by Zoe Matthews
Megan watched as more and more of the family piled into the house for dinner. She counted six kids between the two families that lived there. Patrick had already come in and sheepishly apologized to her before rounding up all the kids to wash their faces and hands before they sat down. According to Kimberly, they were missing one girl, Colleen. She lived in Denver with her aunt, Bridget. Bridget was Keegan’s older sister. Kimberly also explained that Nicky’s parents and Patrick’s brother, Shaun, who she later learned was Nicky’s husband, would be joining them for dinner. Megan was amazed that everyone could fit around the large kitchen table, but there was enough room, and Kimberly even managed to find a space for her to join them.
At first, Megan felt out of place since she was used to eating dinner alone or with her mom. After a few minutes, however, she found she enjoyed the confusion that came with a big family.
She couldn’t figure out why everyone was dressed so old fashioned, and why there wasn’t any sort of technology around. She finally settled on the conclusion that they were an Amish family. From what she could remember, the Amish didn’t live with any technology. Some of them didn’t have electricity or owned vehicles. They used a horse and buggy to get around. That was fine and all, but she had no idea how she was going to get in touch with her mom if they didn’t have a phone line.
It was getting dark, so it wouldn’t be wise to try to hike down the mountain at this point. She would have to ask after dinner if they would have a way to help her get back to Denver.
She was glad Kimberly was so friendly to her. She seemed to accept her sudden appearance with ease. She watched as Kimberly and Nicky rushed around, quickly putting dinner on the table, yet making it seem effortless. She tried to keep her mind off of Keegan who had entered the cabin and sat in one of the chairs between two young boys.
She wondered where she was going to sleep that night, noting to herself that she didn’t want to be sleeping in the same cabin with the man she had dreamt about since she was a young girl. She didn’t need to look at Keegan to know exactly what he looked like. He had dark brown hair that was slightly messy and sky blue eyes. She couldn’t believe he was actually real; every time she looked at him, her head started to spin, filled with thoughts about everything that the dreams could mean at that point. It was obvious their lives were connected in some way, but she wasn’t ready to find out exactly how. So instead of thinking about her dreams, she began to chatter to Kimberly, who seemed to enjoy the conversation. Megan did her best to ignore the most handsome man she had ever seen (except in her dreams, of course) as he sat directly across from her.
“So, to try to find a way to help my mom’s shop, I came out here to look for some herbs. I knew of a place that had a whole field of them. You wouldn’t believe how rare some of the herbs are. Seriously, someone must have planted them a hundred years ago, and somehow they are still here.”
“Wouldn’t that be something?” Kimberly said, with something in her tone Megan couldn’t quite peg.
Before she could figure it out, the door opened again, and another man came in. Megan was quickly introduced to Nicky’s husband, Shaun. They immediately started to banter and laugh together, and Megan couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the happy couple. An older couple entered the cabin last and were introduced to her as Douglas and Michelle, Nicky’s parents. They both greeted her graciously, but Megan noticed that Michelle couldn’t stop looking at her as if she was trying to figure something out.
After everyone had washed up, they all sat down to eat the stew and rolls Kimberly had set out, after a long prayer over the food from Josephine who proceeded to ask God to bless every member of the family, along with a number of the animals that lived on the ranch.
“So, Megan, is it?” Nicky asked with a smile.
“Yes, I was named after my mother’s favorite character in a book she read growing up. The character was brave and determined, but also very kind and loving to everyone. It was exactly how she hoped I would grow up, so she gave me that name. I may be nice most of the time, but I have to admit I have a mean streak sometimes.”
Megan made herself stop talking when she saw Nicky quirk an eyebrow humorously. She had a habit of chatting when she was nervous. Between Keegan, who was staring at her from across the table, not knowing when or how she was going to get home, and eating with a group of people she had never met before, she was feeling very nervous.
