Call of the Canyon (26 page)

Drew turned to the men again, directing them
to find the sling to attach to the back of one of the mules.

“Kate.” Drew said softly to her. “This isn’t
how it was supposed to be, but you’re going to get your first mule
ride to the top of the canyon. Do you think you can do that?” She
nodded her head.

“Come with me.” He gently took her hand and
guided her over to the stables where the mules were kept. Kate
followed Drew’s instructions feeling as if she was in a fog. She
barely remembered the ride to the top or how long it took. All she
heard was the clopping of the mules’ feet and the sound of a bird
overhead. Everything looked gray to her. The day was colorless and
cold. It was one of the worst days of her life and the sad part was
it wasn’t over. She still had to tell Maya that her son, her only
child, might die or was already dead.

* * * *

Kate didn’t recall arriving at the
boardinghouse or how she ended up in her room. She didn’t know if
she slept or was in a daze. She looked down at her hands and saw
she was still holding Carl’s letter for Maya. Slowly she opened it
and read:

Dear Mom,

If you’re reading this then you know I’m no
longer here and have passed on to a better life. Please do not
grieve because I will see my Rachel in heaven and that’s a glorious
thing. You have a granddaughter, Josie, and a great-grandson named
after me. Kate promised me she will help you find them or hopefully
they will find you. Most of all, I ask you to not blame her. She’s
my li’l sis and I am her big bro. She’s not supposed to protect me.
I am her protector and I failed her.

Mom, she couldn’t have stopped me from
coming to the canyon. I was unhappy with my life and needed a
change. I would have ended up here one day looking for both you and
Dad, anyway. It was so great to see the boardinghouse and meet
everyone. It was a joyful time for me. So please know I got my
happily ever after just like in the fairytales Katie so loved as a
child. In time, I know you and she will accept this was my wish, my
choice and no one could have stopped me. Drew is now safe. The
river is satisfied. I would do it over again in a heartbeat. I love
you, Mom, forever. Please love my daughter as I would have
done.

Your son,

Carl

Kate let out a loud wail and the door flew
open. Anna came running in and over to her. “It’s going to be
alright, Kathryn. Joseph’s awake. He wants to see you.”

She couldn’t believe what she just heard.
“He isn’t dead?”

“No, he isn’t. I just talked to Mr.
Johansson. He was in the kitchen getting more water. It’s a miracle
Joseph’s alive.” Anna took Kate’s hand and pulled her up from the
bed.

They both walked out into the hallway and
parted at the stairs leading to the family living quarters. Drew
was leaning on the wall in the upstairs hall. When he saw Kate he
quickly came to help her up the stairs. She wiped the tears from
her eyes as her heart pounded. Her mind felt like a scrambled mess,
trying to sort everything out.

She walked into Maya and Carl’s bedroom.
Carl Sr. sat in a chair next to the bed. He had a pan of water on
the dresser and was squeezing out a washcloth over it. He then put
the cloth on Carl Jr.’s head, like he knew he was caring for his
son. Kate gasped when she looked at him lying in the bed. There was
a large bump and cut on his forehead plus bruising and scratches on
other parts of his body. Carl Jr. slowly turned his head when he
heard her.

“Hey, sis, I’m not supposed to be here. The
river will be mad.” He sounded like he was trying to make a
joke.

“The river’s not a living breathing soul,
Carl. It did not want you. Thank goodness you’re alive!” Kate ran
over and carefully placed his hand in hers. She brought it to her
lips and lightly kissed it. “I never would have made it through
life without you. Don’t ever do anything stupid like that
again.”

“I’ll wait until next year. Tell Drew he
only has to have his dream another year.” Carl sounded
half-serious.

“Carl, the river did take someone today. One
of the men who went looking for you fell in and was swept away.
They’re still searching for him. I don’t want the river to take
anyone but if it’s fate, then maybe the right person was taken
today. I hope I don’t sound like a horrible person, but I’m glad it
wasn’t you or Drew.”

“Fate. That’s quite a heavy word. People use
it so casually, don’t they? They don’t realize what fate really
means. It was fate I met Rachel and it was fate I was to lose her
to another man. Fate, fate, fate. Tired of that word.”

