Secrets of Time

by Zoe Matthews

  Nathan had seemed like an entirely different person than he had been earlier that day. While still happy, he was acting shy and spent most of his time with Mary. She was just seventeen, which seemed awfully young to Megan, but she saw the happy glances from the parents that told her they were pleased with the polite attention Nathan was giving to their daughter.

  Megan did notice that Keegan had seemed to enjoy being around Nathan more now that he had his attention focused on Mary. Megan thought that was interesting. Could it be that Keegan had been jealous of the attention Nathan had given her earlier that day? Regardless, she was glad the two were getting along.

  They had all had such a good time that it was late when they went to bed. They had a late breakfast the next day and rode their horses back into town so Keegan could work at the office for a few hours, and Megan could talk with Justin and Bridget.

  Justin had talked to Megan about a few other ideas that he had. Most of them had to do with the way rocks had been laid out around the portal. He had even thought maybe it would only work one day out of the whole year, which had terrified her to think about. He assured her he thought she would have more luck with making sure she traveled at the exact same time of day that she had traveled to the ranch.

  She knew she wouldn’t be able to try the portal that day since Keegan’s work had taken longer than he thought it would. From what she figured, she had gone through the portal around

  3:00 in the afternoon, and they wouldn’t make it to the ranch until right before nightfall.

  She was anxious to try everything Justin had talked to her about but was also glad she would get one more day with Keegan. She had enjoyed the night before so much.

  She reminisced back to when he had walked her to her bedroom door the night before. He had placed his hands on either side of her face, and she had prepared herself for their first kiss- instinctively knowing it was going to be the best kiss she had ever had. Instead, he had placed a sweet, gentle kiss to her forehead, and said goodnight before going to his own room several doors down. Somehow the chaste way he had treated her was more sensual to her than an intense kiss on the lips would have been.

  She smiled at the memory and glanced at Keegan as they rode their horses. He was quiet, almost solemn, as he had been since she had explained to him her ideas of how the portal could work and informed him she wanted to try it again tomorrow. She wondered if he was being quiet because he was thinking of things they could try, or maybe he was as sad as she was about her leaving. She vowed to make the next day as good as possible for the two of them.

  Now that she thought of it, every time she brought up going back home, he got a sad, distant look in his eyes. He must feel the same way about her as she did with him. Even if they couldn’t have a relationship, they could at least make memories they could look back on in the future.

  ****

  Sunday Morning, 2015

  Barbara arrived at her shop early Sunday morning, hoping that Megan would be there, even though the shop was closed for the day. She had tried several times that morning to get ahold of her daughter with no luck, and she was starting to worry. It wasn’t like Megan to not return a phone call. When she arrived at the shop, it was locked and dark. She let herself in and did a quick search, immediately knowing that Megan hadn’t been in the shop all weekend.

  Pulling her cell phone out of her pocket, she called Megan’s number, again getting her voicemail. Locking the shop up behind her, she quickly drove to Megan’s apartment.

  “I should have done this yesterday,” Barbara lectured herself. “I know something is very wrong.” Because she tried hard not to hover around her daughter and give her freedom and space, Megan could be in danger.

  When she arrived at Megan’s apartment, she pounded on the door but wasn’t surprised when there wasn’t an answer. Using the spare key Megan had given her, she let herself in. The first thing she noticed was that no one was home. The sofa bed wasn’t made up. Apollo was missing, so Barbara knew that wherever Megan was, the dog was with her. Pulling out her phone again, she called Abby and breathed a sigh of relief when she answered on the first ring.

  “Hello?” Abby asked. “Barbara? Are you calling about Megan?”

  “Yes,” Barbara answered, relieved. Abby must know where her daughter was. “Do you know where Megan is?”

  “No, I don’t. We were supposed to go out to lunch yesterday, but she never showed up and she never answered her phone. I was hoping you knew where she was.”

