with this place. Would it be just as easy to fall for Patrick?

  She stepped into the barn and smelled the usual barn scents. She could see a few horses in their stalls and saw a gray and white cat run behind a small pile of hay. She spotted Patrick and Shaun near a long table, so she headed in that direction. As she got closer, she could tell they didn’t know she was approaching, and that they were arguing about something, or someone.

  “I think you’re nuts bringing a woman you haven’t even met to the ranch,” Shaun said to Patrick. “What if it doesn’t work out? What if she just leaves and doesn’t follow through with her promise to marry you? You should have just visited Denver for a few days and picked a woman there.”

  “I didn’t want a woman from Denver,” Patrick told him with frustration in his voice. “I know you don’t trust women, but not everyone is like Delia. Give Kimberly a chance.”

  “I still think…”

  “Look, Shaun,” Patrick interrupted him. “This is my decision. You have no say in it. I like her. I enjoyed her letters and Mrs. Hilton matched us. It will work out. Maybe you should let Mrs. Hilton match you with someone.”

  Shaun snorted. “That would be the day.” They both noticed her at the same moment. Patrick looked apologetic, but Shaun stomped out of the barn, glaring at her as he went.

  “Sorry about that,” Patrick told her as she approached him.

  “That’s okay,” Kimberly told him. “I guess the way we met is a little strange.”

  “Shaun will come around after he gets to know you,” Patrick promised.

  Kimberly hoped so, but she also felt a little guilty and could understand Shaun’s concern. She hadn’t totally committed to Patrick and didn’t want to until he knew the truth about her. Maybe Shaun could sense that there was something holding her back.

  “Ready for the tour of the ranch?” Patrick asked her and Kimberly nodded. “Would you like to walk or ride horses?”

  “Would it be okay if we walk?” Kimberly questioned. “I am still a bit sore from yesterday.”

  Patrick nodded. “We won’t be able to see as much, but that will be fine. You should get back on a horse as soon as you can, though. It will help get your muscles used to riding.”

  The day was actually very enjoyable for Kimberly. It was obvious Patrick was very proud of the ranch. He showed her everything he could. Kimberly could only see a few cattle in a field and wondered where the rest of them were until Patrick explained how every spring they moved their cattle deeper into the mountains for the summer. In the fall, they would go get them and drive them to Denver to be shipped back east on the train. He talked about the cattle drive like she would be around to be part of it and Kimberly hoped he was right.

  She met some of Shaun’s horses and even watched him for a while as he worked with one of them. She could tell he was good at his job. Shaun ignored them while they watched and Kimberly knew that he was going to be the one that would be the hardest to convince of her intentions.

  Patrick walked with her along the river that they had followed from Denver. He explained that this river was where they got all their water, for the family and for the animals. She could tell it was necessary for their livelihood. The river continued into the forest and Patrick had explained to her that it ran from a small lake a few miles away. He promised her that he’d take her there sometime when she was more comfortable riding a horse.

  The last place he took her was to see his dogs. He had a small area fenced and there were two female dogs inside with numerous puppies running around and playing with each other. Kimberly could immediately tell they were Border Collies. She had always loved dogs even though she had never owned one since she was a girl. She had a dog when her parents were alive. He was a golden retriever, and he had been like another member of the family. After their deaths, Kimberly was sent to a foster care family, and she didn’t know what happened to the dog. She assumed he had been put to sleep. She had wanted to get a dog after college. A few times, she had even gone to breeders to look at puppies, but something always stopped her from taking the last step in ownership.

  Patrick allowed her to go into the enclosure to see the puppies. He explained that at the moment he had two female dogs who were mothers to the puppies that were running around. The father was Jack, a dog that had been following them around all day. He
was planning on keeping a few of the puppies to train for his own use, but he was going to sell the rest. All three adult dogs were excellent cattle dogs and so the puppies were in high demand at ranches and farms around Denver.

  “They are so cute,” Kimberly told him as she picked up one and cuddled it. “Do you name them?”

  “Well, the female dogs are Summer and Autumn. I don’t name the puppies unless I’m going to keep them.”

  Kimberly sank to the ground and giggled as all the puppies ran up and jumped on her for attention. Patrick bent down to stop the onslaught but backed off when he saw that she was smiling.

  “I love dogs,” she explained to him.

  Patrick smiled back. “Have you ever had a dog before?”

  Kimberly shook her head. “We owned one when I was a child, but I haven’t had one since.”

  “Well, you are welcome to spend all the time here you wish,” Patrick told her. “The more time spent with them, the better the puppies will be.”

  “I definitely will take you up on that,” Kimberly said. She lifted her hand to him, asking him to help her to her feet.

  ****

  Patrick grasped Kimberly’s hand and pulled her up. He looked into her eyes as she stood. He had enjoyed his time with her. He loved showing her the ranch, but he loved even more getting to know her. After his conversation with Shaun, he had felt like maybe he had made a mistake. After all, he really didn’t know Kimberly. He was totally trusting in the decision of Mrs. Hilton and the few letters they had written to each other. What if she really wasn’t who she said she was?

  But as he spent time with her, his concerns lessened. Kimberly seemed honest and genuine when she talked. Besides, he trusted Mrs. Hilton, and knew she had extensive questionnaires that weeded out people who weren’t really interested in marriage. Kimberly seemed to love his ranch and the mountains. When they first started the tour, she didn’t talk very much, but as the day went on, she opened up more and more.

