Stealing Time by Nancy Pennick Page B

there’s an old Anna and a young one,
our job is to make sure old Anna gets to see everything she wants,
keep her hidden throughout the day and then get her safely back to
Arizona. Agreed?” These were the people Kate trusted most in her
life. They nodded in agreement. “And Carl, you promise to stay away
tonight? You can come back tomorrow.”
    “Yes, I promise. I’m going to have a long
video chat with Renae. She enjoyed seeing Drew and your dad in New
York by the way. I heard they went to dinner.”
    “We certainly did. It was an enjoyable time,”
Kate’s dad answered. “That girl’s a keeper.”
    “Well, it’s getting late, and I have things
to do.” Kate rose from her chair. “Good night, everyone. Coming,
Drew?”
    “In a minute, I want to talk to your dad.”
Drew held up one finger.
    “Sure.” Kate ran up the stairs and into her
room without a moment to spare. An idea just came to her. She
rummaged through her desk, looking for Lindsey’s senior picture.
For some reason, Kate felt like she should take it with her. Her
heart pounded with excitement, and she prayed this would work out
well for Anna. Forgetting about Drew, Kate popped into bed and
grabbed her book. Embracing the book to her body, she was
overwhelmed by its awesomeness. Slowly, Kate turned to the first
page and began to read.
    “Starting without me?” Drew bounced on her
bed.
    “Secrets with Dad?”
    “No, I just wanted to go over the details one
more time.”
    “In other words, secrets from Kate.”
    Drew threw his head back and laughed. “If you
must believe that, then okay.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Good
night, my princess. See you in my dreams.”
    Kate had a hard time staying mad after that.
She kissed him again and smiled. “My wish is for the other princess
in our life to be granted all of hers tonight.” She snuggled down
in her bed. “Good night, my prince.”
    “Are we getting too corny?” Drew cocked his
head to one side and gave her a cute smirk.
    “Never.” Kate slipped off to sleep, her last
thought being of the canyon.
    * * * *
    Her eyes popped open. Kate felt like she
dozed for just a minute. I don’t remember falling asleep. I want
to be at the canyon and am afraid to look around. Something
inside her urged her to do so quickly because there was a job to
do.
    Gazing straight up, Kate recognized the pine
ceiling of her boardinghouse room and finally found the courage to
sit up. She never tired of the sun shining through the cotton
curtains at her window, making patterns on the floor. The dresser
stood stoically against the wall with its wash basin and pitcher,
always a comforting sight. Although she was here yesterday, Kate
shivered like it was the very first time. The sensation tingled
through her body like it was aware something new was about to
happen.
    “Anna!” Kate flew out of bed and down the
hall to the end room. She didn’t even knock, just threw open the
door. “Anna, are you alright?”
    She was still asleep and lazily sat up.
“Kathryn, whatever are you doing?” Anna rubbed her eyes as if she
was trying to focus.
    “I’m looking for someone.”
    “In my room? May I ask who you’re looking
for?”
    Kate was a little worried. Maybe she should
run upstairs to check to see if the other Anna arrived. Too late
for that. She was supposed to keep an eye on young Anna this
morning, not burst into her room. Now she’s asking questions, and
Kate had to answer. “Lindsey, Lindsey Campbell.”
    “Why are you looking for my
great-granddaughter? That girl sleeps in until late morning.”
    “Oh my gosh, Anna, it’s you!”
    “Of course, it’s me! What are you doing at
the ranch?”
    “Don’t you remember? You wanted to come back
to the boardinghouse. This isn’t the ranch. It’s 1927.” She
hesitated and quickly scanned the room. A hand-held mirror caught
her eye. “I know it’s you, but it’s you from the present
inside...this body.” She handed her the mirror.