Waiting for Dusk

by Nancy Pennick

  Anna opened the door and smiled at Katie. “We don’t have to work but Lucinda volunteered to go in today. So I thought it was a perfect day for us to be together. I asked Mr. Johansson to saddle up two horses for us.”

  “Horses?” Katie was still waking up and a little confused.

  “Yes, silly, Mr. Johansson has a barn with two horses in it. He lets us use them whenever we want.”

  “Give me some time to get ready and I’ll meet you outside,” Katie said while she got out of bed.

  “Fifteen minutes, Kathryn. That’s all I am giving you. I packed some bread and cheese so don’t worry about eating.”

  “Okay.” Katie wondered what she would wear for horseback riding. She looked in a little closet in the hallway outside her room and found some clothes. She did the morning ritual in less than fifteen, and then headed out the door.

  Anna was already on a beautiful dapple-gray horse, holding the reins to the second one. That horse was a silky brown with a black mane and tail. Luckily Katie took riding lessons when she was younger, her father made sure of it.

  “This is Flicka. Flicka meet Kathryn.” Anna handed the reins to her.

  “Nice to meet you, Flicka,” Katie bowed. “And who is this other lovely horse if I may ask?”

  “Thunder!” Anna shouted out as she galloped away.

  Katie mounted Flicka, then followed Anna and Thunder. After they rode for about a mile, Anna came to a stop. “This is the perfect place to talk.” She slid gracefully from Thunder, looped the reins over a low branch and sat down in the shade of the tree. Katie did the same.

  “Alright, Miss Anna. Now that we are alone, you’re going to tell me everything!” Katie felt the excitement growing inside. She couldn’t wait to hear the gossip.

  “I will tell you everything. But first you have to tell me how you met Mr. Andrew Martin.” Anna’s eyes grew wide.

  “You know...you know him?”

  “Why, yes. Everyone does. He works at the park, you know. And, yes. I do know...about you and him. You don’t think I pay attention?”

  Katie decided to fill her in on everything that happened, except for the boardinghouse visit and the kiss.

  Anna rolled in the grass laughing after Katie told her how she fell over the fence on that fateful day she met Drew. “So ladylike! I wonder if Andrew saw your britches. You think he’s the bee’s knees, don’t you?”

  “The what?” Katie thought that was the strangest saying she’d ever heard.

  “The bee’s knees. You know...you think he is great.”

  Katie rolled her eyes. “Enough of that. Now on to you. Tell me how and why you came to the Grand Canyon.”

  “Actually, Lucinda and I came together. We met at the Lake Forest Academy—a private high school for boys and girls. Lucinda was one of my roommates freshmen year and we became inseparable. Ferry Hall was the girls’ school and the boys attended Lake Forest Academy. We would have outings together. The school took us to the beach and organized hikes. In the winter, we ice skated and went on sleigh rides. What fun we had. Lucinda and I were the best of friends.”

  “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of that school.”

  “It’s a private school outside of Chicago. Both Lucinda and I lived at the school because it was pretty far from home.”

  Katie was taken aback by that information. Lucinda and Anna knew each other. If they went to a private school, their families obviously had money. So what were they doing at the canyon?

  “Tell me how you ended up here,” Katie asked again.

  “Lucinda read an article in the paper about the Harvey girls. They were young, single and liked adventure. Fred Harvey hired pretty, smart girls with good moral character and backgrounds to work at his restaurants out West. It said the girls were provided with room and board. There are also managers, like Mr. and Mrs. Johansson, to watch over the girls. Plus the girls were also given free railway passes. We figured we’d see the country together, maybe meet a rich rancher and settle down with our husbands in a new part of the country.” Anna laughed. “I’m probably boring you.”

  “No, I find it quite interesting. Go on.”

  “We knew we had the qualifications so we wrote letters to the company. It would be hard to convince our families while we were still in high school so we didn’t tell them until after graduation. They didn’t like it at all. My family really wanted me to go to college and I tried a semester. I had to prove to them that I really wanted to do this.”

  “And what about Lucinda?”

