Surely she hadnât heard Raul correctly!
âDonât you realize with all the stress youâve been under, you could have endangered your baby?â
âIâm not having a baby.â Heather laughed nervously. âDonât be absurd!â
âHeatherâwe ran the test twice.â
Beneath his exasperated tone, Raul looked and sounded tormented. âI understand your fear of not wanting to tell your father, but thereâs no point in lying to me.â
âRaulââ she cried, gripping his hand. âIâm not lying!â
His eyes impaled her like lasers before his hand slid away from her stomach with seeming reluctance. âHow could you not be aware of the changes in your body?â
She blinked. âIâm really pregnant?â
She was going to have Raulâs child.
âHONEY? Do you have any idea how proud I am of your accomplishments? To think my daughter has established herself as a concert pianist. Itâs what your mother lived forâ¦â
Groaning inwardly, Heather Sanders bowed her head. âD-do you want another cup of coffee?â
âNo, thank you. Youâve waited on me enough this morning. In fact youâve spoiled me during this visit when it should have been the other way around.â
âIâm happiest when Iâm home with you.â
âYouâre just saying those kind words to make your old man happy.â
âNo, Daddy. Itâs the truth. Please, donât rush off yet.â I need to talk to you. I have to talk to you.
âIâm sorry, honey, but an early start on hospital rounds means I can finish up the day ahead of schedule so I can be with you. Iâd like to believe your mother will be watching and listening to you play with the symphony tonight,â came his tremulous whisper.
âI want to believe that, too. In case she is, Iâll try to do Tchaikovsky justice.â
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before letting it go. âYour performance will be flawless, just as it always is. Youâre so much like her, honey.â
âThank you, Daddy.â Heather averted her eyes and finished the rest of her orange juice.
âI want you to know Iâve already made travel arrangements so that I can fly over for the performances on your tour. Iâll only be able to stay a couple of days each time, but it will be worth it. Lyle Curtis has the different dates marked off to cover for me.â
âIâm so glad!â She slid out of her chair to throw her arms around his neck. âI love you so much.â
Dr. John Sanders was everyoneâs favorite obstetrician. He worked long hours and had literally buried himself in his practice since her mother had died. For him to take so much time away from his patients to be with her was some kind of miracle.
Yet thrilled as she was by his news, deep down the thought of carving out a career as a concert pianist had always been daunting to her. Though she loved the piano, the idea of devoting her life to the performance of music was already starting to hold less and less appeal. The sooner she admitted this to her father whoâd sacrificed everything for her, the better.
âWhat are you going to do today besides practice?â he asked after standing up to give her a hug.
âIâve got a lot of packing to do before I leave for New York tomorrow. Phyllis called and offered to drive me over to the concert hall early so I can warm up on the Steinway.â
âWonderful! After my last appointment, Iâll come straight home and change, then join you backstage before the performance.â
She flashed him a smile. âIâd love that, but I wonât hold my breath. In case things get busy at the office, remember that tonight I donât play until after the intermission.â
He put his hands on her shoulders. In a solemn voice he said, âDo you honestly think Iâd miss the debut of my daughterâs entry into the world of Rubenstein and Ashkenazy?â
âDaddyââ She shook her head. âTheyâre legendary. Only a few pianists will ever be in their league.â
âYou have greatness in you, honey. This is what your mother and I dreamed of.â
He kissed her forehead before leaving the dining room.
Immobilized by the growing conflict inside her, Heather stood there clinging to the chair long after she heard her father back down the driveway and leave for the hospital.
With incurious eyes, Dr. Raul Cardenas glanced out the window of the plane as it made its descent toward Salt Lake International airport. Though it was mid-June, there were still pockets of snow clinging to the highest peaks of the rugged Rocky Mountains. The sight reminded him of the Andes, and should have brought him a modicum of excitement.