“I would hope everyone has at least a small mean streak, otherwise they would never be able to stand up for themselves. Where are you from?” Nicky asked curiously.
“I live in a small apartment near downtown Denver. It’s not an ideal neighborhood, but I like it well enough. And it’s close to my mom’s shop that I also help run. We sell herbs and essential oils for homeotherapy, among other things. We might move the shop to another building soon though, because the man we are leasing our current building from just asked us to double our rent. He is such a crook.”
“So, you help with your mom’s shop? That’s exciting. You know, Keegan knows a lot about homeotherapy as well. He is actually a doctor in town; he is only here at the ranch for a visit,” Kimberly said with a glint of mischief in her eyes.
Oh, great. Now his family is trying to talk Keegan up to me, Megan groaned to herself. Instead of answering, she just nodded and smiled a little in his direction. Keegan was glaring at Kimberly, and Megan decided it was time to shut her mouth and dig into the stew. As she took the first bite, she realized how ravenous she was. She hadn’t eaten a real meal since breakfast early that morning. Protein bars didn’t count.
While she ate, she wondered what Kimberly meant by informing her that Keegan had some knowledge about homeotherapy, as well as being a doctor. From what she remembered, the Amish didn’t encourage their members to pursue advanced degrees, and he looked awful young to be a doctor. If he really was the man she had dreamed about for so long, he was only a few years older than she was.
The rest of the meal passed quickly; the kids chatted about their day, and the adults joked and laughed with each other. Megan felt a pang of loneliness knowing that most of her meals were passed in silence, and this family always had a big group to interact with. She focused on her food and promised herself she wouldn’t embarrass herself again.
After dinner, everyone did their part to clear the table and rinse the dishes, and everything was cleaned up faster than she imagined. Doug and Michelle offered to take the children out to build a fire for the evening, to which they all enthusiastically agreed. When none of the other adults followed, however, she figured they all wanted to talk to her. There was tension in the room, and that made her nervous. And being nervous made her chatter. Again.
“I would hate to impose on you all, but is there any way I could get a ride into town? Or even far enough down the mountain that I can use my phone to call my mom? She would be able to come get me, and I can get out of your hair. I assume you don’t have any cars because your Amish, aren’t you? But I know how to ride a horse, so someone could just come with me, and then they could bring the horse back. I’m sure it wouldn’t take too long.” She took a deep breath and forced herself to stop talking so they could respond.
There was a stunned silence before Nicky started to giggle, then cleared her throat to try and cover it up. “What makes you think we are Amish? The clothes, right?”
“Well, that, and how you live so far from town, and don’t have any electricity or tractors for your farm.” Megan was confused now. Weren't they Amish? What else would explain this lifestyle?
Nicky and Kimberly looked at each other and burst into laughter. The men looked just as confused as Megan was, and Patrick patted Kimberly on the back. Kimberly stopped laughing, turning somber quickly. Nicky soon quieted too, although she still chuckled occasionally.
It was Patrick who finally started to speak. “We actually have a way to explain all of that. It’s going to be difficult to understand, and we may not have answers to all your questions
. I just ask that you take a moment to think about what we tell you before you disregard it completely.”
“I think I can do that,” Megan agreed hesitantly.
“We live in the year 1902,” Patrick said. “We are still close to Denver, so it seems you have traveled through time, but at least you didn’t travel to a different part of the world.”
It was Megan's turn to laugh. “You’re kidding, right? Am I on some sort of reality show?” She started looking around the room for hidden cameras. “Really, it’s a good idea, but you may want to try avoiding yelling at the next person you trick into this. That’s going to cost you a lawsuit over time.”
Patrick looked confused, but Kimberly spoke up after covering his hand with hers. “This is not a reality show. I know it’s hard to believe. We are still trying to figure out how this happened. You see, years ago, we actually owned two keys that allowed us to travel through time. They were very powerful and caused us quite a bit of trouble, although they also changed our lives for the good. In the end, the keys were removed from our possession, and we haven’t seen them since. Do you have anything with you that may have once belonged in an older time period? Maybe a necklace from your grandmother, something like that?”