  “Lucinda’s family finally just gave in. When she came home from Ferry, she did nothing. She went on strike. That’s Lucinda for you. She got her way.”

  “And you did too,” Katie finished for her.

  “Yes, I did. We arrived here by train in April. No regrets. The money is good, plus we get time off whenever we want. Lucinda and I never did get to travel together...” Anna’s voice trailed off.

  “What happened? If you two were best friends for years, what could have happened?” Katie looked at Anna and saw sadness in her eyes.

  “A boy. A rancher’s son, named Daniel.” Anna looked away.

  “Go on,” Katie prodded.

  “Lucinda met Daniel first. He liked to come for lunch at El Tovar. We, of course, were just learning how to be waitresses and were working in the back kitchen. She caught a glimpse of Daniel out in the dining room and was determined to meet him. She charmed her way out there and then went over to their table asking if everything was alright. She started up a conversation with Daniel. The next thing you know they had a date to go riding.”

  “I can picture Lucinda doing something like that.” Katie giggled.

  “Of course, Daniel said he would come to the boardinghouse first. Mr. Carl had to meet him and approve the date. When he showed up the next day, I was grooming one of the horses. He came into the barn looking for Mr. Carl. I never meant for this to happen, I swear I didn’t!” Anna threw herself onto the ground, crying.

  “It’s okay, Anna. It’s okay,” Katie assured her. “How bad can it be?”

  “It was love at first sight!” Anna wailed even louder.

  “For you?”

  “For both of us!”

  Katie saw that it was quite a problem. You can’t help who you fall in love with, and you can’t make someone fall in love with you. Haven’t all the fairy tales in the world proven that? Look at Cinderella. She fell in love with the prince and it was love at first sight. Her stepsisters tried and tried to gain his attention but he didn’t notice them. In the end, the right girl ended up with the right guy. Katie guessed that Anna’s story didn’t have the same happy ending.

  She waited for Anna to calm down.

  Anna sat up and continued. “Lucinda was head over heels for Daniel. I couldn’t react. I couldn’t hurt her like that. Daniel went on the ride with Lucinda. He did like her. How could anyone not like her? She was fun, smart, pretty and charismatic. He liked her as a friend. Daniel decided to stop seeing her when he realized she thought it was more than that.”

  Anna was quiet for a moment. Katie reached for her hand to give her support.

  “Daniel wanted to be truthful. He told her how he met me in the barn and that he would like to start seeing me, if it was alright with her. It wasn’t, of course. There was a big blow up between them outside the boardinghouse. I never heard such screaming come out of Lucinda’s mouth. Then she began to cry. I looked out of my window and saw Daniel holding her. He walked her to the door, got on his horse and rode away. The next thing I knew, my door flew open and there stood Lucinda. ‘Don’t ever talk to me again, you traitor,’ she screamed. ‘How could you?’”

  “What did you do?”

  “I tried to explain that I didn’t do anything. I told her we talked in the barn one time and then I only saw Daniel was when he came to get Lucinda. She didn’t seem to believe me.”

  “Wow,” was all Katie could say.

  They sat and stared up at the blue s
ky that seemed to go on forever. Finally Katie had to ask, “Did you ever start seeing Daniel?”

  “Yes,” Anna’s voice was barely a whisper. “It was wonderful.”

  “So then, what happened? Where is he?” Katie couldn’t stand the suspense.

  “Gone,” Anna said. “He’s gone.”

  Chapter Eight

  Anna turned to Katie. “Let’s go. Let’s ride!” She ran, jumped onto Thunder, then seemed to disappear over the horizon.

  Katie gazed down the road watching the swirls of dust as she contemplated all she just heard. Another horse was coming down the trail. As it grew closer, Katie saw the rider was Drew.

  “Kate!” he called out. “It looks like you’ve been left in the dust.”

  “Yes, it seems so,” she called back.

  Andrew stopped in front of the tree. “Well, it is your day off. I’d like to show you more of the Canyon. Are you up for it?”

  Katie hopped up. She took Flicka’s reins and mounted the horse gracefully. She was pleased with herself.