  She told him about her parents and how they were both killed when she was 16, although she was vague on how they were killed. She explained how she went to school to become a nurse and how much she enjoyed that job, although some of the words and descriptions she used where puzzling. She had said something about starting her degree with "online" classes, but he assumed that must be a different city he had never heard of. She talked about her best friend, her brother, and his son. She mentioned that the boy, Garrett, spent most of his time in front of a TV, and Patrick was going to ask what she meant, but she seemed uncomfortable, and changed the subject quickly.

  Kimberly had also asked numerous questions about the ranch and how things were run and Patrick could tell that she was very interested in his answers. From the questions she had asked, he could tell she had been raised in the city, but that didn’t bother him. He knew she would learn quickly how to live on a ranch.

  As she stood in front of him, he admired how her brown hair reflected the sunlight, and the way her cheeks flushed when she caught him watching her. He reached out to touch her face. At first she closed her eyes, and leaned into his hand. His heart swelled, and he somehow knew that this woman was going to make his life infinitely better.

  After a moment, she opened her eyes, and he could see she was still unsure of their relationship. Instead of pushing it, he dropped his hand to take hers, and started walking with her back to the cabin.

  Chapter 12

  The day after Nicky had discovered Kimberly was missing, she was able to talk Justin into driving to Mrs. Hilton’s home with her. Justin wanted to wait a few more days, but Nicky was insistent.

  On the way, Nicky prayed that they would find answers to where Kimberly was at. She decided she wasn’t going to leave until Mrs. Hilton gave her the answers she was looking for.

  When they arrived at the large Victorian home, Nicky felt unsettled. It looked different to her. The grounds looked the same, just like she remembered them before, well-groomed and cared for. But something was different. She left Justin’s truck, leaving her brother to follow if he wished. She pounded on the door, waited for a moment, and the pounded again. But no one answered.

  “Doesn’t look like she’s home,” Justin said behind her dryly.

  Nicky pounded again and then looked inside one of the front windows. She gasped in disbelief. From what she could see, it looked like no one had lived in this house for years. She could see sheets covering all the furniture. She couldn’t see anything that would have indicated life was inside. She could see the marble table that had had a large flower bouquet sitting on it when she had come before with Kimberly. It was now empty and she could see a fine layer of dust on the top. What was going on?

  Justin stood beside her and peered into the window. “Are you sure you have the right house?”

  “Of course I have the right house,” Nicky snapped. “Something is strange. There are sheets draped over everything. There was a flower arrangement on that table the last time I was here. What is going on?”

  Nicky felt fear clutch her chest. What if she never saw her friend again? She knew that Kimberly’s disappearance had something to do with

  Mrs. Hilton and her strange English butler.

  “Why don’t we wait a few days, and then come back,” Justin suggested diplomatically. Nicky felt frustrated that Justin wasn’t as concerned about Kimberly as she was.

  “I’m going to just sit here until someone shows up,” she announced and plopped herself onto the porch stairs.

  “You can’t do that,” Justin scoffed at her. “I need to leave. I’ve got work to do and Garrett has a soccer game today. I’m not leaving you here alone.” He bent down to grab her arm and pulled her up.

  “Okay,” Nicky knew she didn’t have a choice. “But promise me we will come back?”

  “I promise. Let’s go.”

  “I still think we should call the police when the 48 hours are up.”

  “We’ll call the police,” Justin agreed. As he helped his sister into the car, he turned and looked at the empty house. He, too, felt that something strange was going on. He just didn’t want to admit it to Nicky and add to her worries. He promised himself that he would come back later and look around, alone.

  ****

  Kimberly left Patrick and went into the family cabin. She wanted to offer to help with the evening meal, but Bridget was nowhere to be found. She saw Keegan sitting in a wooden chair near the fireplace. He had a pocket knife and a piece of wood in his hands. She was curious to what he was doing so she sat down next to him.

  “Are you carving something?” she asked Keegan. He grunted his response.

  “What are you making?”

  “Hopefully when I’m done it will be a squirrel.” Keegan didn’t look at her but kept his eyes on his work.

  Kimberly watched him carve in silence for a few minutes and then stood to look around the living room. She gravitated towards a bookshelf filled with different books. Most were history books, with a few novels placed carefully at one end. She then noticed the carved wooden animals that were arranged on the shelf above the fireplace. She stood and looked at each of them. They were very well done. There were a few bears, along with a couple cubs. She also saw birds, horses, deer, and small animals like a chipmunk and a mouse.

  “Did you make all of these?” she asked Keegan.

  “Yep.”

  “Have you sold any of them?”

  Keegan looked at her, astonishment on his face. “Why would I want to sell them? I just do them for fun.”

  “I think you could make some money on them.” Kimberly stopped talking as she remembered what time period she was in. In her time, people would definitely be interested in his talent; the carvings were that good. But maybe in this time period people wouldn’t buy them.

  Keegan shook his head at her words. “I doubt people would want these. They aren’t that good.”

  Kimberly sat next to him again and watched him silently for a while. “Can you tell me what you l
ike to study?” she finally asked. “From what Bridget has told me, you love to learn. Those books she bought looked hard.”

  “I like to read just about anything,” Keegan responded.

  “Have you always done your schooling here on the ranch or is there a

  school nearby?” she asked even though she already knew the answer.

  “No school. Bridget has been teaching me,” Keegan looked at her with a mischievous grin. “Don’t tell her, but I think I'm smarter than her already.”

  Kimberly wanted to ask him what his plans were for the future with school, but didn’t dare. Remember things are different in this time period, she reminded herself silently. Keegan answered her question without her asking it.

  “I might get to go to school in Denver in the fall, if Patrick says there’s enough money after the fall cattle drive. I’d have to board there somewhere. It would take too long to ride back and forth from the ranch every day.”