Chapter Twenty-Nine
Adam took Shiloh's cape and hung it on the coat rack next to the desk at the hotel, placing his jacket next to it, then escorted Shiloh to the restaurant. The restaurant manager had come to expect her near this time and saved a table by a window for her. He had noticed that when she ate alone, she seemed to gaze contentedly out the window, watching the snow fall. Then again, it would never hurt his business for Isabella Whitney to be seen dining at his establishment.
"Shiloh, has something happened since last night that you…feel differently?"
"Differently?"
"You seemed…distant…this morning," he explained, gazing at her.
Disconcerted by his ability to make her feel exposed with a look, she squirmed in her seat. "Adam…" she began, but didn't know how to broach the subject of what might have happened the night before.
"We'll just have to…stay focused."
She snorted. "Well, I for one, was very focused last night."
Grinning, he bowed his head, then looked back up under his brow. "Then we'll have to be a little less focused. Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"
"No. I wanted to talk to you about Tommy Baker." He straightened and slightly crooked his jaw. "Roy came by and told me. He said that you, as the trustee of the ranch, pressed charges."
"Yes, I did."
"I want you to drop the charges."
His creased eyebrows and flared nostrils told her he wasn't inclined to do what she asked. "Why?"
"Very simply, he's not…responsible…in the truest sense. Tommy has always been easily led. And you know as well as I that his childhood was difficult. What if King threatened him?"
"Sam told him he'd pay him."
"Adam, of course Sam said that knowing it would make Tommy seem complicit. I'm sure he never intended to pay him."
"Shiloh, he burned down your barn. And by doing that, he killed Max and two other horses. Forget for a minute what they were worth on paper, and remember what Max was to you."
Her voice elevated. "Tommy may have physically set the fire. But he didn't mean to kill Max. And he was taking orders from Sam." She ended glaring at Adam, unconcerned that the rest of the patrons in the restaurant were watching them.
Adam looked out over the people there with an expression that made them all turn back to their own conversations. "We should discuss this later."
She leaned forward, lowering her voice. "I don't need to discuss this later. I don't agree with you, and ultimately, it should be my decision, not yours. Tommy Baker is as much a victim in this as I am. If you don't drop the charges, I will pay for his attorney, and I will testify on his behalf."
"And you'll be wasting your time and money. He confessed. The dollar amount of the damages alone will get him prison time by default."
"That may be true…unless you drop the charges. And if you don't, my testimony is sure to get him a reduced sentence."
"I can live with that."
"And I guess I have no choice. I'll ask you again. When do I get to run my ranch on my own?"
"After we negotiate and complete the five timber contracts you committed to when you bought that land." He watched her. "You look surprised. You forgot about your sales agreement, didn't you?" She looked away. "That's exactly why you're not ready to run the ranch on your own." She loosely crossed her arms in front of her, continuing to stare out the window, mist taking over her eyes.
The silence between them was fortuitous as the waiter brought their dinner to the table. "Can I bring you anything else?"
"No, thank you. This is fine," answered Adam without taking his eyes off Shiloh.
Neither one of them ate. Adam continued to watch Shiloh, and she continued to look out the window. Finally, after a few minutes, Adam picked up his fork and took a bite. "This is good. You should eat."
Still looking out the window, she said, "I didn't…exactly…forget. I just pushed it to the back of my mind because I didn't think I could do anything about it now. I have other things on my mind. I have a note in my ledger to talk to you in January."
"Well then, this is the first part of your lesson. It's true that a good many contracts come up for bid closer to spring, but there are just as many up for bid now. Bids are solicited in the winter so the cutting can begin as soon as weather permits in the spring."
"Then I shouldn't be doing this performance."
Adam looked down at his plate and smiled. "Why not?" She didn't answer. "Shiloh, you're almost done with your daily rehearsals. The only things pressing at the Flying W are the barn, which Hank is handling, and Jim Fischer, and there's nothing happening at the Ponderosa. We're in for the winter. We have plenty of time."
She turned back to him. "Jim Fischer? I didn't tell you he was on the way."
"No, he did. He sent me a telegram from San Francisco. I'll go with you to meet him when he arrives."
She looked at her plate, took a deep breath, then picked up her fork. It was times like these that she missed her piano. Playing cleared the jumble in her mind when life got a bit overwhelming. After a good piano session, she had always been able to concentrate, finding ways to make all her tight schedules work between the ranch, the horses, and her music. The piano put her in a logical…structured…frame of mind. She had always wanted to stay busy, so she didn't have to think about her life. Now, she wanted a break. She needed to think about where her life was headed. She needed to think about…Adam.
She stopped eating and watched him. Well, one thing is certain. He enjoys good food. Looking down again at nothing in particular, she swore under her breath. Damn! I have to find time for Hop Sing.
By this time, Adam noticed that she had stopped eating. "Where are you?"
"Hm?"
He lay is fork down again, picking up his wine. "What are you thinking?" he asked, taking a sip.
Smiling and relaxing her shoulders, she answered, "Nothing, I'm afraid, that's making much sense right now. I guess I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed." Quietly chuckling she added, "That should make you feel better."
"Why would I feel better about that?" he asked, creasing his brows.
"Because I would never have admitted that to you before." With that, their strained moods were broken, and they smiled at each other, finishing their dinner.
When they left the restaurant, Adam retrieved Shiloh's cape and walked her to the foot of the stairs where he handed her the cape, and she draped it over her arm. "Aren't you staying here?" she asked.
"No, I'm not," he replied, raising an eyebrow. "I have a room at the Tahoe House." He looked around the lobby, and seeing that they were alone, he took her face in his hands, and kissed her, then looked into her eyes for a moment. "Good night."
She smiled, returning his look of longing. "Good night."