  Thanks, Dad, for those lessons, she thought as they headed off toward the canyon.

  It was a short ride, shorter than Katie remembered. She loved that she was following Andrew on her horse. She looked at his broad shoulders and smiled. She loved how his dark hair just covered the back of his collar. He was even handsome from behind. Speaking of behinds...she stopped herself. I’m being a little naughty now! She laughed aloud.

  Andrew turned around, “Is everything alright?”

  “Yes. Everything’s fine.”

  Andrew stopped and dismounted. “We’re here.” He came back to help Katie off her horse.

  “Thanks,” she said as slid into his arms. “This is beautiful.” She couldn’t get enough of the Grand Canyon. The colors were dazzling in the afternoon sun. They didn’t speak. Drew took Katie’s hand as they walked along.

  “Summer’s coming to an end. I’ll be going back to school soon.” Andrew broke the silence.

  “Oh, me, too,” Katie nodded in agreement.

  “You’re still in school? The girls here are usually done with school. I thought you’d be here on semester break when I come back.”

  Andrew’s face changed to surprise or disappointment. Katie couldn’t tell which. “Where do you go to school?”

  “Back in Ohio. I’ll be a Junior this year.”

  “I’ll be a Senior. I can’t wait to get done and get back here. My parents want me to go to college on the East coast but I’d rather be out here.”

  “You live on the East coast?”

  “New York—New York City to be exact. I go to a private boarding school.”

  “Oh.” Kate couldn’t help thinking that New York was pretty far from the canyon and perhaps his parents wanted to keep him closer to home. “Have you thought about a major?”

  “Biology for now. But let’s not talk about the boring stuff. I want to hear more about you.” Andrew spun her around and looked deep into her eyes. “Is it too early to say ‘I love you’?”

  Katie laughed and playfully pushed him away. “Drew, you have a great sense of humor.” Her heart pounded. She wanted to say that it was not too early. She would love to hear him say it again and again. She chose to talk about herself instead because that seemed like a safer topic.

  “I live in a small town outside of Oberlin, Ohio. My mother works at the college there. Have you heard of Oberlin College?”

  “Of course, I have.” Andrew nodded. “It is a liberal arts college that’s very accepting of women and Negroes.”

  “What did you say?” Her eyes flashed, then she remembered this was a different century, a different time.

  “I said that Oberlin is very accepting of women and...”

  “...Blacks, African Americans,” Katie interrupted.

  “Alright then. If that is how they say it in Oberlin, so shall I. I’m progressive and open to new century ideas.” Andrew smiled.

  Katie returned his smile. She knew she better change the subject and fast. She just might give away what century she was really from. “School starts the last week of August. It will be here too soon. I only have three more weeks here.”

  “Sad to hear. My first term does not start until September. Hopefully we will meet up again.”

  Drew pulled Kate close to him and she did not resist. She wrapped her arms around his waist, then felt him rest his chin on her head. The sun was lower in the sky, and the canyon took on another mystical glow.

  “I feel like it’s close to suppertime,” Andrew said. “If you would

  like, I will ride with you back to the boardinghouse.”

  “Yes, I would love that.”

  They rode side-by-side on the way back, chatting about the canyon, the weather, and the people they worked with. When they came close to the boardinghouse, Katie turned to Andrew and said, “I think I’ll go the rest of the way on my own.” She didn’t want to get into trouble with the Johanssons. They didn’t know she was with Andrew, plus she hadn’t cleared it with them.

  “I understand.” Drew said as if he knew what she was thinking. “Ask the Johanssons if you can go hiking tomorrow. I’ll be by to pick you up early.” He turned and galloped away.

  Katie sighed. What am I doing? Living a dream?

  She was starting to like this life better than her real life. It was all so confusing. There was no guarantee she could be back here tomorrow but she let Drew think she’d be here. As she rode toward the boardinghouse, a voice called to her.

  “Where have you been? I was starting to get worried about you!” As Katie came closer, she saw Anna standing on the front porch, arms on her hips. “Well, you don’t have to tell me where you’ve been. Come on. Get down and help me take care of the horses. I have some news to tell you.”