“Shhh, you’re talking too much. You need to
rest.” Kate placed his hand back on the bed. She looked at Carl Sr.
“Thank you. You’ll never know how much this means to Maya.”

“Oh, Maya knows alright.” Kate heard a
familiar voice at the doorway and turned to see her standing there.
Kate ran and hugged her tightly, but didn’t feel any hug in return.
She stepped back.

“Oh, Maya, please don’t be mad at us, at
me!” Kate looked at her with tears in her eyes.

“Give her my letter, Kate.” Carl Jr.’s voice
floated across the room.

Kate still clutched the letter in her hand.
She slowly unfolded her fingers from around the paper and handed it
to Maya. “I’m sorry, but I read it. I thought Carl was gone.”

She walked out into the hall to wait with
Drew. It seemed like hours before Maya emerged from the room. She
looked at Kate sternly at first and then her face crumbled as if
she was going to cry. Raising her arms up, she motioned to her.
Kate ran into her arms and they hugged for a very long time.

“I’m sorry, Maya, can you ever forgive me?”
Kate looked at her with tears in her eyes.

“Of course, I do. I was never mad at you. I
was angry with myself. I handled this all wrong. He had the right
to come here and I kept it from him. He’s a grown man and can make
his own decisions. I still think of him as the baby I need to
protect; every mother does.” Maya’s voice trailed off. “I’m just so
grateful he’s alive.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about him
coming back here again.” Kate told her truthfully. “You read about
Rachel.”

“Yes, I did. She’s a very sweet girl and I’m
happy that my Carl met her and even fell in love with her.”

“Maya, you have a granddaughter that’s older
than you.” Kate couldn’t help herself.

“Now, that one is a shock.” Maya shook her
head. “When Carl is better, we’ll work this all out. When dusk
comes, I’m putting a book in his bed and take him home...with his
permission, of course.”

“We’ll all go home, right, Drew?” Kate
turned to him and put out her hand. She thought about the beginning
of the trip and how it started. It was supposed to become a
beautiful memory for her to cherish in the years to come. Drew was
so wonderful, sneaking off to decorate the cabin for their first
Thanksgiving. Then there was their romantic night together. How did
it turn into this scary nightmare?

Maya went back into her room and placed her
hand on Carl Sr.’s shoulder. He got up and left the room, stopping
first to hug Kate. Kate was so touched by the gesture, she could
hardly stand. Her knees began to wobble. Drew grabbed her shoulders
and she leaned against him. They walked into the room and sat down
next to Carl with Maya on one side and Kate and Drew on the other.
They were bound together with a secret not many people knew existed
and were aware they would always be a family.

“Carl,” Kate said softly. “Today you spoke a
lot about fate. You seem to dislike the word. I think fate has been
kind to you. You may not agree with me now, but once you’re home
and recovered, I’m sure you’ll agree. At home, you have family
waiting for you. You won’t be alone. You can start your life again
with a new perspective. I’ll do anything I can to help you.”

Carl seemed a little groggy, but was able to
reach out his hand to Kate. “Li’l sis,” was all he said and then he
fell asleep.

* * * *

“You realize we just messed up history,
don’t you?” Drew paced back and forth in the kitchen at the
boardinghouse. “I was supposed to die on Friday and here I am alive
and kicking on Saturday night.”

Maya and Kate were seated at the kitchen
table contemplating what Drew just said. It never crossed their
minds during the weekend that history was suddenly changed. They
were just concerned about Carl.

Maya sat with her head in her hands for
awhile and then looked at the couple. “You already died, Drew, when
you were seventeen. You left this world at that age and now you’re
a year older. It’s possible everyone remembers your death and now
Carl’s story will be added to that day–the day you were lost to the
river and Joseph was saved.”

“What about the rescuer who really died on
Friday?” Kate tried to process all the new information. “We swore
we wouldn’t change history, but we have.” She began to sob. She so
loved this life and didn’t want to disrupt anything. Things were
supposed to be a certain way. They were not there to change them,
just live them.

“Kate.” Drew sat down next to her. “Remember
when Carl told us he wasn’t changing history, but was supposed to
be part of this history? Maybe that’s what’s happening now. If I
really died when I was seventeen, people won’t remember seeing me
today. Plus I can’t recall who saw me and who hasn’t. There’s only
one way to find out. We need to get back to the present and call
Anna to find out what her memories are about this whole weekend. If
she thinks I’m still alive I’ll come back and go down to the
river...”

