Call of the Canyon
Read Call of the Canyon Online
Authors: Nancy Pennick
Tags: #marriage, #magic, #young adult, #teen, #book, #time travel, #series, #new adult, #fall in love, #nancy pennick, #waiting for dusk, #love across time
Waiting For Dusk #2
by Nancy
Pennick
Published by
Fire and Ice
A YA/NA imprint of
Melange Books, LLC
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
Call of the Canyon, Copyright 2013 by Nancy
Pennick
ISBN:
978-1-61235-699-0
Names, characters, and incidents depicted in this
book are products of the author’s imagination or are used
fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales,
organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental
and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher. No part of
this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.
Published in the United States of America.
Cover Art by Lynsee Lauritsen
CALL OF THE CANYON
NANCY PENNICK
Two Lives...
Two Worlds...
Heartbreak awaits.
Call of the Canyon
, second of the
Waiting for Dusk
series, continues the dramatic story of
Kate Roberts and Drew Kelly. New challenges face the couple when
Drew joins Kate in the present. Nothing is easy. Tyson’s still
their nemesis, causing trouble whenever he can. Carl, Kate’s friend
and neighbor, moves back home to Ohio and creates unexpected
problems at the canyon. A wedding, a tragic accident, and a family
broken by scandal affect both the past and present. And in the end,
Kate may pay the ultimate price.
Dedication
To my sister,
Sue
Table of Contents
Prologue
He should be dead. He knew that. Andrew felt a
shiver go through his body, the body that should be in a cold,
watery grave. She was the one who saved him...Kate. He should be
grateful. He wished things could be different, that his other life
did not have to end so quickly. He missed his time at the canyon,
it had been a big part of his life...he had such great plans. Now
he sat there, a junior at a high school in a future he never knew
existed until...guilt washed over him for thinking that way. He
reminded himself he’d made a choice on that fateful day, one he did
not regret.
* * * *
Thanksgiving 1927
Arriving by train from New York City, Andrew
immediately went to his cabin and unpacked. He was counting the
hours until he saw Kate again. He placed the velvet box holding the
charm bracelet on his dresser so he wouldn’t forget. It would be
placed in his saddle bag as soon as he got to the stable.
He would turn eighteen in January, becoming
a man. No one was going to tell him what to do. He would determine
his own future. Telling his family he didn’t want to become part of
the fashion business back in New York City would be hard, but he
planned to do so after the trip. Martin’s Menswear was successful
enough without him.
His father, Nicolas, told him he had the
talent to design the clothing and run the business, but that didn’t
appeal to him. He loved his photography and the study of nature. No
matter how hard anyone tried to convince him, he would not give it
up. The family didn’t know he was looking at colleges out west and
planning to make his final selection soon. No Harvard or Yale for
him. As heartbreaking as it might be for the family, he knew he
needed to follow his dream and hoped Kate would be part of it, too.
He’d ask her to marry him right now if she wasn’t so young. She
still had two years of high school to complete, the rest of this
year and next. He could wait. Andrew planned to protect and honor
her until the time was right for them to marry. And when it was,
they could marry at the canyon and live in the cabin.
He gathered his things together and quickly
got ready to head over to Grand Canyon Village to meet Kate. Sadly,
things went downhill quickly. She told him about dating someone
back home. Someone named Tyson. Stunned by the news, he set her
free and left the boardinghouse, never looking back. He heard her
cries but forced himself to keep going.
Andrew’s anger over the break up haunted him
as he readied himself for the hike to the bottom of the canyon the
next day. How could she have led him on? This other guy, Tyson,
somehow held a place in her life. Otherwise she would not have
kissed him. Tyson. The name was a bad taste in his mouth.
The Colorado River was a force to be
reckoned with and Andrew knew it was dangerous to go it alone. He
was being reckless, but forged on, determined to complete the
challenge on his own. Kate’s letters were in his bag and he had no
idea why he’d brought them along. As he walked, they felt like a
thorn digging into his side, or a small stone in his shoe that he
couldn’t seem to find.
As the day wore on, he thought less of his
upcoming ride down the Colorado rapids and more of those letters.
After he reached bottom and checked in at base camp, Andrew found a
quiet spot by the river to read the letters. Condors quietly soared
above his head and the blue sky was his blanket. It was calming to
lie there and contemplate all that had happened in such a short
time. He had returned to the canyon just days ago. It felt like an
eternity now.
