Call of the Canyon (28 page)

“Dad, it will be different this time. I have
a feeling.”

“I hope you’re right, pumpkin.”

Drew and Lindsey entered the house together.
“Hey! I was just going to call you.” Kate took Lindsey’s hand and
pulled her down on the floor next to her. “We need to make plans
for the next couple weeks. What day does Charlie get here?”

“He’s coming the day after Christmas and
staying through New Year’s! We can do New Year’s Eve together!”

They continued talking, but Kate caught the
serious conversation Drew and her father were having. The two men
shook hands and then joined them.

“Lindsey, will you join us for dinner?”

“I’d love to, Uncle Jackson, I don’t see
Kate enough these days. Drew hogs all her time.”

“Hey!” Drew laughed as he put a Santa hat on
Lindsey.

“It is so on, bro!” Lindsey pulled the hat
off, got up and started chasing him around the house.

Kate’s mom came in, set her briefcase down,
and noticed the jovial mood of the house. “Well, it’s about time.”
She put her arm around Kate’s dad. “We haven’t had kids run around
the house in ages. It’s good to have us all here.”

“Not for long. Tonight’s my night to go back
to the canyon.” He gave her kiss on the cheek.

“Pour me a large glass of wine then!”

“Me, too!” Kate called out.

“Dream on!” Her father shot back.

Everyone continued to enjoy the evening.
Since Lindsey knew about the canyon and Jackson’s past, they were
able to discuss it freely.

“As always, I have mixed feelings about the
trip. I think I’ll retire for the night. Goodnight, everyone.”
Kate’s dad retreated to his room.

The three friends decided to keep Kate’s mom
company for the rest of the evening.

“It could be more than a day. Jackson never
quite knows when the telegram will arrive.” Her mom sighed. “This
year could be quite different, but I’m hoping it remains the same.
Is that selfish?”

“Not at all, Mom. It’s a little scary
thinking of Dad traveling to New York City instead of being here
for Christmas.”

“Thanks for understanding. You may not like
this, but I feel the canyon’s always getting in the way of my life.
It always pulls him back...maybe back to where he really belongs.”
She put her head in her hands.

“Mom.” Kate took her mother’s hands away
from her face. “You have every right to have doubts. This
is
a big part of your life. It’s not any easier for Dad.”

“It should be routine by now but it’s always
a struggle to see him go. I’m sorry I dumped this on you. Thanks
for staying up with me, kids, but I think I’ll turn in.”

“Goodnight, Mom, I’ll be up in a minute. I
just want to say good-bye to Drew and Lindsey.” Kate thought her
mother still looked sad.

“Call us as soon as you know anything.” Drew
said to Kate. “Jack could be back here tomorrow, you never
know.”

“I will.” Kate saw them out and flipped off
the lights. She sat alone in the family room staring at the glowing
lights on the tree. She gazed at the small pink ballerina that
slowly spun on a bottom branch. Her father had brought it home when
she was just a little girl and wanted to be a ballerina. It was
attached to a special cord plugged into the lights that made it
spin. Kate always made sure it had a place of honor on the tree,
right in front. The white lights bounced off the ballerina’s
sparkling skirt as she continued to turn. Kate was mesmerized by it
all, almost hypnotized, until she noticed the ballerina slowing
down. It finally came to a complete stop. It was as if she died
right in front of her.

No! Dad isn’t here to fix it. I need my
daddy.
Kate felt a lump in her throat and tears fell from her
eyes. All the fears she’d kept bottled up from the past year came
out...Drew’s almost death...Carl trying to take Drew’s place on the
river...Tyson’s lost friendship and his obsession with her.
Standing in front of the Christmas tree, she sobbed and sobbed
until she could cry no more. Exhausted, she crumbled in a ball on
the sofa, never making it up to her bed.

Chapter Twenty-Three

When Kate
woke, it was daylight. She’d slept on the couch in the family room
all night. A soft blanket covered her that she didn’t remember
having before. Sitting up, she looked right into the eyes of her
parents. They were both across from her, watching her sleep and
drinking their morning coffee.

