Chapter Two
Only an hour into the trip, Shiloh was fighting sleep. Adam watched as her head bounced forward, then jerked up. Passing the basket she was holding in her lap over to Annie, he put his arm around her and turned her into him so she could lay her head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Adam. This wobbling is putting me to sleep."
"It's alright, Sweetheart. I nap on stagecoaches all the time."
She closed her eyes. "How long will it take to get to Sacramento?"
"Nine or ten hours if the road is clear. But there was snow last night, so we may have to wait at one of the stops until they can clear it." Adam looked down, realizing she hadn't heard that last part. She was already asleep.
"Adam, how much time will I have to make my connection?" asked Annie.
"Don't worry," he said, squeezing her hand. "I made arrangements for them to wait if you were late."
Sitting back, she looked at him disbelievingly. "How did you do that?"
"It's not important. I want you to relax and enjoy your trip."
"What have you done?"
He winked at her. "Just consider it thanks for taking such good care of Shiloh."
The three waited in the stagecoach at the first three stops, Shiloh barely waking up. It might have felt good to stretch their legs, but the warmth they shared under the blanket the driver sent into the coach was worth more to them than the stretch. In the end, they were able to straighten their legs when the other three passengers opted to step out of the coach.
At the fourth stop, exiting the coach was not an option. They were just below Echo Summit, and with the extra load of trunks and baggage, the horses couldn't make it up the steep grade even with ropes tied to the harnesses and the coach to pull it up. The passengers would have to walk up to the top of the grade.
The driver and the pull station master waited until the passengers were up before they began to pull the stagecoach. Adam made sure Annie and Shiloh's capes where clasped tightly with their hoods up, then flipped up the collar of his overcoat, put on his gloves, and pushed his hat down firmly on his head. Another storm was upon them and the wind whipped fresh snow around them, making it almost impossible to see the road ahead. Standing in the middle of the road, Adam had the girls stand on either side of him and wrap an arm around his, but Shiloh took the other woman's hand and put her arm around Adam's, going over to the other side with Annie. Taking the rope that had been tied to the harness, Adam walked them up the slope using the rope as a guide. When they arrived at the top of the slope, Adam escorted them to the small hotel to wait inside out of the storm. He and the other men waited outside for the stagecoach to be pulled up the grade.
"Adam, I'd rather wait with you."
"Please go inside," said Adam.
"But Adam…"
"Don't argue. I have a jacket underneath my coat. I'm fine," he said, as he herded her through the door. "It'll only be few minutes, I promise."
Inside, Shiloh introduced herself to the woman travelling with them. "My name is Shiloh Cartwright, and this is Annie Walters."
"Phoebe Hearst. Thank you for helping me up the road."
Shiloh smiled. "Your time must be very near."
"Yes, sometime toward the end of next month. George, my husband, wanted me to be at home in San Francisco for the birth."
"Your husband is George Hearst…of the Ophir Mine?"
"Yes. He had some business to finish before he joins me at home."
"You must tell him that Shiloh Whitney sends her regards and apologies for any misunderstanding."
"Does he know you?"
"We've never met, but he was interested in purchasing my ranch, the Flying W."
Mrs. Hearst's eyes brightened with recognition. "Oh, I thought George would never settle down after that. He was so eager to purchase the property. Why did you decide not to sell?"
Shiloh snorted. "Well, it was never really for sell, but that's a long story."
"I thought you were the other man's wife."
"I am. We were married yesterday."
"Congratulations then. Cartwright…of the Ponderosa?" Shiloh nodded. "Perhaps we'll meet again while you're in San Francisco."
The three men stood next to the hotel, using it to block the wind while they watched the stagecoach slowly ascend the grade. The stage driver held onto the harnesses as the horses walked up the slope, but he slipped in the snow, agitating the horses. Adam hurried down and grabbed both harnesses, calming the horses while the driver regained his footing.
"Slim, you alright?"
Taking one of the harnesses, Slim answered, "Thanks for the help, Mr. Cartwright. I'm fine. I think it's the wind that's got the horses spooked a bit." Both men walked up the grade on either side of the horses, and once they were at the top and the ropes were released, the passengers were hurried back into the coach.
Slim handed Adam another blanket. "Thanks again for the help, Mr. Cartwright. We should be outta this snow in another hour, and then we'll be able to make up some time."
Adam doubled the blanket, then climbed in, closing the door behind him. Moving Shiloh to the center of the seat, he said, "I know this is uncomfortable, but it won't make that much difference with the curtain closed. You'll be warmer in the middle." Sitting across from the woman on the other side, he handed her the blanket. "Ma'am, tuck one side of this between you and the window. It'll be warmer that way."
She nodded and glanced over at Shiloh, who smiled and nodded back. "Thank you, Mr. Cartwright."
Adam looked at her thoughtfully and tipped his hat, then tucked their blanket around Annie to block some of the cold from the window. He tucked the other side around Shiloh.
"Adam, there's plenty of blanket for all of us. Please."
"I have another jacket on, remember?" She frowned, and he turned sideways and pulled her into him. "Slim said another hour and we'll be out of the snow. It'll get warmer as we get closer to the valley."
Annie uncovered the basket and offered food to the other passengers, who were all hesitant to take any. "Please, take something. We won't be able to eat it all," said Annie. The food at the way station hadn't been very appetizing, and they all had barely touched their meal. By the time the stagecoach arrived in Placerville, everyone had eaten something from the basket. They all stepped out now comfortably warm in their coats and capes.
Once on the way again, Shiloh asked, "Adam, how far behind are we?"
"We're not really behind. We're booked on the late steamer in Sacramento, and Annie's ship doesn't leave for Panama until early in the morning, so we're fine. You look a little pale." When he tried to remove her cape from her gloved hands, he realized that her hands were clenched and probably had been for most of the trip. Flattening one hand on her lap and holding the other, he looked at her ruefully. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart. I know this part of the trip is hard for you."
Annie took her other hand and smiled sympathetically. "We'll be in Sacramento in just a few hours. Adam, will we be separated on the steamer?"
"I've arranged for a late dinner in our cabin for all of us. Your cabin adjoins ours, so you can change into something more comfortable before we eat if you like. We'll be able to get a little sleep before we arrive in San Francisco."
One of the men seated across from them had been watching Shiloh the entire trip. He'd occasionally glance over, and at times, Adam caught him staring at her. This particular time, Adam gave him a severe look, prompting the man to explain himself. "I apologize for staring, but have we met before?" he asked, addressing Shiloh.
"No, I don't believe we have."
"I know I've seen you before," he said, casting his eyes upward in thought. Shiloh looked warily up at Adam, who slightly shook his head. "You say you're going to San Francisco? I'm sure it was in San Francisco that I've seen you." He smiled. "Well, perhaps it will come to me."
From that point, the trip went according to schedule. The three enjoyed dinner on the steamer, then slept until the porter knocked to tell them they would be arriving at the San Francisco wharf in a few minutes.
