by Zoe Matthews
“I can tell you know more than any nurse I know of,” Patrick said to her. “Are you sure you aren’t a doctor? Is that what you’re hiding?”
Kimberly shook her head. “I’m what is called a register nurse.” She instantly wished she could take her words back at his look of confusion. She had just let another hint of the future slip. He obviously knew she was hiding something.
“I can explain later,” Kimberly told him. “I have some medicine to give him when he wakes up. This pill will help with pain and this pill will help with infection.” She showed both pills to him. She hoped he wouldn’t ask any more questions and breathed a sigh of relief when he just nodded.
“We need to talk, later,” Patrick told her. He looked at her intently until Kimberly nodded her head and then went back to his brother. Kimberly watched as he tenderly placed a cool wet cloth on Keegan’s forehead. She knew she had picked a good man.
Chapter 14
The next few days were a blur to Kimberly. She only left Keegan’s side when Patrick forced her to. He always insisted she sleep at night in her cabin and he took over Keegan’s care. But the penicillin was working and Keegan was coherent enough the next day to have a good conversation with Patrick.
“Did you sharpen the ax before you used it?” Patrick questioned Keegan when he was feeling better and he sighed when Keegan shook his head.
“I wanted to hurry and get the chopping done so I could read the history book Bridget brought back from Denver,” Keegan admitted.
“That is one chore that you should never cut corners on,” Patrick lectured his brother. “You know that.”
Keegan nodded. “I’m sorry. I’m sure glad Kimberly was here.”
“She saved your life,” Patrick told him.
“I know,” Keegan whispered. Then he looked at Kimberly. “I want to know what you did to fix me up.”
“Maybe I’ll tell you sometime,” Kimberly said, but she knew she really didn’t want to tell him. Things could have been so much worse. She was so glad she had brought the medical kit from the future and that it had the supplies and medication she had needed. She really didn’t want to replay it in her mind.
A week after the accident happened, Keegan was sitting at the table again with the family, his leg propped up on a nearby chair. And Kimberly received a great surprise. Shaun had been avoiding her like the plague ever since the accident and she didn’t know if he would ever forgive her for insisting they don’t take Keegan to Denver, even if he was healing and doing well. Shaun had been so angry with her for interfering.
On this night, Shaun had come into the cabin from working with the horses all day and stopped abruptly when he saw his younger brother at the table. Keegan was joking with Colleen and then gave the girl a small wooden fairy he had carved. Keegan had been carving quite a bit while he had been in bed all week. Shaun caught Kimberly’s eyes and mouthed some words to her.
Thank you.
That was it, but it was enough.
****
The doorbell rang and Nicky hurried to answer it. It was a police officer coming to take a report of Kimberly’s disappearance. Justin had also come over to talk to the police officer. The man introduced himself as Officer Pickering. After he was seated on her couch, he pulled a notebook out of his pocket to take notes.
“When did you first discover your friend was gone?” the police officer asked.
“A few days ago. I came home from teaching school and she wasn’t here like she usually is.” Nicky quickly explained that Kimberly had quit her nursing job and had been looking for a new position. She explained how she found the note and showed it to Officer Pickering when he asked to see it.
“It looks to me that your friend intended to leave, judging from this letter she wrote to you.”
“But you don’t understand. This is not like Kimberly. She would never do anything like this. She would have let me know she was leaving.”
“I’m sorry, but there is nothing I can do. I will write up a report, but
since she did write a letter, even giving you money for expenses, it is very obvious she left on her own free will.”
“Is there anything we can do, officer?” Justin broke in.
“Let us know when you hear from her,” Officer Pickering stood up, as if he was anxious to be on his way. “You really shouldn’t have even contacted the police, you know. The letter she wrote is proof she knew what she was doing. I am sure you will hear from her in a few days, if she wants to be found.”
Nicky felt numb at the police officer’s words. What was she going to do now? She barely noticed Justin walking the police officer to the door. Was the policeman right? Did Kimberly really leave on her own? If only she could just talk to Kimberly one more time. She just knew if she could, she would be able to find out why Kimberly had left. And maybe, she would be able to talk Kimberly to return where she belonged.
Chapter 15
Patrick knocked on Mrs. Hilton’s door. His trip to Denver had been spur of the moment. He hadn’t been able to sleep since he saw Kimberly work on Keegan’s leg. She had handled everything with so much skill, and had tools and medicine that seemed so foreign to him. He remembered seeing different types of scissors and needles. Everything had been wrapped in weird packages. There where small cloths of various sizes that she called Band-Aids and they weren’t anything he had ever seen before. It was impossible that she was only a nurse; there had to be more to the story than she was telling. She had been avoiding him, and he could tell she didn’t want to talk about it. Out of respect for her and since she had saved Keegan’s life, he let her have her space. Even still, he felt he needed to dig into Kimberly’s life more before he married her.