“Stop, Drew! You’re not going to put your
life in jeopardy again. I can’t take much more.”

“Sweetie, Drew has a point.” Maya took her
hand from across the table. “We need to find out as soon as
possible what the story is and decide how to fix it. Drew, I think
it’s best if as few people see you as possible. Go on up to one of
the guest rooms and I’ll get Katie settled in. See you all back
home.” Maya got up and headed for Kate’s room down the hall.

“She’s right, you know.” Drew walked her to
the bedroom and then disappeared around the corner.

Katie wrapped her arms around Maya. It felt
safe to be in her motherly arms. “Maya, what about Carl Sr.? He’s
upstairs and I think he’s the only one who saw Drew since we got
back.”

“Don’t you worry about him. He never asks
too many questions. He figured out long ago something wasn’t right
with all the comings and goings but he trusts me.” Maya got tears
in her eyes. “He knows some, but not everything. How I wish I could
tell him Carl Jr. is lying in that bed.”

“I think he knows.” Kate whispered and
that’s the last thing she remembered until she woke in the
present.

Chapter Twenty-One

Kate’s
phone rang, startling her awake. She was used to bouncing between
worlds, but her surroundings always seemed unreal when she first
woke up. There was no time to adjust, she had to focus.
“Maya...yes, of course we can...I’ll tell everyone, see you
soon.”

She bounded down the stairs to find everyone
already awake and dressed. “Wow, why didn’t you wake me? Maya
called and asked if we’d come to her house. Carl’s still recovering
and she doesn’t want him moving around. Plus she made breakfast.”
Kate turned and ran back upstairs, took a quick shower, and
dressed. She didn’t want to waste a second and hurried back
downstairs. “Ready!”

“Wow, can you do that all the time?” Drew
teased.

They headed for the Johnson house through
the backyards. Maya had her door open and waiting.

“Please, everyone help yourself and let’s
settle around the dining room table.” Maya acted very normal. Maybe
having Carl home was helping her mood.

Everyone fussed over Carl, helping him to
the table and bringing him food. He still had a large bump on his
head where he hit the rock. The other bruises were still apparent,
too.

Kate’s dad took a step back and covered his
heart with his hand when he saw Carl. “I’m so glad you were
rescued, my boy. Kate would never be the same if she lost you.”

Carl looked a little forlorn and Kate came
to his defense. “Dad, he did what he thought was right. Don’t make
him feel guilty.”

“I’m fine.” Carl gave her a nod. “Let’s get
on with the business at hand and why everyone’s here today. Make
that phone call and put it on speaker.”

Kate hit speed dial on her phone. Anna
finally answered her phone on the fourth ring which seemed like an
eternity to everyone in the room.

“Kathryn, this is a little early for you.”
It was wonderful to hear Anna’s voice even though Kate was afraid
she’d hear bad news.

“It’s an emergency, Anna. It’s been quite a
weekend and I need to ask you some questions. I have you on
speaker. Everyone is here...my family, Drew, Maya and Carl.”

“Hello, everyone, wish I could be there with
you. This sounds serious so start asking your questions.”

“What happened on Friday, the day after
Thanksgiving, in 1927? Tell us everything you remember.”

“Well, it’s a day I don’t like to recall but
since you all came back into my life, it’s made things better,
easier to think about. Andrew Martin went to the bottom of the
canyon to make a solo trip down the Colorado River. He never
returned and they never found him. It was decided he was lost to
the river.”

Everyone in the dining room looked at each
other relieved.

“Wait, there’s more. I’m having another
memory...did something happen?”

“You have to tell us, Anna. Please trust
us.” Kate’s dad took over for her.

“Joseph heard about Andrew’s trip. I was
told he didn’t like the idea of him traveling alone so he decided
to go after him. Joseph was standing by the riverbank, then
suddenly jumped on a raft and went down the river alone. There was
a girl with him but no one knew who she was, just that she was
hysterical and wanted someone to stop him. Some men from the camp
went after him and rescued him from certain death.” She paused.
“How am I doing?”