  Katie and Anna walked into the barn with Flicka trailing slowly behind. Anna piled hay into the stalls while Katie removed Flicka’s saddle. Then Anna blurted out, “Lucinda’s getting married.”

  “What?” Katie thought she didn’t hear that correctly.

  “Lucinda is getting married,” Anna repeated.

  Katie dropped the saddle. “To who? I thought she was in love with Daniel.”

  Anna frowned. “I did, too. She met a local, a very rich rancher’s son a few weeks ago. They’ve been seeing each other every day since. His name is Henry Hasting.”

  “Mmm.” Katie thought for a moment. “So do you think this is a rebound thing?”

  “Rebound?”

  “You know, she’s going to marry Henry to forget about Daniel. She’s only known him a few weeks.”

  “Girls! Supper!” Mr. Carl called them.

  The pair ran from the barn into the house. Lucinda was waiting for them. “Kathryn, look!” She held out her left hand. “I’m getting married! And I want you to be a bridesmaid!”

  Chapter Nine

  I’m not ready to get up, and certainly not ready to end this dream. Katie sat up in bed and saw her butterflies on the wall. She could see sunlight streaming in her windows, bouncing off her sky blue walls and moaned. She decided to go back to sleep for a few hours. She needed to tell Lucinda she couldn’t be a bridesmaid. Her loyalties were with Anna and she should be in the wedding. Those two were friends for a long time and came on the adventure together.

  Katie lay back on her pillow and dozed off. She woke an hour later and she was still in her room. What happened? I should be in Arizona. She pounded her mattress in frustration.

  She propped up some pillows and grabbed her laptop. She went to a search engine and typed in ‘Harvey girls’. She expected to see the search engine ask, ‘Did you mean...’ with another suggestion because there was no such thing as Harvey girls. Instead there was a list of websites. Katie quickly chose one, and waited for it to load. She was nervous and excited. She never heard of a ‘Harvey girl’, now she practically was one.

  Katie read the history of the girls. It was just like Anna described. Fred Harvey, a real person, wanted pretty, s
mart girls with high morals to work at his restaurants that were located out west. She read on and on, absorbing all she could.

  There was a knock at the door. Her mother opened it slightly. “Oh, you are awake. Lindsey’s here. She’s home from her aunt’s ranch and couldn’t wait to see you.”

  “Tell her to come up!” Katie sprang up from her bed as Lindsey ran in. The two jumped and hugged for what seemed like forever. “Tell me all about the ranch and what you did there!”

  “Oh, you know. It was the same old, same old. Riding horses, working on the ranch, meeting boys...”

  “You met someone?” Katie clasped Lindsey’s hands, and they bounced up and down on the bed.

  “He’ll be there next summer when I go again. Until then, we’re just going to text and be friends.”

  “Oh, no. You didn’t just say that. I see that look in your eyes. There’s more to tell.” Katie was glad to be distracted by Lindsey’s stories. They talked the rest of the morning about her stay at the ranch.

  “Wait for me while I get dressed,” Katie said as she headed into her bathroom.

  After she came out of the shower, Katie heard Lindsey’s voice call out. “Your mom said you had a boring summer. Is that true?”

  Katie threw on shorts and a tank. She wrapped a towel around her just-shampooed hair and opened the door. “Yes and no. I got to drive the Mustang! Ty is home now. And I’ve had some good dreams...”

  “Dreams? Ooo, tell me about them,” Lindsey leaned forward placing her elbows on her knees.

  Katie hesitated. Lindsey was her best friend. Would she understand? Would she think she was crazy? Katie flopped on her bed and decided to tell her about the dreams.

  “Do you think that book your mom gave you has something to do with it? You did say it was historical fiction, a romance novel. Maybe you’re just dreaming about what you read in the book.” Lindsey gave good advice.

  Katie suddenly realized she didn’t have a clue what the book was about. She thought she read it through to the end but couldn’t tell Lindsey who the main characters were or what the plot was about. She blinked and then stared into space.