So, he had finished his morning chores, and snuck off the ranch for the day to make a trip to see Mrs. Hilton. He knew that Mrs. Hilton knew Kimberly, and had done her research on her, so he was hoping she would shed some light on what he should do about his concerns with Kimberly. Mrs. Hilton’s Butler, Collins, opened the door formally, and invited him in without asking for an explanation.
“Mrs. Hilton is in her study.” Collins announced, then led the way.
Patrick followed, suddenly nervous. What if he didn’t like the answer Mrs. Hilton gave him? He had always planned on marrying Kimberly, but hadn’t expected to develop feelings for her so soon. What if he learned something about Kimberly that would change his mind about marrying her?
“Patrick, what a lovely surprise. Please sit down.” Mrs. Hilton greeted him, setting down the book she had been reading on a sofa next to her. Patrick sat in a stuffed chair across from Mrs. Hilton and watched Collins’ gaze linger on Mrs. Hilton a moment before exiting the room. Patrick briefly was surprised; he had only seen Collins perform his duties with pure professionalism at his past visits. When Mrs. Hilton didn’t seem to notice, he brushed it off, and focused on the issue at hand.
“Thank you for being willing to see me Mrs. Hilton.” Patrick began. “I have just a few questions.”
“Oh? Isn’t Kimberly such a lovely girl? I knew she would be perfect for you from the moment I saw her,” the woman said as she smiled at him.
“Yes, she is. She has been great company, and very eager to learn about the ranch.” Patrick hesitated, then let out a big gush of air. “Something happened about a week ago. My brother Keegan cut his leg with an ax. It was bad. I was scared he wouldn’t make it. But, Kimberly saved him. She saved his leg. I know I grew up somewhat isolated in the city, but I know enough to be able to tell she has extensive knowledge as a nurse. More than most nurses do.” He paused, not sure how to continue.
“It sounds like you were lucky to have her close by. What is troubling you about it?”
Patrick hated accusing Kimberly, but knew he had to figure out what she was hiding. He had to make sure his family would be safe.
“The way she healed Keegan, the things she did were unbelievable. It makes me think she is hiding something. Now, if I am to bring her into my family p
ermanently, I need to know there is nothing from her past that may come back to affect us negatively.”
Mrs. Hilton was quiet for a moment, then she stood. “I cannot tell you her secret. I can tell you that Kimberly is a wonderful, honest girl who would do nothing to hurt your family. It seems to me that you should address her about this, not me.”
“So there is a secret?” Patrick’s heart sank.
“Yes. Please, I cannot speak for Kimberly. It would seem she already cares for your family as much as you do if she was so intent on saving Keegan’s life. Go back to your ranch, and talk to her. Consider it practice for when you are married.” Mrs. Hilton smiled softly. “Do not condemn her for something you know nothing about.”
“You’re right, she has been nothing but warm and kind to all of us. Even Shaun, who has been giving her a hard time. I will go talk to her.”
Mrs. Hilton offered to have refreshments brought in, but Patrick declined. He wanted to get back to the ranch as soon as possible. He said his goodbyes and left.
Patrick jumped back on his horse, reassured. He didn’t like that Kimberly was keeping secrets, but Mrs. Hilton had reminded him of the bigger picture. He would go talk to her, and he was sure Kimberly would be able to reassure him of her intentions.
****
When Kimberly had been at the ranch for two weeks, the whole family was sitting down for the noon meal. She and Patrick had spent little time together since Keegan had been injured. Kimberly knew she was avoiding him. She didn’t want to put herself in a position to have to lie to him. She didn’t like that she had to promise Victoria to not tell him about her past. But was she ready to commit to Patrick and stay in the 1890s? She wasn’t sure yet.
She had been enjoying her time with this family. She sometimes felt more comfortable in this time period than she had in her own. There were quite a bit of adjustments. Wearing dresses for one. Some mornings she felt that if she had to put on another long dress, she was going to scream. Didn’t these women know how hot and uncomfortable it was to wear a dress day after day? And to put on all the underclothing they did? Kimberly had stopped wearing most of the petticoats after a few days. She only hoped no one had noticed.
Cooking food took quite a bit of time. Bridget was patiently showing her how to use the stove and how to cook simple foods. Colleen seemed to know more about cooking than she did. Sometimes she wished she could just stick something in the microwave and be done with it. It seemed that it took forever just to boil water.
But she loved this land. She loved the mountains and being around so many animals. She loved the dogs. When Keegan was bedridden and Patrick kicked her out of the cabin for a break, she always found herself in the dog enclosure. There was one little puppy she had fallen in love with. She was smaller than all the others, probably a runt. Kimberly had secretly named her Daisy even though she knew Patrick probably wouldn’t approve. The dogs were almost old enough to be taken to their new owners and she knew Daisy wasn’t going to be around for long. But this puppy was so sweet and when she knew Kimberly had come into the enclosure, she would run to her as quickly as her little legs would let her.