Megan’s heart was pounding now. She was trying to process Kimberly’s words, trying to find any clue that would tell her that Kimberly was making up a big fantasy story. But her gut told her Kimberly was being honest. She was either telling the truth, or at least thought she was. Maybe they were all crazy, including herself. “No…I have never met my grandmother. I don’t own anything like that.”
Kimberly looked at Patrick and Nicky, confused. “Then how could this have happened?” She shook her head and turned back to Megan. “Can you tell us what happened right before you arrived on our ranch?”
Megan hesitated, then decided there was no harm in telling her. “I was hiking to a small field that was filled with herbs that was located in the mountains. I saw an opening in the trees and walked over to see if there were different herbs that I could use. But, it was just an empty circle, surrounded by rocks. My dog, Apollo, saw something on the other side of it and jumped at it. He…”
She stopped and her eyes opened wide as she realized that the time travel theory actually was starting to make sense.
“He disappeared in mid-air. I didn’t want to lose him, so I stepped in the circle to follow him. I saw a bright light, and then…I was here, and everything was different and I saw…” She looked up at Keegan, who was watching her with sympathy in his eyes. Her heart flip-flopped, and she looked quickly down at her hands, only to realize they were shaking. She wondered what he would do if she told everyone she had been having dreams about him, or at least someone who looked exactly like him.
“Hmm…so someone else must have known about the spot that sent people through time and marked it with rocks. What year are you from?”
“2015. This can’t…this isn’t possible,” Megan said, even as she knew she was starting to believe it was true.
“I know. It took us all a while to process the idea of time travel. Especially Patrick. He was ready to marry me before he found out I was from the future, and it took some time to accept that it is actually possible.” Kimberly came over to sit next to Megan and wrapped an arm around her in comfort.
“You mean you’re from the future too?” Megan asked.
“Yes. I left in the year 2005 to travel here to meet Patrick. Nicky also came from the future, to help me give birth to my twins, and she fell in love with Shaun while she was here. Nicky’s brother, Justin, and their parents Doug and Michelle, are from the future too. They missed Nicky and used the keys to come for a visit. The keys disappeared while they were here, so they had no other choice but to stay.”
Megan’s shoulders began to relax, knowing that so many people understood what she was going through and had experience in this subject, although it was still very hard to believe. Was time travel more common than people thought? Was it just kept a secret from the general population?
“I really don’t know how you got here, or what little piece of earth made you time travel. Our whole family walks and works all over this ranch all the time, so you would think we would have noticed something like that by now. It’s starting to get dark, but you can stay the night, and we will figure everything out tomorrow.” Kimberly had a way of talking so smoothly, Megan started to feel a little calmer about the entire situation.
“I guess that is my only option. Thanks for allowing me to stay. Can I make a request?” Megan asked hesitantly.
“Sure. I can only imagine what a shock you’re in. We will try to help you get comfortable for the night if we can.”
“Can I bring Apollo inside for the night?”
Apollo had been tracking dirt all over the cabin when they had let him in the house earlier. He was allowed to stay near Megan until she woke up. Then Kimberly had pushed Apollo outside as she explained that they keep all their dogs outdoors and would need to do the same with him. He had been sitting by the door whining ever since they let him out, and Megan knew she would sleep better if he was with her. She also knew that Apollo wasn’t used to being separated from her.
Kimberly looked at Patrick who sighed while rubbing his face with a hand. “We don’t let dogs inside the house, Megan.”
“Can’t we make an exception, considering everything Megan is dealing with? I’m sure it will help her feel safer in a house full of strangers,” Kimberly suggested gently.
Megan could tell that Kimberly would respect her husband’s decision either way, but also knew how to voice her own opinion without sounding demanding. That made Megan like her even more.
