Chapter Four
Before Shiloh left for Salt Lake City, Dr. Martin had sat with her at the piano. After watching her play with her left hand, he had suggested short, repetitive scales at first to retrain the muscles in her hand. Once there was no pain and her hand felt flexible instead of stiff with that exercise, he asked her to add on another repetitive, but different movement and continue that routine until she was playing full runs from one end of the keyboard to the other.
While she was away, she hadn't practiced at all, and when she sat down at the piano after Adam left with Micah, she realized she would have to start at the beginning. Her hand had become stiff again.
Playing the same scale over and over again lasted only an hour. She tried a full piece of music and failed miserably, so she continued to play her scales, understanding this would be the only way she would ever be able to play as she had before...before Will had impaled her hand with a knife.
Laying her hands in her lap, she let her head fall back. "Damn you, Will Stewart."
"You're too late," said Ben, standing at the door of the parlor.
She jumped and quickly turned her head. "Pa, I didn't hear you come in."
"Ming Lin must have seen me ride up. He was at the door before I was."
Rising from the piano bench, she went to greet him, tiptoeing to give him a kiss on his cheek. "Please come in and have a seat. I'll ask Ming Lin to bring some coffee."
"I hear you're supposed to be staying off our feet."
"Who told you that?"
"Micah. Ming Lin has been told, too. He's already making coffee."
Walking him into the room, he waited for her to be seated on the sofa before he sat on the chair next to it. "You must have enjoyed your trip based on what I've been reading in the newspaper."
"Well, yes, except for that last night." She fidgeted. "Actually, the faint wasn't so bad. It was the last note I was going to sing anyway. It's just been…uncomfortable since."
"Oh? In what way?"
"Did Micah tell you why I fainted?"
"Well no. I just assumed you were tired. At least that's what I've read in the newspaper. Is there something else wrong?"
"Oh no," she answered quickly. "Nothing else is wrong at all. So what brings you all the way over here in the middle of a storm? Is it still raining?"
"It's not raining, my dear, it's pouring. And it hasn't slowed down since it started. I came over to speak with Adam. The grocers in Sacramento want a delivery of cattle…like you did your first fall back. Since you started it, I think it should be Flying W cattle, if Adam will agree to do it."
Ming Lin brought in the coffee service, handing Ben a cup before serving Shiloh.
She rolled her eyes. "Pa, if I remember it all correctly…" She paused and gave him a pointed look. "…and I do, he called me reckless and irresponsible for doing that."
"Well, the part you don't know occurred on the front porch at the Ponderosa where he admitted that under the same circumstances and conditions, he'd have done it, too. So I don't think he still believes you were reckless. But with this early storm, it may not be possible."
"Surely it's not producing any snow up on Johnson's Pass. It's still a little early for snow, even in a normal year."
"That's one of the reasons I wanted to talk to him. I also need to talk to him about the town council meeting that took place while he was gone, but Ming Lin said he's not here."
"He went with Micah to the mine to put the headstock together before everything rusts. I have no idea how long that takes, but I don't really think he'll be much longer. He's been gone since this morning. He's adamant about me staying off my feet to the point that he's hovering. I just hope Dr. Martin can get here soon."
Ben furrowed his brow. "Are you sure this isn't something more serious?"
They were interrupted by someone running in through the front door out of the storm. "That would be Adam," said Shiloh.
After he hung his hat, rain slicker, and jacket on the coat tree, he hurried into the study. "Pa, what brings you over here?"
Ben stood and shook Adam's hand. "Cattle. But I was just asking if there's something more serious going on with Shiloh."
Shiloh bit the inside of her cheek when she looked up at Adam who answered, "Oh…well…no…Pa…it's nothing really serious."
"But she says you're keeping her off her feet until Paul can see her."
Bowing his head and scratching his nose, Adam looked back up and smiled at Shiloh. "We wanted this to be a surprise." Walking over to her, he asked for her hand and pulled her up to his side, wrapping an arm around her and smiling proudly at his father.
"We're expecting a baby, Pa."
