After working at the National Parks for so long, Grandpa had another dream—to become a park ranger. So he decided to stay on at the restaurant and see what happened. He also served in World War II, can you believe that? He didn’t have to. He was older, in his thirties, married and had three children. He felt it was his duty, so he enlisted. When he came home, everyone helped him fulfill his dream to become a ranger. My father, Thomas Jr., became one, too. I can proudly say I followed in their footsteps.”
“Wow!” Katie thought that her Thomas had a great life. He did love the canyon and it sounded like his life turned out quite well. “Thomas was a great guy,” she said without thinking.
“You sound as if you knew him,” Thomas laughed.
“Anna has told me so much about everyone, I feel like I do! Now you mentioned an Andrew, one of Thomas’ friends? What do you know about him?” Katie tried hard to not sound too curious.
“Andrew...he was a very good friend to grandfather. I think that Grandpa really tried to stop Andrew from—” Thomas was interrupted by Lindsey.
“Hi, I hate to break this up, but we are leaving early tomorrow. We need to pack and get to sleep.” Lindsey grabbed Katie’s hand.
“Thank you, Thomas. Thank you for sharing.” Katie shook his hand.
“Very nice meeting and talking to you, young lady.” Thomas smiled, then patted her hand.
Lindsey and Katie ran upstairs. Katie was a little upset that she didn’t get to finish talking to Thomas. He was about to say something more about Andrew. She filled Lindsey in on all that had happened.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Lindsey gave her a pouty face.
“That’s okay. We were almost done. I did add a few pieces to the puzzle tonight. Plus Anna gave me some old books to read written by Jack Woods.” Katie remembered she left them in the downstairs kitchen. “Don’t let me forget them!”
* * * *
The next morning came too quickly. Everyone ate a quick breakfast together and then Aunt Sue and her husband drove the girls to the airport. Katie hated saying good-bye to Anna. They hugged, cried and hugged some more.
Everyone piled into the cars for the ride to the airport. Katie liked that Megan insisted coming along and sitting in the backseat with her and Lindsey. There were more good-byes at the passenger drop-off point and finally they were on the plane, taking them back to Ohio and to her other life.
Chapter Thirty-One
Katie’s and Lindsey’s parents met them at the airport. The girls couldn’t wait to tell them they were all related. They planned on Katie running and hugging Lindsey’s parents and Lindsey running to Katie’s. That should confuse them.
“What’s going on here?” Katie’s dad held out his arms. “I’ve got the wrong daughter!”
“Mom, Dad,” Lindsey pointed at Joanna and Katie. “Meet our cousins.”
“What?” Lindsey’s mom covered her mouth. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Lucinda, Lucinda Hasting.” Katie tried to read her mother’s face as she said it.
“Lucinda is my great-aunt,” her mother replied. “What does she have to do with this?”
“She’s my grandmother!” Lindsey’s mother grabbed her daughter. “When did this all happen?”
“At the ranch. Katie mentioned her aunt, I don’t remember exactly how.”
Katie’s mother kept repeating over and over, “I don’t believe it.” Then she looked at Beth. “Why didn’t we compare notes?”
“I have no idea but this trip was meant to be. I’ve always felt close to Katie and now I find out she’s my cousin. You, too, Joanna!”
There was a group hug and everyone talked at once.
“Time out!” Katie’s dad made the hand signal for it. “Let’s go back to the house and discuss it there. I’m sure the girls would like to get home.”
“What a surprise!” Her mom wrapped her arm around Katie’s shoulder as they headed for the car.
It turned out to be a great night. Although everyone had Thanksgiving plans, they decided to set aside a day during the Christmas holidays for their new family.
“It could be called the ‘Long Lost Cousins Christmas’,” her dad said.
Katie noticed how excited he was, like he finally had a connection to the past. He was animated, smiling and acting like his usual self, not the brooding and overprotective dad she got used to over the past few months. She was happy to have her old dad back.
Katie yawned. “Oh, sorry. I’m enjoying this but am very tired. Mom, is it alright if I stay home from school tomorrow?”
Katie’s mom and Beth looked at each other. They knew both of the girls would have to do the same thing. “Sure,” they both said at the same time.
Lindsey’s mom stood up. “I think it’s time to be going. This has been so overwhelming for all of us, but has opened a new chapter in our lives. Lindsey, you look tired, too.” With that, she pulled Lindsey up from the chair. Everyone exchanged hugs and good-byes.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Lindsey whispered in Katie’s ear.
After they left, Katie’s dad put his arms around her and her mom. “It’s been quite a day, girls. Let’s all get some sleep.” They headed up the stairs together.
Katie shut her door behind her, and flopped on her bed. She was tired but didn’t think she could sleep. She looked at the clock. It was a little after ten. Since it was two hours earlier in Arizona, she knew she had time to call Anna. She should still be up and awake. Katie took her cell phone out of her pocket and went to her contact list. There was Anna’s name, still hard to believe. She pressed ‘send’ and waited.