Staring out at the river, Andrew recalled
the day Kate had given him the letters and his heart began to
flutter. The anger subsided for a moment. He wanted to pore over
her every word. It took his breath away...not out of happiness but
from pain. Still, he reached for his bag and took them out,
shuffling through them. There seemed to be one for every day they
were apart. The words were written in beautiful, flowing
handwriting and seemed to jump off the page.
Kate never said, “I love you,” although he
told her countless times. He now realized Tyson was the reason. She
probably couldn’t make up her mind between the two of them. Andrew
sighed and threw the letters down. It was useless to read. She had
made her choice.
So much time passed while he was
daydreaming, the sun was lower in the sky, too late to get started.
He’d set off tomorrow instead. He headed to the bunk house and
settled in for the night.
* * * *
The next morning Andrew was up bright and
early, determined to leave as soon as possible. Last night around a
campfire, some of the men had tried to talk him out of a solo
journey. They told him Jack would be upset he was heading off by
himself. Not even the mention of Jack would stop him.
Jack Woods was about ten years older than
him, and had become a mentor and friend at the canyon. They’d met
the first time he’d come to the Grand Canyon as a fourteen-year-old
boy. They’d bonded immediately. Andrew always felt there was
something different about him, like he was hiding a fascinating
secret.
As he stepped into the boat and pushed off
from shore, he waved to the other men until they disappeared from
sight. The water was calm for the first part of the trip. He knew
the rapids would be coming soon and made preparations. The main
things were to tie himself to the side of the boat with strong rope
and get the paddles ready.
The rapids were gentle at first, lapping at
the side of the boat, giving it a rocking motion like a baby’s
cradle. Then he hit his first big wave. It was a battle between him
and the river. Rocks appeared out of nowhere. Andrew pushed off
them and back out into the river again. Exhilarated and exhausted,
he made it through his first round and could rest.
Andrew lay back in the boat and looked up at
the sky. Everything was so peaceful that he felt one with nature,
although at times his mind drifted away from that calm setting.
Something kept interfering with the perfect day, something kept
nagging him. It was like an old wound, the pain could pop up at any
given moment. His eyes searched for his bag at the back of the boat
and he knew what it was...the letters. If he didn’t read them
completely instead of just skimming, he could never let go. The
first camp was coming up in a mile so he could stop, read and throw
them in the river. He would cleanse himself of Kate once and for
all and be able to continue with his journey.
Tying up the boat and stepping onto dry
land, Andrew decided that would be as far as he’d travel for the
day. It was getting late and he couldn’t travel much further.
Provisions for a fire and a small tent were in a safe area and
Andrew began setting up camp. He sat with a cup of black coffee on
a large rock near the river’s edge and began to read. He thought he
could toss each letter into the water and watch his former life
float away. He read:
My dearest Drew,
Today was one of the hardest days being away
from you! The sky was as blue as the Arizona sky and had those
white puffy clouds Lucinda loves so much. The leaves have started
to turn their fall colors of red, orange, and yellow. These colors
remind me so much of the canyon my heart aches. Not as much,
though, as my heart aches for you. I miss you, Drew. A day like
this only reminds me how much.
I love you–-across the miles, across
time.
Yours forever,
Kate
Andrew could not believe what he was
reading. That didn’t sound like a girl who was preoccupied with
another man. He flipped through all of the letters. Each one was
signed the same way:
I love you–across the miles, across
time.
Yours forever,
Kate
Andrew was determined to read each and every
letter from beginning to end. He became so involved with reading,
he never noticed the boat come loose from its post and float away
down the river.
When he finally noticed, he realized there
was nothing he could do about the boat and made camp for the night.
He hoped in a few days the men would think something was wrong and
come looking for him. In his heart, Andrew knew Jack would never
stop looking.
The next day, Andrew heard his name being
called from farther down the river. Jumping up and walking to the
water’s edge, he waved his hands over his head, waiting to see who
was calling his name. Jack stood in a boat, calling Andrew’s name
over and over. When Jack spotted him, he waved back and began to
quickly paddle toward the river’s edge. As the boat came closer,
Andrew was surprised to see Jack crying, almost sobbing. He kept
repeating, “Thank God, you’re alive!” as he climbed across the
rocks to solid ground. At that moment, Andrew didn’t understand the
meaning of those words.
Jack jumped ashore and grabbed him tightly.
It took awhile for him to gain his composure. “You can’t continue
this trip. You need to come back with me.” He held Andrew out to
get a better look at him. “You look completely fine.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Andrew thought it was a
strange thing to say but didn’t question the request. He knew he
would eventually get the answers he needed. All he knew after
reading those letters was Kate loved him. It was all a big
misunderstanding.