“Dad, what happened? And my ballerina
stopped spinning! You have to fix it.” Kate sounded like a whiny
little girl. “Sorry...what happened at the canyon? Did you hear
from Grandma Lilly?”

He walked over to the tree and looked at the
ornament. “I’ll take a look at this when I can. Sorry to hear she
stopped spinning.”

“Dad...”

“I got a telegram. Albert’s coming for
Christmas. I’m sorry I’ll miss Christmas here with the family and
Drew. I’ll only have to do this one year. Can you forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive. This is
important. It’s your family.” Kate rubbed her eyes, trying to
focus. “When will you leave for New York?”

“Tomorrow night. I’m going back tonight to
arrange everything, but will come back for one more day. I’d like
to see everyone before I leave.”

“You have to be back by New Year’s Eve
Day.”

“I’m sure I’ll make it in plenty of time.
Right now, I just want to enjoy being with my girls. What if we
invite the Campbells over for dinner tonight? I can explain to them
I’ll be missing Christmas so we’ll change our get-together to New
Year’s Eve.”

“What excuse are you going to use for
missing Christmas with the family? It had better be good.” Kate
couldn’t think of one to help her father.

“I considered using Andrew’s fictitious
parents as an excuse. You know the ones that are somewhere in the
unknown doing good works. Then I realized it was not a good idea
because he should be coming with me. I might have to say I have a
sick aunt or something.” Her father chuckled.

“Dad, it’s not funny. Don’t joke about it.”
Kate didn’t like that her father had to leave. She wasn’t seeing
the humor in anything.

“Actually, Kate, I was thinking the more
bizarre the story, the more likely they’ll accept it, no questions
asked.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “How about this? My
Uncle Rodney is dying and requested to see me. He lives in London,
England so I’ll be gone for a while. I regret missing the holidays
with everyone, but how can I turn down a dying man’s request?”

“That’s a little far-fetched.”

“Not really, I do have an Uncle Rodney. He
was my father’s brother, Robert and Rodney Woods. He did move to
London, England. We crossed the Atlantic on the SS Leviathan once
for a visit.”

“Okay, I guess that’s better than nothing.”
Kate jumped up. “I’ll go call the fam and invite them for
dinner.”

Her mom and dad spent the day cooking and
getting ready for company. Kate used the time to wrap presents, do
homework, and write in her journal. She finally took her newest
journal out of the drawer and began to write again. Kate always
liked writing and decided it was something she’d like to do in the
future, hoping she inherited her father’s writing gene. When the
doorbell rang, she quickly cleaned up and ran downstairs.

It was a great evening. Beth and David
seemed surprised Kate’s dad wouldn’t be with the family for
Christmas. Lindsey was able to manipulate the conversation because
she knew what was really going on. “Uncle Jackson, you go and do
what you need to do. We’ll have the best New Year’s Eve party ever.
Maybe you’ll inherit some money or be given some family heirloom or
secrets.”

That opened the conversation to all the
possibilities of why Uncle Rodney wanted to see him. Kate sent a
‘thank you’ look to Lindsey. The two families meshed so well you’d
never know they just found out they were family last year. Kate
felt better about the trip. Her father would come home with answers
and could finally enjoy living his life in the present.

“Then you must spend the holidays with us.”
Beth told Kate’s mom. “I don’t want you two sitting here alone on
Christmas Day.”

“We’ll be fine, Beth, really.” Kate knew her
mom preferred to stay home. She was in no mood to celebrate. “We
usually go to my mom’s, but I don’t think I can go without Jackson.
I might just tell her a little white lie and say I’m taking Kate to
New York City while he’s away.”

“Okay, I understand but if you change your
mind, I can keep a secret.”

The house took on an eerie silence once
everyone left. Kate’s dad went up to bed. She sat with her mom in
the darkened house. The only light came from flickering candles.
Mother and daughter couldn’t speak to each other. There was a
possibility his trip could be a disaster, but neither said a word.
So much could go wrong. The biggest fear was that her dad wouldn’t
make it back to the canyon in time to come home. He could be stuck
in the past forever. Kate looked at her mother and saw not just her
mom, but a woman who was afraid she could lose her partner in life,
the man she loved. Kate reached over and took her mother’s hand,
pulling her from the sofa. They both silently went upstairs to
their empty bedrooms.

