Stealing Time by Nancy Pennick

watched six sad movies in a row.”
    “Only one.” Lindsey held up her finger. “This
one is the saddest of all.” She pointed to herself and then to
Kate.
    Kate reluctantly got up and began packing.
She dashed into the bathroom to throw on some clothes. “Ready,” she
said more to herself than anyone else in the room.
    Drew took her luggage and disappeared down
the stairs. Kate and Lindsey were alone again.
    “Good-bye, roomie. Wish us luck.” Kate didn’t
want to cry anymore. There was nothing she could do about the
situation except live it the best she could. “I’ll miss you.”
    Lindsey stood stoically, watching her friend
go out the door. “I wish I could be two places at once. Can I steal
a book and meet you at the canyon? We could spend some time there
because when we start school, there won’t be enough time left for
us at the end of the day. Better yet, let’s have that old book take
us back a few weeks so we can catch Tyson in the act.”
    “Wouldn’t it be great if we could steal
time?” Kate asked as she walked out to the waiting car and back to
her life in Ohio.
     

 
    Chapter
Six
     
    Kate settled into a routine after the return
home. She helped Drew pack his things at the Campbell house and
stack the boxes in the Roberts’ garage. She found it hard to
believe he accumulated so much in the short time he had lived in
the present.
    While Drew and her dad were on their annual
summer trip to New York City, Kate brought a box a day into the
house and rummaged through it, sorting Drew’s things into piles.
She didn’t put anything away. He needed to do that himself. She
just wanted to stay busy and keep him close to her.
    After they returned, Kate waited in
anticipation for the day she could return to the canyon. She had
promised Anna they could meet on Kate’s second day there.
    “I’m so nervous and excited, Kathryn.” Anna
told her over the phone. “We need a code word so you know it’s
me.”
    “Good idea. You pick. Make it something only
a few of us will know.”
    “How about if we use my great-granddaughter’s
name? Lindsey Campbell.”
    “That’s good. I’ll let the others know. And
Anna? I hope this works out. I really need you in my life right
now.”
    “I’m only a phone call away, love.” Anna
sounded like a caring grandmother, but Kate would never tell her
that.
    Her mother wasn’t thrilled with the idea of
Kate returning to the canyon this summer. Last December was
particularly stressful for her. She thought she was losing her
whole family and might forget they ever existed.
    “Mom?” Kate found her in the kitchen. “Anna
and I have a password. You need to know it, too.”
    “Are you still intent on going back?” Her mom
stared at her with concern in her eyes. “I’m starting to hate that
place. I feel like we’ve opened a can of worms.”
    “How can you say that? If you hadn’t met Dad,
you wouldn’t have me.” Kate was a little insulted.
    “You’re right. I’m sorry. I need an
adjustment period. I’ll be ready to go in time for your
wedding.”
    Getting married again made Kate tingle with
excitement. Last year she was filled with nerves, but this ceremony
would be like renewing their vows on their first anniversary. She
knew what to expect and could enjoy the day, tucking away more
memories. She had met Drew’s parents at the first wedding plus her
Grandmother Lilly, her dad’s mother. Kate would see them all again
and planned to keep everything the same. They found out the hard
way what could happen when Carl went off script—history could
change. Kate liked to believe if it did occur, it was supposed to
happen.
    She also discovered people living at the
canyon had memories from the very first time she was there. Last
year she didn’t arrive until the second day, but everyone knew
her.
    Maya, Carl, her father—all of them—still
didn’t know the power of the books or all its secrets. That’s why
it was so important to get the book back from