Patrick ran his fingers through his hair. “Alright. The dog can come inside for the night, but he is right back out in the morning.” He looked at Kimberly with determination. “And we need to find a way to send her back to her time tomorrow. We have changed enough history by bringing you and your family back. We can’t keep tempting fate.”
“I agree,” Kimberly smiled as she squeezed his hand.
“Thank you. I don’t plan on staying if I have anything to say about it. My mom is going to be worried, and she needs help in her shop. She needs me,” Megan stated firmly.
She couldn’t help but notice Keegan dip his head at her words, as if he was disappointed she didn’t want to stay. She felt bad that she had been avoiding him all evening. He was the one that had made sure she had been all right after she had passed out, and she knew he had been making an effort to put her at ease.
“Keegan…” She started, but then realized she didn’t even know what she wanted to say to him. His head jerked up as he heard her say his name, and they locked eyes as he waited for a response. Her heart skipped a beat at his look. “Thanks for your help today,” she finished lamely.
“Just doing what I can. It’s part of my job description, after all,” he answered easily.
Nicky spoke up. “Keegan just finished school a few months ago and was able to earn a certificate to be a doctor. He now works with another doctor in Denver.”
Megan’s heart skipped a beat again as she remembered Kimberly mentioning that fact during dinner. Now that she knew Keegan lived in 1902, she understood why he considered himself a doctor. She found it very ironic that they both had the same interests in homeopathy.
Keegan stood up. “Well, I think we have all had a busy day. I’m ready to turn in for the night.”
Megan tried to pretend she wasn’t hurt by the way he avoided looking at her. She needed to be careful not to show her feelings around him. He clearly didn’t feel anything for her. He said goodnight to his siblings and nodded his head towards her before heading out the door.
“Where is he going? I thought all the rooms were in this cabin?” Megan asked, not sure why she felt disappointed. She knew she didn’t want him in the same cabin as her while she slept; her dreams were strong enough in her own apartment by herself.
“There’s a l
ittle one-room cabin outside that he uses when he comes to visit,” Nicky piped up, sending a friendly, knowing smile her way. “Kimberly and Patrick have their own cabin too, a little closer to the barn. Shaun and I moved into this main cabin once Bridget and Justin moved into town. There is an extra room for you. Since Colleen is living in town with Bridget, her room is empty, and you are welcome to use it. It should be perfect for you. Nicky’s parents, Doug and Michelle, live in another small cabin that is located behind the cabin Keegan will stay in.”
“Thank you,” Megan said genuinely.
“Come on. Let me show you where the bedroom is.” Nicky stood up and waited for Megan to do the same. She led the way down the hall and opened a door to the left.
As they both stepped into the small room, Nicky turned to Megan. “Keegan can be awkward sometimes. All the Callaghan men can. They grew up on this ranch out here and don’t get to town much. They know how to be nice to people, but really are clueless when they realize they find a woman attractive. Try to have some patience and maybe you’ll get to know him better.”
“We won’t have much time if I’m leaving tomorrow,” Megan pointed out, trying not to think as to whether she really wanted to get to know him or not. She hardly even knew that answer herself.
“Yeah, probably,” Nicky just smiled, and Megan got the feeling that there wasn’t much that could upset her. “The outhouse is outside, and you can bring Apollo in with you after you’re done. I’ll put one of my nightgowns on the bed for you to use. Just holler if you need something else.”
The outhouse. Another sign that she wasn’t in 2015.
“Thank you,” she said again, doing her best to not cringe at the idea of not having access to indoor plumbing. Nicky soon left to get her kids into bed.
Megan looked around the bedroom and liked what she saw. It was simply furnished with a small bed, a dresser in one corner and a desk in another. Light blue homemade curtains hung on the window and colorful quilt covered the bed and an equally colorful braided rug covered most of the wood floor. She felt at home in the room and knew she would be comfortable sleeping there.