  “I know she went hiking Friday. Something must have happened.”

  “Do you know where she went hiking?” Abby asked.

  “No, but I assume it’s where she usually goes, on that group of hiking paths she likes in the canyon.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’ll drive up there and see if I can see her car,” Barbara quickly decided.

  “Please let me know when you find her,” Abby pleaded.

  After Barbara agreed and hung up, she was soon on her way up the canyon, saying a prayer in her heart that Megan was okay. Even though she suspected which hiking paths Megan likely went to, she stopped at each parking lot, looking for her daughter’s car. Like she suspected, she finally saw the silver sedan in the parking lot of the hiking paths Megan liked. Barbara parked her own car right beside it and got out to check her daughter’s car doors. Of course, they were all locked.

  Barbara looked at the main hiking path and started to walk towards it, but she knew it wouldn’t be wise to start her own hike. She wasn’t prepared with water or food and the main path forked into three other paths. It wouldn’t be smart to try to search each one.

  “It’s time to alert the authorities,” Barbara murmured to herself as she ran back to her own car. She did her best to keep herself under control. It would do no good to fall apart right now. That could happen after Megan was found and she would be able to give her daughter a lecture about going hiking on her own without letting anyone know exactly where she was going.

  Chapter 14

  October, 1902

  Megan and Keegan arrived at the ranch with dinner waiting for them; it was cold, but still delicious. They were hungry and ate quickly, while Nicky, Kimberly, and their husbands sat anxiously waiting to hear what Justin had to say about the time portal.

  After everyone had finished eating, and the children were sent to spend the evening with Nicky’s parents in their cabin, all the adults sat on different couches and chairs in the main room to catch each other up on what they had learned.

  Nicky spoke first. “Kimberly and I went out to the circle of rocks where you said the portal was several times a day. We tried a lot of different things, but it doesn’t seem the portal is even there anymore. I really hope Justin was able to come up with something because Kimberly and I are fresh out of ideas.”

  “Actually, he did have several different suggestions. He said I should try to use the portal at the exact time it took me to your ranch. I have been thinking back, trying to remember what time it was. I know I looked at the clock on my phone when I was done harvesting the herbs, and it said about 2:30. I walked around a little after that, gathering everything in my backpack, before I saw Apollo disappear through the portal. I’m guessing it was about 3:00 when everything happened.”

  “Okay, that’s good! Patrick and Sean can tell time almost exactly just by looking at the sun. We can give that a try tomorrow,” Nicky said enthusiastically.

  Kimberly turned to Megan. “What else did he say?”

  “He said I should be wearing everything I had on the first time through the portal. I basically need to replicate the experience the best I can. He also said it might have something to do with the way the rocks were arranged, or maybe it was only active one day out of the year, but he felt his first idea was more likely to work.”

  “I agree,” Kimberly pitched in. “It’s worth trying anyway, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll try to come up with another plan.”

  “W
ell, let’s hope this works. We will need to block off that portal at some point. We wouldn’t want any of the kids to accidentally trip the portal,” Patrick said with a serious face, then he grinned.

  “Justin mentioned that as well. He thought it was odd that everyone walks across this land all day every day, and no one has found it yet,” Keegan commented.

  “It’s likely just a matter of luck,” Patrick responded.

  Megan didn’t agree but didn’t say so. She thought there was something they were missing. She just couldn’t figure out what.

  ****

  Keegan woke up with a feeling of dread surrounding him. The last few days he had spent with Megan had been some of the best days of his life. She brought this calm with her wherever she went, and one smile from her could put him in a good mood for hours.

  Today, that was all going to change. She was going to go back to her time today. He didn’t know what made him so sure Justin’s suggestions would work. All he knew is that his gut told him that Megan would be leaving soon and that letting her go would be the worst decision of his life.