The days before Christmas dragged and Drew
tried to distract Kate by making her guess her Christmas gift. He
prayed for snow each day as a joke to keep her smiling because he
said he wanted to build her an igloo. They wrapped presents
together and went shopping.

Kate had other plans for the week, but she
seemed to have forgotten them all. She felt like she was just going
through the motions.

“You know your dad instructed me to make the
best possible decisions in his absence. He wouldn’t want his girls
moping around. We’re going to have a wonderful holiday together.”
Drew took Kate’s chin in his hand. He lifted her face up and
brought his lips to hers. “Trust me?”

“I’ll try. It’s hard when my mom’s so
upset.”

“Then, let’s do something to change that.
Find all the things she likes about Christmas and make sure they’re
ready for our celebration.”

Christmas Eve was almost somber although
there was cheerful music, lots of festive lights and candles
glowing just like Drew requested. Nothing they did cheered Kate’s
mom up. She left them alone toward the end of the night so they
could exchange gifts. Kate bought a new lens for Drew’s camera and
she received a delicate open star diamond pendant. They sat staring
at the lights on the tree for the rest of the night. Her mom never
came back to join them.

Christmas Day still had the same feel
although Kate and her mom tried to act cheery and in the holiday
spirit. They exchanged presents in the morning and made a holiday
brunch like always. Dressing in festive colors, they headed for the
Campbells for the rest of the day.

Kate hung out in Lindsey’s bedroom, trying
to make small talk with her and Drew. Finally she couldn’t take it
anymore and broke into tears. “Sorry, guys, I’m not the best
company. I should just get Mom and go home.”

“No, you should stay here with friends.”
Lindsey put her arm around her.

Drew and Lindsey did the best they could to
distract her for the rest of the evening but Kate longed to go
home, go to bed and chalk up another day waiting for her dad to
come home.

* * * *

A few days after the holiday, Kate and her
mom started looking for her dad to reappear. Each day he didn’t,
they became a little more anxious. Drew couldn’t go back and use
his influence because everyone thought he was dead. Kate’s
disappearance from the canyon was never explained and it was
assumed she was back in Ohio. The only person who could safely go
back was her mom. She agreed to go for one night so she would not
miss time with them.

Kate hardly slept the night her mother left.
Drew was in the guest room and she finally went over after he was
asleep and slipped in the bed. Every time she dozed off, she’d
shiver and wake herself again. It was a horrible way to spend the
holidays. Kate ended up staring at the ceiling for the rest of the
night until there was a little light creeping through the
blinds.

“Drew, are you awake?”

“Yes, I was just napping all night.”

“Then why didn’t you say something?”

“I was hoping you’d fall sleep once you
crawled in here.” Drew pulled her close. He put his chin on top of
her head and held her tightly.

“Drew, I can’t breathe,” Kate choked
out.

“Oh, sorry.” He pushed back and looked at
her closely. “We’ll figure this out. Let’s go see if your mom’s
back.”

They padded down the hall to her parents’
bedroom. Kate slowly opened the door. “She’s here!” Kate ran into
the room and bounced on the bed knowing it had to be good news.
“Mom, are you awake?”

She rolled over and her face was not what
Kate expected. It looked like she’d been crying for a very long
time.

“I didn’t find him. No one knew anything
about him or heard from him. There was no telegram. The only thing
I did find out was there was some flooding in Pennsylvania. A train
derailed...the tracks are blocked. It’s a giant mess. That’s all I
know.” Her mom moaned and rolled back over.

“Drew, how long should we wait before we go
looking for him?” Kate grabbed his hand. “I don’t care if everyone
sees you’re alive, do you? We have to do this.”

“I don’t care either, but I do have an idea.
You need to call Anna and find out where Thomas went for his
honeymoon and how long he’ll be gone. If we can get to the cabin
without being seen, we may be able to keep my identity a secret and
still find out about your dad.”

“I’m on it.” Kate ran to her room to get her
phone.

After talking to Anna, Kate hurried back to
her mother’s room. “I have the information we need.” Looking at
Drew, she could tell something was wrong.