“Kathryn?” It was good to hear Anna’s voice.
“Yes, it’s me. I know it’s close to your bedtime, but I wanted to let you know we arrived safely.”
“I know I’m old but don’t rub it in!” Anna laughed. “I’m so glad you’re home safely. Now do well in school and call me when you can. I can’t wait until Thanksgiving to hear what happens for you. Also, tell my young self that I say, ‘Hi’.”
“You are too funny. Could you see me doing that? She would freak out, plus I don’t know if she would believe me. Speaking of that, do you think I should tell Drew the truth? I really want to.”
“It’s up to you. Be careful how you explain it. I think Drew can handle it. This might be the best thing that could happen to him because...” Anna yawned. “I’m sorry, I’m getting tired.”
“That’s alright, Anna. Get some rest. I love you.” Katie ended the call.
That was odd. It seemed like everyone wanted to tell her something important about Drew, and never finished. Or maybe she was reading too much into it.
She grabbed the quilted bag Anna gave her, took the three books out and laid them on her bed. She thought she might have a chance to read a Jack Woods book on the plane, but never had time. There were about six weeks until Thanksgiving so she could read the books to help pass the time until then.
One of the books had a cover that was very similar to the set that Maya had locked away in her house. All of a sudden, something dawned on Katie. She could switch the book with one of the books from the set and Maya would never know it was gone.
Opening to the first pages, the copyright was 1925. “Well, I guess this is the first book I read.” Katie hugged the book to her chest. “I hate to give you away, but it seems like it was meant to be.”
Katie’s phone started to play the Carl music. She quickly answered. “Hey, Carl!”
“Good, you made it home. How was your flight? Tell me all about the trip. Did everything work out for you?”
Katie told Carl everything that happened. She told him that his idea of letting Aunt Sue figure everything out was genius. She told him Anna knew everything, too. Katie was still surprised Anna was so accepting of it all.
“The older you get, the more accepting you are,” Carl said philosophically. “Katie, you aren’t planning anything that I don’t know about, are you?”
“...passes away?” Carl finished the sentence for her. “I thought long and hard about that. My mom said she plans to give the books to me. I will probably burn them.”
“Burn them! You are kidding.” Katie was shocked. Her plan to take one of the books was definitely on. She would keep that book and never give it back. Carl would never know it was missing.
“Yep, that’s right. I will burn them. Let the past stay the past.” Carl sighed. “I won’t keep you any longer, kid sis. Take care and get some rest. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Katie put her phone on her nightstand. She had some thinking to do. She needed to make a plan without confiding in anyone. She was all alone in this. No one could stop her from seeing Drew. Then she heard Anna’s words in her head telling her that Katie could trust Lindsey just as Kathryn trusts Anna. She would help, keep the secret, too. Katie would talk to her in the morning, and they would devise something together. That’s what best friends, and cousins, do. She slipped into bed and fell asleep from exhaustion before she could think of anything else.
When she woke up the next morning, Katie was relieved she didn’t have to go to school. She decided to stay in bed and pretend she was still asleep. She grabbed her phone, and got under the covers. The time on the phone was about eleven am and she hoped Lindsey was awake.
“I’ve been waiting for your call,” Lindsey whispered. “What’s up?”
Katie told Lindsey about her idea to steal a book from the set and replace it with one of the old books Anna gave her.
“That’s a great idea! Only how are we getting into Mrs. Johnson’s house?”
Lindsey said ‘we’. She’s in on the heist. “That part is easy. Our family has a key to her house. All you and I have to do is wait until Maya’s out of the house. I will need a lookout.”
“I can do that job.”
“Do you mind helping me? If you think you might get in trouble, I understand.”
“I’m totally in. You’re not doing this without me!”
Katie and Lindsey explored a few ideas together. They knew they had time to put the plan in motion. Then they talked about getting their homework done, the people at school, the upcoming basketball game—all the things Katie now found boring.
“I guess I’m going to start the dreaded homework,” Katie said. “My mom has a class at one, so I’m pretending to be asleep until then. I just want to be alone in the house. Talk to you later. Love you, cuz.”
“Back at you. I have things to do, too. Maybe even text Charlie.”
Katie looked around her room for her schoolbooks. She didn’t see them. They must be downstairs so this would be a good time to start reading one of the Jack Woods’ books.
She got out of bed, went over to get the bag and grabbed the one on top. It appeared to be nonfiction. The title said it all, The Nature of the Southwest. Not the greatest title, but she jumped back into bed, and began reading it.
Surprisingly, Katie found the book interesting. She thought it was a little different from the usual nature books. Of course, it talked about the types of plants, scenery and animals that one would see out west, but it went beyond that.
It categorized nature into different elements, like color, balance and texture. It described how to bring those things into your home wherever you lived. Katie was quite impressed. She thought she might buy a few small cacti and try one of the ideas.
