Chapter Fourteen

It was Adam's turn to walk out to the balcony of their hotel suite and look up at the stars. The only problem was that the stars were hiding tonight behind a marine layer of fog, and the only light was a silvery hint of the moon trying to break free of it. Looking down on Montgomery Street, he wondered if there was ever a time in San Francisco when everyone was tucked safely in their beds sound asleep. He knew the answer. San Francisco never slept. If he had a mind to, he knew he could find a place with music, whiskey, and women to pass the time, but he was a married man now, and even though some men believed that was a right regardless of man's state of matrimony, he didn't agree. His place was here with his wife.

Whether Will realized it or not, he was beginning to create a small rift between them, even if that rift was just guilt on Shiloh's part. It angered him that she would feel that way when she should feel nothing but disgust. He wondered if some part of her cared for Will, but then he remembered her face contorted in something more than anger…more like repulsion…just before she slapped him. No, he decided, she didn't care for him. That only left the guilt, but not guilt for Will. She felt guilty that this had followed her into her life with him. It was him she loved, more than anyone or anything. He was sure of it.

What he wanted most in the world was to make her life easier without all these ghosts following her everywhere she went. Will, he could fight; her privacy, he could buy, but Micah…. Why had Micah suddenly become so prevalent in her thoughts? How could he fight a memory? And should he?

He walked quietly into the bedroom, glad that Shiloh had left a light burning low. Standing next to the bed, looking over at her, he smiled. He thought this night might be a bit colder than he'd recently gotten used to, but her hair was loose, and with an arm outside the blanket, he could see her bare shoulder. He stepped into the washroom to undress, and came out carrying his clothes which he gently laid on a chair; his boots, he set on the floor next to them. Slipping under the covers, he slid next to her, snuggling into her back. She stirred, but quickly settled back down. Laying his arm on her side, he dropped his head to the pillow behind hers, breathing in the scent of roses from her hair. He closed his eyes, thinking that nothing in the world could possibly feel better than her warm, soft skin against his just before he fell asleep.

Adam awoke on his back, chilled with his chest uncovered. He pulled the blanket up and rolled onto his side, his hands searching, reaching. Finding her pillow empty, he raised his head and groggily looked around. A piece of paper was lying where she should have been. He grabbed it and studied it, waiting for his eyes to focus. Come get me from the banquet room, and we'll have breakfast in the dining room. All my love, Shiloh. Sniffing the paper, he closed his eyes, enjoying the faint scent of roses…her scent.

"The banquet room," he said aloud. He jumped out of bed, dressed in slacks and a white shirt, no tie, and hurriedly left the room. When he stepped out of the lift at the lobby, he stopped and listened. In the distance, he heard a piano being played, though the piece was nothing he had heard before. Following the flourish of notes down the hall past the front desk, he stopped at the door of the banquet hall and peered in through a crack. A man standing at the door blocked his view, so he opened the door and cleared his throat quietly. "Excuse me," he whispered.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but no one is allowed in the banquet hall while Mrs. Cartwright is playing."

"And just who might you be?" asked Adam, smiling tactfully.

The man turned and stepped through the door, physically backing Adam out with him. "I'm with the hotel."

It didn't matter how much Adam thrust his chest out, he'd never be able to match the thickness or the height of the brute standing in front of him. "Your mother must have fed you well as a child," he said, smiling impudently. "I'm Mr. Cartwright; the lady's husband."

"What's the cook's name?"

"Excuse me?"

"Mrs. Cartwright said not to let anyone in who didn't know the cook's name."

"Oh. Hop Sing."

Stepping to one side, the man swung the door open with a paw that rivaled Hoss's. Adam stepped through the door with a hand on his chest, looking back as he walked further into the room. He stood quietly next to the piano while Shiloh played.

"Good morning," she said as she continued to play.

Creasing his eyebrows, he asked, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" she asked, looking up at him, still playing.

"Talk and play at the same time."

She smiled. "You get to a point when your fingers know their own way after you've played a piece thousands of times. Excuse me for a moment," she said as she finished the piece with several runs up and down the keys and ending with a resounding 'ta da'. "Ready for breakfast?"

Cocking his head and narrowing his eyes, he said, "Shiloh, where did you find…?" He pointed to the man standing at the door.

"When I called Mr. Eaton to see if it would be alright to play this morning, he said Mr. Shelby had arranged for an escort if I needed one. At first I was going to tell him that it wasn't necessary, but then I thought of you and decided I needed one," she said, smiling cheekily.

Adam tilted his head with a pleased smile and offered her his arm. When they walked out of the banquet hall, the escort followed at a discreet distance. "He's not going to have breakfast with us, is he?"

Shiloh stopped at the front desk where Mr. Shelby was posted. "Mr. Shelby, thank you so much for the escort. I'll be quite safe with my husband."

Mr. Shelby clicked his heels and nodded smartly. "You're quite welcome, Mrs. Cartwright. Mr. Cartwright," he added, nodding again.

Once they were seated and their coffee was served, Adam sat, looking at Shiloh with a rather subdued smile. "Shiloh, about last night…"

She quickly covered his hand, looking back at him with such affection that he smiled, lifted his fingers and held hers, and forgot what he was about to say. "Why don't we spend a day without anyone else on our minds but us?" she asked with amorous eyes. His face transformed into a carefree blend of gleaming eyes, brilliant white teeth, and dimples. "Did you happen to notice the weather outside?"

"No, I didn't."

"We have two days before we go to Jim's. I hope it stops raining by then, but this storm…it looks pretty fierce. I really don't know how you didn't hear it this morning."

"I saw the note," he said, raising his chin. "I was worried, so I left the room pretty quickly."

She smiled wickedly. "And what did you find for all your worry?"

Narrowing his eyes at the same time an eyebrow arched, he said, "Do not mock me. It's about time you obeyed your husband as, I recall, you promised," ending with a roguish smile.

She moved her hands to her lap and took a deep breath, causing her breasts to swell above the neckline of her dress that was low enough to show some cleavage. Her creamy, soft skin called to him as she demurely cut her eyes up to his, answering him with a slight, provocative smile.

His tongue touched his top teeth, and he made a low growl just as the waiter brought their breakfast to the table. Looking at her from under his brow, he thanked the waiter as she blushed and stifled a smile, looking away.

"Behave," he said, chuckling. She opened her mouth as if in shock, but the look slowly melted into a coy smile. "Has anyone ever accused you of being naughty?"

"There's absolutely nothing I could have done to get that kind of response from you if your own naughty thoughts hadn't already been there," she teased, picking up her fork.

"Ssh. Someone might think we just got married," he said, glancing around, then laughing.

"So…since it's raining, what are we going to do today?" she asked.

"Well, I know this little café just outside the Presidio where the coffee is good, the food is better and the view, especially during a storm, is spectacular. That is, unless you're opposed to getting a little wet."

"I take a bath every day. Water does not bother me in the slightest," she said, laughing.