  He laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. He couldn’t ask Megan to stay. He knew how much her mother meant to her. It would be unfair and cruel to ask that of her. Besides, he had seen how much change Kimberly, Nicky, and their family had needed to learn to fit in with going from the future to their time. He had never heard any of them complain, but he was aware of the huge adjustments they had needed to make, although he knew that Garrett, Justin’s oldest son, had had a difficult time adjusting. Keegan didn’t want to ask Megan to go through that.

  With a groan, he climbed out of bed and got dressed. He might as well make the most of his last day with her. He walked to the main cabin and entered the kitchen, trying to paste a smile on his face so his family wouldn’t ask questions.

  Megan was already up, dressed in the outfit she had been wearing when he found her the first day on the ranch. She was also chatting nervously to everyone, much like she did on her first day here. Why does she do that? Keegan wondered.

  She glanced at him as he entered the kitchen, smiled shyly, and continued talking to Nicky while she cooked. Keegan walked over, gave Nicky a peck on the cheek as a greeting, and sat down next to Megan.

  As soon as he could get a word in, he said the first thing that came to his mind. “Megan. Would you like to go fishing with me this morning before you go? We might be able to catch lunch for everyone. We will make sure we are done before one o’clock.

  Everyone was quiet for a moment, and Keegan saw Nicky look at him significantly. Nicky knew Keegan loved to fish, and he wouldn’t take a girl fishing with him unless he really liked her. Keegan sent her a scowl, trying to tell her to mind her own business. Nicky had a point, though. He did like Megan, maybe more than he was willing to admit. He told himself he wouldn’t be taking her if it wasn’t her last day here; their last day together.

  “That sounds nice,” Megan finally responded, meeting his eyes and smiled at him. His heart ached when he realized he wouldn’t get to see her smile again after today.

  “Great! We will head out right after breakfast,” Keegan smiled back at her, despite the pain in his chest.

  “Can I go too?” was the request from nearly every child in the room.

  Nicky broke in before Keegan could respond. “Absolutely not. You all have plenty of schoolwork and chores to catch up on today since we took the day off yesterday.” They all groaned in disappointment but didn’t argue.

  They both ate quickly, while Megan continued to talk nervously to everyone. When she started to let things slip about the future, she caught herself. She knew none of the adults talked about the future in front of the children. After that, she was quieter and just finished eating.

  After everyone had finished, and she helped clear the table, she turned to Keegan. “I want to pack my backpack with everything I brought on the way here. Is it okay if I do that before we leave to go fishing?”

  “Of course,” Keegan responded.

  She gathered all her belongings, making sure that the chipmunk carving was safe in a small pocket of her backpack. Then she made sure Apollo had something to eat. Once she was done, they started walking towards Keegan’s favorite fishing spot.

  “Don’t you use a fishing pole?” Megan asked when she noticed that Keegan wasn’t carrying anything. “Or, do you not have fishing poles yet?”

  “There are some who own fishing poles, but I find them cumbersome. I just find a nice thin stick, whittle it smooth a little, and use a basic line and hook,” Keegan responded with a grin. “There used to be a group of Indians who lived near us. They taught me how to fish.”

  “Oh, okay. In my time, there are a hundred different kinds of poles you can buy. They retract down too, so it’s easier to carry them around. Maybe you would like one of those poles better,” Megan commented.

  “Maybe; it’s hard to say. This method works just fine for me,” Keegan responded simply, trying to help her calm down a little. He wished he knew what was causing her to act so nervous.

  When they arrived at his favorite fishing spot, he went to work finding a strong green stick that he could use for his pole. He pulled a knife from his belt and cut off all the rough bumps on the stick. He tied his line to the pole, then tied his hook to the other end of the line. He realized neither he nor Megan had said anything during that time, and he looked around to see what she was doing. He was pleasantly surprised to find her digging in the mud under a low-hanging pine tree with a nice pile of bait he could use.

  “We should be all set,” Keegan said as he walked towards her.