Once everyone was done eating, Patrick approached her, looking nervous. He suggested they take a walk, she knew the time had come for their talk. He was going to want answers and she didn’t know if she could give them to him, but she nodded her head in agreement. They started to walk towards the river. Patrick was silent for awhile and Kimberly was content to let him lead the conversation.
When they arrived at the river, he took her hand and guided her to a large rock to sit on.
“I feel like you are hiding something from me,” Patrick stated. “Do you know where this relationship is going?”
Kimberly hesitated, not knowing what to say, but he continued.
“When you agreed to come and meet me, I wanted you to come. Even though we aren’t officially engaged, I have been making plans to marry you.”
“I know,” Kimberly responded quietly.
“For this relationship to work, we can’t have any secrets between us. There needs to be honesty.”
“I know,” Kimberly said again.
“Are you hiding something?”
Kimberly turned to him and grasped his hands. “I will admit that I am hiding something, something I can’t tell you at this time. I came here to meet you and to see if things will work with us, to see if I can be happy living on a ranch.”
“And can you?” Patrick held his breath, suddenly overcome with the thought that she might leave him. He hadn't realized how much she had come to mean to him until this moment.
“I think so. You gave me your total trust when Keegan was injured. I need to ask you to trust me again. There are some things I can’t tell you about myself, but I can make you a promise. I will tell you before the 30 days are up. Can you trust me one more time?”
Patrick looked at her intently. She looked back at him, doing her best to let him know she was sincere in her request. He finally nodded. “I will give you my trust one more time.”
Kimberly felt relief at his words. She didn’t know what she would have told him if he hadn’t agreed. She suddenly realized she was falling in love with him more and more each day. She watched as he slowly bent his head towards hers and touched her lips with his own. Then he pulled away. In that one instant, the world stopped, and it seemed that nothing else mattered. She could feel the warmth from their first kiss spread to her fingers and her toes, and smiled. Even though it was brief, she had never had such a powerful kiss before.
Chapter 16
Nicky pulled into the driveway of Mrs. Hilton’s Victorian home. She grabbed her small pack she had filled with snacks and water bottles. She was prepared to stay the entire day if she needed to in order to talk to Mrs. Hilton. She wasn’t going to leave until she had some answers about Kimberly’s whereabouts. She even had thrown a sleeping bag in her car just in case she needed to spend the night.
After knocking a few times on the front door with no answer, she set her belongings on a nearby porch swing and started to slowly look around, trying to figure out how this home had been occupied a few weeks ago, and now looked dusty and empty. As far as she could tell, the house was still in good shape. The paint wasn't chipping and the roof was intact. The lawn, while not perfectly manicured, also looked like it had been cared for recently.
She started to walk to a window to see if it was unlocked when she saw a neighbor pull into their driveway across the street. She headed over to talk to the woman who was pulling a screaming toddler out of the back of her car.
As Nicky approached, the little boy stopped screaming and clung to his mother. "Hi there, little man. Are you having a tough day?"
The boy pouted and hid in his mothers’ shoulder. The mother looked
tired, but tried to answer the question with a little smile. "He didn't want to leave the park, but little boys still need a nap every now and then."
Nicky smiled at the mother and turned back to the boy. "Do you like lions?"
The boy perked up, and nodded his head enthusiastically.
"Want to know a secret? Lions sleep almost all day long! That's why they can run so fast!" Nicky lowered her voice conspiratorially. "I bet, if you take a really long nap, when you wake up, you will be able to run just as fast! Do you think you could do that?" The boy nodded his head again with a big smile on his face.
"That's a good idea, isn't it Spencer?" The mother smiled and then turned back to Nicky. "Thank you. He is so afraid he will miss something spectacular if he falls asleep. Are you new to the neighborhood?"
Nicky had to think fast. It would probably make the woman nervous to know what was really going on. "Oh, no. But I am interested in that house that’s across the street. It's beautiful! Do you know who lives there?"
"Goodness, no one has lived there for years." The little boy started squirming in her arms. "A man does show up every now and then to make sure the house is in good condition, but I have
never talked to him.”
Nicky couldn't believe what she was hearing. She tried not to look too disappointed. "Oh, well thanks anyway. I'll let you get your little 'lion' in bed." She winked at the boy, who smiled shyly.
The woman wished her well, then turned to go into her home. Nicky walked across the street, back towards the house, and started walking around again. As naturally as she could, she checked a couple windows, and looked for any other clues she could find. She hoped the woman she had just talked to, or any other neighbors for that matter, wouldn’t notice what she was doing. She didn’t want anyone to become concerned that she was poking around. She discovered that there were two other doors in the back of the house and she quickly found out that both of them were also locked. She looked in a few windows and could see that all the furniture was covered with sheets. There was a layer of dust all over everything letting Nicky know that the place had been empty for at least a few months.