Then she thought about her own backyard. Didn’t it have some of these same ideas incorporated into it? The deck was surrounded by color. The back of the yard contained a rock garden with a variety of hostas and tall grasses interspersed, giving a feeling of texture. Even the small side garden where Ty and Katie had their first beer was in balance.
Yes, her dad and Jack Woods were quite alike. She continued looking through the book. There were a number of beautiful pictures. Too bad they were in black and white. Jack Woods put together a beautiful book. Katie closed it and hugged it to her chest. Dad, this was great.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The weeks until Thanksgiving plodded slowly by. Katie thought the day would never come. She tried to keep occupied but it was hard. She hung out with her friends at school but then came directly home. She talked to Anna daily, calling it her ‘Anna’ fix, then did her homework to pass the time.
Every day she got out her stationery box and wrote Drew a letter. She put the month and day at the top of each letter, but was careful not to put the year. She told him about her day or something that happened to her. Sometimes she wrote about the weather, like the day the sun was shining on the autumn leaves, reminding her of the canyon. Katie also liked to remind him of days that were special to her when they were together, like the night of Lucinda’s wedding. Whatever she wrote, she always ended each letter the same way, “I love you—across the miles, across time.” She knew Drew would not know what ‘across time’ really meant. He’d probably think it had something to do with time zones.
When she was done with each letter, she put it back in the box. The letters were tied together with ribbon so she would always carefully untie and then retied the packet. Katie put the lid back on the box and ran her hand across the top. The box was beautiful. It was pale blue with an embossed butterfly in one corner. All the stationery matched the design on the box. She stared at the box for a long time. Finally she snapped herself back to reality, and decided it was time to do something else.
Katie thumbed through the second Jack Woods book. It was a travel book describing where to stay and what to do at the Grand Canyon. There were suggestions on camping and hiking. Again, the book was more interesting than she first thought it. Jack had researched the Indian tribes of the area and there were stories about them.
Many pictures were included in the book, mostly of scenery. Whenever Jack was pictured, he always wore a hat of some type making it hard to see his face. It was almost like he made sure of it. There were other people in the pictures, too. Katie got a magnifying glass out to see if she recognized any of them. She swore Thomas was in one of them. She wished her father would tell her the truth. She’d love to know her parents’ story. It was probably just as good as Maya’s.
Katie had not seen much of Maya lately. She put the book down, and decided to pay her a visit before it got dark. Katie walked across the Katie Path and found Maya in her garden.
“Maya!” she called out to her.
Mrs. Johnson looked up with a smile. “So it’s Maya now, is it? I guess you are old enough to call me that now.”
“Oh sorry, MiMi. It just sounds so childish to call you that...you know, MiMi,” She didn’t feel like a little girl anymore either. She hoped Maya understood. “Is it alright if I call you Maya?”
“Of course it is. It always was. Your mother was the one who insisted on protocol. I have to admit I will miss being MiMi, though.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t seen you as much as I’d like. I’ve been busy.”
“That’s what happens once you start high school. You just do well and I’ll be proud of you.”
“I’ve been calling and texting Carl. He said you might come out there for Thanksgiving.” Katie hoped it was true.
“I have decided to go and stay for about ten days. I leave Friday. I don’t want to be part of the Thanksgiving crowds.”
Friday? Katie couldn’t believe her good fortune. This would make it much easier to get into Maya’s house. “That sounds nice. Will you have Thanksgiving with Carl and then Carl Jr.?”
Maya nodded. “Now don’t go passing that on to anyone.”
“I won’t.”
Katie was glad Maya came to accept she knew
the truth about the time travel. Maya didn’t try covering anything up or made excuses. “I hope the weather stays mild like this. It’s been a beautiful fall. I won’t mind you leaving for California if it stays like this.”
Katie waved to her, and ran back to her house. She flew in the backdoor, then up to her room. She looked around for her phone, finding it on the floor. Katie sat in her yellow chair, then pressed speed dial for Lindsey.
“Katie, we just got home from school. Has something happened?” Lindsey sounded a little worried.
“No, but I have good news! Maya’s leaving for California almost a week before Thanksgiving. So I thought on Saturday we could break in.” She hated thinking about breaking into Maya’s house and taking one of those books. Nothing was going to stop her though. She needed that book more than ever, especially since she learned Carl planned to burn them all.
“Sounds like a plan. Just promise me you’ll keep me informed on what you’re doing.”
“Promise.” Katie was ecstatic that the first part of her plan was in place.
She looked around her room. She didn’t have any homework, had already read one of Jack Woods’ books and really didn’t feel like reading much more of the second one. That would be saved for when she was really needed a distraction.
There were four more days until Maya left so she still needed something to keep busy. One more book was left in the bag, so she decided to read it. The book was on the bottom of the pile. Katie hadn’t really looked at the titles. She just grabbed the one on top and began reading. This last one was the journal Anna told her about. It was not surprising her dad kept a journal. Every Christmas since she started school, he gave her one. Her father encouraged her to do whatever she wished with them, draw or write, he just wanted her to be creative. She promised herself right then and there she would take up writing again.
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