  “Great. I hope we catch something. I haven’t had fresh fish before,” Megan responded.

  “Didn’t your dad ever take you out?” Keegan asked, surprised. He knew she didn’t have any siblings, but he had never known a father who didn’t teach his son how to fish. Didn’t they do that in the future? Would a father teach a daughter as well?

  “I never met my father,” she said simply, and he sensed she didn’t want to talk about it.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” was all he said, even though he would have liked to hear her story. His own father had died when he was still a young boy, but he couldn’t imagine not ever knowing his father.

  Megan shrugged, and Keegan let the subject drop. They spent a few peaceful moments together while he threw his line in the water and pulled it out a few times. It wasn’t long before he felt a tug at his line, and he started to pull it in. Megan let out a yelp of delight when she realized he had a fish. She waited anxiously as he pulled it over to the river bank, clearly excited about the whole process. He pulled it out of the water, so she could see it better.

  “Oh. It’s so small,” she said, sounding disappointed. The fish was only about four inches long.

  Keegan laughed. “Yeah, this one won’t have much meat on it. We can throw it back and try for a bigger one. This baby can grow a little more for next year.”

  He tossed it back, put another worm on his hook, and threw the line back in. In no time, he had caught a couple more fish that were big enough to keep, although none of them would feed more than two people. He quickly pulled in each fish and tied them to a stick he had secured in the mud beforehand. The fish could remain in the water, alive, until they were ready to go back to the ranch. This was how he ensured they stayed as fresh as possible.

  “Do you want to try?” Keegan asked Megan when she started looking a little bored.

  “I probably won’t catch anything,” Megan hedged.

  “Sure you will. This river is full of fish. Besides, I’ll help you,” Keegan said. “Do you want to put the bait on?”

  Megan made a face, clearly disgusted by the idea. Keegan laughed in response. “I’ll do it.”

  He got the line ready and gave her the makeshift pole. He showed her how to best throw the line in, and pull it back. He was impressed that she got the hang of it quickly.

  He longed to put his arms around
her to teach her how to throw the line in the best way, but he felt they should be in a stronger relationship before he could get that close to her. Unfortunately, that would never happen. His thoughts were gloomy and distracting, so he didn’t notice at first when a fish started pulling on the line.

  “Keegan!” Megan yelled, panicked. “What do I do? It’s so strong!”

  “Just don’t let go of the pole!”

  Keegan rushed over and helped her pull the fish in. He thought she may have been overreacting when she said it was a big one, but he had to strain against it as he pulled. Finally, the fish popped out of the water and flip-flopped all over the muddy earth.

  “It’s huge!” Megan exclaimed, laughing with delight.

  Keegan’s mouth hung open. It was huge. It would easily feed at least six people, with some extra left over.

  “Beginner's luck,” Keegan teased.

  Megan laughed. “Maybe, but I bet your family will be grateful I was around to bring in this fish! Everyone would have gone pretty hungry with those little guppies you kept bringing in.”

  Keegan grinned, happy that she was finally playful, and no longer fidgety as she had been all day. Without thinking, he grabbed her hand and pulled her in for a hug. He noticed that her eyes drifted shut, letting him know that she wanted the hug as much as he did. It lasted longer than he intended, and she eventually laid her head on his chest. He couldn’t help but treasure this last bit of time they had together.

  He cleared his throat. “Between yours and the fish I’ve caught, we should have enough for lunch. Let’s stop for the day.”

  Megan smiled at him, a little sadness in her eyes, and she stepped carefully away from him. “Let’s. I’m hungry, and I want to make sure I get to try some of this fish before it’s time to go back to 2015.”

  Keegan’s face fell a little at the thought, and he began to clean each fish. When that chore was completed, they walked back to the ranch quietly, but Megan had grabbed his hand and held it for a few minutes. He could tell that she was feeling the same thing he was; he desperately wished they could stay together longer, and maybe build their relationship into something more.